Vision:  The Forces That Shape Our World

Through a curriculum of ever-widening horizons, the social studies program introduces students to those forces that have shaped our world, including culture, politics, economics, and geography.  As they progress academically, students analyze local, national, and world history, gaining an increasingly sophisticated understanding of trends within and beyond the United States.  Cultivating an appreciation for the world’s myriad cultures is a prime objective of the social studies program.  Equally important is the honing of research, writing, and critical thinking skills, all of which allow our students to make a reasoned interpretation of both the past and the complex world around them.

Student Goals

Students will:

• Explore and learn to appreciate a range of cultures, both past and present
• Examine the evolution and impact of different political philosophies and economic systems
• Understand the relationship between people and their environments while acquiring a working knowledge of world geography
• Recognize cause, effect, and sequence in historical events
• Understand the role of science, technology, and individual initiative or genius in shaping the course of history
• Learn to gather and assess information, using it persuasively both orally and in writing
• Demonstrate through writing, either creative or expository, knowledge of people, places, and eras 
• Acquire a sense of civic responsibility and an understanding of our nation’s place in history  

Social Studies Units

3rd Grade

1.  Ohio River Valley

2.  Kentucky's Indigenous People

3.  Kentucky's First European Explorers & Settlers

4.  Origins of Louisville & the Role of the River

5.  Louisville's Economy

6.  The Fifty States

4th Grade

1.  Colonial America & the American Revolution

2.  Early United States & its Institutions

3.  Westward Migration

4.  Slavery & The Civil War

MIDDLE SCHOOL

5th Grade

 

1.  Reconstruction

2.  Immigration

3.  Industry & Reform

4.  The New Century: World War I, The Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression, World War II,  and the Holocaust. 

 

6th Grade

 

1.  Japan in World War II

2.  Contemporary Japan

3.  Ancient China 

4.  China in the 20th century

5.  India in the 19th and 20th centuries

6.  South Africa: Apartheid & Nelson Mandela

 

7th Grade

 

1.  Ancient Greece in the Heroic Age

2.  Classical Greece & Alexander the Great

3.  The Roman Republic

4.  Rome and Christianity

5.  The Decline and Fall of Rome

6.  The Early Middle Ages

7.  The Later Middle Ages

8.   Islam & The Crusades

 

8th Grade

 

1.  Italian Renaissance

2.  Age of Exploration

3.  Spanish Colonialism

4.  CAPSTONE PROJECT

5.  Contemporary Topics & their Historical Roots

 

 

 

 

St. Francis Social Studies
St. Francis School
11000 US Highway 42
Goshen, Kentucky 40026

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