Curriculum:
Investigating History
Our school is in the 2nd year of using Investigating History, an innovative new history curriculum developed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in collaboration with Primary Source, a global education nonprofit based in Watertown.
Investigating History is designed to be fully aligned to the Massachusetts state history standards, developing students’ deep knowledge of United States and world history while engaging them in the work that real historians do. Through Investigating History, students will learn to ask their own questions about historical events; make sense of images, text, and artifacts from the past; and make arguments in which they connect their learning to real-life issues and current events.
The Investigating History units we are piloting this year will cover the following topics from the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework.
Grade 5:
Unit 1: Early Colonization and the Growth of Colonies
Unit 2: The Growth of the Republic; Slavery
Unit 3: The Legacy of the Civil War and the Struggle for Civil Rights for All
Key Design Features
Historical Inquiry and Investigation
Grounded in the Massachusetts Standards for History and Social Science Practice, the curriculum will center inquiry-based learning and questioning that leads to investigations with authentic source materials.
Connection to Current Events and Civics
The curriculum will draw connections to the contemporary world and foster civic engagement, developing students’ civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
Civic knowledge: Core information related to civics and government, economics, geography, and history.
Civic skills: The skills required to engage in civic life and plan strategically for civic change.
Civic dispositions: The values, virtues, and behaviors required to participate actively in a diverse democratic community
Development of Historical Empathy
The curriculum will deepen students’ insight into human connections through activating their sense of wonder and imagination, prompting them to consider others’ perspectives, and engaging them in collaboration across lines of difference.
Culturally Affirming Pedagogy
The curriculum will be rooted in culturally affirming pedagogy, leading to three outcomes that support student learning.
Academic achievement: Students’ grade-level academic skills and their identities as learners.
Cultural competence: Students’ understanding of their own background and identities and their ability to understand and honor others’ cultures.
Sociopolitical awareness: Students’ capacity to identify, analyze, and work to address inequities in their community and the world.
To learn more visit https://tinyurl.com/InvestigatingHistory