Social Studies/Middle School

Why Social Studies?

Although civic competence tends to be the ultimate goal of an entire school curriculum, it is more central to social studies than other subject areas in schools.

Our Belief

Working with “an end in mind” and driven by the fact that civic mission of social studies requires more than the acquisition of content knowledge,

We Believe

that the experiences students have in their social studies classrooms should enable them to engage in civic discourse and help them develop moral imperative to be contributors to the world we live in and stewards of democracy to uphold and protect the rights of all humans

Our Program

Inspired to make learning relevant to the current reality of our world and meaningful to the students in their classrooms, we design our program

bearing in mind three main dimensions:

The purpose worth caring about

The processes worth engaging in and

The knowledge worth learning

“Tell me and I will forget, show me and I will remember, engage me and I will

understand”

Crafting instructional strategies that are innovative, interactive, student-driven and responsive to a variety of learning styles, our approach requires active participation from teachers and students.

Students’ Responsibility

Our program puts much of the responsibility for learning on the students and focuses on creating a vibrant learning community where all members are united for the common purpose of learning.

Socratic Questioning

By posing problems or questions, students gain ownership of knowledge through engaging in the exploration to develop understanding of concepts and connecting to real world experiences.

We want to make an everlasting difference in the lives of our students.

Our ongoing process of evaluating our philosophy and approach through the wide range of formative assessment techniques and student/teacher reflections guides us through our journey towards our goals and guarantees the implementation of all necessary improvements to achieve these goals.

 

Open Book Exams

The rapid change in the content knowledge taking place due to the expansion in technology and scientific research demands that we shift our focus from memorization of concepts to the acquisition of critical thinking and cognitive skills that transfers them into lifelong learners

Why Reflections?

Reflecting on their learning experiences helps them make sense of what they are learning and connect it to their real world.

Grading Policy

The Quarter grade is divided into:

50% Process Portfolio

50% Test and Quizzes

Process Portfolio

A collection of all the learning products of the student which shows the development and growth that took place in his/her learning.

50% Process Portfolio Grade

Is divided into:

15% Attendance, Note Making, Behavior, Being on Task and Bringing all required materials to class.

35% All products such as homework, projects, oral presentations, debates, discussions, role-playing….which count for our formative assessments