Elementary Curriculum

Kindergarten- Grade 1: Social Studies Alive! "My School and My Family" TCI (2018)

Course Overview: Social Studies Alive! My School and Family introduces the structures of schools and families. Through videos, text, read-alouds, interactive notebook pages and hands on activities, students will learn how to get along with classmates, follow school rules, learn about the similarities and differences we share. Students will also learn about the roles of different school staff members as well as how to be a good helper. Students will also be exposed to reading maps. Starting with reading a map of classroom to find a missing white mouse! Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of maps by creating a map of their own using such terms such as compass rose and map key. Students will learn about how different groups contribute to society. Also, students will learn about how they can make smart purchases and help their family. They will learn about different family members, types of homes, and family activities. They then create a book to share how their own families are special. Students will learn about how life today is similar to and different from life in the past. Also, students will learn about American symbols, icons, and traditions.


Grade 2: Social Studies Alive! “Making a Difference”- TCI (2018)

Course Overview: Social Studies Alive! invites students to continue building their knowledge on ideas previously learned and prepares them for learning new concepts in the later elementary grades. The ideas in this series allows students to make connections to other content areas and to use technology to support and enhance their learning. The concepts that the students will focus on include: Geography and Mapping Skills: People, Places, and Environments; Economics: People Who Supply Our Goods and Services; Families Today and in the Past; Biographies: People Make a Difference; and Government Institutions and Practices. In this series, the students will be able to explore new concepts through various hands-on activities, as well as group and individual work.

Concepts Addressed:

  • Introduction to Civics/ National Symbols/ Holidays
  • Landforms
  • Trade/ Economics

Grade 3: Social Studies Alive! "Our Community and Beyond"- TCI 2018

Course Overview: Students will explore all elements of being part of a community. Students will learn the importance of government at a local and national level and discover how that government came to be. Students will examine literature, music, art, food, and holidays and discover how they shape a community’s identity. Students will trace back the roots of different societies and discover how landforms and waterways influence colonization. Students will take concepts learned throughout the year and apply them to their own local community while examining its history.

Concepts Addressed:

  • Introduction to “rule of law”
  • Voting/ civic involvement
  • Cultural diversity
  • Historiography

Grade 4: New Jersey History “My World Social Studies” -Pearson (2012) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Course Overview: myWorld Social Studies incorporates “Backward Design”. This process begins by asking an “Essential Question”, with the goal of focusing on the desired understanding that students should acquire, and works backward to that understanding. Students will be able to explore concepts, build knowledge, and transfer what they’ve learned beyond the classroom. Each essential question presented provides a larger framework to guide students and help them see the big idea as it relates to the history of our state and our nation in each chapter. The essential questions help students to connect to the content by activating prior knowledge and engaging them in every lesson, to experience social studies through meaningful

hands-on activities, and to transfer their knowledge to new learning situations that demonstrate true understanding.

Concepts Addressed:

  • New Jersey Government
  • Types of local government
  • New Jersey’s regional importance

Grade 5: Geography- Regions of the United States “TCI History Program” (2016)

Course Overview: All students will acquire knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and present interactions of people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and global communities. All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically and systematically about how past interactions of people, cultures, and the environment affect issues across time and cultures.

Concepts Addressed:

  • World Geography
  • Northeast/ Southeast- United States
  • Northwest/ Southwest- United States