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Our Schools

Social Studies

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Social Studies

Our K-12 Social Studies curriculum is designed to produce critical thinkers and active citizens. Students build literacy skills through non-fiction texts and authentic writing as well as skills in media literacy and data analysis.

Inquiry is at the core of social studies, allowing students to develop their skills in historical thinking, geographic and economic reasoning, and research.  We place an emphasis on civic participation, social justice, and global competence. Social Studies classrooms are vibrant places of learning where students are actively engaged in studying the past in order to better understand the present. 

Our program closely follows the New York State Social Studies Framework and the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) for curriculum development based on the Inquiry Arc from the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Social Studies Standards. Through an inquiry-based approach, students develop thematic and conceptual understanding while applying disciplinary practices and literacy skills in the context of content.
 

In Our Schools

Elementary School

K-4 Social Studies is anchored in the four pillars of: 

  • Geography
  • History
  • Economics
  • Civics

Using the Social Studies Alive! program from TCI, each grade cycles through a unit on each pillar developing skills and content understanding in a spiral curriculum aligned with NY State Standards.

Middle School

The lens of the four pillars continues into middle school. Grades 5 and 6 build global awareness  with Grade 5 focusing on the Western Hemisphere and Grade 6 on the Eastern Hemisphere. 

Similarly, Grades 7 and 8 provide a two year sequence in U.S. History, with a greater emphasis on historical thinking and literacy skills. The middle school curriculum is grounded in TCI’s Geography Alive! and History Alive! programs.

High School

The Social Studies experience culminates at the high school with two years of world history, one year of U.S. history and one year of U.S. government and civics.  The four pillars are integrated into deep study of complex issues at the global and national level.  With a strong emphasis on examination of primary sources and historiography, students continuously engage in evidence based discussion, writing  and research.

Students have the opportunity to select from a range of elective courses throughout their high school studies. 

Social Studies Curricular Resources & Standards

The resources below are used to support instruction. Use the buttons above to filter to a specific area. Click the title of a resource for a link to learn more.