Following the California State History-Social Science Content Standards, students at Letha Raney Intermediate will utilize primary and secondary sources to analyze major developments throughout history.

7th Grade: World History

Students in 7th grade study the social, cultural, and technological changes that occurred in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas in the years A.D. 500-1789. After reviewing the ancient world and the ways in which archaeologists and historians uncover the past, students study the history and geography of great civilizations that were developing concurrently throughout the world during medieval and early modern times. They examine the growing economic interaction among civilizations as well as the exchange of ideas, beliefs, technologies, and commodities. They learn about the resulting growth of Enlightenment philosophy and the new examination of the concepts of reason and authority, the natural rights of human beings and the divine right of kings, experimentalism in science, and the dogma of belief. Finally, students assess the political forces let loose by the Enlightenment, particularly the rise of democratic ideas, and they learn about the continuing influence of these ideas in the world today.

8th Grade: U.S. History

Students in 8th grade analyze the ideas, issues, and events from the framing of the Constitution up through the Second Industrial Revolution. After reviewing the development of America's democratic institutions, particularly the shaping of the Constitution, students trace the development of American politics, society, culture, and economy and relate them to the emergence of major regional differences. They learn about the challenges facing the new nation, with an emphasis on the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War. They make connections between the rise of industrialization and contemporary social and economic conditions.