The Wisconsin Social Studies/Civics 6-8 Suggested Scope & Sequence is divided by grade. The writing team decided this because they wanted to be able to build upon previous learning, and if the three courses were listed at any grade, educators would not be able to count on what was happening the year before. Therefore, we offer the
following order of courses:
• 6th Grade: Geography & Cultures of the World: Yesterday and Today
• 7th Grade: Civics & Our Contemporary World
• 8th Grade: Wisconsin & U.S. Studies (Thematic, 1924 – Present Day)

Civics and Social Studies are integrative by nature. Focusing on themes over dates, names, and battles can help students visualize the connections between strands of social studies better and learn to see the bigger picture while still meeting our state standards and expectations. Instead of viewing events in isolation, a thematic approach allows
students to better see connections and patterns across time. In addition, it assists teachers in helping students make connections to their own lives, identities, and current issues.

Each course is thematic, based in inquiry, has a civics lens, and is aligned to the Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies Themes of Social Studies. The courses all have the same units, focused on the strands of social studies (Inquiry, Behavioral Sciences, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science) in a thematic manner through the subject area. Every year starts with an inquiry unit to build inquiry skills and dispositions.

Each unit is further divided into planning ideas tied to middle school indicators from the Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies (2018). These planning ideas include:
• Potential Essential Questions, aligned to the standards
• NCSS theme of this unit
6-8 Social Studies/Civics: Suggested Scope and Sequence 8
• Focusing Questions for the Topic
• Recommended Inquiry Topics
• Specific Social Studies Indicators met with this unit
• Important Terms and Points to Consider
• Supporting Resource Providers to Consider

The essential and focusing questions are meant to help guide instruction and determine quality resources and lessons for use in the classroom. The recommended inquiry topics are provided to assist specific content choices for the unit.

We recognize this work is not as complete as the K-5 recommended scope & sequence. Where the K-5 team started with a framework similar to this document, the 6-8 started from scratch. We anticipate a more robust 6-8 document similar to the current released K-5 to be released by summer 2024.

This is a writing lesson from Grade 6 (Unit 1, Session 4) focusing on telling a story from a narrator's point of view. As they write their narrative piece, students help readers re-imagine an episode.

This resource includes a common work application or "apps" graphic organizer in PDF form. Students can complete on their own as a scavenger hunt or assessment, or it can be completed as part a whole group discussion and lesson.

This activity lesson plan is called “Build a Better Wall” where students are planners and constructors who are trying to construct a wall using various materials that can withstand an earthquake.

This is a list of texts that have been made into text sets for Linda Dorn and Carla Soffos' Comprehension Focus Groups.  
The groups are categorized by a focus.  (Ex. Overcoming Obstacles)
Note that some of the texts were pulled from Leveled Literacy Intervention boxes, Scholastic Action, Scholastic Scope, and Scholastic Junior.

This Google Slides GIF project includes link to instructional video on Youtube created by Sadie Lewis, and a rubric for GIF creation. 

In this lesson, students learn to create digital artifacts in Google Drawings. The video resource, "Doodle Yourself in Google Drawings," gives them step-by-step instruction in how to create a cartoon-like selfie using the design tools in Google Drawings. This can be part of a larger unit in digital citizenship and copyright, or a stand-alone project.

Meet the Data Decoders—a team of scientists at the Solís-Lemus Lab who use math and computers to interpret huge amounts of data from biological experiments.

Resources available for learning about this lab include:
• Interactive cards designed to introduce students to scientists in a more personal way
• A video with a personal story that explains why the lab's research matters in real life
• Questions to consider that will spark connection, reflection, and conversation
• An interactive video experience where you can ask questions of scientists in the lab and learn about their research
• An inquiry-based activity that focuses on doing science, using some of the same science practices that the lab uses
• An educator guide with information about standards alignment, curriculum connections, and tips for using the media resources

These resources are part of Meet the Lab, a collection of educational resources for middle school science classrooms.

Electronic practice that can provide teachers the ability to individualize or assign as a group. This collections of topics covers middle school standards through AP Calculus AB. Easily create a class and assign practice topics to one or all of your students. You can assign due date, late dates, as well as customize how many questions students need to work through. Students get immediate feedback on their practice and are walked through the correct solution if they get it incorrect. This website is run by a math teacher who created it because he was looking for an alternative to assigning textbook problems.

This digital citizenship poster project includes a PDF document with specifications and a grading rubric. This project was created as a final assessment following completion of Common Sense Education's Digital Citizenship units for Grade 6.

This is a Professional Development Resource to support the implementation of a high-quality math resource (Math Expressions, 2018), and provide professional learning around the Geometry progressions.  This professional learning is appropriate for all levels of math educators but focuses on math education for grades 5-8.  It provides educators an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and make connections to their own grade level Geometry standards. 

Professional Development Resource to support the implementation of a high-quality math resource (Math Expressions, 2018), and provide professional learning around the Geometry Progressions.  This professional learning is appropriate for all levels of math educators but focuses on math education for grades 5-8.  It provides educators an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and make connections to their own grade level Geometry standards. 

Thsi is a Professional Development Resource to support the implementation of a high-quality math resource (Math Expressions, 2018), and provide professional learning around the Geometry Progressions.  This professional learning is appropriate for all levels of math educators but focuses on math education for grades 5-8.  It provides educators an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and make connections to their own grade level Geometry standards. 

Professional Development Resource to support the implementation of a high-quality math resource (Math Expressions, 2018), and provide professional learning around the Geometry Progressions.  This professional learning is appropriate for all levels of math educators but focuses on math education for grades 5-8.  It provides educators an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and make connections to their own grade level Geometry standards. 

What do Prairie Chickens Need in Order to Survive Today's Prairie?

This middle school unit covering ecosystems, animal behavior and symbiosis was developed through the Storyline approach. Middle school students will be figuring out why prairie chickens have a very unique dance and understand the role cows play to help ensure the dance takes place. Using this approach, students engage in science concepts to help ensure the survival of the prairie chicken.

The resources shared result from a 5 full day, in-person training spread over a year during the 23-24 school year, funded by the Wiselearn OER Grant.  The culminating project the teachers created was a walkthrough template to demonstrate their level of understanding.  The linked template is a combination of those teachers' ideas.  A few of the resources we leaned on during the process include:  WI State Math Standards for grades 6 - 8, Student Achievement Partners/Achieve the Core, Math Milestones, Learning Walk template University of Texas at Austin St Charles Dana Center.  

This project is addressing the needs of a consistent standards-based curriculum for our middle school. The new Wisconsin Social Studies Standards have altered what needs to be taught at all levels and our current middle school social studies curriculum does not address these standards. We are also in a situation that several teachers teach social studies along with other subjects and this curriculum will address the need for consistency and providing these teachers with exact objectives and standards for their classrooms. The project's intended audience is middle school teachers and students. Grades 6-8. The anticipated impact is that students taught under this curriculum will have a solid base of knowledge in all areas of the social sciences. This will impact their ability to be successful in future social studies classes- specifically high school classes that are more specific and will build off the knowledge learned in middle school. It will also impact the teachers that will be teaching the curriculum as it will provide a well-laid out plan and expectations that will hopefully make their planning easier and more consistent. This will also in term alleviate some of the issues the high school teachers are currently seeing with students coming in with a weak knowledge base.

Participants will use a tube and bead (or ball) model to visualize and predict how changes in sea level can control the lateral and vertical facies distribution within and adjacent to a marine sedimentary basin. They will also critique the model and identify shortcomings and assumptions involved in the model. Participants will use their knowledge to draw a sea-level curve for Paleozoic rocks of the Central Midwest.

This is a hands on activity where students will see how instruments can be used to warn people of a tsunami. This activity demonstration can be flexible to the needs and ages of the students and can be a game or a conversation.

On the 6th Student Materials page you will find: the Mathematical Foundation (an explanation of the mathematical content in each chapter), the Student Workbook (an overview of the chapter, daily class activities and matching homework sets, Practice Standards connections for the chapter, and student self-assessments), a link to purchasing a soft-cover version of the workbook (these are available at cost, however you are free to print all materials yourself), and a parent manual (this is the student workbook with selected answers and explanations.)

On the 6th Teacher Support Materials page you will find a Teachers’ Edition to the Student Workbook. It contains answers to all problems, pedagogical suggestions, and explanations of the mathematical flow of the workbook. Additionally, you will find the word version of the Student Workbook.