The McGraw Hill curriculum has developed a social studies curriculum resource that is standards based.  The curriculum is based on the adopted social studies standards from Rhode Island (2023). Portsmouth Middle School will begin piloting this new curriculum resource during the 2025-2026 school year with a full implementation for the 2026-2027 school year.  This curriculum dovetails well with the ELA content, supporting students’ comprehension and writing skills through social studies topics. 

In 7th grade, students continue their thematic study of world history, cultures, and geography from the early modern period through present day globalization.  In this continuation of grade 6, students gain an appreciation for the world’s richness and diversity of societies and cultures while acquiring a fuller picture of how we as humans arrived to the present day.  This background prepares them for their grade 8 study of civics, rights, and responsibilities and the deeper coursework they will engage with in high school.