• Mr. James Elsea

    Social Studies

    Social Studies Curriculum: Each lesson will be derived from either Social Studies State Standards or Reading: Informational Text State Standards.

    6th Grade: The sixth graders will be diving into World History this year.  Get ready for your dinner table conversation to revolve around Julius Caesar, the Egyptian pyramids and mummies, or the Great Wall of China!  During the third trimester, students will jump into the seventh grade textbooks and begin their study of American history.  They will also begin to master the skills of thinking like a historian. 

    7th Grade: The seventh grade will begin the year discussing the earliest Americans.  Students will then spend a considerable amount of time talking about the foundation of our country: The American Revolution and the Constitution.  The year will end with students examining the Civil War. We will also be learning how to think like a historian and explain primary and secondary sources. 

    8th Grade:The eighth graders will hopefully have sparked interest in listening to their grandparents’ stories by the end of the year!  We will begin with the Illinois Constitution but then roll through history, analyzing WWI, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, WWII, Civil Rights, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. Students will also continue to master their historical thinking skills by answering DBQ questions to prepare for high school. If time allows, we will begin a brief introduction to Economics in the third trimester. 

    General Outline: Typically, we will spend about two weeks discussing each chapter.  Students will receive a study guide the day that we begin that chapter and will also be notified of when the chapter test will be.  Students should complete the study guide as we move through the chapter and hand it in on the day of the test. I strongly encourage students to look over their study guide each night because nobody likes feeling unprepared come test day! 

    Constitution Tests: The seventh grade will be tested on the Federal Constitution and the eighth grade will be tested on the Illinois Constitution.  These tests must be passed in order for students to graduate. Students will receive detailed study guides.  

    History Circles: Students sit at tables in my classroom. For each chapter of study, every table will be assigned a particular section. Tables will present their “circle” the day before the test.  This project will be completed in slides on your child’s ChromeBook. Your child will be able to access the slides via Google Classroom.

    How to succeed to Social Studies class:

    • Work on the study guide as we read through the chapter.  Review the study guide frequently...not just the night before the test!
    • Frequently check PowerSchool to make sure that you are not missing any assignments.  
    • If you are absent or serving mass during class, please see me AFTER SCHOOL to make sure you understand what you missed while you were gone. 
    • Check the Junior High homework calendar on the Saint Cajetan homepage each night.  The Junior High team updates this daily.