The social studies units meet the Massachusetts
state frameworks in history and geography, but also incorporate many
interdisciplinary skills. All of our units engage students in a variety of
activities, such as debate, model creation, role play, simulations, and writing
in varied genres.
Each
quarter, students create several polished products in addition to class
activities. These pieces, graded with rubrics, are the primary form of
assessment in Social Studies. They often invite students to use creativity to
express their knowledge, and could be posters, speeches, websites, articles, or
other modalities depending on the topic. Students also do participate in more
traditional forms of assessments, such as tests and quizzes. As they get older,
students are given more opportunities to design their own projects.
During the
5th and 6th grades, students in Social Studies Project focus half the year on
early American history, and the other half on world geography and culture.
During the 7th and 8th grades, students delve into ancient world history,
beginning in early Africa and following the
spread of mankind through many great kingdoms.