Social Studies
Social Studies
Massachusetts Geography and History
Massachusetts Geography and History
Embedded Files
Overview K-5
Overview K-5
The primary purpose of a History and Social Science education is to prepare students to have the knowledge and skills to become thoughtful and active participants in a democratic society and a complex world. The Social Sciences include history, geography, civics, economics, and sociology. In addition, students learn how to use and evaluate primary and secondary sources, distinguish between fact and opinion, and conduct research. The future of democracy depends on our students’ development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will enable them to embrace democracy’s potential, while recognizing its challenges and inherent dilemmas.
Unit 1
Unit 1
Massachusetts Cities and Towns: Today and in History
Massachusetts Cities and Towns: Today and in History
Learning Targets
Learning Targets
- Define what makes a community
- Identify the leaders of various communities
- Learn how to get involved in government
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
- Why are classroom rules important?
- How are people involved in government?
Instructional Snapshot
Instructional Snapshot
- Make an “all about me bag” to share what communities they belong to
- Brainstorm rules to help make a classroom successful
- Make a slideshow about leaders including the principal, mayor, governor and president
- Read about how Americans vote to elect representatives
- Write a letter to the mayor and/or superintendent about what is liked about our community, and what might be changed to make it better
Unit 2
Unit 2
The Geography and Native Peoples of Massachusetts
The Geography and Native Peoples of Massachusetts
Learning Targets
Learning Targets
- Identify multiple types of maps
- Read a political map
- Identify and label the geographical features and landforms of Massachusetts
- Identify and learn about the native peoples of Massachusetts
Essential Question
Essential Question
- Who were the Native People who lived in today's New England area before the Europeans arrived?
Instructional Snapshot
Instructional Snapshot
- Identify and label parts of a political and physical map of Massachusetts
- Practice map skills with partners
- Create a map of Massachusetts
- Learn who the native people of Massachusetts are
- Research a native tribe
Unit 3
Unit 3
How did Native Peoples live in New England before Europeans arrived?
How did Native Peoples live in New England before Europeans arrived?
Learning Targets
Learning Targets
- Identify some of the European explorers and learn why they came to the Americas
- Read how the explorers described the land and people they encountered
- Understand the perspective of the native tribes during this time
Essential Question
Essential Question
- How did European explorers describe the Northeast and its Native People?
Instructional Snapshot
Instructional Snapshot
- Identify and record reactions to the book, Encounter
- Identify stereotypes within the book
- Create a T-chart of the perspectives of the native peoples versus the explorers
Unit 4
Unit 4
The Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony, and Native Peoples
The Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony, and Native Peoples
Learning Targets
Learning Targets
- Learn about the history of the Wampanoag Tribe
- Read about the history and voyage of the Pilgrims
- Know how historians use artifacts
- Understand the relationship between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims
Essential Question
Essential Question
- What were the challenges for women and men in the early years in Plymouth?
Instructional Snapshot
Instructional Snapshot
- Explore tribal maps of Eastern Massachusetts
- Read about the life of the Wampanoag boy, Tapenum in the 1620s
- Create a Venn diagram about their lives compared to Tapenum’s
- Look at artifacts and predict their use
- Compare and contrast how the Wampanoags and Pilgrims lived in the 1600s
- Take the perspective of a Pilgrim or Wampanoag child and write a paragraph
- Explore the Plimoth Patuxet Museums by field trip or virtual field trip to learn about the first Thanksgiving
Unit 5
The Puritans, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Native Peoples
The Puritans, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and Native Peoples
Learning Targets
Learning Targets
- Learn who the Puritans were and what they believed
- Learn the history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Essential Question
Essential Question
- How did the interactions of Native Peoples, Europeans, and enslaved and free Africans shape the development of Massachusetts?
Instructional Snapshot
Instructional Snapshot
- Read about the Puritans
- Explore the history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
- Learn to take notes on these topics
Unit 6
Unit 6
Massachusetts Before, During and After the American Revolution
Massachusetts Before, During and After the American Revolution
Learning Targets
Learning Targets
- Learn about colonial Boston
- Identify key Boston areas on historic maps
- Learn about life in colonial Newton
- Identify causes of the Revolutionary War
Essential Question
Essential Question
- Why is Massachusetts important to the nation’s history?
Instructional Snapshot
Instructional Snapshot
- Read about the day-to-day lives of Newton residents during colonial times
- Find out the effect of gender on the childrens' roles and responsibilities during this time
- Learn about what stereotypes were common about the native people of Newton and Boston
- Examine the Newton's City Seal and identify possible stereotypes
- Use resources from Historic Newton to describe life in colonial Newton
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