Social Science

Our Beliefs

The Medford School District is committed to helping students become creative and independent thinkers by guiding them in the understanding and analysis of important political, geographic, economic, legal and social issues of our contemporary and historical world. Social Science education helps cultivate students to develop critical thinking, communication and research skills. Additionally, Social Science education invites students to learn through multiple perspectives with an intentional inclusion of historically marginalized and historically excluded groups. Student learning expectations and learning targets are are grounded in the 2018 Oregon Social Science Standards in:

Civics and Government
Geography
Historical Knowledge and Historical Thinking
Economics and Financial Literacy
Social Science Analysis
Multicultural and Ethnic Studies

K-12 Social Science education also includes specific learning through Tribal/Shared History in Oregon, Holocaust and other genocides education and international human rights education.

Social Science Program Goals:

To promote knowledge of the core content of historical, political economic, legal and social issues of our world, our nation and our community.
To help students see the world from different perspectives - those of the historian, the geographer, the economist, the political scientist, the psychologist, the lawyer and other social scientists and employ the different tools and techniques of each discipline in critical thought.
To guide our diverse student population in realizing their potential as citizens of a democratic nation and members of our local community.
To develop students into critical consumers, producers of knowledge and future leaders.

Parent and Community Involvement

MSD encourages families to support their student's development in Social Science. Families and community members can:

Volunteer in classrooms
Help students learn Social Science at home by discussing current events and the impact they may have on society, reading historical fiction, connecting the past to the present, watching historical documentaries or by talking to and learning from family members from different generations
Encourage open-mindedness and willingness to learn from different perspectives
Attend school events
Support school programs through your Parent/Teacher Organization