Social Studies Connecting Themes Enduring Understandings How will our units fit together this year?

Beliefs and Ideals Beliefs and ideals of a society influence the social, political, and economic decisions of that society. How do you describe your family’s culture? How can beliefs and ideals influence decisions? Why do you choose the friends you choose?

Conflict, Change, and Resolution When conflict arises between or within societies, change is the result. Societies resolve conflicts through legal procedures, force and / or compromise. Why do you make changes in your life? Why does change always follow conflict? Why is resolving a conflict easy or hard?

Distribution of Power Distribution of power in government is a product of existing documents and laws combined with a contemporary values and beliefs How is the distribution of power vital to success? How does distribution of power change as society changes? What distribution of power do you think is best in a classroom?

Individuals, Groups, and Institutions The actions of individuals, groups, and institutions affect society through intended and unintended consequences. How can your actions have positive and negative consequences? What are the positive and negative consequences of human environment interaction? How has technology changed our interactions unintentionally??

Location Location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development. What changes have occurred in your life since moving from elementary school to middle school? How do opportunities change (jobs, food, homes, clothes, etc.) depending on where you live? How can location be good for some things and bad for others?

Movement/Migration Movement or migration of people and ideas affects all societies involved. Why is movement necessary for survival? How can movement be good for one group and bad for another? How do people change when they move from one place to another?

Technological Innovation Technological innovations have consequences, both intended and unintended for a society What does our 8th grade STEM theme “Innovation with Accountability” mean to you? How can technology be good and bad? How does society influence technology?

Production, Distribution, Consumption Production, distribution and consumption of goods and services produced by the society are affected by the location, customs, beliefs, and laws of the society. How are the things you want to buy produced? How do stores get the things you want to buy? Why can certain things not be produced in certain areas?

Rule of Law In a democracy, rule of law influences the behavior of citizens, establishes procedures for making policies and limits the power of government. Why is it important to have rules and laws? Should laws be changed? In what ways do the rules in sports get more complicated at different levels? (i.e. Tee ball through Major Leagues)