Social Studies Program

Social Studies 6-8

The Social Studies curricula in grades 6, 7 and 8 incorporate content from the disciplines of history, geography, political science, and economics. As they progress from year to year, students will learn to analyze increasingly complex primary and secondary source texts while utilizing social studies literacy skills such as sourcing, close reading, contextualization, and corroboration. They will also develop their proficiency in writing evidence-based historical arguments. These skills prepare students for high school, college, career, and citizenship, and support the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Social Studies literacy skills are taught within the context of a particular era of history.

In grade 6, students learn about ancient world civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. In grade 7, the focus remains on world history as students examine the development of civilizations from Latin America, Africa, and Europe. In grade 8, students will explore U.S. history from the Revolutionary Era through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and 19th century industrialization.

In addition to the core curriculum, students 7th grade will be introduced to personal financial planning and career exploration as a separate, month-long unit through the Junior Achievement Finance Park program. At the culmination of this teacher-led program, students take a field trip to JA Finance Park to put into practice what they've learned by developing and committing to a personal budget.

The middle school Social Studies program also includes courses that provide enriched and accelerated instruction at all three grade levels. Students are centrally enrolled into these courses at the county level based on multiple criteria, including performance on MAP-R and MCAAP assessments. These courses are named Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 6, Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7, and Historical Inquiry into American Studies 8.

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 6:

Sixth Grade- This course is built around the core Grade 6 social studies curriculum that includes historical content from early civilizations, the empires of Greece and Rome, the dynasties of China, and civilizations of the first millennium. Cohort students will go beyond this core, however, as they learn additional content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They also will participate in a culminating Model UN simulation at the end of the year.

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 7:

Seventh Grade- This course is built around the core Grade 7 social studies curriculum, Historical Inquiry in World Studies 7, which includes historical content from civilizations of Latin America, Africa, and medieval Europe as well as global interactions following the Columbian Exchange. Cohort students will go beyond this core as they learn additional content, explore deeper connections to today, engage in investigative inquiry to strengthen their writing through Document Based Questions, and enhance their learning through relevant literature connections. They also will participate in the National History Day (NHD) competition to research historical topics related to a NHD annual theme.

Historical Inquiry into American Studies 8:

Students explore the history of the United States from colonization to post-Civil War Reconstruction and Industrialization, while extending their understanding of political, economic, geographic and cultural systems. Throughout the course, students analyze multiple perspectives and study how the diverse populations of Americans, including Native Americans, African Americans, women, immigrants, and Mexican Americans contributed to and were impacted by events. Connections to current issues help students identify patterns and themes that have shaped America in the past and continue to shape the nation today. Students extend their literacy practices by using the historical thinking skills learned in Grades 6 and 7 to build effective, evidence-based historical arguments. This course prepares students for continuing their study of U.S. History in Grade 9.