Guiding Principles

 Guiding Principle One

Every student should study history and social science every year from kindergarten to high school.

Guiding Principle Two

An effective history and social science curriculum combines the learning of content and skills in the study of history, geography, economics, and civics and government.

Guiding Principle Three

An effective curriculum in history and social science draws on many disciplines.

Guiding Principle Four

While encouraging respect for differences in home backgrounds, an effective history and social science curriculum nurtures students’ sense of their common ground as present or future American citizens in order to prepare them for responsible participation in our schools and in civic life.

Guiding Principle Five

An effective history and social science curriculum emphasizes the development of the political principles and institutions of Western civilization.

Guiding Principle Six

An effective history and social science curriculum prepares students to understand the world outside of the United States.

Guiding Principle Seven

Content

History and Geography

Students will be able to:

·        Identify sequential actions, such as first, next, last, in stories and use them to describe personal experiences.  (H)

·        Use correctly words and phrases related to chronology and time (now, long ago, before, after, morning, afternoon, night, today, tomorrow, yesterday, last or next week, month, year, and present, past, and future tenses of verb).  (H)

·        Use correctly the word because in the context of stories or personal experiences.  (H)

·        Identify and describe the events or people celebrated during United States national holidays and why we celebrate them.  (Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, and Independence Day).  (H)

·        Put events in their own and their families’ lives in temporal order.   (H)

·        Use correctly words and phrases that indicate location and direction, such as up, down, near, far, left, right, straight, back, behind, and in front of.   (G)

·        Tell or show what a map is and what a globe is.  (G)

·        Identify the student’s street address, city or town, and Massachusetts as the state and the United States as the country in which he or she lives.  Identify the name of the student’s school and the city or town in which it is located.  (G)

·        Describe the location and features of places in the immediate neighborhood of the student’s home or school.  (G)

Civics and Government

Students will be able to:

·        Give examples that show the meaning of the following concepts: authority, fairness, responsibility, and rules.  (C)

·        Retell stories that illustrate honesty, courage, friendship, respect, responsibility, and the wise or judicious exercise of authority, and explain how the characters in the stories show these qualities.  (C)

·        Identify and describe family or community members who promote the welfare and safety of children and adults.   (C)

·        Demonstrate understanding that there are important American symbols by identifying: American flag and its
colors and shapes; the melody of the national anthem, the picture and name of the current President of the United States; and the words of the Pledge of Allegiance.  (C)

Economics

Students will be able to:

·        Use words relating to work, such as jobs, money, buying, and selling.  (E)

·        Give examples of how family members, friends, or acquaintances use money directly or indirectly (e.g., credit card or check) to buy things they want. (E)

·        Give examples of different kinds of jobs that people do, including the work they do at home.  (E)

·        Explain why people work (e.g., to earn money in order to buy the things they want and need).  (E)

Historical Applications

·        Develop curiosity, ask questions and actively pursue learning.

·        Recognize the importance of multiple viewpoints for understanding people, events and issues.

·        Empathize with people of different historical periods, places, and backgrounds.

·        Make connections and look for patterns to construct meaning.

·        Learn that most issues encountered in social studies are complex, need thoughtful analysis, and may lack simple solutions.

·        Form and express opinions by weighing information and evidence but be willing to revise these opinions in light of additional information and perspectives.

·        Inquire into costs and benefits of competing alternatives.

·        Ask rigorous questions, try new things, act on beliefs, resist peer pressure, and take other appropriate risks.

·        Use peaceful and just strategies for resolving strongly conflicting opinions.