SOCIAL STUDIES

The social studies curriculum builds students’ understanding of civics, geography, economics, and history through inquiry-based learning and analysis of real-world issues. In grades 6 and 7, students examine broad geographic and historical questions that connect the past to the present using geographic, civic, economic, and historical thinking skills. Instruction emphasizes multiple perspectives, evidence evaluation, argumentative writing, and claim construction to prepare students for the Grade 8 middle school assessment.

​

The curriculum is organized around enduring geographic understandings such as movement, human systems, human-environment interaction, and place and region, rather than strict chronology. Students explore how geography and historical context influence events, ideas, and cultures across global, regional, and local scales.

​

In Grade 8 United States History, students study American history from colonization through the early twentieth century. Students analyze major historical developments, democratic principles, economic growth, and the experiences of diverse groups that shaped the nation. The curriculum emphasizes critical analysis of primary and secondary sources, interpretation of historical evidence, and understanding historical events from multiple perspectives, including those of women, African Americans, Indigenous peoples, and other historically marginalized groups.