Wilbur S. Pence Middle School

Social Studies Department

• 6th grade - Mrs. Argenbright, Mr. Rexrode
• 7th grade - Mrs. Keeley, Mrs. Miller
• 8th grade - Mrs. Hughes, Ms. Tabor

Visit Mrs. Keeley's Civics class web page for Civics review games and other activities.

Social Studies Links

• America's Library
• Children Of The Holocaust
• Ellis Island
• Government Agencies
• History Channel
• Native Americans
• Tenement Museum
• Virginia
• Virginia General Assembly

6th grade Social Studies Curriculum

U.S. History II focuses on the study of American history 1877 to the Present time period with emphasis on geographic, historical, and economic threads. The students will use maps, globes, photographs, pictures, and tables to locate the 50 states, important physical features, and the cities most significant to the historical development of the United States. Using parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude will allow students to describe hemispheric location.

Analyzing and interpreting primary and secondary source documents, making connections between the past and the present, sequencing events in history, interpreting ideas and events from different historical viewpoints and evaluating and debating issues orally and in writing will help students demonstrate skills used for historical analysis.

The course emphasizes how the lives of Americans changed after the Civil War with a focus on Westward Expansion, the growth of big businesses and industrialization, the challenges brought by the growth of cities and the increase in immigration at the turn of the century. The Progressive Movement brought about changes for organized labor, Women's Suffrage and the Temperance Movement. Jim Crow laws encouraged racial segregation that would not change dramatically until the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. Students will investigate the changing role of the United States in the world through World War I. The social, economic, and technological changes of the early 20th century will be emphasized. World War II and the economic, social, and political transformation of the U.S. after the war will lead into a study of the key domestic issues during the second half of the 20th century.

7th grade Civics Curriculum

Civics is the study of American government and good citizenship. Emphasis is placed on ideals of democracy, justice, liberty, and equality. Also, the function, structure, powers of the three levels and three branches of government are studied in depth. Economics is designed to improve basic economic skills and build a foundation for how the American economy works.

8th grade World Geography Curriculum

World Geography focuses on the study of the world's people, places, and environments with emphasis on Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. This course examines the physical, cultural, historical, and economic geography of each region or continent. The knowledge, skills and perspectives of the course are centered on the world's population and cultural characteristics, its countries and regions, land forms and climates, natural resources and natural hazards, economic and political systems, and migration and settlement patterns. Spatial concepts of geography are linked to chronological concepts of history to set a framework for studying human interactions. The course emphasizes how people in various cultures influence and are influenced by their physical and ecological environments. Using texts, maps, globes, graphs, pictures, stories, diagrams, charts, guest speakers, and a variety of geographic skills, students consider the relationships between people and places while asking and answering geographic questions. Because this is a high school credit course, students take the World Geography end-of course SOL test.

Department Goals

1. Engage in Daily Review Questions throughout the year.
2. Take frequent tests and quizzes to review specific material listed in the Social Studies Implementation Guide.
3. Participate in the National Geography Bee.
4. Each six weeks complete two writing assignments with appropriate FCAs based on English/Writing SOLs
5. Have access to review packet prior to SOL testing.
6. Provide after school tutoring for students who seek additional resources and review time.
7. Using SOL student performance by category, teachers will concentrate on areas needing improvement, specifically categories where more than 15% of students did not score proficient.

The categories listed in our annual plan, with fifteen percent of students below a proficient score, will be given to all social studies faculty as a guide to teach and reinforce the content of these areas. By focusing on improving these specific areas, while maintaining the status of successful areas, SOL scores on the test will improve in the spring of 2003. The activities and strategies listed below will be used to teach, and enhance students' understanding of the content:

• Assess the students knowledge and familiarize them with the content by using similar questions on tests and quizzes throughout the year.
• Use review games and puzzles to practice and rehearse the specific content.
• Conduct mini-lessons on the specific content.
• Create study guides which convey the content in an understandable manner.
• Provide after school tutoring for with a focus on reviewing the fifth grade U.S. History content.
• Collaborate with related arts to find curriculum links for categories needed improvement.
• Collaborate with computer teachers to have the students practice test questions on the RCPS web site throughout the school year.
• Develop an intensive review, prior to the test, which focuses on areas needing improvement.

Administration

• Administrators & Office Staff
• School Counselors

Faculty

• 6th Grade
• 7th Grade
• 8th Grade
• Career & Technical Education
• Challenge
• English
• Fine Arts
• Foreign Language
• Library
• Math
• Physical Education
• Science
• Social Studies
• Special Education
• Special Services

Support Staff

• School Nurse
• Custodial Staff
• Cafeteria Staff
• Bus Drivers