About
SOCIAL STUDIES GOALS
To involve students in such a way that will promote critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. To have students use reading, writing, and technology as a means of obtaining information and a way of experiencing a variety of global cultures. To encourage students to become active members of our ever-changing world.
INSTRUCTIONAL EMPHASIS
Our school-wide instructional goal for the year is “to improve writing and reading skills across the curriculum.” As we strive toward this goal, students in social studies will read and write texts that are connected to the content of other academic classes, such as science and language arts. We will focus on expressing ourselves in a written format as much as possible. This will include journal entries, letters, speeches, and other creative ways to include writing. We will encourage students to read for meaning and understanding. There will also be an increased focus on math skills.
SCOPE OF COURSE
Sixth grade is the first year of a two year World Area Studies course. Sixth grade students study Latin America and the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, and Australia. The goal of this two year course is to acquaint middle school students with the world in which they live. The history domain focuses primarily on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, however, some earlier history is included when necessary to understand developments of today. The geography domain includes both physical and human geography. The intent of the geography domain is for students to begin to grasp the importance geography plays in our everyday lives. The civics/government domain focuses on selected types of government found in the various areas so as to help students begin to understand the variety of governments in the world. The economics domain builds on the K-5 economics, however, the focus shifts from the United States to how other countries answer the basic questions of economics.
TEACHER
Ms. Michele Crull, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Marquette University as well as Masters in Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education degrees from Kennesaw State University. She also holds a Gifted Education endorsement from the state of Georgia.
Prior to teaching, Ms. Crull worked in management and training positions in both the food service and life insurance industries and earned the FLMI/Masters designation from the Life Office Management Organization. She served on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta FLMI Society from 1992 through 1998, serving as its President in 1997.
She is actively involved in church and community activities and sponsors the Builders Club at McClure. She is captain of McClure’s Relay for Life team and acts as a mentor for the school’s Men of Determination.
In her spare time, Ms. Crull enjoys “hanging out” with her daughter E.J., a senior at Georgia College & State University, her dog Ivan, and her friends. She is a trivia addict and looks forward to competing with her trivia team at local restaurants. She also enjoys travelling, reading, crocheting, and playing on the computer.