Visitation Academy Middle School Social
Studies Program
Overview
The Middle School Social Studies program is a
four-year program designed to guide student-historians from
an elementary grasp of history and the social studies to mature
understanding. Upon graduation, our students are prepared to engage in the
critical analyses of texts that will be required of them in their high school
history classes. As a further component, all students regularly read
current news articles. Fifth and sixth grades receive age-appropriate news
magazines, while seventh and eighth grades read a national newspaper of their
choice. Students respond to the news in writing and discussion.
Fifth Grade
Students are asked to begin sorting the events
of American history into a firm timeline, and to begin to recognize events’
causes, connections, and effects on subsequent events and the future.
Sixth Grade
Students continue to develop skills in sorting
and analyzing events, focusing on the Eastern Hemisphere. Coursework covers the
dawn of mankind through the modern age—a true sweep of history!
Seventh and Eighth Grades
Seventh grade examines American history from the
period of its First Nations up to the Civil War and Reconstruction eras,
while eighth grade continues the study of US history from
post-Civil War Westward Expansion through to contemporary times. Both seventh
and eighth grades begin a more critical investigation of historical
events, expressing their deeper understanding through the writing process,
developing skills in constructing effective arguments based on strong
theses. Seventh and eighth grades also regularly consult
primary source documents, a practice begun in the lower middle grades.
