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Social Studies

Our middle and high school social studies product line helps students to engage their culture by providing opportunities for students to read and analyze texts and sources, participate in group discussions, and conduct historical research. Photos and artwork bring chapters to life while feature boxes, maps, charts, and diagrams help students develop context and connect ideas. Probing questions about ethical citizenship and real-world problems are designed to produce biblically informed citizens and leaders.

Program Approach for Social Studies

Middle & high school social studies helps students develop a historical, cultural, political, economic, and geographic context for how they live. Students will come to view their culture, their history, and their world from a biblical perspective. Biblically informed citizens and leaders are well equipped to engage with their culture and propose ethical solutions to real-world problems. To that end, we offer resources for teachers to take their classes beyond their immediate context to actively engage their culture. The study of our world and how we have come to be here should require students to engage with the material and consider how they might respond in a similar situation. Teachers can use discussions, activities, and visuals to immerse their students in the material and help them to think about the past, not as a series of things that happened, but as the choices people have made that God has used to shape our history, our government, our economy, and our culture. As students better understand how the past has impacted our world today, they will have a better perspective as they make decisions for the future.

Improving Social Studies Skills

As students advance to middle & high school heritage studies, they are ready to apply their social studies skills to a more detailed and complex exploration of history, civics, government, and economics. Each textbook uses guiding questions and regular section reviews to remind students to read for information by directing their attention to key details. They will need to use visual analysis skills as they interact with maps, graphs, timelines, pictures, and more. Teachers may choose from a variety of optional activities in the teacher editions that require students to apply their skills by researching a topic or interacting with primary and secondary sources to learn more about it. Additionally, textboxes and selections in the student activities also encourage students to interact with primary and secondary sources. These activities focus on analysis, and students will need to read carefully as they look for evidence of opinion, bias, and other cues that will help them evaluate assumptions within historical documents. Students will have opportunities to practice using and reading maps. They will also learn to analyze and create timelines, using chronology to understand cause-effect relationships and to represent information in a broader context. As they build on the foundations of their social studies skills, we want to encourage them to go beyond being just history, economics, or geography students. We want them to learn to be student historians, student economists, and student geographers.

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Understanding the Interrelationship of Disciplines

The social studies fields are not individual, unrelated islands. To truly understand the events of history, the cultural shape of our world, the structure of governments, and the economic system we live under, we must also study the people that made decisions. We must learn about their culture, the religious beliefs that guided them, the economy they depended on, and the geography that constrained them. In the BJU Press secondary heritage studies program, teachers have opportunities to highlight the interrelationship of social studies disciplines and to encourage their students to explore the implications of different fields. Students will study economic data when it gives insight into a culture’s development, and they’ll study religious history when it helps them understand the shape of a government. We strive to eliminate the boundaries between disciplines when it’s natural, logical, and appropriate to do so. As students develop a deeper understanding of each field, they will be able to recognize cause-effect relationships and note how solutions to problems may not be as effective over time.

Evaluating Themes in Events, Structures, and Cultures

The events of history, the structures that form society, and the cultures of our world should all reveal God’s providence in shaping our world as it is today. How we understand God’s intentions for our world guides our response to the situations we will face. To help students recognize God’s hand at work, each course focuses on a series of worldview themes, including justice, aesthetics, power, and the four American core values—freedom, individualism, equality, and growth. Each theme helps students to develop new perspectives on concepts many take for granted. As they explore a biblical worldview approach to these themes, they will be able to evaluate the intentions behind many of the political movements of the past as well as current and even future movements.

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In particular, the four American core values help promote ethical citizenship in America. These values have left an enduring mark on American history, but without a biblical understanding of each one, students can easily believe what society says, rather than what God says. Freedom becomes a belief that people can do whatever they want. Individualism becomes a selfish pursuit of success and personal identity without concern for others. Equality encourages people to abandon authority. And growth leads to unjust wars, slavery, and other kinds of expansion at the expense of others. By helping students to recognize God’s intentions for each value, we can place the foundations of our nation in a clearer context and help students to respond ethically to issues that may compromise these values. As citizens, they can make decisions that support their freedom to love God and love others and that support their ability to bear individual responsibility, to act as image bearers of God, and to develop and grow in such a way that pleases God.

Equipping Students to Create Biblical Solutions

The ultimate goal of any heritage studies course should be to help students make informed decisions in the future based on their knowledge of the past and their understanding of the present. As Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Students will need to learn how to apply biblical principles to decision making. Equipped with a thorough understanding of cause-effect relationships, knowledge of the past, and the ability to evaluate assumptions and draw reasonable inferences, students will be ready to apply what they have learned from worldview shaping themes to current events, and they will be able to prepare biblical solutions to real-world problems. Options for holding mock trials or mock debates will give students opportunities to practice developing and applying solutions to real-world problems in a useful and memorable way.

Many of the real-world problems that students will focus on will relate to world religions, missions, and the relationship between church and government. As Christian citizens, students will need to consider how freedom of religion should extend to other world religions. How should they respond when other religions begin to influence new laws that affect them? What are reasonable boundaries that governments can draw that protect the rights of churches? Our materials will encourage students to consider these and other issues from a biblical worldview.

Vision

To equip students to engage their culture as discerning citizens and to apply a biblical worldview to history, government, geography, and economics

Goals

  • To improve social studies skills including reading, researching, analyzing primary sources, mapping, and creating timelines
  • To develop an understanding of the interrelationship of various social studies disciplines
  • To guide students to evaluate historical events, government and economic structures, and world cultures by developing biblical approaches to justice, power, freedom, individualism, equality, and other core values
  • To equip students to create biblical solutions to real-world economic, environmental, political, and social problems

Materials

Student Edition

Each student edition uses a combination of well-researched content, photos, illustrations, graphs, maps, and timelines to explore United States and world history, cultures, government, and economics. Guiding questions help students focus on key learning objectives as they work through the material. Textboxes give students opportunities to dive deeper and interact with additional source material. Section and chapter reviews help them practice recall and apply critical-thinking skills to accomplish learning objectives. Critical-thinking questions in section and chapter reviews help them to form biblical positions on issues and become ethical citizens.

Teacher Edition

Each teacher edition provides additional teaching resources for expansion as well as optional activities, discussion guides, and research projects. Each teacher edition includes detailed answers to section and chapter reviews with guides for assessing students’ answers to subjective questions. Additional resources for larger projects are available in the appendices.

Activities

Each student activities manual provides opportunities for review of key skills and information as well as interaction with primary and secondary sources. Additional projects invite students to interact with major documents and practice mapping skills. An answer key is available as a separate book.

Assessments

Each assessments packet includes one test per chapter and offers summative assessments for key concepts. Tests can be adjusted in accordance with teaching emphasis and direction, and questions offer opportunities to apply higher-order thinking skills. Types of test questions include true-false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer, and essay. An answer key is available for separate purchase. Additional assessment options are available through ExamView.

Scope & Sequence

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Heritage Studies 6

Focus

Developing a Christian worldview of ancient civilizations (Creation to AD 1500)

Geography

Map skills; Climate; natural resources; Topography; Comparison of characteristics of ancient civilizations with the modern regions

World History

Historical events; Conflicts between nations; Archaeological findings

Government

Empires and kingdoms; Rulers; Development of cities

Economics

Trade; Currency; Job specialization

Culture

Religions and philosophies; Ancient customs and traditions; Languages; Arts and music; Food and clothing

American History

Ancient influences on American government and economy

Social Studies and Skills

Cause and effect; Timeline; Costs and benefits; Primary sources

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World Studies

Topic

World cultures (1000 AD to the present)

Geography

Influence of geography on the development of civilizations

History

Chronological and cultural approach to world studies

Government

Comparative world governments in history

Economics

Comparative economics historically and geographically

Religion

Impact of religion on culture and historical events

Culture

Arts; sciences; ways of life in the past and present

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American Republic

Topic

American history

Geography

Geographic development of the United States through land acquisition; profiles of major geographic regions

History

Chronological survey of important events in American history

Government

Republican form of government under the Constitution

Economics

Development and effects of inventions and industries; successes and problems of the free market

Religion

Influence of Christianity on American history; influences of religious diversity

Culture

Interaction of people, ideas, and cultures in America

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Cultural Geography

Topic

Physical and human geography and their interactions

Geography

Complete survey of geographic principles and regions; map skills

History

Geographic approach to key historic events

Government

Overview of types of governments; current issues

Economics

Influence of land, climate, and resources on national economics

Religion

Stewardship of resources; status of Christianity; geography of Bible lands; comparative world religions; world missions

Culture

Eight cultural regions and their influence on lifestyles, language, arts, and culture

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World History

Topic

World history

Geography

Chronological survey of physical and political geography

History

Chronological survey of world history from creation to the present with added coverage of non-Western civilizations

Government

The relationship between Christians and the world’s political systems

Economics

Comparative economics from both a historical and a geographical perspective

Religion

Focus on western, Judeo-Christian heritage and Islam, while also surveying the religions of Asian, African, and Latin American cultures

Culture

Examination of how individuals have carried out the Creation Mandate, including the development of their God-given talents in the fields of art, music, literature, and science

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United States History

Topic

United States history

Geography

Influence of physical geography on American history

History

Chronological survey of American history from European discovery to the present

Government

Structure of American government; the Constitution

Economics

Development of free-enterprise system and effects of government involvement

Religion

Contributions of various religions, especially Christianity, to America's heritage

Culture

Integration of various facets of American culture; cultural change

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American Government

Topic

American government

Geography

References to political geography

History

Historical perspective of the phases of American government

Government

Thorough analysis of all levels and all branches of American government

Economics

Taxation, government funding, and foreign policy impact on U.S. economy

Religion

Scriptural foundation for law and government; influence of Christianity in America

Culture

Interest groups; mass media; American political behavior

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Economics

Topic

Economics

History

Biographies of fifteen influential economists

Government

Comparative economic systems; business and competition; money and banking; national economic concerns, such as productivity, unemployment, and inflation

Economics

Survey of basic economic topics, including supply and demand and the circular flow of income and products; Promotes free-market ideals

Religion

Scriptural principles applied to all areas of economics

Culture

Analysis of personal economic concerns, such as budgeting, managing credit, saving, and financial planning