History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.

Robert Penn Warren

    Seventh grade social studies content is based on early American History, during the late 1600s through the early 1800s.  The topics that we will study include: the first people who arrived in North America, settlement of colonies, how colonists fought for independence from Britain, government, and the division of our nation, which resulted in a civil war. 

    Eighth grade social studies content begins with the U.S. Civil War through present day.  We will see how America transforms from a country in ruins to an Industrial Empire.  We will also study how our ancestors migrated to this country and what kind of an effect they had on all parts of society.  America became entangled in two world wars and was on the brink of a nuclear war. 

    Memorizing facts is not the goal of the social studies classes.  Rather, we will use the facts from our past to reach our own conclusions, like was the “Roaring Twenties” truly a prosperous time for all Americans? or was the “Boston Massacre” really a massacre?  We will critically analyze our past and use these conclusions to understand today’s foreign and domestic affairs.  Learning and applying skills such as these will also prepare students for the higher grades.  Quizzes, tests, projects, short answer responses, and essays are the assessments used to measure student understanding and growth.

Well behaved women rarely make history.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich