Social Studies Resources

While social studies is not a major component of the federal government’s No Child Left Behind Act, it is important to your school district. Historically, social studies achievement on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) in the district has been exceptional. Your district’s scores at both the fourth and eighth grade level have exceeded the state average in every disaggregated category since 2005.

Over the past several years district teachers and administrators have completely overhauled our curriculum and implemented several changes to the scope and sequence of what is taught to reflect best practice and what will be assessed on the WKCE.

Parents have asked that we provide some information so that they might have a chance to help their children understand even more about social studies. So, to meet that request, we have created these documents. Each one lists major themes and topics covered at the grade level(s) specified. If you have questions about the contents of any of the documents, it is best to address them first to your child’s teacher. If he or she cannot answer them, please contact Mr. Kieckhefer at Central Middle School. The following links relate to the grade level specific documents.

• Kindergarten through Third Grade Brochure
  These grades are grouped together because students in these grades learn what social studies is and how studying social studies helps them become better citizens.
• Fourth and Fifth Grade Brochure
  In grades four and five, students learn about the geography and early history of the United States.
• Sixth and Seventh Grade Brochure
  At the middle school, students begin to apply the lessons learned in grades kindergarten through five. In sixth and seventh grades, for focus is on the geography of the Western and then Eastern hemispheres. Students learn how geography affects culture, government, economics and other factors of social studies.

  Our 6th and 7th Grade report cards list Social Studies Benchmarks as Physical Geography, Cultural Geography, Economic Geography, Government and 21st Century Skills. The Physical Geography benchmark is composed of knowlege of geographic features on earth and how they are represented on maps and globes. The Cultural Geography benchmark and Economic Geography Benchmarks cover relating geographic knowledge to cultural and economic development, how global culture and economies are interrelated, the impact of race, class, ethnicity and gender on cultural and economic development and the contributions of various people to cultural heritage. The Government benchmark covers forms of government from the past and present along with the rights and duties of citizens. Finally, the 21st Century benchmark relates to key vocabulary, technology and research skills, current events and communication skills.

• 8th Grade Brochure
  At the eighth grade level, the focus is on United States History from the Civil War to present day.
• Presidential Powers
  This link will take you to a good bit of information about Presidential powers.