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The Social Studies curriculum will prepare all students to live in the global community of the 21st century. This standards-based and developmental curriculum will challenge all students to develop literacy skills, intellectual curiosity, decision-making abilities, and critical and creative higher-order thinking skills. Therefore, all students will be motivated to become active, responsible, and open-minded citizens. The curriculum is designed to allow for a wide variety of learning experiences appropriate to students at each grade level. All students are provided opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the areas of history, geography, civics, economics, and behavioral sciences.
The major goals of the Social Studies curriculum are to:
Engage students through the inquiry process which includes developing questions and planning inquiry, applying interdisciplinary concepts and tools, evaluating sources and using evidence, and communicating conclusions and taking informed action.
Cultivate essential skills such as gathering and interpreting information from primary and secondary sources as well as electronic media, and to have students demonstrate an understanding of history and social studies issues in written work.
Develop and demonstrate an understanding of cultural contributions from various past and present civilizations.
Foster each student’s understanding of significant events and themes in United States history, world history, and international studies.
Understand the role of Connecticut in major events in United States history.
Social Studies standards are in alignment with the 2015 Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies frameworks. These frameworks are based on national C3 standards (College, Career, and Civic Life) and require that four major disciplines in social studies be taught:
1. Civics 2. Economics 3. Geography 4. History
The frameworks connect directly with the Connecticut Core Standards (CCS) for English/language arts and literacy in history and social studies. All units share skill standards, but not all standards are embedded in every unit.
Social Studies Units and Skills/Student Outcomes
What students should know and be expected to do by the end of the unit
Geography
Geography
Construct maps/graphic representations of familiar/unfamiliar places
Use maps, satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between places and regions and their environmental characteristics
Describe how environmental and cultural characteristics influence population distribution; movement of people, goods and ideas; and the way people modify and adapt to their environments
Identify examples of the variety of resources that are used to produce goods and services
Analyze the effects of catastrophic environmental and technological events on human settlements and migration
Colonial America
Colonial America
Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time
Compare life in specific historical periods to life today
Use information about a historical source to judge the extent to which the source is useful for studying a particular topic
Explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives
Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms
Describe ways in which people benefit from and are challenged by working together, including through government, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and families
Identify core civic virtues and democratic principles that guide government, society, and communities; and identify positive and negative incentives that influence the decisions people make
Explain why individuals and businesses specialize and trade
Identify examples of the variety of resources that are used to produce goods and services
Connecticut History
Connecticut History
Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time, and describe how people’s perspectives shaped the historical sources they created
Create and use a chronological sequence of related events to compare developments that happened at the same time
Compare life in specific historical time periods to life today
Use information/technology about a historical source to judge the extent to which the source is useful for studying a particular topic
Present a summary of arguments and explanations to others outside the classroom using print and oral technologies
Additional Resources
Where to go for additional information and support
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