Social Studies Update: October 2025
Grade 6 (Daniela)
This week we will be continuing our exploration into maps and geography. Students are building in-class note taking and non-fiction reading skills, and expanding their understanding of maps and map making.
In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are also working on the geography of Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas.
This week, Kali and I will co-teach a double period together, in which we will take a deeper look into the musical and dance styles of Hispanic countries along with influential performers who achieved success with American audiences.
In addition, we will discuss related cultural and historical concepts like what is the difference between “Hispanic” and “Latine,” and how, when, and why a large portion of Spanish Mexico became part of the United States.
To answer these questions, we will be reading together in class the “War with Mexico” chapter from A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff.
Grade 7 (Tim)
Seventh grade students have been immersed in a unit titled Road to the Constitution. Using curriculum from iCivics, a non-profit organization that promotes civics education, students have learned where some of the big ideas found in the Constitution come from.
The concept of due process, the rule of law, limited government, self government, and rights were borrowed from documents and writings, such as the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, Cato’s Letters, and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Students are practicing the art of taking well-organized notes, while using videos provided through Google Classroom. Additionally, students have been introduced to the various online games that iCivics provides, reinforcing what we learn in class. Soon, students will be helped to prepare for a content test on the Road to the Constitution, followed by their first “Big Question,” that they’ll answer in a paragraph or mini-essay for Challenge.
Here are the questions offered to students:
- REGULAR question: What were some of the reasons why American colonists decided to declare independence from Britain?
- CHALLENGE question: What were the failures of the Articles of Confederation, leading to the creation of our Constitution?
Grade 8 (Tim)
The focus of eighth grade is Washington state history, with an emphasis on civics. Eighth graders continue to practice note-taking and are moving away from relying on the videos of Tim taking notes in Google Classroom. This semester, students will be tasked with answering several essential questions in the form of paragraphs or mini-essays for Challenge.
To refresh their writing skills, we first fixed the last mini-essay they completed in seventh grade on landmark Supreme Court cases. So far, students have completed three essential questions and are already working on their fourth. The emphasis on writing will help them well for the remainder of the year and into high school. Here are the three questions they’ve answered so far:
- What is meant by delegated, reserved, and concurrent powers in the United States, and what is one example of each type of power?
- How is the structure of the Washington State government both similar and different to the structure of the federal government?
- How is a governor’s executive order different from a state law in Washington state?