Download By the end of grade 3, students will be able to

Social Studies
Curriculum
Guide
Philosophy of Social Studies
At St. John's Lutheran School, the study of history is the study of “His Story,” the Lord’s
creation. Students will gain a broad perspective of our world through the study of world, United
States, and Wisconsin state history. Other components include instruction in government, civics,
economics and geography.
Instruction and activities in each of these areas are structured to help students develop the
following skills: critical thinking, decision making, understanding cause and effect relationships,
and comparing fact and opinion. Activities used to foster this development include reading
charts, graphs, maps, and daily discussion of current events. The goal of these experiences is to
give our students the necessary tools to be active citizens in God’s world.
It is our goal at St. John's to teach social studies in light of God's Word with the glory not going
to man, but rather to the Triune God who has been from the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.
Social studies is taught with emphasis in the following traditional areas that make up the social
studies curriculum:
History is really the telling of His story: learning how our heavenly Father created the world and
all in it, how He sustains the world and has preserved it to the present day. In a study of world
and American history we learn how we as God's children fit into the world and the opportunities
that exist in spreading the story of God's love to all people.
Geography shows the wide variety of climates, land forms, and peoples the Lord has created.
Here we learn of the factors that affect history and shape the world in which we live. Geography
helps us understand our place in the vast number of different cultures that exist and reminds us of
our calling to preach the Gospel to all nations.
Civics is taught to prepare our children for their future role as Christian leaders in the world. As
Christians we understand the gift of government that the Lord has established through the Fourth
Commandment. Our children need to be trained as responsible citizens who can take active
leadership and participator roles, and in doing so serve their Lord and their country.
Current Events leads us to a better understanding of the world and its events as they take place
around us. Not only do we need to know how these events will affect us now and in the future,
but how the events came about and the relationship of these events to the factors of history,
geography, and civics.
Page 1
Economics is taught to foster the practice of good stewardship. By learning to making reasoned
judgments about personal economic questions, students develop understanding of how resources
are used to serve God and family. As students study larger economic questions that involve
community, country, and world, they develop an understanding of basic economic principles.
General Attitudes for Student to Develop in Social Studies
Through Christ-centered social studies instruction, teachers strive to lead each child to:
 Grow to be a productive citizen with a positive influence in the community--the “salt of
the earth” and the “light of the world.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
 Respect our government and be thankful for our country’s blessings.
 Identify a “world-view,” that he or she may better understand God’s guiding hand in the
world, and better function in the home, community, and the nation.
 Analyze the blessings showered on the world by the overwhelming grace of God and
therefore be filled with a greater desire to thank and praise, serve and obey our God.
 Evaluate other cultures in our society and throughout the world by the standards of God’s
Word.
 Realize the need to spread the Gospel to the whole world.
Kindergarten Objectives
By the end of Kindergarten the students will:
1. recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. recognize national symbols.
- flag
- bald eagle
- Statue of Liberty
- Lincoln Memorial
- Washington Monument
- White House
3. use words related to chronology and time to show an understanding of how things
change.
- now, long ago
- before, after
- morning, afternoon, night
- today, tomorrow, yesterday
- first, next, last
- day, week, month, year
- past, present, future
4. recognize some important historical characters and events.
- Christopher Columbus
- the first Thanksgiving
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- George Washington
- Abraham Lincoln
- Rosa Parks
- Harriet Tubman
Page 2
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
recognize a globe as a model of the Earth.
understand the use of maps.
label the conditions o each season
recognize different geographic areas such as desert, rainforest, mountains.
demonstrate an understanding of good citizenship and character.
- Follow rules such as sharing and taking turns.
- Recall acts of honest, patriotism, loyalty by historical characters.
- Understand the benefits of recycling.
10. describe the work of people in various occupations.
11. recognize the way people work together in a family, neighborhood, and
community.
12. label their own emotions and deal with them appropriately.
13. show and understanding and tolerance for diverse cultures, customs, and mental
and physical abilities.
Kindergarten Scope and Sequence
Pledge of Allegiance
Friends and Family
Calendar Skills
Occupations
- What will I be when I grow up?
Deserts
Christopher Columbus
Globe
Feelings and Emotions
Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving
Transportation
Martin Luther King
Harriet Tubman
National Symbols
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Rosa Parks
Health helpers in Africa
Rainforest
New Inventions
Mountains
Maps
All about me
Earth Day
Kindergarten Resources
Time for Kids
Newbridge Early Science BigBooks
Learning to Get Along – Cheri Meiners
Page 3
Individual Biographic books
Let's Talk About Series - Scholastic
Grades 1 and 2 Objectives
By the end of grade 2 the students will:
1. understand that every community has a history.
2. understand that we learn about the past in many different ways.
3. understand that people from many lands have made our nation culturally rich.
4. understand that we take pride in preserving traditions.
5. understand that celebrations link us to the past.
6. understand that all cultures are similar in many ways.
7. understand that people around the world communicate in many different ways.
8. understand that friends work, share, and play together.
9. understand that people work together and care for each other at home, at school,
and in the community.
10. understand that people can work together to solve a problem.
11. understand that older and younger people can work together.
12. understand that some rules help us work and play together.
13. create an American flag.
14. understand the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance.
15. learn the rules of respect for the American flag.
16. complete the activity sheets.
17. write a report on a president of the United States.
18. design their own map.
19. evaluate a real map.
20. color on a map the different regions of the United States.
21. recognize the different landforms.
Grades 1 and 2 Scope and Sequence
September
October
November
Working Together
We Work with Friends
We Work Together in Many Ways and Places
We Work Together to Solve Problems
People of All Ages Help and Learn from Each Other
We Work and Play by the Rules
Our Flag
Origins
Rules of Respect
Our Capital
Buildings of Washington D.C.
Honoring Three Presidents
The Government
Presidents
Congress
Page 4
Supreme Court
Map Skills
Reading Maps
Drawing Maps
December
Geography
Regions of the United States
Landforms
January
Then and Now
My Family Album
A Step Back in Time
Greetings from San Antonio
My Town Chinatown
February
Growing Up in a Pueblo Community
Let’s Celebrate Our History
Thanksgiving Then and Now
March/ April Independence Day Then and Now
Dr. Martin Luther Day
May
Around the World
From City to City
Communication Then and Now
Grades 1 and 2 Resources
Garcia, Juan R., et al. Families and Friends. Parsippany, NJ: Silver Burdett Ginn, 1997.
---. People and Places. Parsippany, NJ: Silver Burdett Ginn, 1997.
Schaffer, Frank. Social Studies Grades 1 and 2. Grand Rapids: Frank Schaffer Publishers,
1994.
Grade 3 Objectives
By the end of grade 3 the students will:
1. understand how to read and use the map key and parts of a map.
2. understand how globes help us study the earth.
3. understand & name the continents and oceans.
4. identify different kinds of land and water.
5. understand and name the continents and oceans.
6. understand special-purpose maps.
-Inset map
-Physical map
-Product map
-Political map
-Road map
-Historical map
7. work to make a United States map filling in states and capitals.
8. understand what it means to belong to a community.
Page 5
9. demonstrate an understanding of the reasons for community rules for a specific
community.
10. identify different kinds of land and water.
11. identify the location of the Mississippi River and its importance to the U.S.
12. identify the geography and location of the United States mountain ranges, desert
communities, and the Great Plains.
13. describe the natural resources of the above communities.
14. understand how location affects farming in an area.
15. construct a diorama depicting one of the above communities.
16. recognize that Native Americans were the first people to inhabit the different
areas of North America.
17. understand the different ways of living of the Native Americans Groups.
-Northwest Coast
-Southwest People
-Plains Indians
18. make a Totem Pole.
19. make a booklet on Native American groups.
20. understand who the Pilgrims were and why they came to America.
21. understand how the Native Americans were a help to the Pilgrims’ survival.
22. construct a group “Plymouth Colony.
23. recognize the Spanish as the first Europeans to come to America.
24. describe how a suburb is a separate kind of community.
25. infer the importance of transportation on the development of suburbs.
26. evaluate the problems suburbs cause to wildlife.
27. understand how some communities needed to move for survival (i.e. Native
Americans, Saami)
28. understand why many Americans made the move westward.
29. recognize why many Americans choose RV living today.
30. construct a moving community mobile.
31. understand the influence of the Spanish people to our way of living today.
32. understand how the coming of the railroad changed life, travel, and
transportation in America.
33. recognize there are 3 levels of government in the United States.
34. begin to understand the different jobs related to the levels of government.
35. know where our state and national governments are located.
36. understand the relationship of our state and national governments with our
lawmaking.
37. recognize Washington D.C. as a city for all Americans.
38. write a report on a U.S. President
Grade 3 Scope and Sequence
Globe study: hemispheres, continents, and oceans
Maps: parts, symbols, and directions
Maps: State names, abbreviations
Communities – Many kinds
Page 6
- Rules
- Laws
- Locates specific places
Landforms and waters – river communities, Importance of Mississippi River
Mountain, desert, plain living (good and bad)
Different products, different “farms”- fruit, vegetable, dairy, fish, sheep
City living – Work and Workers
- Transportation
- City pride
Native Americans
Pilgrims
Suburban Communities- Importance of transportation
- Varied lifestyles (both city and separate)
- Mass production spurred growth
- Problems with sharing with animals, losing habitats
Moveable communities
- Native Americans
- Wagon trains
- Mobile home living
- Far North Saami
Middle Colonies
- Southwest settlements
- Spanish people
- Early Europeans
- Pioneers
Frontier living
Stories of America- Stories of the past
- Living History Museums
- Tall tales
Importance of Transcontinental railroad
Government at work
Grade 3 Resources
Communities Around Us – Silver Burdett and Ginn
Daily Review book for above textbook
Extra resources such as:
Purchased guide books/workbooks
Library books
Mailbox Magazines
Maps
Time for Kids Magazine
Charts
Games
Page 7
Internet
Grade 4 Objectives
By the end of grade 4 the students will:
1. define and identify landforms of the United States and the world.
2. describe the various climates found in the United States.
3. explain the factors related to climate.
4. understand how landforms and weather directly connect with the natural
resources of a region.
5. explain the role of rivers in the development of the U.S.
6. describe the effect of climate on the economy and ways of life in the U.S.
7. describe how slavery divided our nation.
8. understand the major events of the Civil War and its aftermath.
9. explain how African Americans were denied civil rights after the Civil War.
10. understand the role of the Iroquois Confederacy system compared to the
national government of the U.S.
11. understand the origins of American patriotism.
12. identify causes and effects of the American Revolution.
13. understand the impact of the industrial Revolution on the employment of
immigrants.
14. compare the life of early immigrants to immigrants today.
15. explain the shift from rural to urban and megalopolis communities.
16. explain why the pioneers headed west.
17. analyze the conflict between the Lakota and new settlers.
18. describe the shift in the work force from agriculture to manufacturing.
19. define international dependence and its importance in our world.
20. analyze the impact of gold mining on the growth of the West.
21. explain the importance of women’s suffrage to life today.
22. use a timeline to select, organize, and sequence information describing eras of
history.
23. compare and contrast changes in contemporary life with life in the past by
looking at social, political, and cultural roles played by individual groups.
24. explain the significance of national and state holidays.
25. identify and describe important events and famous people in Wisconsin and
United States history.
26. explain the history, culture, tribal sovereignty, and current status of the
American Indian tribes and bands in Wisconsin.
27. construct a map of the world and United States including major landmasses,
bodies of water, and mountain ranges.
28. use atlases, databases, grid systems, charts, graphs, and maps to gather
information about a local community, Wisconsin, the U.S., and the world.
29. give examples to show how scientific and technological knowledge has led to
environmental changes such as pollution prevention measures, air conditioning,
and solar heating.
Page 8
Grade 4 Scope and Sequence
Our country's environment
- Landforms
- Climate
Natural Resources
- Renewable
- Nonrenewable
Canada compared and contrasted to the United States
- Shared natural features
- Size, borders, landforms
Our Country’s People
- Cultures-customs, shared ways
Three Branches of Government
United States economy, free enterprise
- Inter-relationships of the United States
Name and locate the 5 regions of the United States.
The Southeast
- “Mighty” Mississippi River
- Climate related to growing season
- Coal mining
- Geography Study-Egypt, Nile River
- Sequoia/Cherokee Alphabet
- Thomas Jefferson-Colonial Williamsburg-House of Burgesses
- North vs. South (Country divided)
- Changing Times-Martin Luther King Jr.
- Segregation
- Boycotts
- Geography study-India
Northeast Region
- Major landforms
- Appalachian Mountain chain
- Climate
- Longitude/latitude map skills
- Atlantic Ocean as a resource
- Geography study-Switzerland (economy to that of the NE)
- Iroquois
- Paul Revere
- European immigrants to Ellis Island
- Geography lesson on Argentina
Middle West
- Interior Plains
- Climate
- Resources
- Geography lesson on Poland
People of the Middle West
- 1800’s settlers
Page 9
- Lakota Indians
Auto industry
America’s “Bread Basket”
Southwest Region
- Natural Features
- Climate
- Resources
-- Geography lesson on Nigeria
People of the Midwest
- Navajo
- Spanish
- Ranching today
- Growth of the Sun Belt
The West
- Central Valley
- Geography
- Climate and Elevation
- Forest treasures
- Geography lesson on Brazil’s Rainforest
People of the West/and heritage
- Hawaiians
- Gold Rush Days
- Woman’s Right to vote
- California Industry
- Geography lesson on Japan
Grade 4 Resources
Regions – MacMillan/McGraw-Hill
Practice Book for above (worksheets)
Mailbox Resource- 5 Regions of the United States
Extra resources such as:
Purchased guide books
Library Books
Mailbox Magazines
Maps
Charts
Time for Kids
Newspaper Articles
Games
Internet
Wisconsin History Newspaper
Grades 5 and 6 Objectives (2 year cycle)
By the end of year 1 the students will:
Page 10
1.
2.
3.
4.
analyze the role of immigration in the U.S.
understand why the U.S. is considered to be diverse.
examine federal, state and local governments and their roles in them.
compare primary and secondary sources to see their importance to preserving
history.
5. analyze how geographers study and learn about a place.
6. explain how climate affects people’s lives.
7. use geography skills to find places on a map or globe.
8. appreciate the value of our natural resources and the methods used to conserve
them.
9. evaluate the achievements of the Aztec empire.
10. read and interpret an historical map.
11. understand the difficulties early colonists faced when settling down.
12. describe what conflicts existed between settlers and Native Americans.
13. interpret a time line and organize events in time order.
14. analyze why Europeans came to the English colonies.
15. describe the purpose and impact of the Spanish missions.
16. describe the events that led to the American Revolution.
17. understand the importance of the Constitution and the powers it established.
18. explain how the Louisiana purchase increased the size of the U.S.
19. analyze the differences between the North and South.
20. describe how some African Americans fought against slavery.
21. understand the reasons that the Southern states seceded.
22. describe how the Civil War began.
23. analyze the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation on both North and South.
24. evaluate the effects of the war on the North and the South.
25. describe the events that lead to the end of the war.
26. evaluate the Reconstruction and its affect on all Americans.
27. understand the effect of the transcontinental railroad on the West.
28. analyze the growth of the cattle industry and its importance in the West.
29. explain why new people settled on the Great Plains and how they solved
farming problems.
30. describe how Native Americans struggled to save their way of life.
31. analyze the beginning of new inventions and large corporations.
32. understand why immigrants came to the U.S. in the late 1800s and how they
lived when they got here.
33. identify the causes of the Spanish-American War and its consequences.
34. understand contrasting viewpoints on political issues.
35. evaluate the Great Migration and its effect on U.S. cities.
36. relate the reasons for entering WWI and the outcomes on the U.S.
37. understand the changes due to inventions, media and women voting during the
roaring 20s.
38. identify the causes of the Great Depression and how the New Deal programs
helped out.
39. explain causes, battles and U.S. entry into WW II.
40. describe events that took place during WW II and the consequences.
Page 11
41. to determine the credibility of a source.
42. explain how life changed during the 1950s. (Korean and Cold War)
43. describe the civil right movement and Martin Luther King Junior’s importance
in it.
44. analyze the causes and effects of the Vietnam war.
45. explain why the Cold War ended what role that gave the U.S.
46. understand the basic services that government provides for Americans.
47. separate fact from opinion.
48. describe the three branches of federal government and their roles.
49. analyze supply and demand, and types of businesses and industries.
50. understand advances in communications and technologies that have helped to
build a global economy.
51. analyze the problems facing our environment and ways to protect it.
52. identify the 50 states and their capitols.
53. understand 5 themes of geography: Regions, Human-Environment, Interaction,
Location, Movement and Place.
54. write an extensive state report using many varying resources.
55. know that history is really HIS STORY
By the end of year 2 the students will:
1. understand all kinds of maps and the terminologies involved with them.
2. identify features of geography.
3. explain physical and cultural regions.
4. identify the elements that make up people’s culture.
5. identify tools historians use to study and record history.
6. understand steps needed in decision making.
7. recognize the role of archaeology in learning about history.
8. explain how Egyptians used the Nile’s flooding to enrich their crops.
9. understand the role of a pharaoh and the importance of hieroglyphics in
learning Egyptian culture.
10. identify the achievements of Egypt in areas such as trade, culture and
expansion.
11. analyze the social pyramid of Ancient Egypt from slave up to pharaoh.
12. explain how Mesopotamian farmers controlled flooding of the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers.
13. understand the importance of Mesopotamian cultural values to the way they
lived their lives.
14. explain the cause and effect relationship as it relates to history.
15. describe how Judaism influenced others because it was a monotheistic religion
among polytheistic people.
16. tell how the Indus River contributed to Indian civilization.
17. expand on the achievements of Harappan civilization and how geography
contributed to its demise.
18. identify the major beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism.
19. explain why the Huang River was both feast and famine for the people of
China.
Page 12
20. tell how the Shang Dynasty shaped China’s cultural legacy.
21. describe the events that built the Chinese empire and the government it
developed.
22. explain why Confucious was considered a great teacher and what impact he
had on China.
23. analyze how the rough land of Greece led many of them to become seafarers.
24. compare and contrast the cultures of Sparta and Athens.
25. identify the achievements and thinkers of Athens’ Golden Age.
26. analyze how Alexander spread Greek culture with his expanding empire.
27. describe how Italy’s fertile plains helped develop a major civilization.
28. define republic and describe how Rome’s republic worked.
29. understand how great Rome’s empire was and what contributions they gave
the world that still exist today.
30. explain how Christianity developed and that it happened during the time of the
Caesars.
31. identify what contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire and what we as
Americans can learn from it.
32. tell how people of Arabia adapted to their harsh environment.
33. identify the major beliefs of Islam, how it developed and spread, and how
dangerous the extremists in this faith can be.
34. describe the contributions of Islamic civilization to the world.
35. explain how people first reached the Americas.
36. compare and contrast other religions of the world with Christianity.
37. analyze the achievements of the Olmec and Maya civilizations in agriculture,
crafts, math and trade.
38. describe Europe’s main geographic features and how they have contributed to
the growth of civilization there.
39. explain feudalism in the Middle Ages and life under it.
40. analyze the role of religion in society using the Crusades in Europe as an
example.
41. identify the roots of the Renaissance and what achievements occurred at this
period of time.
42. describe Martin Luther’s protests, the aftermath and his importance to the
religion we practice in our church.
43. tell how early Africans adapted to and changed their environment.
44. describe the role that trade played in the kingdoms of Ethiopia.
45. classify economies of three important empires of West Africa.
46. explain why Swahili trading cities emerged to interact with other parts of
Africa.
47. locate and describe Zimbabwe and how its economy operated.
48. locate and describe major physical features of Asia.
49. describe the achievements of the Ottoman and Mogul empires, the Khmer
kingdom and the Yaun and Ming Dynasties.
50. understand how to make generalizations.
51. explain how the Tokugawa shoguns managed Japan’s development in
isolation from the rest of the world.
Page 13
52. write an extensive country report using many varying resources.
53. appreciate the vast differences in the varying cultures of God’s great creation.
Grades 5 and 6 Scope and Sequence
(Year 1- U.S. History)
Life in the United States
- Americans Today
- Our Country’s Government
- Our Country’s History
Geography of the United States
- The American Land
- Our Country’s Climate
- Our Country’s Natural Resources
Contact and Exploration
- Native American Peoples
- Europeans Come to the Americas
- Early European Settlements
Colonization and Conflict
- The Thirteen Colonies
- Life in the Colonies
- The Struggle for North America
Independence and Expansion
- The American Revolution
- A New Constitution
- A Growing Nation
The Time of Slavery
- Free and Enslaved African Americans
- The Fight for Equality
- The Nation Heads for War
The Civil War and Reconstruction
- The War Between the States
- The End of Slavery
- The Union Stands
- Reconstruction
Newcomers Change the West
- Across the Country
- Life on the Range
- Homesteading on the Plains
- The Plains Wars
Industry Changes the Country
- The Rise of Big Business
- The Growing Cities
- The United States Expands
- The World of Theodore Roosevelt
- A Time of Reform
Page 14
Good Times, Hard Times and War
- World War I
- The Roaring Twenties
- The Great Depression
World War II and the Cold War
- World War II
- The United States at War
- The Cold War
The Winds of Change
- The Civil Rights Movement
- A Decade of Change
- The Cold War Ends
Government today
- Local Government
- State Government
- The National Government
Economy today
- Local and Regional Economies
- National and World Economy
(Year 2 – World History)
Regions of the World
- World Regions
- Regions and Cultures
A Look into the Past
- Understanding History
- Iceman of the Alps
Ancient Egypt
- Geography of Ancient Egypt
- Land of the Pharaohs
- Ancient Egyptian Civilization
- Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Mesopotamia
- Geography of the Fertile Crescent
- Sumer and Babylon
- The Beginnings of Judaism
Ancient India
- Geography of Ancient India
- Early Indian Civilization
- Beginnings of Hinduism
- Beginnings of Buddhism
Ancient China
- Geography of China
- The First Dynasty
- The Emperor’s Clay Army
- Confucius Changes China
Page 15
Ancient Greece
- Geography of Ancient Greece
- The Rise of Greek Cities
- Athens’ Age of Glory
- The Greek Empire
Ancient Rome
- Geography of Ancient Rome
- The Rise of the Roman Republic
- The Roman Empire
- Beginnings of Christianity
- The Decline of the Roman Empire
Ancient Arabia
- Geography of Arabia
- Beginnings of Islam
- A Muslim Caliphate
Ancient America
- Geography of Middle America
- The Olmec Civilization
- Maya Civilization
Cultures of Medieval Europe
- Geography of Europe
- The Middle Ages
- The Church in the Middle Ages
- The Renaissance
- The Reformation
Empires and Cultures of Africa
- Geography of Africa
- The Kingdoms of Ethiopia
- Empires of West Africa
- Africa’s Eastern Coast
- Great Zimbabwe
Empires and Cultures of Asia
- Geography of Asia
- The Ottomans
- India Under the Moguls
- The Khmer of Southeast Asia
- Great Empires of China
- Feudal Japan
Grades 5 and 6 Resources
A Nation Grows: Adventures in Time and Place – MacMillan/McGraw-Hill
World: Adventures in Time and Place – MacMillan/McGraw-Hill
Maps
Charts
Time for Kids
Newspaper Articles
Page 16
Games
Internet
Grades 7 and 8 Objectives
History - By the end of grade 8 the students will:
1. interpret the past using a variety of sources, such as biographies, diaries,
journals, artifacts, eyewitness interviews, and other primary source materials,
and evaluate the credibility of sources used.
2. employ cause-and-effect arguments to demonstrate how significant events have
influenced the past and the present in United States and world history.
3. describe the relationships between and among significant events, such as the
causes and consequences of wars in United States and world history.
4. explain how and why events may be interpreted differently depending upon the
perspectives of participants, witnesses, reporters, and historians.
5. use historical evidence to determine and support a position about important
political values, such as freedom, democracy, equality, or justice, and express
the position coherently.
6. analyze important political values such as freedom, democracy, equality, and
justice embodied in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the
United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
7. identify significant events and people in the major eras of United States and
world history.
8. identify major scientific discoveries and technological innovations and describe
their social and economic effects on society
9. explain the need for laws and policies to regulate science and technology.
10. analyze examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups,
societies, or nations.
11. summarize major issues associated with the history, culture, tribal sovereignty,
and current status of the American Indian tribes and bands in Wisconsin.
12. describe how history can be organized and analyzed using various criteria to
group people and events chronologically, geographically, thematically,
topically, and by issues
Geography - By the end of grade 8 the students will:
1. use a variety of geographic representations, such as political, physical, and
topographic maps, a globe, aerial photographs, and satellite images, to gather
and compare information about a place.
2. construct mental maps of selected locales, regions, states, and countries and
draw maps from memory, representing relative location, direction, size, and
shape.
3. use an atlas to estimate distance, calculate scale, identify dominant patterns of
climate and land use, and compute population density.
4. conduct a historical study to analyze the use of the local environment in a
Wisconsin community and to explain the effect of this use on the environment.
Page 17
5. identify and compare the natural resource bases of different states and regions in
the United States and elsewhere in the world, using a statistical atlas, aerial
photographs, satellite images, and computer databases.
6. describe and distinguish between the environmental effects on the earth of
short-term physical changes, such as those caused by floods, droughts, and
snowstorms, and long-term physical changes, such as those caused by plate
tectonics, erosion, and glaciation.
7. describe the movement of people, ideas, diseases, and products throughout the
world
8. describe and analyze the ways in which people in different regions of the world
interact with their physical environments through vocational and recreational
activities.
9. describe how buildings and their decoration reflect cultural values and ideas,
providing examples such as cave paintings, pyramids, sacred cities, castles, and
cathedrals.
10. identify major discoveries in science and technology and describe their social
and economic effects on the physical and human environment.
11. give examples of the causes and consequences of current global issues, such as
the expansion of global markets, the urbanization of the developing world, the
consumption of natural resources, and the extinction of species, and suggest
possible responses by various individuals, groups, and nations
Civics - By the end of grade 8 the students will:
1. identify and explain democracy's basic principles, including individual rights,
responsibility for the common good, equal opportunity, equal protection of the
laws, freedom of speech, justice, and majority rule with protection for minority
rights.
2. identify, cite, and discuss important political documents, such as the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and landmark decisions of the Supreme Court,
and explain their function in the American political system.
3. explain how laws are developed, how the purposes of government are
established, and how the powers of government are acquired, maintained,
justified, and sometimes abused.
4. describe and explain how the federal system separates the powers of federal,
state, and local governments in the United States, and how legislative,
executive, and judicial powers are balanced at the federal level.
5. explain how the federal system and the separation of powers in the Constitution
work to sustain both majority rule and minority rights.
6. explain the role of political parties and interest groups in American politics.
7. locate, organize, and use relevant information to understand an issue of public
concern, take a position, and advocate the position in a debate.
8. identify ways in which advocates participate in public policy debates
9. describe the role of international organizations such as military alliances and
trade associations.
Economics - By the end of grade 8 the students will:
Page 18
1. describe and explain how money makes it easier to trade, borrow, save, invest,
and compare the value of goods and services.
2. identify and explain basic economic concepts: supply, demand, production,
exchange, and consumption; labor, wages, and capital; inflation and deflation;
market economy and command economy; public and private goods and
services.
3. describe Wisconsin's role in national and global economies and give examples
of local economic activity in national and global markets.
4. describe how investments in human and physical capital, including new
technology, affect standard of living and quality of life.
5. give examples to show how government provides for national defense; health,
safety, and environmental protection; defense of property rights; and the
maintenance of free and fair market activity.
6. identify and explain various points of view concerning economic issues, such as
taxation, unemployment, inflation, the national debt, and distribution of income.
7. identify the location of concentrations of selected natural resources and describe
how their acquisition and distribution generates trade and shapes economic
patterns.
8. explain how and why people who start new businesses take risks to provide
goods and services, considering profits as an incentive.
9. explain why the earning power of workers depends on their productivity and the
market value of what they produce.
10. identify the economic roles of institutions such as corporations and businesses,
banks, labor unions, and the Federal Reserve System.
11. describe how personal decisions can have a global impact on issues such as
trade agreements, recycling, and conserving the environment
Grades 7 and 8 Scope and Sequence (2 Year Cycle)
(Year 1 – World Cultures and Geography)
Welcome to the World
The Geographer's World
The Physical Geography of the United States and Canada
The United States Today
Canada Today
Latin America:
Mexico Today
Central America and the Caribbean Islands
South America
Western Europe:
The Growth of New Ideas
- Renaissance
- Age of Revolution
- Russian Empire
Europe: War and Change
Modern Europe
North Africa and Southwest Asia:
Page 19
North Africa and Southwest Asia Today
Africa South of the Sahara
Western and Central Africa
Eastern and Southern Africa
Southern Asia
India and Its Neighbors
Southeast Asia Today
East Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands
China and Its Neighbors
Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands
(Year 2 – U.S. History)
Tools for Studying History
The Earliest Americans
Colonization Begins in the Americas
England Plants Colonies
Life in the English Colonies
The Road to Independence
The War for Independence
A Government for the New Nation
The Federalist Period
The Frontier Moves West
The Jacksonian Era
An American Spirit Grows
Spanning the Continent
Rising Tensions
The Civil War
Reconstruction
The Gilded Age
The Last Frontier
Industrial Growth
Cities and Immigrants
Workers and Farmers Seek Reforms
The Progressive Movement
Expansion Overseas
World War I
The Golden Twenties
The Great Depression and the New Deal
World War II
The Cold War
A Changing Nation
A Time of Shocks
The Reagan Years and Beyond
Grades 7 and 8 Resources
Page 20
One Flag, One Land – Silver Burdett and Ginn
World Cultures and Geography – McDougal Littell
Scholastic News – Scholastic Inc.
Internet Websites
Various Maps
Newspapers
Revised: July 2007
Page 21