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.