Social Studies

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this semester. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, simple at‑home activities you can try, and one short check to see understanding. At‑Home Activities are short, informal, and helpful. 

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Spatial distribution: How people, places, or features are spread across space.
• Push/pull factors: Reasons people leave (push) or move to (pull) places.
• Demographic Transition Model (DTM): Stages showing how birth and death rates change as societies develop.
• Cultural diffusion: How ideas, practices, and products spread between places.
• Territoriality: How people or governments control space and claim places.
• Urbanization: The growth of cities and movement of people into urban areas.
• Development: Economic, social, and technological progress measured in different ways.
• The AG task (applied geography): Gather evidence, make a map/model about a contemporary issue, and explain findings.

Intro & Geographic Skills
Summary: Build foundational map skills, spatial thinking, geographic inquiry, and use of models (maps, scale, projections, GIS basics).
Easy at home: Ask your child to find your home on three map types (political, physical, satellite) and describe differences.

At‑home supports: Short map tasks (identify scale, legend), compare projections, or sketch a simple map showing route to school.

Check: Have your child explain one map feature (scale, legend, or projection) and why it matters.

Unit 1 — Population & Migration
Summary: Study population data and distribution, migration (push/pull), fertility/mortality, and the Demographic Transition Model; analyze impacts of migration on settlements and policies.
Easy at home: Look up your city’s population trend online and discuss one possible cause.

At‑home supports: Create a simple population chart, list two push/pull factors for migration in your region, or label DTM stages with short notes.

Check: Ask your child to explain one DTM stage or name one push and one pull factor for migration.

Unit 2 — Economic Development
Summary: Examine measures of development, spatial patterns of industry (primary/secondary/tertiary), energy use, global interdependence, and barriers/costs of development.
Easy at home: Find one local employer and discuss whether it’s primary, secondary, or tertiary.

At‑home supports: Compare two development indicators (e.g., GDP per capita vs. life expectancy) for two countries and note differences.

Check: Ask your child to name one development indicator and what it reveals about a country.

Unit 3 — Cultural Patterns & Processes
Summary: Explore cultural characteristics (folk vs. popular), diffusion, ethnic/linguistic/religious patterns, cultural landscapes, and how culture can lead to cooperation or conflict.
Easy at home: Identify a cultural food or song from another place and map where it originated.

At‑home supports: Pick one cultural trait and trace how it spread (diffusion) using a simple arrow map.

Check: Ask your child to describe one example of cultural diffusion and its effect on a place.

Unit 4 — Political Organization of Space
Summary: Study territoriality, boundaries and border types, the modern state system, supranationalism, governance patterns, and globalization’s political effects.
Easy at home: Locate your country’s borders and name one neighboring country; discuss reasons borders exist.

At‑home supports: Have students list two types of boundaries (physical vs. cultural) and give a local or global example.

Check: Ask your child to explain one reason a boundary might cause cooperation or conflict.

Unit 5 — Urban Land Use
Summary: Investigate why cities form where they do, internal city structures and models, urban hierarchy and size distribution, challenges (housing, transportation, sustainability), and rural–urban connections.
Easy at home: Walk around a nearby town or use Google Maps to note different land uses (residential, commercial, industrial).

At‑home supports: Create a two‑column cause/effect chart: list two factors that shape a city’s layout and the effects on daily life.

Check: Ask your child to name one urban model or one challenge cities face and explain briefly.

Applied Geography Projects (AG) — embedded in each unit
Summary: Each major unit includes an AG task: gather evidence, construct a map or model addressing a contemporary issue (local to global), and communicate findings. These tasks build skills in data interpretation, mapping, and evidence‑based explanation.
Easy at home: Encourage your child to collect a local dataset (population, commute times, or business locations) and sketch a simple map showing a pattern.

Check: Ask your child to summarize what their AG map or model shows in one sentence.

 

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this year. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, simple at‑home activities you can try, and one short check to see understanding. At‑Home Activities are short, informal, and helpful

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Renaissance: A cultural rebirth in art, science, and ideas across Europe.
• Columbian Exchange: Transfer of plants, animals, people, and germs between the Americas and Afro‑Eurasia.
• Imperialism: When one country extends control over others for resources, power, or markets.
• Nationalism: Strong identification with and loyalty to a nation or group.
• Industrialization: Shift from hand production to machine manufacturing with social and economic effects.
• Decolonization: The process by which colonies gained independence after WWII.
• Cold War: Long period of political, military, and ideological competition between the U.S. and USSR.
• Human rights: The basic rights and freedoms all people should have.

Unit One — Emergence of the Modern World (1300–1500)
Summary: Overview of major belief systems (Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism); causes/effects of the Renaissance in Europe; Eastern Hemisphere trade networks (Silk Road, Indian Ocean, Trans‑Saharan); early European exploration and encounters (including impacts on pre‑Columbian societies); and the rise/expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
Easy at home: Locate one world religion’s origin region and a major trade route (Silk Road or Indian Ocean) on a world map.
At‑home supports: Have your child list one cause and one effect of the Renaissance, and one way trade spread religions or ideas.
Check: Ask your child to name one belief system and one trade route and explain a connection between them.

Unit Two — Commerce, Innovation, and Expansion (1450–1815)
Summary: Development of global trade networks and colonialism; mercantilism, Atlantic trade (Columbian Exchange, Triangle Trade); Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment ideas and their influence on commerce and political thought; absolutism vs. constitutional/democratic experiments; and the Age of Revolutions (Glorious, American, French, Haitian, Latin American, Tokugawa contexts).
Easy at home: Pick one Enlightenment thinker and read a short quote; ask what idea challenged old authority.
At‑home supports: Create a two‑column list: one economic change (e.g., rise of Atlantic trade) and one political idea from the Enlightenment that connected to it.
Check: Ask your child to name one Enlightenment idea and one way global trade changed societies.

Unit Three — Nationalism and Industrialization (1815–1918)
Summary: Industrialization’s social and political effects (urbanization, working conditions, middle‑class growth), immigration and migration patterns, technological advances, new political structures (Meiji Restoration, Russian and Chinese revolutions), and the rise of nationalism as a cause of imperial competition and WWI.
Easy at home: Find a local example of industrial change (factory, railroad) on a map or online and discuss how it affected jobs.
At‑home supports: Have students list two social changes caused by industrialization and one political response (reform or revolution).
Check: Ask your child to explain one way industrialization changed daily life.

Unit Four — World Power Struggle (1850–1945)
Summary: Age of imperialism in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Japan; causes of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles; 20th‑century technological and military changes; WWII, the Holocaust, and the political/economic conditions that led to global conflict; and postwar power shifts (U.S./Soviet spheres, division of Germany, U.S. role in Japan).
Easy at home: Locate on a map one colony that changed hands during imperialism and one major WWI/WWII battle site.
At‑home supports: Create a cause/effect chart linking one imperial competition to a 20th‑century conflict or alliance.
Check: Ask your child to name one cause of WWI and briefly explain its impact.

Unit Five — Integration and the Modern Age (1945–2019)
Summary: The Cold War and its global effects (proxy wars, alliances, collapse of the USSR); decolonization in Asia and Africa and resulting nation‑building challenges; globalization—international institutions and economic alliances (UN, EU, NAFTA/WTO/OPEC); human rights developments and crises (Holocaust legacy, Rwanda, Darfur, refugee flows); and modern continuities/changes (EU/Brexit, Rise of China, global inequality).
Easy at home: Identify a major international organization (UN, EU, WTO) and a headline about its recent actions.
At‑home supports: Ask students to list one example of decolonization and one modern global institution that addresses its consequences.
Check: Ask your child to explain one major Cold War effect on today’s world.

Applied Inquiry & Projects (embedded in units)
Summary: Each unit includes an applied task: gather evidence, construct a map/model or short research product addressing a contemporary or historical issue, and present findings with supporting evidence. These projects build skills in source analysis, mapping, and evidence‑based explanation.
Easy at home: Encourage your child to collect a small dataset (trade routes, migration flows, or industrial locations) and sketch a simple map showing a pattern.
Check: Ask your child to summarize what their map or project reveals in one sentence.

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this semester. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, simple at‑home activities you can try, and one short check to see understanding. At‑Home Activities are short, informal, and helpful.  This is a course that has an End of Course Examination that counts for 20% of your child’s final grade.

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Comparison: Identify similarities and differences and explain reasons.
• Causation: Explain short‑ and long‑term causes and effects of major events.
• Periodization: Group history into eras using turning points.
• Context: The circumstances that give events and sources deeper meaning.
• Continuity & Change: Patterns that persist vs. events that alter systems over time.
• Evidence: Use primary and secondary sources to support historical claims.
• Federalism: A system dividing power between national and state governments.
• Sectionalism: Strong loyalty to a region’s interests over national unity.
• Enlightenment: An 18th‑century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, rights, and government by consent.

Unit 1 — Colonial America & Road to Revolution (1607–1780)
Summary: Compare Northern and Southern colonial economies, societies, and governments; migration and Native American relations; causes of American independence (French & Indian War, taxation, Enlightenment); development of self‑government and republican ideas.
Easy at home: Locate your state’s colonial settlements and one major colonial trade route on a map.
At‑home supports: Have your child list one economic difference (North vs. South) and one cause of colonial unrest.
Check: Ask your child to name one colonial self‑government example and explain its importance.

Unit 2 — Early Republic (1780–1803)
Summary: Articles of Confederation to Constitution; Constitutional compromises; Federalists vs. Democratic‑Republicans; emergence of the two‑party system; Supreme Court precedents (Marshall Court); early foreign policy and westward expansion (Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812).
Easy at home: Read a short excerpt from the Constitution’s preamble and discuss what “we the people” means.
At‑home supports: Ask your child to state one Constitutional compromise and one reason it mattered.
Check: Have your child name one Supreme Court case (e.g., Marbury v. Madison) and its effect on federal power.

Unit 3 — Westward Expansion & Antebellum America (1803–1850)
Summary: Market Revolution, transportation and technology, Jacksonian democracy, Manifest Destiny, Native American removal, sectional differences over economy and slavery, reform movements (temperance, education, women’s rights).
Easy at home: Find the route of the Oregon Trail or a canal/railroad on a map and discuss why it mattered.
At‑home supports: Have students list one technological change and one social reform from the period.
Check: Ask how one transportation innovation affected westward expansion.

Unit 4 — Sectional Crisis, Civil War & Reconstruction (1850–1877)
Summary: Intensifying sectionalism (Kansas‑Nebraska, Dred Scott), Civil War causes and major events, Emancipation, Union victory factors, Reconstruction amendments and policies, successes and failures of Reconstruction, rise of Jim Crow and voter suppression.
Easy at home: Locate one Civil War battlefield or Reconstruction site in your state or region.
At‑home supports: Ask your child to name one Reconstruction amendment and one challenge to its implementation.
Check: Have your child explain one major cause of the Civil War.

Unit 5 — Industrialization, Migration & Reform (1862–1924)
Summary: Gilded Age industrial growth, Captains of Industry vs. labor movements, immigration and urbanization, Populist and Progressive reforms (antitrust, suffrage, child labor laws), cultural changes, and early civil rights organizing.
Easy at home: Identify a historic factory, railroad, or immigrant neighborhood nearby on a map or online.
At‑home supports: Create a two‑column list: one industrial problem and one Progressive reform that addressed it.
Check: Ask your child to describe one Progressive reform and its purpose.

Unit 6 — Westward Expansion & the Frontier Impact (1862–1924)
Summary: Transcontinental Railroad, federal land and economic policies, impacts on Native Americans (reservations, conflicts, Dawes Act), diverse settlers in the West, and immigration related to western development.
Easy at home: Find a western migration route or a Native American site on a map and discuss the impact of settlement.
At‑home supports: Have your child list one policy that affected Native Americans and one consequence.
Check: Ask how the Transcontinental Railroad changed American economy or society.

Unit 7 — America Abroad & the 1920s (1893–1929)
Summary: Imperialism (Spanish‑American War, Panama), World War I causes and U.S. involvement, wartime homefront and economy, 1920s cultural shifts (Harlem Renaissance, consumerism), Red Scare, immigration quotas, and the lead‑up to the Great Depression.
Easy at home: Read a short WWI primary‑source headline or a 1920s cultural clip and discuss public reaction.
At‑home supports: Ask students to list one motive for U.S. imperialism and one 1920s cultural change.
Check: Ask your child to name one cause of U.S. entry into WWI.

Unit 8 — Boom, Bust & World War II (1930–1945)
Summary: Great Depression causes and New Deal responses (Relief, Recovery, Reform), WWII mobilization and homefront, minority contributions and civil liberties issues, U.S. response to the Holocaust, and postwar outcomes (UN, economic recovery).
Easy at home: Find a New Deal project in your state and discuss its purpose.
At‑home supports: Have your child list one New Deal program and its goal.
Check: Ask your child to explain one New Deal reform and why it was implemented.

Unit 9 — Cold War Beginnings & Domestic Change (1945–1968)
Summary: Cold War origins, containment, domestic anti‑communism (McCarthyism), technological and economic shifts, Civil Rights Movement beginnings and key legislation, Korean and early Vietnam contexts.
Easy at home: Locate a Cold War event (e.g., Berlin Airlift, NATO formation) on a map and discuss its significance.
At‑home supports: Ask your child to name one Cold War policy (e.g., Truman Doctrine) and one civil rights milestone.
Check: Have your child explain one way the Cold War affected domestic policies.

Unit 10 — Modern America & Contemporary Issues (1969–2016)
Summary: Vietnam War and its impacts, Watergate and political distrust, economic changes (stagflation, Reaganomics, globalization), social movements (Civil Rights continuation, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Native American and Chicano movements), post‑Cold War era, 9/11 and the War on Terror, and modern political/economic trends.
Easy at home: Watch a short news clip about a major post‑1969 event (e.g., Watergate, 9/11, 2008 financial crisis) and discuss public impact.
At‑home supports: Have students list one social movement from the era and one policy or law it influenced.
Check: Ask your child to explain one major event since 1969 and how it changed American society or policy.

 

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this semester. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, short at‑home activities you can try, and one short check to see understanding. At‑home activities are brief, practical, and family‑friendly.

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Scarcity: There aren’t enough resources to satisfy all wants.
• Opportunity cost: What you give up when you choose one option over another.
• Supply & demand: How much sellers offer and how much buyers want — together they set prices.
• GDP (Gross Domestic Product): Total value of goods/services a country produces.
• Inflation: General rise in prices over time; money buys less.
• Interest rate: Cost of borrowing money or reward for saving it.
• Fiscal policy: Government taxing and spending choices.
• Monetary policy: Central bank actions to manage the money supply and interest rates.
• Comparative advantage: Producing a good at lower opportunity cost than others.
• Credit score: A number that shows how likely someone is to repay debt.

Unit 1 — Fundamental Economic Concepts
Summary: Introduces scarcity, wants vs. needs, opportunity cost, factors of production, economic systems, production possibilities curve, marginal analysis, S.M.A.R.T. goals, and major economic thinkers (Smith, Marx, Ricardo).
Easy at home: Ask your child to list one want and one need in your household and explain the trade‑off when choosing between them.
At‑home supports: Sketch a simple production possibilities curve using two goods (e.g., food vs. clothing) and label opportunity cost.
Check: Ask your child to define opportunity cost and give a household example.

Unit 2 — Personal Finance
Summary: Teach budgeting, checking/savings accounts, income and earning potential, taxes (federal/state, FICA), types of financial institutions, interest rates, credit scores/agencies, comparison shopping, insurance basics, and investing fundamentals.
Easy at home: Review a simple family budget with your child and identify one place to save.
At‑home supports: Have your child compare two savings accounts or credit cards and note interest rates and fees in a short table.
Check: Ask your child to explain why a good credit score matters.

Unit 3 — Microeconomics
Summary: Cover demand and supply, shortages/surpluses, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition), elasticity, price controls, graphing basics, circular flow model, factor markets, and labor unions.
Easy at home: Track the price of a common grocery item for a week and discuss factors that might change its price.
At‑home supports: Draw a simple supply and demand graph (price vs. quantity) and show what happens when demand increases.
Check: Ask your child to explain one difference between a monopoly and perfect competition.

Unit 4 — Macroeconomic Indicators & Policies
Summary: Explain the business cycle, GDP, inflation, unemployment, aggregate demand/supply, fiscal and monetary policy, progressive taxes, externalities, and influential economists (Keynes, Friedman, Hayek).
Easy at home: Look up recent inflation or unemployment data for the country and discuss one possible cause.
At‑home supports: Have your child write one sentence explaining how the Federal Reserve might respond to rising inflation.
Check: Ask your child to name GDP and one reason it matters.

Unit 5 — The Global Economy
Summary: Explore comparative vs. absolute advantage, foreign exchange, arguments for/against free trade, trade barriers, Brexit, regional trade agreements (USMCA, EU, ASEAN), international organizations (WTO, IMF, World Bank), and contemporary trade/policy issues.
Easy at home: Find the country of origin on three household products and discuss how trade made them available.
At‑home supports: Create a two‑column list: one argument for free trade and one concern about trade barriers.
Check: Ask your child to explain comparative advantage with a short example.

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this semester. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, simple at‑home activities you can try, and one short check to see understanding. At‑home activities are short, informal, and helpful.

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Rule of law: Everyone, including leaders, must follow the law.
• Civic engagement: Actions citizens take to participate in public life (voting, volunteering, contacting officials).
• Linkage institutions: Groups or systems (media, parties, interest groups) that connect people to government.
• Separation of powers: Division of government into branches with different powers to prevent abuse.
• Civil liberties: Individual freedoms protected from government (speech, religion, due process).
• Civil rights: Protections ensuring equal treatment under the law (anti‑discrimination).
• Philosophical: Relating to ideas about right, wrong, and how societies should be organized — the beliefs and reasoning that guide political thinking.

Unit 1 — Foundations of Democracy
Summary: Explore philosophical influences (Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau), founding documents (Declaration, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Bill of Rights), major Constitutional debates and compromises, and core principles (popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances).
Easy at home: Read a short excerpt from the Declaration of Independence or Bill of Rights and discuss what rights it protects.
At‑home supports: Ask your child to name one Founding idea (e.g., consent of the governed) and explain how it appears in a founding document.
Check: Ask your child to identify one Constitutional compromise (Great Compromise or Three‑Fifths) and why it mattered.

Unit 2 — The Structure of Our Government
Summary: Examine how power is distributed among federal, state, and local governments; roles, organization, and powers of the three branches (Congress, Presidency, Federal Courts); and why the rule of law matters.
Easy at home: Find your state government website and name one service it provides that the federal government doesn’t.
At‑home supports: Have your child list one power of Congress, one power of the President, and one role of the federal courts.
Check: Ask your child to explain one example of checks and balances (how one branch limits another).

Unit 3 — Government and the Political Process
Summary: Study political socialization and ideologies, how federal elections and the electoral process work, the role of political parties, interest groups, media, and the policymaking process (how public policy is proposed, debated, and implemented).
Easy at home: Watch a short news segment about a current policy debate and ask who supports/ opposes it and why.
At‑home supports: Ask your child to name one linkage institution (media, party, interest group) and explain how it shapes public opinion.
Check: Ask your child to describe one step in how a bill becomes law.

Unit 4 — The American Citizen
Summary: Learn about civil liberties and civil rights, the criteria and process for immigration and naturalization, how citizenship has expanded and been limited over time, and ways citizens can participate politically at local, state, national, and global levels.
Easy at home: Discuss a recent local election and one way a citizen can participate besides voting.
At‑home supports: Have your child list one civil liberty (e.g., free speech) and one civic responsibility (e.g., jury service) and explain the difference.
Check: Ask your child to name one legal path to citizenship or one recent civil rights milestone.

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this year. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, easy at‑home activities you can find online or around the house, and one short check to see understanding. At‑Home Activities are meant to reinforce what students learn in class — short, informal, and helpful.

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Interdependence: People and countries rely on each other — like neighbors who share food, jobs, and services.
• Empire: A large area ruled by one government or person, made by bringing many places together.
• Feudalism: A system where local leaders protect people in return for work or loyalty.
• Columbian Exchange: The big trade of plants, animals, and germs between the Americas and Europe/Africa after 1492.
• Nationalism: Strong pride in and loyalty to your country.
• Proxy war: When big countries support smaller wars in other places instead of fighting each other directly.

Unit 0 — Historical Thinking Skills (HTS)
Summary: How historians ask questions, use primary vs. secondary sources, and think about cause/effect and continuity/change.
Easy at home: Read a short diary entry or news article; ask who wrote it, when, and why.
Check: Ask your child to name one primary and one secondary source and explain the difference.

Unit 1 — Early River Valley Civilizations
Summary: Rivers (Nile, Tigris‑Euphrates, Indus, Huang He) helped the first cities grow, supported jobs, tools, and early religions.
Easy at home: Find the rivers on Google Maps; watch a short video about how rivers help farming.
Check: Have your child name one way a river helped a civilization and one common job (e.g., farmer).

Unit 2 — Classical Civilizations
Summary: Rise of larger states/empires (Greece, Rome, India, China), ideas about citizenship, and lasting achievements.
Easy at home: Read a short proverb or origin story from a classical culture; compare a small-town vs. large government decision using family examples.
Check: Ask for one lasting achievement (e.g., roads, democracy, philosophy) and why it matters.

Unit 3 — Medieval (550–1450)
Summary: Feudalism, religion’s role, Crusades, Silk Road trade, West African empires, and Mongol/Turk expansions.
Easy at home: Trace the Silk Road on a map; watch a brief clip about medieval life.
Check: Have your child explain one way trade changed daily life or one result of the Crusades.

Unit 4 — Renaissance & Reformation
Summary: A cultural “rebirth” in art and science, humanism, and the printing press spreading ideas and reform.
Easy at home: Look at a Renaissance painting and ask what’s new compared with medieval art; find a kid-friendly clip on the printing press.
Check: Ask how the printing press made it easier for people to learn new ideas.

Unit 5 — Atlantic World (Age of Exploration)
Summary: European exploration, the Columbian Exchange, colonization, and the Transatlantic Slave Trade — major changes for the Americas, Africa, and Europe.
Easy at home: Make two lists (Old World vs. New World foods) using a quick online search for “Columbian Exchange foods.”
Check: Ask for one positive and one negative effect of exploration or the Columbian Exchange.

Unit 6 — Political Revolutions (late 1700s–19th c.)
Summary: Enlightenment ideas inspire revolutions (American, French, Latin American) and new thinking about rights and government.
Easy at home: Read a short Enlightenment quote (search “Enlightenment quotes for kids”) and discuss what it says about government.
Check: Have your child explain one Enlightenment idea and how it inspired change.

Unit 7 — Industrial Revolution & Imperialism
Summary: Machines change how people work and live; industrial nations expand overseas and affect local societies and environments.
Easy at home: Watch a short video comparing farm life and factory work; discuss one machine (e.g., steam engine) and its effect.
Check: Name one change in daily life from industrialization and one reason countries wanted colonies.

Unit 8 — Global Conflict & Depression (WWI era)
Summary: Causes of World War I (alliances, nationalism) and how global ties helped spread economic problems like the Great Depression.
Easy at home: Use a simple map to show WWI alliances; talk about how a bank problem in one country can affect others.
Check: List two causes of WWI or explain how countries depend on each other economically (interdependence).

Unit 9 — World War II, Holocaust & Human Rights
Summary: Causes and course of WWII, the Holocaust, and postwar efforts to protect human rights and cooperate internationally.
Easy at home: Read an age‑appropriate personal story from WWII or watch a short children’s history video; discuss empathy and rights.
Check: Summarize one cause of WWII and one postwar response (e.g., human rights agreements).

Unit 10 — Modern World (Cold War to present)
Summary: Cold War rivalries and proxy wars, globalization, rapid technology spread, and modern sustainability efforts.
Easy at home: Talk about how the internet or satellites connect people worldwide; look up a local recycling or conservation program and discuss its global importance.

Check: Ask your child to explain what a proxy war is or name one effect of global interdependence (shared trade, news, technology).

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this year. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, easy at‑home activities you can find online or around the house, and one short check to see understanding. At‑Home Activities are short, informal, and helpful.

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Geographic thinking skills: Ways of asking geographic questions, using maps, and interpreting spatial data.
• Climate region: Areas with similar long‑term weather patterns.
• Vegetation region: Areas where similar plants grow because of climate and soil.
• Migration: Movement of people from one place to another, often for jobs, safety, or family.
• Population distribution: How people are spread across a place (crowded cities vs. rural areas).
• Cultural landscape: The visible imprint of people on the land — language, religion, buildings, and traditions.
• Political border: Lines on maps separating countries or regions.
• Resource distribution: Where natural resources (water, minerals, forests) are located and how that affects people.
• Centripetal/centrifugal forces: Forces that bring people/places together (centripetal) or pull them apart (centrifugal).

Unit 0 — Geographical Thinking Skills (GTS)
Summary: Introduces map skills, spatial thinking, geographic inquiry, and interpreting data and models used across the year.
Easy at home: Have your child find your town on different map types (road map, satellite, political) and describe what changes.

At‑home supports: Short map‑reading tasks (identify scale, legend), compare two map types, or use an online map to measure distances.

Check: Ask your child to name one map feature (scale, legend, or grid) and explain its use.

Unit 1 — North America & Caribbean (3 weeks)
Summary: Study physical systems (mountains, rivers), climate & vegetation regions, population patterns and migration, cultural landscapes, political borders, and regional inequalities. Includes a map/model investigation of a contemporary issue.
Easy at home: Look at news about migration or trade with North America; find your state/province and a nearby major river on a map.

At‑home supports: Build a simple population chart from online data, compare two maps (physical vs. political), or read a short local news item and locate places on a map.

Check: Ask for one physical feature and one human feature that shape daily life in North America.

Unit 2 — Latin America (4 weeks)
Summary: Focus on South American physical systems, climate and vegetation, natural resources and their impact on people, cultural landscapes, political boundaries, and inequalities; includes an applied map/model investigation.
Easy at home: Locate the Amazon and Andes on a world map; compare foods or music from two Latin American countries.

At‑home supports: Use an online source to list major natural resources for one country and discuss local jobs they create; scaffolded maps for identifying landforms and cities.

Check: Have your child name one natural resource and say how it affects jobs or cities.

Unit 3 — Africa (5 weeks)
Summary: Explore African landforms and bodies of water, climate zones, resource patterns, population distribution and migration drivers, cultural landscapes, political borders, and historical connections like colonialism and independence; includes an investigative mapping project.
Easy at home: Find the Sahara and the Nile on a map; read a short news item about an African country and discuss one geographic reason for the news.

At‑home supports: Short research task on a country’s resources and how they affect migration or cities; use visuals or graphic organizers to compare regions.

Check: Ask your child to explain one way geography influenced a historical or current event in Africa.

Unit 4 — Europe (4 weeks)
Summary: Examine Europe’s physical systems, climate and resources, population trends and migration, cultural landscapes, and political connections shaped by centripetal and centrifugal forces; includes a regional investigation using maps/models.
Easy at home: Identify a European country on a map and name a major river or mountain; discuss a recent European news story and what geographic factors matter.

At‑home supports: Compare two European maps (e.g., EU membership vs. language), create a simple chart of population change, or read a short regional article and map key places.

Check: Ask for one example of a centripetal or centrifugal force in Europe (e.g., shared language vs. regional tensions).

Unit 5 — Asia (5 weeks)
Summary: Cover Asian physical systems, climate and vegetation, resource distribution, population patterns and demographic models, cultural landscapes, and political/economic connections with other continents; includes an applied mapping investigation.
Easy at home: Find the Himalayas and major Asian rivers on a map; talk about how population size affects cities your child knows.

At‑home supports: Create a basic population pyramid from online data, compare climate zones on two maps, or research a migration story and map origins/destinations.

Check: Have your child describe one reason people migrate within or from an Asian country.

Unit 6 — Australia, Antarctica & Oceania (3 weeks)
Summary: Analyze regional physical systems, climate and vegetation, population patterns (including sparse populations in Antarctica), cultural landscapes in Oceania, and resource relationships between these regions and other continents; includes an investigative map/model task.
Easy at home: Locate Australia and several Pacific islands on a globe or map; watch a short video about an island culture and note how geography shapes daily life.

At‑home supports: Map a small island’s resources and trade partners, use a graphic organizer to compare island life vs. continental life, or identify conservation efforts online.

Check: Ask your child to name one geographic challenge for island nations and one common solution (e.g., resource trade, conservation).

This one‑page summary shows the main units your student will learn this year. It’s a quick guide to big ideas, easy at‑home activities you can find online or around the house, and one short check to see understanding. At‑Home Activities are short, informal, and helpful.

Key Word Quick Definitions (plain language)

• Comparison: Explaining similarities and differences and why they exist.
• Causation: Explaining causes and effects and separating causation from correlation.
• Periodization: Grouping history into time periods using turning points.
• Context: The circumstances and broad processes that give sources deeper meaning.
• Continuity & Change: Patterns that stay the same (continuity) vs. events that are limited in time/place (change).
• Evidence: Using primary and secondary sources to support arguments.
• The 4 C’s (source analysis):
  • Context: When and where the source was created and the circumstances around it.
  • Creator: Who made the source and what perspective or purpose they had.
  • Content: What the source actually says or shows.
  • Credibility: Whether the source is trustworthy, accurate, or biased.

Unit 1 — Introduction to History (Skills of the Historian) — (Suggested Time: 1–2 weeks)
Summary: Introduces the six historical thinking skills (comparison, causation, periodization, context, continuity/change, evidence), source types, and questions historians ask. Students learn dating/centuries and how to analyze primary/secondary sources using the 4 C’s.
Easy at home: Have your child read a short diary or news article; ask who, when, why, and what the source’s purpose might be.

At‑home supports: Practice identifying primary vs. secondary sources, use a simple graphic organizer to note bias/context/tone, and ask your child to place a year in the correct century.

Check: Ask your child to name one historical thinking skill and give a brief example of how it helps interpret a source.

Unit 2 — Colonial Carolina: Land & People — (Suggested Time: 4 weeks)
Summary: Compare the three British colonial regions; examine geography’s role in SC’s economy, Barbados influence, plantation systems, labor (indentured servitude, headright, slavery), Native American experiences, and early political institutions (Fundamental Constitutions, charters).
Easy at home: Locate Charleston, the Sea Islands, and major rivers on a map; compare one food, song, or tradition from SC’s Lowcountry and Backcountry.

At‑home supports: Use online data to list a colony’s main exports; scaffold a short Venn diagram comparing two colonial regions.

Check: Ask your child how geography influenced one economic activity in colonial South Carolina.

Unit 3 — Colonial America (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Broaden comparison of British colonial regions (New England, Middle, Southern) and explore economic/political/social differences and labor systems tying to SC’s development.
Easy at home: Identify one crop or industry from each colonial region on a map and discuss why they developed there.

At‑home supports: Create a simple chart listing economic, political, and social traits for each region.

Check: Ask your child one similarity and one difference between the colonial regions.

Unit 4 — Road to Revolution (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Study causes of colonial unrest (French & Indian War, taxes, Navigation Acts), reactions (Stamp Act, Townshend Acts), and how South Carolinians responded (patriots, loyalists, local leaders).
Easy at home: Read a short article or kid-friendly video about the Stamp Act and discuss why colonists objected.

At‑home supports: Timeline a few major acts and colonial responses; use sentence stems to explain cause/effect.

Check: Ask your child to explain one Parliamentary act and its effect on colonists.

Unit 5 — American Revolution (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Examine the move to independence, major battles (Sullivan’s Island, Camden, Cowpens, Yorktown), roles of different groups (partisans, African Americans, women, Native Americans), and founding documents (Declaration, Articles).
Easy at home: Locate battle sites in SC on a map or watch a short biography of a local Revolutionary leader.

At‑home supports: Have your child list two groups and describe their roles during the Revolution.

Check: Ask for one South Carolina battle and why it mattered.

Unit 6 — Building a New State & Nation (Suggested Time: 3 weeks)
Summary: Study the Articles of Confederation, Constitutional Convention, federalism, compromises (Great Compromise, Three‑Fifths), and SC’s political development (Compromise of 1808, cotton gin effects).
Easy at home: Discuss a family rule vs. a school rule — how does shared power work?

At‑home supports: Compare one problem under the Articles with a Constitutional solution in two sentences.

Check: Ask your child to name one Constitutional compromise and its purpose.

Unit 7 — Countdown to Secession (Suggested Time: 3 weeks)
Summary: Analyze sectionalism, slavery debates, nullification, Tariff of Abominations, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Kansas‑Nebraska Acts, and events leading toward secession.
Easy at home: Map cotton-growing regions and consider how crop demands influenced politics.

At‑home supports: Use a cause/effect chart to link a political event to economic outcomes.

Check: Ask your child how one law or decision increased sectional tensions.

Unit 8 — The Civil War: The Union Torn Asunder (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Cover military strategies (Anaconda Plan, total war), key SC events (Fort Sumter, Port Royal, Siege of Charleston), turning points, and military technology/impacts on civilians.
Easy at home: Find Fort Sumter and Charleston on a map; watch a short clip on blockade impacts.

At‑home supports: List two ways geography shaped military choices in SC.

Check: Ask your child to explain one Civil War strategy and its goal.

Unit 9 — Reconstruction of the State & Nation (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Study the Reconstruction Amendments (13th–15th), Freedmen’s Bureau, sharecropping, Black Codes, political changes, and early Jim Crow developments.
Easy at home: Read a brief biography of Robert Smalls or another local Reconstruction figure.

At‑home supports: Have your child compare life before and after Reconstruction for one group (freedpeople, planters, Native Americans).

Check: Ask how one Reconstruction policy affected South Carolinians.

Unit 10 — Gilded Age: Jim Crow & Progressivism (Suggested Time: 3 weeks)
Summary: Explore industrialization, textile mills, labor issues, Progressive reforms, African American activism (NAACP, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois), and the rise of segregation‑era policies.
Easy at home: Locate a historic mill town in SC and discuss how mills changed work and family life.

At‑home supports: Create a cause‑and‑effect column: list two causes that led to two Progressive reforms (cause → resulting reform).

Check: Ask your child to explain one Progressive reform.

Unit 11 — World War I & the Roaring Twenties (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Cover SC’s WWI contributions (military bases, wartime production), the Great Migration, the Charleston/Southern Renaissance, and postwar economic shifts.
Easy at home: Find a WWI-era military base in SC on a map or listen to a Great Migration personal story.

At‑home supports: Have students map one migration route or summarize how war changed SC industry in two sentences.

Check: Ask how WWI contributed to migration or industrial change in SC.

Unit 12 — Great Depression & World War II (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Study New Deal programs in SC (CCC, Santee Cooper), economic impacts of the Depression, WWII mobilization (shipyards, military bases), and postwar changes (GI Bill, industrial growth).
Easy at home: Look up a New Deal project near you (e.g., Santee Cooper) and discuss its purpose.

At‑home supports: Use a before/after chart to show one New Deal effect in SC.

Check: Ask your child to name one New Deal program and its goal.

Unit 13 — The Civil Rights Era (Suggested Time: 2 weeks)
Summary: Examine sit‑ins (Friendship Nine), key court cases (Brown v. Board, Briggs v. Elliott), legislation (Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act), and local civil rights events in SC.
Easy at home: Watch a short, age‑appropriate video about a sit‑in and discuss peaceful protest strategies.

At‑home supports: Read a primary‑source excerpt (e.g., speech or letter) and ask your child what the author wanted to achieve.

Check: Ask for one local civil rights event and its significance.

Unit 14 — Modern Carolina (Suggested Time: 1 week)
Summary: Explore post‑WWII economic diversification (industry, tourism), political shifts (party realignment), education reforms, and recent civic debates (Confederate flag, Abbeville case).
Easy at home: Identify a major employer or industry in SC today and discuss how it differs from a 19th‑century economy.

At‑home supports: Have your child list two modern industries in SC and one way they connect globally.

Check: Ask how SC’s economy changed since the early 1900s.