• Middle School Social Studies

     

    The Ann Arbor Public Schools middle school Social Studies program builds on the three grounding tenets: (1) students learn in many ways; (2) learning occurs in tolerant, collaborative classroom environments;  (3) units of study and their lessons need to incorporate what students already know and can do to extend to more complex understandings. Mastery of state standards develops through dynamic interactive lessons that always involve connecting social studies concepts, past and present, to students' lives.

     

    Three key sources inform the middle school Social Studies program; (1) TheMichigan Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs), (2) the C3  Framework for College, Career and Civic Life for Social Studies State Standards,  (C3 Framework), (3) Social Studies Alive! and History Alive!. The Michigan GLCEs define what the state expects students to know and be able to do in the social studies at the end of each grade level. Social Studies Alive! and History Alive! are the core learning resources used throughout middle school social studies.  

    Middle School Social Studies courses stress four disciplines.

    • Geography: The World in Spatial Terms, Places and Regions, Human Systems, Environment and Society
    • Civics/Government:  Purposes of Government, Values and Principles of American Democracy, Structure and Function of Government, Role of the Citizen in American Democracy
    • Economics:  Market Economy, National Economy, International Economy
    • History:  Living and Working Together, Michigan History, United States History
    • Public Discourse, Decision Making, and Citizen Involvement 
    The Michigan K-12 Social Studies Standards can be found at the following link. 
     
     
     
     
    Contact:
    Jared Aumen
    District Chair for Secondary Social Studies