Grades 6-8

MS SS Overview

The social studies curriculum provides the opportunity for responsible student engagement with real problems in the school, community, and the world around them. According to the Connecticut Social Studies Curriculum Framework, the National Council of Teachers of Social Studies, and the Common Core State Standards, students must be able to analyze, evaluate, and differentiate primary and secondary sources. Students must be able to read complex informational text because the vast majority of reading in college and workforce training programs will be nonfiction. Students will share this information through reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and presenting.

Units of Study in Middle School Social Studies

Grade 6 - World History

Unit 1: Geography
Unit 2: Archeology
Unit 3: Early China
Unit 4: Modern China
Unit 5: Ancient Europe
Unit 6: Medieval and Modern Europe

Grade 7 - World History

Unit 1: Latin America: Ancient Maya, Aztec and Inca
Unit 2: Latin America: Colonial Era
Unit 3: Latin America Contemporary (Brazil Case Study)
Unit 4: Africa: Ancient Egypt Mali and Ghana
Unit 5: Africa: Slave Trade and Imperialism
Unit 6: Africa: Contemporary (South Africa Case Study)
Unit 7: Middle East: Ancient Mesopotamia
Unit 8: Middle East Rise of Islam and the Ottoman Empire
Unit 9: Middle East: Contemporary (Israel/Palestine Case Study)

Grade 8 - United States History

Unit 1: Coming to America
Unit 2: Road to Revolution
Unit 3: Constitution
Unit 4: The Growth of a Nation
Unit 5: Causes of Civil War