Social Studies

The history department at Nashua Catholic strives to have the student succeed in all aspects of the course. To do this, we not only use lectures, but also role playing in group work, as well as corresponding videos to enhance the major areas of the curriculum. Homework is an integral part of the learning process. Whenever possible, we strive to also enhance curriculum with field trips or demonstrations that are appropriate for the area being taught at that time. Students are taught to consider all aspects of a topic before making a final decision- this critical thinking is important as it is augmented during the high school and college years, and starting now makes it easier for the student to become adjusted to this way of thinking. By the end of the two years in U.S. History, the student is cognizant of all areas of American history to the present time.

The 7th grade U.S. History classes begin just before Columbus and continue until 1895. The course encompasses the American Revolution, the founding of the government, with an emphasis on the U.S. Constitution, and the rights of the people, found in the Amendments. In addition, we cover the War of 1812, the Industrial Revolution, the Panic of 1837, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. We end the year with the height of Immigration through Ellis Island, around 1895.

In addition to the topics covered, emphasis is given to projects highlighting Columbus, the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, and Immigration. These projects are both individual and group.

Prentice Hall The American Nation: Beginnings to 1877 is the text used. ISBN#:0130536377

The 8th grade U.S. History class is a continuation of the 7th grade curriculum, beginning in 1895, as we expand into the West, covering the Spanish-American War, WWI, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, WWII and the Holocaust, the Korean

War, the McCarthy era, the assassination of JFK, LBJ and the Vietnam War, and the Watergate affair. In addition, we aim to cover the presidencies of Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, and 9/11.

Emphasis is given to group projects, individual projects, a midterm exam, and the writing of essay exams. Videos are used to add dimension to the curriculum material being covered, so students have a better understanding of the era from different dimensions.

Prentice Hall: America: Pathways to the Present (2003) is the text used. ISBN#:0131335081

Summer Reading 2008

Choose one book from the appropriate year to read this summer. The first project for Social Studies in the fall will be a book summary, along with visuals.

Grade 7

Johnny Tremain (American Revolution) Forbes

Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (pre-Civil War) Gaines

Soldier’s Heart (Civil War) Paulson

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Slavery) Stowe

Forty Acres and a Mule (Reconstruction) Robinet

Sacagawea: The Story of Bird Woman (Louisiana Purchase) Bruchac

Ida B. Wells: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement (Slavery) Fradin

Jump Ship to Freedom (Civil War) Collier

Grade 8

The Jungle (meat-packing industry) Sinclair

**The Grapes of Wrath (Great Depression) Steinbeck

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (Holocaust) Frank

Freidrich (Holocaust) Richter

Flames of the Tiger (WWII) Wilson

Fallen Angels (Vietnam) Myers

Weedflower (WWII) Kadohata

The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936 (WWII) Bachrach

From Where the Sun Now Stands Henry

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