MS Social Studies
Grade 6: During the process of this course, students will be engaged in a review of ancient culture, history and geography of many civilizations. The civilizations include those of Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Students will then journey into Medieval Europe and explore the Renaissance and Reformation and will end their year with the exploration expeditions of Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. During the course of the year, students will gain a better understanding of the cultures and regions that influence our understanding of the world today.
Grade 7: The seventh grade social studies curriculum is a one-year survey of United States history. The curriculum covers our nation’s history from the American colonies through the conclusion of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Specific units of study include the American Revolution, a study of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, the Federalist Era, Jeffersonian Democracy, the Jackson Era, Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny, the Civil War and Reconstruction. In addition, we will cover the foundation and formation of American government.
Grade 8: The social studies curriculum for the Eighth Grade is a one year survey of American history from post-Reconstruction American history to the present. Specific units of study include: the settlement of the frontier west in the late 19th century, the American industrial revolution in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the impact of immigration in the late 1800s. Other units include a look at progressive reforms (including political and social reforms), the development of the United States as a world power at the turn of the 20th century, and a study of the United States’ role in World War I and the failure of the Versailles Treaty to prevent a future world war. The prosperity of the United States in the 1920s will be contrasted with the economic depression of the 1930s. Particular attention will be given to political developments, the changing lifestyle of Americans, the role of the automobile, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and the causes and effects of the Great Depression. Next, World War II will be reviewed, including the causes, major events and results of the war. Following World War II will be a look at the Cold War, including: post war Europe, the Korean War, Vietnam War and the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. This will culminate with be an examination of the decades of the 1950s and 1960s with the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Particular emphasis will be placed on the changing American lifestyle and the Civil Rights movement. Finally, a look at the conservative revolt of the 1970s and 1980s will be studied with an emphasis on America’s leadership role in the world and the concept of the global economy. A study of the new challenges facing our nation will be covered and attention will be given to developing our students as the future leaders of America.
For more specific information please visit the teacher web pages.