Social Studies

The Hoboken Public Schools Social Studies program empowers students to become responsible learners in the global community of the 21^st Century. Our learners will interpret, analyze, and evaluate documentary source information from a multitude of authors and time periods as a means of conducting authentic, historically based research. Students versed in the social studies are active, informed and empathetic individuals. Only through a deep understanding of the past can one appreciate the realities of the present and possibilities of the future. This program encourages life-long learning that reflects social and historical realities.

The Social Studies curriculum at Hoboken Middle School contains two major areas of study. The first area of study is the Fundamental Principles of American Government. The second area of study consists of a two-year sequence (7th-8th grades) of engaging holistically with cultures, people, places and time periods. This also affords opportunities for students to reflect upon and develop connections between language, literature, and the study of the world. Through reading, writing, listening, and speaking, students learn how to think critically and creatively, make informed choices, and better understand their role as a global citizen. Students are engaged in the process of dissecting thoughtfully paired texts that are thematically grounded in the social studies.

Units of Study, Grade 6:

Unit 1: Defining Founding Ideals

Unit 2: Road to Revolution

Unit 3: Building The Constitution

Unit 4: Forming a New Nation

Unit 5: Citizenship in the 21st Century

Units of Study, Grade 7:

Unit 1: Tools of Geography: the tools we use to make informed decisions

Unit 2: Middle America: where people live and how they live

Unit 3: South America: assessing the impact of the 5 themes of geography

Unit 4: The United States and Canada: connectivity between geography and culture

Unit 5: Africa: geography shapes language and culture

Unit 6: Australia and the Pacific: island nations

Units of Study, Grade 8:

Unit 1: Five Themes of Geography: tools at our disposal

Unit 2: Europe & Russia: language and culture

Unit 3: Southwest Asia: varying terrain creates natural borders

Unit 4: South & Central Asia: the lowlands

Unit 5: East & Southeast Asia: the vastness of a nation creates cultural differences