WELCOME TO SOCIAL STUDIES!!!

SEMESTER OVERVIEWS

During the first semester, the students in eighth grade will focus on 20th century events and the development of the United States as a world power. We begin with the Spanish-American War and imperialism and continue through the two 20^th century world wars. They shall explore the cultural, economic, geographic and political factors that have impacted the United States and the world in general.  The content material is designed to assist students in understanding how events in the United States have affected the course of world history.   During the second semester we focus on the major consequences of WWII including the Arab-Israeli conflict and the cold war.  The rest of the studies cover events from the 1960's through to current world events.  Our final unit is an examination of the issues that will dominate the 21st century: the environment and population growth. A wide variety of evaluation tools will be utilized this year in the history course including map activities, essay tests,  speeches, standard content tests, research projects and an extensive trial simulation which focused on the American use of the Atomic bomb during WWII.

The grade six social studies program, World Cultures, begins the year with an in-depth study of the basic components of culture.  We will then move on to begin a series of area studies that will provide opportunities for the students to apply their understandings of culture to real world examples.   The first region of study is the Indian sub-continent.  During this unit, the major topics we will cover include the ancient civilizations of India, the major religions found in the region, the British colonial period, and the post independence period including recent and current political events.  We will use a variety of evaluation activities in the course including a vocabulary test, a research project, a speech activity, and standard content tests.  We also have a luncheon of Indian food planned  to provide an enjoyable cultural experience for the students.  During the second semester, the Middle East and Africa are the two areas of study.  The units both examine the early history of the regions and then move forward to more recent events. The Middle East unit includes an examination of the three major monotheistic religions that all began in this region.  Geographical concepts are emphasized in both units.  We have a special cultural field trip to the Lebanese Club as a unique aspect of our Middle Eastern studies.