SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

SEVENTH GRADE UNITS OF STUDIES

IDENTITY
• Students will explore how the identities of individuals, communities, and nations are formed and maintained.
• Students will explore ways in which the identities of individuals, communities, and nations can sometimes come into conflict.

WORLD RELIGIONS
• Students will study the basic belief systems of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
• Students will explore ways in which religion affects individuals, communities, and nations.

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
• Students will study the ways in which the evolution of a new American identity affected the relationship between the American colonies and Britain.
• Students will study the important events leading up to the war and major battles of the conflict.
• Students will study the principles presented in the Declaration of Independence.
• Students will learn about the challenges faced by Americans after winning independence from Britain.

THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
• Students will learn about the powers and duties of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the United States government.
• Students will explore basic civic responsibilities.

THE CIVIL WAR
• Students will study about ways in which the growth of sectionalism led to civil war.
• Students will study about the institution of slavery as it existed in the South before the war.
• Students will learn about events leading up to the Civil War.
• Students will learn about major battles of the war.
• Students will study about the leading men and women of the Civil War Era.
• Students will learn about how the war ended and how the war forged a new identity for America.
• Students will explore major issues involved in reconstructing the United States after the Civil War ended.

EIGHTH GRADE UNITS OF STUDY

IDENTITY
• Students will explore ways in which the identities of individuals, communities, and nations are formed and maintained.
• Students will explore ways in which identities affect belief systems, values, and behaviors.

POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES
• Students will learn the basic ideologies on the political spectrum.
• Students will explore ways in which political ideologies affect individuals, groups, and nations.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
• Students will learn about the origins of the industrial revolution and its impact on human society over time.
• Students will learn about some of the major people and technologies of the industrial revolution.

AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• Students will learn about the major events of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
• Students will explore ways in which this social movement impacted America.

UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS
• Students will revisit the American judicial branch and take a deeper look at the Bill of Rights.
• Students will learn about ways in which human rights have been violated over the course of the 20th century.
• Students will learn about the evolution of the ideals of universal human rights.

WORLD WARS
• Students will learn about America’s increased involvement in foreign affairs during the 20th century.
• Students will study the causes of WWI and the reasons for America’s participation in the war.
• Students will explore ways in which the Treaty of Versailles led to WWII.
• Students will learn about the causes of WWII and the reasons for America’s participation in the war.
• Students will learn about major battles of the war and important people of that era.
• Students will learn about the Holocaust.
• Students will study the ending of WWII and the beginning of the Cold War.