Social Studies

This course focuses on the structure and functions of government institutions at the national, state and local levels; the role of the citizen in the American political and economic systems; and the basic principles, structure and operation of the American economy.

Honors courses are offered in Social Studies at each level in middle school. The Honors Social Studies curriculum follows the prescribed Virginia Social Studies SOL while providing instruction in advanced content at an accelerated pace. Students engage in higher-level thinking and develop advanced reasoning and problem-solving strategies to enable them to analyze their own thinking and the thinking of others. Through the use of primary source documents, simulations of real-world events and above grade-level nonfiction materials (excerpts and books), students analyze historical, geographical and economic events to become informed citizens, motivated to participate in civic and community affairs. Students enrolled in Honors courses write extensively on a variety of topics in several formats, including responses to Document Based Questions (DBQs), a skill that is essential to their success in Advanced Placement or Honors courses at the high school level.

Through Honors Social Studies curriculum for grade 8, students analyze social political, legal and economic systems according to their structures and functions. Throughout the year, students respond to increasingly complex DBQs. Students engage in thoughtful analysis and evaluation of news articles from several sources and draw connections between the topics in the news and the course content.

This course focuses on United States history from the pre-Columbian era to 1865. Students explore the historical development of people, places and patterns of life, and learn, within the context of United States history, fundamental concepts in civics, economics and geography. This course continues in grade 7.

Students develop skills of historical and geographical analysis to study the early history of the United States, and understand the ideas and events that both strengthened and weakened the union. Students explore the fundamental concepts of civics, geography and economics within the context of the history of the United States by reading nonfiction material written at advanced levels. Using primary source documents, they analyze the people and events that shaped the United States. Students enrolled in Honors courses are introduced to the DBQ.

Students continue the study of United States history begun in grade 6, examining major trends and events from 1865 to the present. Emphasis is placed on 20th-century events, including the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam Conflict.

Students continue to develop their skills in historical and geographical analysis as they study United States history into the 20th century. Building on the skills developed in U.S. History I, students analyze and evaluate the events of the late 19th and 20th centuries to reach a full understanding of how the development of the United States shaped the political and economic events of the world. Students use a variety of primary source documents in their written and oral analyses. Students respond to more advanced DBQs each quarter.