Social Studies Curriculum

Grade 4: The United States

Overview of U.S. History:

• Exploration and colonization: Students learn about early European exploration and colonization of North America, including the motivations, challenges, and consequences of these events. They study the interactions between Native American tribes and European settlers.
• Colonial America: Students examine the establishment and development of the thirteen English colonies, focusing on topics such as colonial economies, government structures, and daily life.
• American Revolution: Students explore the causes and events leading to the American Revolution, including the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, and the Declaration of Independence. They learn about key figures and significant battles of the Revolutionary War.
• Formation of the United States: Students study the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution, including its principles and structure of government. They also learn about the challenges faced by the new nation under the Articles of Confederation and the significance of important documents such as the Bill of Rights.

Civics and Government:

• Principles of Democracy: Students learn about the principles of democracy, including popular sovereignty, rule of law, and individual rights. They examine the role of citizens in a democratic society and the importance of civic participation.
• Branches of Government: Students study the structure and functions of the three branches of the United States government (executive, legislative, and judicial). They learn about the system of checks and balances and the responsibilities of each branch.
• Rights and Responsibilities: Students explore the rights and responsibilities of citizens in the United States, including voting rights, freedom of speech, and civic duties such as paying taxes and serving on juries

Geography: 

• Students learn about the geography of the United States, including its regions, landforms, natural resources, and climate patterns. They study maps and use geographic tools to analyze spatial patterns and understand the relationship between geography and human activities

Basic Economic Concepts: 

• Students learn about fundamental economic concepts such as scarcity, supply and demand, and opportunity cost. They explore how individuals, businesses, and governments make economic choices and allocate resources.

Grade 5: History and Belief Systems of the Ancient World

Homo Sapiens During the Neolithic Revolution:

•     Archeology
•     Human adaptations and characteristics of early human society
•     Research project: Ancestral Family Tree
•     Ancient China and Asian philosophies:
•     Legalism
•     Confucianism
•     Daoism
•     Hinduism: caste and identity
•     Dynasties and achievements
•     Political roles and systems
•     Geography and role of geography
•     Terracotta warrior
•     Silk Road
•     Project: Mock Trial

Ancient Greece:

•     Geography of the eastern Mediterranean
•     Early Greek culture
•     Classical Greek Myths
•     Comparisons and contrasts between Athens and Sparta
•     Research project: Greek Gods
•     Project: Olympus Convention

Ancient Rome:

•     The rise and fall of the Roman Empire
•     The emperors
•     Parallels with ancient Greece
•     Roman Gods

Grade 7: Survey of American History

The Constitution:

•     Events leading up to the formation of the Constitution; the Articles of Confederation
•     The Bill of Rights
•     Primary source analysis: The Federalist Papers
•     Comparison and contrast between Federalist and Anti-Federalists views
•     Contrasts between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas. Jefferson

Early America:

•     The impact of the French and Haitian Revolutions on the US
•     Mexican and Latin American Independence

The Age of Jackson:

•     Geography of the Age of Jackson
•     The Trail of Tears and relationships with Native Americans
•     Analysis of Jackson & John Quincy Adams

Manifest Destiny:

• Westward colonization and the Texan Revolution

Sectionalism & Reform:

•     Debates and tensions between slave states and free states
•     The Second Great Awakening
•     The Mexican-American War and its aftershocks

The Civil War:

•     Events leading up to the Civil War
•     Leading figures of the Civil War
•     Primary source analysis: the Southern States’ declarations of secession
•     Similarities and differences between the Union and the Confederacy
•     Europe takes sides

Reconstruction:

•     Post Civil War events
•     The leadership of Frederick Douglass
•     Contrasting testimonies about the KKK from its founder, Nathan Forrest, and from one of its victims, Andrew Flowers
•     The failures of Reconstruction and the origins of “Jim Crow”

The Gilded Age:

•     Industrialization and corporate monopolies
•     Political machines
•     Electricity and the motion picture
•     Nationalist unifications

The Progressive Era:

•     Theodore Roosevelt and trust busting
•     Investigative journalism
•     Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle
•     Conservation, labor rights, and corporate regulation
•     American Imperialism

World War I & The Great Depression:

•     The rebirth of the KKK and Federal segregation
•     Birth of a Nation
•     American entry into the Great War
•     The League of Nations
•     Prohibition and organized crime
•     1929 Wall Street Crash and the Dust Bowl
•     Prelude to World War II

World War II:

•     Fascism and rampant imperialism
•     American initial neutrality and subsequent entry into the war
•     Lend-Lease: an “arsenal of democracy”
•     The Flying Tigers

The Cold War:

•     McCarthyism
•     Containment Doctrine
•     Proxy Wars
•     Nuclear brinkmanship
•     The Civil Rights Movement