Social Studies

Fifth grade social studies focuses on modern and historical immigration and is grounded in this essential question: What does it mean to belong? Students first explore personal and community identities and consider ways that stereotypes about people’s identities can impact their sense of belonging. By analyzing podcasts, primary sources, and the experiences of characters in novels, students gain understanding of the myriad reasons people immigrate to the U.S., the challenges faced throughout the process, and the significant contributions immigrants make to their new homes. They learn that each immigrant experience is unique and personal, even if there are common motivations and challenges between some immigrant experiences. Relating back to the essential question, students consider whether immigrants can hold on to their beliefs, customs, and culture and still feel a sense of belonging in their new home.

Throughout the course, each unit involves exploration of relevant literature and primary sources as well as opportunities for field trips, cross-disciplinary projects, and experiential learning. Students develop critical-thinking, organization, and interpretation skills through written work and preparing and giving oral presentations. Considerable time is devoted to learning how to effectively annotate expository texts for improved reading comprehension and presenting researched topics utilizing technology to inform and excite audience members. The curriculum also emphasizes the skills of listening, questioning, visualizing, making connections and inferences, synthesizing, and comparing and contrasting.

The sixth-grade Social Studies program focuses on three sequential topics to create a foundation for understanding life in the United States. Students begin the year with an inquiry into the story of Native Americans of North America; their arrival during the Ice Age and their lives before and after contact with the Europeans. During the second trimester, sixth graders explore the settlement patterns in North America by the European immigrants. While examining European attitudes toward Native Americans, students discuss the reasons for European settlement and the creation of European colonies in North America. They also investigate the creation of an American identity before studying the concept of revolution during the third trimester: What did the word “revolution” mean in the 18^th century, and how did the colonists move toward revolution? Each unit in this course involves relevant literature, primary sources, and opportunities for field trips and cross-disciplinary projects. When the students leave sixth grade, they do so with an understanding of America’s original inhabitants, the results of European contact, and a sense of the America to come.

In this course, we explore history using the stories, laws, art, music, and speeches of the time. In the fall, topics include a study of the Constitution, the compromises and demands of creating a new government, and the structure of the government. Topics for the winter trimester cover westward expansion and its effects on all populations, both marginalized groups and those with power. Additionally, students explore the economic, political, and personal realities of slavery, the abolitionist movement, and the Civil War. In the spring, studies focus on the dawn of the 20^th Century and the birth of modern America. Conversations about the post-Reconstruction struggle for Civil Rights prepare students for a more global consideration of the struggle for human rights in the eighth grade.

Students begin the year by examining the concept of identity – specifically, the relationship between the individual and society – using the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum as a guide. The first major units explore the history of eugenics in the United States, and the role that the U.S. eugenics movement played in the development of the ideologies of Nazi Germany; students then study the actions of victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and resistors during the Holocaust. The second major unit examines the history of South Africa through the lens of colonialism and the struggle to end apartheid. Students are asked to consider challenges to democratic norms, the dangers of authoritarianism, and efforts to achieve justice and restore human rights. The final major case study is on British imperialism and the movement for Indian independence. We study the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and the controversies and tragedies surrounding the transition to independence, including the Partition of India and Pakistan. Frequent connections between history and current events are made in this course. Throughout the year, students use a blend of primary and secondary sources and a variety of media for study and research, and geography is examined in conjunction with course lessons. We also engage in mini-units on five major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) to build knowledge of the modern world and context for the larger case studies.