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SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

Our social studies curriculum aims to promote civic competence.    Social studies provides students with history, economics, geography, government and events that have collectively shaped nations around the world.  This knowledge allows students to actively engaged and participate in public life. 

KINDERGARTEN

  • Calendars represent days of the week and months of the year

  • American History Strand:U.S. Symbols, compare past and present, Nation’s holidays and honoring people and events

  • Geography Strand—Location of people, Places and Things--Introduction to Maps and Globes--Cardinal Directions--Identifying basic landforms, bodies of water--Seasonal weather changes

  • Economic Strand—Various jobs and tools and equipment used—U.S. Currency in different forms—Difference between Needs and Wants

  • Civics and Government Strand—Rules, laws, how to be a good citizen, resolving conflicts, fair ways for groups to make decisions

1ST GRADE

  • American History Strand: History tells a story, compare life now with life in the past, People and celebrations from our nation’s heritage, timelines, utilization of technology to gather information

  • Geography Strand: Physical, political/cultural maps of Florida, Globes and Maps models of the Earth, Compass Rose, Cardinal Directions, keys/legends, interpret pictographs, charts, Continents, Oceans, Towns, Suburbs, Farms, natural resources

  • Economics Strand: Money used to buy goods and services, opportunity costs, jobs, buyers, sellers, producers of goods and services, saving for the future

  • Civics & Government:Rules and laws in school and community, people who have power and authority to enforce rules in the school and community, positive and negative consequences associated with rules, individual rights and responsibilities in the classroom, responsibilities of authority figures in home and school, identify titles of selected major elected government officials, symbols and individuals that represent American Constitutional democracy

2ND GRADE

  • American History Strand: Native Americans, impact of immigrants upon Native Americans, Daily life in Colonial America, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, utilization of technology to gather information.

  • Geography Strand:Use of maps and globes to locate locations in Florida and North America, as well as states and national capitols, Religious Freedom, label on a map or globe the continents, oceans, Equator, Prime Meridian, North and South Poles, contrast types of neighborhoods, distinguish various landforms, how climate affects the way people live

  • Economics Strand:Difference between consumers and producers, human and natural resources, supply and demand,trade, saving and spending

  • Civics and Government Strand:Why people form governments, responsible citizenship, U.S. Citizens have guaranteed rights, Contributions of various African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, veterans and women, roles of selected community leaders, Citizenship, Constitution

3RD GRADE

  • American History Strand:Primary, secondary sources, utilization of technology to gather information, Changes and developments in transportation, communication and technology and how they affect people throughout history, Significant historical events, aspects of family life, throughout history,discovery of America and the 13 Colonies, trade’s impact on other areas of the world.

  • Geography Strand:Use of maps, tables, charts, graphs and photos to analyze geographic information, identification of local community areas, reasons for local community growth, Seven Continents, Countries and commonwealths in North America, Five Regions of the United States, Natural and man-made landmarks, climate and vegetation, natural resources in North America

  • Economics Strand:Economy, goods, services, resources, human resources vs. natural resources, production resources, exchange of goods and services, trade, use of money and the banking system

  • Civics and Government Strand:Levels and organization of Government,state constitution, Constitution of the U.S., National Symbols, events, holidays, three branches of government, meeting the needs of the community, local community leaders, reason for rules and laws in the community, rights and responsibilities—personal and civic

4TH GRADE

  • American History Strand: Florida History, Native American Tribes of Florida, Florida Explorers, Effects of European Colonization on Native American Tribes of Florida, Timeline of Florida History, Catholic Church impact upon Florida, Impact of Spanish/Catholic influence on the establishment of Florida as a colony, Spanish Rule in Florida, Pioneer Life in Florida, Colonial period of Florida, Florida’s involvement in the Civil War, Population movement, Florida’s major industries, why immigrants came to Florida, Space Program impact upon Florida, Tourism, Significant Individuals in Florida History, 1920’s Florida Land Boom, Florida’s role in World War II, Florida’s role in the Civil Rights Movement, major cities of Florida.

  • Geography Strand:Physical features of Florida, Florida’s three natural regions, impact of weather upon Florida, maps, legends, longitude, latitude, Florida’s relation to the North American Continent and the United States, population density in Florida, ways physical environment and human activity has affected the state of Florida.

  • Civics & Government Strand:Florida’s Constitution (structure,function and purposes of state government), Public Service, Voting, Volunteerism, branches of government in Florida and powers of each,State and local government, City’s mayor, state governor and president, function of city council, school board and hierarchy of the Catholic School System

  • Economics Strand:Entrepreneurs from various social and ethnic backgrounds who have influenced Florida’s economy, Florida’s role in the national and international economy

5TH GRADE

  • American History Strand: Compare Cultural aspects of ancient American civilizations, Native American tribes from different geographic regions of North America, technological developments that shaped European exploration, Interaction among Native Americans, Africans, English, French, Dutch, and Spanish for control of North America, Origins of Catholic settlements and how the Catholic Church is connected to ethnic groups in the establishment of the United States, Colonial Settlement (political, economic and social aspects), Triangular Trade, Slavery in the colonies, events leading up to the American Revolution, military campaigns of the American Revolution, Confederation Congress (Northwest Ordinance of 1787), Louisiana Purchase, Westward expansion, 19th Century Advancements, Causes and effects of the War of 1812, Manifest Destiny

  • Geography Strand:Identify major United States physical features on a map of North America, construct maps, charts and graphs to display geographic information, Locate original 13 colonies on a map, fifty states and their capitals, push-pull factors that influenced boundary changes within the United States, impact of past natural events and impact on human and physical environments in the United States since 1850,

  • Economics Strand:Impact of trade upon growth in North America from pre-Columbian times to 1850, market economy, development of technology and impact of major inventions on business productivity during the early development of the United States

  • Civics and Government Strand:Why the United States Government was created, Constitution and its purpose, fundamental rights, Declaration of Independence’s grievances and Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights, Federalist and Anti-Federalist views,Patriots, Loyalists, political participation in the colonial period to today, voting rights, civic responsibilities, strategies for encouraging Catholic participation in government, Branches of Government and Powers defined in Articles I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution, popular sovereignty, rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism and individual rights, amendment process, role of the courts

6TH GRADE

  • Geography Strand:Examine various types of maps, natural wonders of the ancient world, how major physical characteristics, natural resources, climate, and absolute and relative locations influence settlement, interactions, and the economies of ancient civilizations of the world, cultural diffusion, distribution of population in the ancient world, physical landscape and how it affected development of agriculture and industry in the ancient world, Belief systems of the ancient world, six essential elements of geography as the organizing framework for understanding the world and its people.

  • Economics Strand:Factors that increase economic growth, identify traditional and command economies as they appear in different civilizations, economic concepts as they relate to early civilizations (scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, barter, trade, productive resources), mediums of exchange used for trade for each ancient civilization, barriers to trade among civilizations, traditional economies(Eyypt, Greece, Rome, Kush) that led to rise of a merchant class and trading partners, benefits and drawbacks of voluntary trade

  • World History Strand:Timelines to identify chronological order of historical events, lifestyles of hunter-gatherers and settlers of early agricultural communities, characteristics of civilization, evaluate, compare and contrast the important contributions and achievements of ancient civilizations including examples of cultural diffusion, important achievements of Egyptian civilization, key beliefs and figures of the Israelites, emergence of advanced civilizations in Meso and South America with the four early river valley civilizations, Ancient Phoenicians, Ancient Greece, Comparison of life in Athens and Sparta, causes and effects of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars,achievements and contributions of ancient Greek civilization, Punic Wars, Development of the Roman Empire (rulers, roman life, culture), Development and spread of Christianity, Trade Routes between West Africa and Europe, Asia, and the Americas, rise and fall of the ancient African kingdoms, achievements and contributions of ancient Indian civilization, key figures and contributions from classical and post-classical China, rise and expansion of the Mongol empire, Aryan and tribal migrations, political and cultural achievements of the Mauryan and Gupta empires, compare and conrtrast major religions of the world

  • Civics and Government Strand:Democratic concepts developed in Ancient Greece that served as a foundation for American constitutional democracy, government of the Roman Republic contributions to the development of democratic principles, principles from ancient Greek and Roman civilizations which are reflected in the American political process

7TH GRADE

  • Economics Strand:Market and mixed economy, borrowing and lending in the United States, supply and demand, choice, scarcity and opportunity costs, financial institutions role in the development of a market economy, national budget, personal budget, federal, state and local taxes, banking system and its impact on the money supply, laws and regulations to promote economic competition, entrepreneurs, international trade, changing value of currency and its effects, single resource economy, diversified economy, standard of living and GDP.

  • Civics and Government Strand:Enlightenment ideas, Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution of the United States, Rule of Law, Citizen, Rights contained in the Bill of Rights and other amendments to the Constitution, Trial Process and the role of juries, voting process, media and political communications, compare different forms of government, structure and function of the three branches of government established in Articles I, II, and II with corresponding powers, relationship and division of powers between federal government and state governments, Constitutional Amendment process, Constitutional Rights, Impact of the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments on participation of minority groups in the American political process, analyze specific landmark Supreme Court cases

8TH GRADE

  • American History Strand:analyze current events relevant to American History topics through a variety of electronic and print media resources, provide supporting details for an answer from text, differentiate fact from opinion, utilize appropriate historical research and fiction/nonfiction support materials, compare relationships among the British, French, Spanish, and Dutch in their struggle for colonization of North America, characteristics of the New England, Middle and Southern Colonies, key colonial figures, impact of colonial settlement on Native American populations, causes and consequences of French Indian War, consequences of the French Indian War in British policies for the American Colonies from1763-1774, contributions of the Founding Fathers during American Revolutionary efforts, causes, course and consequences of the American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and its aspects that led to the Constitutional Convention,analyze support and opposition to ratification of the U.S. Constitution, Influences of George Washington’s presidency, events of John Adams’ presidency, events of Thomas Jefferson’s presidency, Time period 1763-1815, key events in Florida history (e.g. War of 1812), Westward Expansion, spread of slavery in Florida, technological improvements that contributed to industrial growth, New England’s Textile Industry, First and Second Great Awakenings, Slave Culture including plantation life, resistance efforts, and the role of slaves’ spiritual system, 1804 Haitian Revolution and the United States acquisition of the Louisiana Territory, consequences of specific landmark Supreme Court decisions, women’s suffrage movement, Jacksonian democracy, cause, course and consequence of the Civil War, events of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, comparison of Union and Confederate strengths and weaknesses, significant Civil War battles, Reconstruction policies, practices and consequences.

  • Geography Strand:locate and describe major ecosystems of the United States, use geographic terms and tools to explain differing perspectives on the use of renewable and non-renewable resources in the United States and Florida over time, interpret population growth and other demographic data for any given place in the U.S. throughout history, analyze the effects of migrations to and within the U.S., both on the place of origin and destination, cultural diffusion, interpret databases, case studies and maps on various topics

  • Economics Strand:Examine scarcity, supply and demand, opportunity costs, incentives, profits, entrepreneurial aspects and how these factors influenced the development of the United States Economy over time, contributions of entrepreneurs, inventors, economic impact of government policies, role of Africans and other minority groups in the economic development of the United States (Civil Rights), domestic and international independence (e.g. preview WWI, WWII, Great Depression), constitutional provisions for establishing citizenship, Patriots, Loyalists, Civic Virtue in the lives of citizens and leaders from the colonial period through Reconstruction, evolving forms of civic and political participation from the colonial period through Reconstruction, essential ideals and principles of American constitutional government from the colonial period to Reconstruction

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