Introduction:

Our K-4 Elementary school students will be integrating a combination of the Savvas My World textbooks for Social Studies combined with hands-on projects aligned with the Massachusetts Social Studies Curriculum Frameworks for each grade.

What is project-based learning? Project-based learning involves students learning how to take the content they are learning about in the classroom and apply it to projects where they can design, develop, and construct solutions to problems and present informed ideas about events in history and modern times. Project-based learning is a way to bring students’ curiosity beyond the classroom so they can see the connections between historical events and modern times. It also teaches students how to think beyond the textbook and to become creative thinkers and problem-solvers.

Below are more detailed descriptions of each grade that will be covered.

Kindergarten: Students in Kindergarten will focus primarily on what it means to be a citizen in the United States. They will examine rules and laws and how these impact members of their local, state, and national communities. Kindergarteners will learn how people learn and work together, in both our modern world and long ago. They will examine maps and globes and identify where they live in the world. Finally, they will recognize why people have jobs and what types of jobs people have in society.

First Grade: First graders in Social Studies will focus on what it means to be a good citizen, their role in their local, state, and national community. They will examine what it means to live in America, both now and in the past. Students will utilize globes and maps to examine the geography and climate of their community and its position in the world. Finally, students will study our economy and how people make money in the United States, including identifying goods and services that are part of the economy.

Second Grade: Second graders in Social Studies will examine how communities have changed and also how they have remained the same over time. In Quarter 2, students will focus on the tools used to study geography, including maps and globes. Additionally, they will examine how people use land and how the geography of their land affects how they live. Students will spend time learning about our economy and how it works in Quarter 3. In Quarter 4, Students will learn about the structure of our government and will recognize influential leaders in our society. They will discuss what it means to make a difference in the world and will examine how they can make a difference themselves.

Third Grade: In Quarter 1, third graders will learn about their local, national, and global communities. They will examine how a community’s land, resources, and climate affect the way people live and work, as well as how people relate to their environment and how the environment affects their lives. In Quarter 2, students will focus on economics, including goods and services, economic choices, and spending. In Quarter 3, Students will examine Native Americans, early explorers, and early settlements. Finally, in Quarter 4, students will examine the government of the United States.

Fourth Grade: Fourth graders will spend Quarter 1 studying the land and people of the United States, including its climate, regions, and resources. Students will spend Quarter 2 focused on Americans and their history. Quarter 3 will examine government in the United States. Quarter 4 will focus on the economy of the United States.