Students study content through political, economic, and social lenses, yet we are also focused on current events and where our community is headed in the future. We hope to mold our students into informed citizens that play a role in making positive changes in the world. Over three or four years, our thematic structure will focus on social studies at the local, national, and global levels. ​

 

Our Social Studies program is experiential with field trips and guest speakers included throughout the year. We use a variety of different nonfiction texts to help students build reading, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Students are regularly incorporating their studies throughout the school day with cross curricular connections to their other courses. When it comes to writing, we focus on research, expository, and creative writing. Students will hone their executive functioning skills in planning, note taking and time management. Group work is a large part of our curriculum and students will work to improve on communication, working as a team, and creating and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Public speaking skills are developed through a variety of presentations. ​

 

By the end of eighth grade, students will have studied and worked to gain proficiency in the following areas:

• Examining historic and/or cultural events through different lenses.

• Studying local, national, and world history.

• Understanding current events from different perspectives.

• Participating in group discussions with respect for others’ ideas and viewpoints.

• Developing executive functioning skills such as note taking, organization, and time management.

• Creating multimedia presentations.

• Presenting knowledge and understanding to an audience writing research papers.

• Understanding the role of social media and propaganda in our current age.