Social Studies
Sixth Grade Social Studies: Geography, Culture and Citizenship
Through the study of geography, culture, and citizenship, students will study develop mental models of what the world looks like physically and culturally and develop initial understandings of how people connect with various forms of governments around the world. Students will practice the historical thinking skills of perspective taking, comparison and contrast and change over time. They will craft arguments using claim, evidence, reasoning, to back their positions and findings about the places, cultures, peoples and governments around the world and they connect/compare/contrast their learning from around the world to Kirkwood/St. Louis, Missouri. Utilizing the framework of Change Makers, students will evaluate the impact individuals have on their communities, countries, regions and the world.
Seventh Grade Social Studies: U.S. History to 1877
Students will study the history of the United States from early settlements in North America through the American Civil War/Reconstruction. Our goal is to foster the development of “historical understanding” in our students by offering them opportunities to engage with history. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, students will learn to ask good questions about the past, make connections between a variety of sources of information, and recognize and consider alternate points of view and purpose, infer meaning as to how social context shapes events as well as ways in which our history is relevant today.
Eighth Grade Social Studies: World History to 1450
Students will build their conceptual understanding of change and continuity while they trace the impact of ancient cultures on modern world issues. Students will look at human origins, ancient civilizations, the rise of empires, and the development of world religions.