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Welcome to Social Studies!

Welcome to Social Studies! My name is Mrs. Secketa and I am honored to be the Middle School Social Studies Teacher at St. Joseph. With a passion for history, I am dedicated to engaging students in interactive activities that help them to connect to the past while understanding its relevance to the modern world.

I bring to St. Joe's over 30 years of experience as a teacher and as an administrator. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Geography from Augustana College. I next completed a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Barat College and then a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. I am licensed in the states of Illinois and Wisconsin.

My husband Scott and I have been married for 30 years and live in Antioch with our two children. Matthew and Katelyn are twins and recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin Parkside. Matthew majored in Computer Science while Katie majored in Business Management. We have two dogs, Finley and Millie, who complete our family.

My main goal for my classes is to empower students to become informed, responsible citizens. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Our Courses:

6th Grade: Ancient World History

7th Grade: American History 1400s-1860s

8th Grade: American History 1860s-Present

Posts

Week of September 21, 2026

6th Grade - Four Empires of Mesopotamia

Identify the location of the Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Neo-Babylonian Empires.
Describe the military, economic, and cultural achievements of early Mesopotamian empires, such as Hammurabi’s Code.
Evaluate the importance of Mesopotamian achievements.

7th Grade - Compare English Colonies

Identify the various reasons for the settlement of the British colonies.
Compare religious practices and the different government systems—including the system set up in the Mayflower Compact—among the colonies.

8th Grade - The Civil War

Examine critical battles and events of the war and connect them to the Union’s Anaconda Plan.
Explain how key events of the Civil War, like the Battle of Gettysburg, affected soldiers and civilians.

Week of September 14, 2026

6th Grade - Ancient Sumer

Students will be creating a project based on the characteristics of the Ancient Sumer civilization.
Up next - Exploring the Four Empires of Mesopotamia.

7th Grade - European Colonization

Students have a quiz on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Students will then be creating a project on an explorer.

8th Grade - The Civil War

Explain how key events of the Civil War, like the Battle of Gettysburg, affected soldiers and civilians.
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War to predict the outcome of the war.

Week of September 7, 2026

6th Grade - Ancient Sumer

Explain the relationship between religion and the social and political order in Sumer.
Explain the evolution of Sumerian written language, from pictographs to cuneiform.
Apply the characteristics of civilization to modern-day society.

7th Grade - European Colonization

Compare the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch settlements in the Americas.
Describe the impact of European exploration and settlement of the Americas on Indigenous peoples and West Africans.

8th Grade - The Civil War

Compare the strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederacy at the outbreak of the Civil War to predict the outcome of the war.
Examine critical battles and events of the war and connect them to the Union’s Anaconda Plan.

Week of August 31, 2026

6th Grade - Ancient Sumer

Analyze artifacts from ancient Sumer and explain how they are examples of the characteristics of civilization.
Identify agricultural inventions that allowed Sumerian city-states to create a stable food supply and a complex society.

7th Grade - European Colonization in the Americas

Identify the motives behind European exploration of the Americas.
Explain how Europeans established territorial claims in the Americas.
Compare the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch settlements in the Americas.

8th Grade - A Dividing Nation

Analyze the impact of key events on the antislavery movement and on the Union.
Discuss the election of 1860 and secession.

Week of August 24, 2026

6th Grade - The Rise of Sumerian City-States

Describe the location and physical setting of Mesopotamia, including the Tigris and Euphrates river system.
Analyze geographic problems affecting ancient Mesopotamians and evaluate potential solutions.
Describe how Mesopotamians modified their physical environment to solve geographic problems.
Explain how the development of agricultural techniques, such as irrigation systems, led to the emergence of Sumerian city-states.

7th Grade - Indigenous Peoples of North America

Describe how Indigenous people viewed their environment.
Connect artifacts to hypotheses about the origins of Indigenous artifacts.
Analyze ways in which Indigenous people in different cultural regions adapted to their environments.

8th Grade - A Dividing Nation

Identify the regulations on slavery in the Northwest Ordinance.
Trace the effects of territorial expansion on the debate over slavery.
Analyze the impact of key events on the antislavery movement and on the Union.

Week of May 18, 2026

6th Grade - Daily Life in the Roman Empire

Identify cultural features of Rome and the Roman Empire.
Analyze the political, economic, religious, and social structures of the Roman Empire.
Compare and contrast the daily lives of the rich and poor in the Roman Empire.
Recognize the origins and meanings of frequently used foreign words in English and use the words accurately in writing.

7th Grade - Life in the West

Analyze the motives, hardships, and economic incentives associated with westward expansion.
Describe the role of pioneer women and the new status that Western women achieved.

8th Grade - 1970's - 1980's

Students are presenting their President Slideshows to the class this week.

Week of May 11, 2026

6th Grade - Geography & Early Development of Rome

Identify the location and describe the geography of Rome.
Explain the myth of Romulus and Remus.
Analyze the influence of Etruscan engineering and sports on the development of Rome.
Analyze the effect of Greek architecture, writing, art, and religion on Roman culture.

7th Grade - Life in the West

Analyze the motives, hardships, and economic incentives associated with westward expansion.
Describe the role of pioneer women and the new status that Western women achieved.

8th Grade - The Civil Rights Movement

Analyze the effects of discrimination and segregation on American society.
Identify important leaders, events, and legislation of the civil rights era.

Week of May 4, 2026

6th Grade - Alexander the Great

We will discuss Alexander the Great and how he united his empire, including his efforts to spread Greek culture eastward.
We will then evaluate the achievements of Alexander the Great.

7th Grade - Illinois Town Research

Students will pick a town in Illinois and create a slideshow about it. Final projects will be shared with the class.

8th Grade - US Constitution

Students should be reviewing the Constitution book and study guide for the test.
Test is Thursday, May 7.
We will then move on to the Civil Rights Movement.

Week of April 20, 2026

6th Grade - Geography & Settlement of Ancient Greece

Examine the physical geography of the Greek peninsula.
Analyze thematic maps of ancient Greece, including locations of colonies and trade routes.
Discuss connections between the geography of Greece and the development of ancient Greek city-states.

7th Grade - Illinois Constitution

Students will get the study guide for the Illinois Constitution test on Monday. They should begin preparing for the test scheduled for May 1.

8th Grade - US Constitution

We will begin studying the US Constitution. Each student will be provided with a Constitution book that they must bring to class every day.
It is required that students pass this test.

Week of April 13, 2026

6th Grade - Shang Dynasty & Three Chinese Philosophies

Describe the government, social structure, religion, writing, art, and technology of the Shang dynasty.
Analyze artifacts to draw conclusions about the Shang dynasty.
Identify political and cultural issues at the end of the Zhou dynasty.
Describe the lives and fundamental teachings of Confucius, Laozi, and Hanfeizi.

7th Grade - Illinois Constitution

We will be covering the Preamble, Amendments and the Three Branches of Government.
Students will need to bring their Constitution book and a highlighter to class everyday.
It is a requirement that students pass the Illinois Constitution test.

8th Grade - The Cold War

We will be wrapping up the Cold War with end of the unit questions.
After students return from their DC trip, we will begin the US Constitution.
Students will need to bring their Constitution book and a highlighter to class everyday.
It is a requirement that students pass the US Constitution test.

Week of April 6, 2026

6th Grade - Ancient China

Describe the geography of China’s regions and analyze how each region’s physical features, climate, and vegetation affect daily life.
Locate the Huang He Valley and explain why Chinese civilization originated there.
Explain how China’s geographic features isolated it from the rest of the world.

7th Grade - Manifest Destiny

Analyze the causes, events, and effects of the Texas War for Independence and the Mexican-American War.
Determine the effects of manifest destiny on westward expansion in the 1800s.
Quiz over chapter on Thursday.
We will begin the Illinois Constitution. Students will need to bring a highlighter to class daily.

8th Grade - The Cold War

Identify military and nonmilitary actions taken by the United States during the Cold War to resist the spread of communism.
Analyze the social and political effects of the Cold War on the people of the United States.
Compare and contrast the involvement and role of the United States in global conflicts and acts of cooperation.

Week of March 30

6th Grade - Ancient China

Describe the geography of China’s regions and analyze how each region’s physical features, climate, and vegetation affect daily life.
Locate the Huang He Valley and explain why Chinese civilization originated there.

7th Grade - Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation

Describe the changing boundaries of the United States throughout the 1800s.
Analyze the causes, events, and effects of the Texas War for Independence and the Mexican-American War.
Determine the effects of manifest destiny on westward expansion in the 1800s.

8th Grade - The Cold War

Identify military and nonmilitary actions taken by the United States during the Cold War to resist the spread of communism.
Analyze the social and political effects of the Cold War on the people of the United States.
Compare and contrast the involvement and role of the United States in global conflicts and acts of cooperation.

Week of March 16, 2026

**Please be sure Chromebooks are charged every night. Thank you!**

6th Grade - The Achievements of the Gupta Empire

Identify the Gupta Empire on a map and locate its key cities.
Define what characteristics classify a historical time period as a “golden age.”
Describe the important aesthetic and intellectual traditions of ancient India, including literature, medicine, metallurgy, and mathematics.

7th Grade - The Rise of the Jacksonian Democracy

Describe the perspectives of various groups of people in response to Jackson and his key policies.
Assess the impact of Jackson’s policies on the outcome of events.

8th Grade - World War II

Describe the conduct of World War II, including the nations involved, major political and military figures, key battles, and the Holocaust.
Open note quiz on Wednesday, March 18

Week of March 9, 2026

6th Grade - Unlocking Secrets of Mohenjodaro

Form hypotheses about the function of artifacts and ruins from an ancient city in the Indus Valley.
Analyze artifacts to draw conclusions about daily life in the Indus valley civilization.
Explain why Mohenjodaro is an important archaeological site.

7th Grade - Growing Sense of Nationhood

Identify themes in American art, music, and literature, including works by several authors.
Identify ways in which politics and popular culture reflected America’s growing national identity.

*Sweatshirt money for Springfield Trip is due March 13.

8th Grade - World War II

Explain the causes of World War II, including the rise of totalitarian leaders, growing nationalism, and economic instability.
Describe the conduct of World War II, including the nations involved, major political and military figures, key battles, and the Holocaust.

Week of March 2, 2026

6th Grade - Ancient India

Locate and describe eight key physical features of the Indian subcontinent, including the major river systems.
Explain how geography affected the location of early settlement in India and supported the rise of civilization there.

7th Grade - Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation

Identify major events of the War of 1812 and sequence them on a timeline.
Explain the intent of the Monroe Doctrine.

8th Grade - The Great Depression

Identify causes of the Great Depression and factors that led to an extended period of economic collapse in the United States.
Describe the impact of the Great Depression on U.S. society, including ethnic and racial minorities, and how government responded to events with New Deal policies.