Social Studies

Gathering, interpreting evidence, chronological reasoning and causation, comparison and contextualization, geographic reasoning, economic and economic systems, and civic participation are the skills that should be taught across the grade levels through our Social Studies curriculum. The NYS Social Studies framework allows students to develop an understanding of the concepts through the inquiry analysis of source documents. Over the course of the K-12 experience, students will examine their neighborhoods, communities and extending throughout the globe. The standards include History of the United States and New York, World History, Geography, Economics, Civics, Citizenship and Government. 

With the recent addition of the Seal of Civic Readiness, Indian River hopes to include projects that will demonstrate the responsibilities of citizenship as well as the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy. 

Curriculum work has been done and continues to include work on integrating Social Studies throughout our ELA curriculum.  Elementary classrooms are expected to include 30 minutes of social studies instruction (minimum of every other day). To best support our students, Indian River subscribes to the PNW BOCES curriculum which is a guided resource for each grade level. 

 Students in 6th-12th grade receive one period of instruction each year. Graduation requirements require students to take US History (usually 11th grade), 2 years of Global History and Geography (typically 9th and 10th grade), Government and Economics (each ½ credit, usually taken in the 12th-grade year). Students must also pass (with a 65) both the Global History and Geography Regents and the US History and Government Regents.