MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES

To enrich the social studies curriculum, Holy Nativity Episcopal School added History Alive! for 6th grade Ancient History and Government Alive! to teach Civics, Geography and Economics to 7th graders. These researched-based active methods of teaching have transformed these two subjects into multifaceted learning experiences.

World History is a year-long 6th grade course including hands-on projects such as excavating Terra Cotta Warriors as well as utilizing Chromebooks to take a tour of Ancient Rome.

The 7th grade social studies curriculum in the state of Florida includes a semester of geography, nine weeks of economics and nine weeks of civics. Government Alive! helps bring learning alive in these sometimes challenging-to-engage areas of study. With the ability to engage students with a variety of learning styles with this active instruction, the students are working in groups, learning graphic note taking and enjoying step by step discovery of the subject matter—and loving it!

Early American History is the basis of 8th grade social studies.  In class, working both independently and collaboratively, in a dynamic classroom environment, students analyze compelling primary source documents and build integrated literacy skills that will directly impact  understanding and performance. Those skills include:

• Writing based on textual evidence

• Developing vocabulary

• Analyzing documents and graphic materials

• Unlocking primary source documents through scaffolded shared-reading strategies

• Attain a better understanding of complex primary sources through text-based questioning

• Studying literature and multimedia elements integrated into social studies content