Social Studies
jump to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4-5th, Middle
School
Kindergarten
Social studies concepts are an integral part of all of the daily activities.
Together we work to build a positive,
cooperative learning environment that honors each child, encourages self-responsibility,
and promotes
peaceful conflict resolution. We begin with a focus on selves and gradually
widen to encompass families,
our community, and meaningful national and global connections. A major
unit of study involving the community
is the exploration of the culture of the Pacific Northwest Coast Native
Americans. This unit includes
a potlatch celebration at school for our extended families, culminating
with a trip to Tillicum Village on Blake Island. Important current
events on a local, national, or global level often lead to discussions
and related
activities in the classroom. Holidays prompt students to explore the
universal aspects and origins of various
celebrations helping them make more connections between other countries
and cultures and their own.
Skills that are introduced and developed in kindergarten encourage the
students to:
HISTORY
•
Demonstrate knowledge of the Pacific Northwest Coast Native American
culture.
SELF ESTEEM
•
Prepare and share an I Am Special book to celebrate how special they
are.
•
Participate in weekly sharing activities.
FAMILY
•
Share family culture through the creation and sharing of a personal “story
box.”
•
Participate in special programs celebrating family including Grandparents
and Special Friends Day, the
Mother’s Day Tea and Dad’s Day Celebration.
CIVICS
•
Learn how to vote in classroom activities.
•
Participate in a variety of community service projects.
First Grade
The first part of our social studies program focuses primarily on the
beginning of our country’s history
and about the many groups of people who lived and settled in the area
that is now the United States. The
students study about Native Americans and learn about the similarities
and differences between the
Woodland, Plains, Desert, and Northwest Coast natives. Students study
about their homes, crafts, music
and beliefs. The second part of our social studies program focuses on
each child’s cultural heritage. The
children discuss their ancestors with their parents and then work at
home to create a Culture Box that represents
their heritage. Each country that is represented in the boxes is then
studied in class. Some of the
topics covered during this study are: location of the country, identification
of the capital city, language
spoken, currency used, flag and native foods.
Skills that are introduced and developed in first grade encourage the
students to:
HISTORY
•
Study about Native Americans being the first Americans.
•
Learn about early explorers, the Pilgrims and early pioneers.
•
Explore his/her own family including the history of ancestors and how
they came to America.
GEOGRAPHY
•
Study various regions of the U.S. where Woodland, Plains, Desert, and
Northwest Coast Native
Americans lived.
•
Examine cultures represented in Culture Boxes.
ECONOMICS
•
Study currency used by countries represented in their Culture Boxes.
CIVICS
•
Build positive attitudes towards people and cultures in other parts of
the world.
Second Grade
The focus of the social studies program is students’ relationships
with other human beings and the environment.
Our goal is to develop modes of inquiry and understanding which will
help the students
become familiar with their immediate and extended environment. Students
explore types of communities
including Seattle, the geography of areas near Seattle and around the
world, biomes in those areas, and
economic principles. Maps, geographical terms, and economic concepts
are essential parts of these units.
Social studies is taught in ways that reflect an awareness of the personal,
social, and multicultural experiences
of today’s students. It is our aim to help students think critically
about our world.
Skills that are introduced and developed in second grade encourage the
students to:
HISTORY
•
Examine Seattle as a port community.
GEOGRAPHY
•
Identify map symbols and read a legend.
•
Recognize cardinal and intermediate directions.
•
Compare different types of biomes.
ECONOMICS
•
Analyze global connections through examining Seattle as a port community.
•
Compare different kinds of communities.
•
Differentiate between wants and needs.
CIVICS
•
Observe others and examine life choices to develop personal identity
and responsibility.
Third Grade
The goal of the social studies program is for students to study and
learn about relationships with people of
their community and the world. Decision-making is an important focus.
Thinking about similarities, differences,
advantages, and disadvantages are vital to the learning process, as are
analyzing, evaluating, and
creating alternatives. An emphasis on communication enables students
to express opinions, develop
modes of inquiry and questioning, and demonstrate what they have learned.
The topics that are studied
to develop these skills include geography of the State of Washington,
explorers of Washington including
Lewis and Clark, early inhabitants and settlers of the area, and the
development of Seattle. In addition,
students learn basic economic principles through planning, marketing,
and merchandising a store selling
Seattle Country Day School products. Students also discuss and evaluate
current events.
Skills that are introduced and developed in third grade encourage
the students to:
HISTORY
•
Compare and contrast different perspectives of people and events in history.
•
Evaluate historical decisions and consequences based on personal encounters
and geographical features.
GEOGRAPHY
•
Interpret maps to gather information about the State of Washington.
•
Compare and analyze various types of maps.
•
Synthesize knowledge about maps to create maps.
ECONOMICS
•
Apply economic concepts to operate a student store.
•
Keep financial records.
CIVICS
•
Summarize and evaluate validity of news media through examination of
current event news articles.
•
Examine the evolution of law and decision-making processes by learning
about historical events.
back to K-3 Curriculum
Grade 4 and 5
The social studies and language arts programs are taught with a humanities
approach. We strive to nurture a spirit
of inquiry by using critical thinking and cultural imagination; and support
moral development by providing
opportunities to expand personal notions of responsibility, resourcefulness,
respect and compassion. The themes
of the fourth grade include the development of Washington State from
statehood to present day, Pacific Rim
Cultures, Port of Seattle, and their interrelationships. The themes of
fifth grade include the history of writing systems,
ancient river valley civilizations, agriculture, Canada and electoral
politics.
Skills that are introduced and developed in fourth and fifth grade encourage
the students to:
•
Understand that perceptions of historical events change over time.
•
Interpret, construct, and use maps for a variety of purposes.
•
Understand how place is defined by physical geography, climate, socio-cultural
customs, and political and economic structures.
•
Understand basic purposes and functions of economic systems in society.
•
Interpret visual displays of information.
•
Summarize and evaluate our world at large through current events.
•
Develop an awareness and responsibility to the interrelationships we
share throughout the world.
•
Use research tools to contribute to class seminars on a shared topic.
back to 4-5 Curriculum
Grades 6, 7, and 8
The overarching goal of the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade social
studies program is to encourage a love for learning
history in our students. Students analyze and evaluate information to
develop a conceptual framework for placing historical events
in context to their own lives, experiences, and perceptions. The role
that perspective plays in shaping our collective knowledge of
history is central to the curriculum. Students become aware that historians
may disagree in their interpretations leading to changes
in our understanding of national myths. All classes are taught with an
interdisciplinary approach, relying on aspects of history, geography,
economics, civics, anthropology, archaeology, cultural studies, and contemporary
issues. Literature selections enrich
units in every grade whether shared orally in class or independently
by students.
The social studies curriculum is issue-centered, where students
are encouraged to developed well-reasoned responses based on
inquiry and thoughtful, in-depth study. Units tend to be enriched with
a wide variety of activities and last longer than history lessons
taught as a chronological survey. All textbook readings are augmented
with up-to-date periodical literature. Program components
include: participation in the classroom level National Geographic Society
Geography Bee, map skills, hands-on experiential
projects, debate, simulations, video skits, dramatic performances, issues
of emotional growth, current events, long-term research
paper writing, critical writing in a variety of essay formats, and unit
related field trips.
Other general learning objectives of the Social Studies program
include: developing empathy for the opinions of others, realizing
that historical interpretations change over time, appreciating the value
of citizenship in a democracy, appreciating cultural diversity,
and understanding the role played by the US in world affairs. Middle
School students also receive routine geography instruction
related to core units and experience weekly current event discussions.
Each grade level also experiences a research-based writing
project that is completed during the semester.
SIXTH GRADE
Driven by a chronological study of select US literature-novels, essays,
poetry, short stories, memoirs, drama- from the 19th and
20th Centuries, the humanities curriculum examines relevant social science
and historical topics which are natural outgrowths of
the genres studied. For example, Julius Lester’s compilation of
slave narratives in his To Be A Slave ushers in discussion of contemporary
and controversial topics such as reparations and Ebonics. The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer leads into psyschological discussions
of the self fulfilling prophecy, peer pressures, and sociological topics
such as traditional vs. non-traditional families. To
Kill a Mockingbird introduces discussions of racism and class among other
relevant themes. Vocabulary is culled from the literature. Topics for
the different modes of writing are also integrated into the literature
studies. As well, students will analyze the
purposes, techniques, and styles of many writers and learn literary terms
that will facilitate discussion.
SEVENTH GRADE
Topics in Washington’s history form the basis of the seventh grade
curriculum. Students explore the geologic formation of the
Pacific Northwest and examine the uniqueness of the region’s natural
environment. Emphasis is placed on memorizing geographical
and political features of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. An in-depth
unit on Native American heritage includes discussion of
cultural contributions as well as conflicts that occurred between Indians
and the early white traders that came to the Northwest.
The age of exploration unit focuses on the natural resources exploited
by foreign nations on the continent’s West Coast during the
late 1600s and 1700s. The age of settlement focuses on individual fur
trappers and the companies they were employed by, as well as
the stories of missionaries such as Dr. Marcus Whitman. A unit on the
westward expansion of the United States and the political
philosophy of Manifest Destiny places Washington’s development
in the greater context of US history. Concurrent events such as
the Texas revolution, the revolt of Californians against Spanish rule,
and the Mexican War are also included in this unit. Conditions
of statehood, removal of Indians to reservations, and the early settlement
of Seattle are also studied during the first semester.
Selected topics in world history are explored during the second semester.
Units will be chronological depending on the knowledge
and experience of the class, and be changed periodically. World history
units are developed to serve the interests of a given population
of seventh graders, according to current events, and to provide opportunities
for teacher-directed independent exploration culminating
in a specially designed project.
EIGHTH GRADE
Eighth graders undertake a year long chronological survey of US History.
Units include the following topics: migration theories,
North American archaeology, Native American cultures, European exploration
and settlement of the East Coast, the legacy of
Columbus, the Spanish conquest of the Americas, Aztec culture, Indian-settler
relations, the French and English colonial periods,
the American Revolution, the formation of the republic and the Civil
War. Aculminating multimedia research project highlighting
one day in US history as a news program written, performed, and edited
by the eighth grade class is done in cooperation with technology
class. In an effort to keep the eighth grade curriculum interesting and
dynamic, culminating projects change from year to
year. Pullout units are also added according to student interests and
current events. For example, religions of the world are explored
as an extension of the curriculum.
Skills that are developed in Middle School encourage the students to:
READING COMPREHENSION/CRITICAL READING
•
Read, synthesize, and communicate text passages and
periodical literature.
•
Identify and analyze author biases.
•
Distinguish fact from opinion.
•
Connect related supporting information from multiple resources.
•
Identify and articulate analogies.
•
Express understanding both verbally and in the written format.
•
Form opinions based on facts.
REFERENCE SKILLS/CRITICAL WRITING
•
Read assignment directions and use proper format.
•
Use writing conventions.
•
Use a broad array of resources.
•
Identify relevant facts.
•
Organize ideas in a logical manner.
•
Take useful notes.
•
Sequence information.
•
Paraphrase information.
•
Formulate thesis statements.
•
Support positions with facts.
•
Express relationships between past and present events.
•
Meet the intermediate deadlines of deferred research
assignments.
•
Practice writing different types of short essays with specific
purposes.
COMMUNICATION
•
Listen attentively.
•
Become actively involved in discussions.
•
Appreciate original ideas.
•
Reiterate and expand the ideas of others.
•
Disagree respectfully.
•
Identify key points, positions, and arguments.
•
Construct logical rebuttals using historically relevant
information.
•
Understand the superficial nature of generalizations.
•
Tackle open-ended questions confidently.
•
Make positive intellectual contributions to discussions.
CITIZENSHIP
•
Show tolerance for the opinions of others.
•
Develop an appreciation for diversity.
•
Become an informed citizen.
•
Understand the historical development of political rights
in the US.
•
Become familiar with the language of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
back to Middle School Curriculum
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