Social Studies
"Social studies education contributes to developing responsible citizens in a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Social studies equips students to understand their own power and their own responsibility as citizens of the world’s most powerful democracy. It equips them to make sound judgments and to actively contribute to sustaining a democratic society, to good stewardship of the natural environment, and to the health and prosperity of their own communities.” (OSPI, Washington State Social Studies Learning Standards v)
Resources for Familes
Preschool
Learning objectives for Social Studies (from Teaching Strategies):
- Demonstrates knowledge about self (29)
- Shows basic understanding of people and how they live (30)
- Explores change related to specific people or places (31)
- Demonstrates simple geographic knowledge (32)
Elementary (K-5)
Kindergarten
Adopted Curriculum:
- Inquiry Journeys from InquirED, adopted 2022
Additional Curricular Resources:
Trimester 1:
Navigating School
In order for students to feel a sense of agency in their school environments, they must first consider the different physical locations and people they interact with throughout the school day. In this Inquiry, students develop a strong foundation from which to understand their own role, setting the stage for them to make choices that will foster a great school community for everyone.
Trimester 2:
My Team and Self
Successful teams can do just about anything. But to understand what you can accomplish as a team, you need to understand who makes up the team, how those individuals can work together, and how diversity makes a team more powerful. In this Inquiry, students explore essential elements of personal identity in order to help them recognize how they can contribute to a team. Then, they identify opportunities for teamwork in their own class community.
Past, Present, and Future
Our past experiences and the wisdom gained from those experiences are integral to planning for our future. In this Inquiry, students explore the essential elements of time and how tracking and sharing our journey through time is a way of sharing the unique stories that make us who we are. They build an understanding of how time’s patterns and cycles structure our past and present lives to better prepare for what’s to come.
1st Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Inquiry Journeys from InquirED
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
· Junior Achievement: Our Families
Trimester 1:
Families Near and Far
A family can take many forms; there’s no single definition or structure. In this Inquiry, students work together to build an inclusive understanding of family while identifying the various roles and responsibilities that contribute to a family. They explore what makes their family unique as they develop a mindset of curiosity and appreciation for differences they may encounter among various families and cultures.
Trimester 2:
Our Special Location
Students investigate how location, natural features, and climate shape daily life, and how goods and services are produced to address community needs and wants. Students learn about interdependence by identifying the web of people that they interact with every day who work to build and sustain the community. They investigate how people come together to show pride and care for the community, and create a variety of representations to capture what makes their location special.
Trimester 3:
Civic Engagement
You are never too young to help make your community better through the practice of citizenship. In this Inquiry, students explore the meaning of citizenship by investigating key topics such as rights, responsibilities, fairness, rules, and laws. They examine how practicing citizenship also requires them to inform themselves, distinguish fact from opinion, and engage in respectful discourse. Throughout the Inquiry, students reflect on ways that they can actively practice citizenship to benefit their school and community.
2nd Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Inquiry Journeys from InquirED
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
· Junior Achievement: Our Community
Trimester 1:
Meeting Needs and Wants
Communities are created to meet our common needs, giving us a sense of belonging, trust, care, and safety. In this Inquiry, students are introduced to the concepts of needs and wants, scarcity, and abundance, as well as the ways that producers and consumers interact and how individuals and communities make choices about how to use their resources. Then, they work together to design their own community model, taking action together to shape the world around them
Trimester 2:
TPS-Developed Since Time Immemorial (STI) Unit
This unit focuses on the following priority standards:
· C3.2.1 Know that tribes create rules and laws for the public or common good for their community.
· C3.2.2 Explain the roles of different people that help to govern the tribal community.
· G2.2.2 Explain ways people depend on, adapt to, and modify the environment to meet basic needs.
· G2.2.3 Compare how physical geography affects Northwest tribal culture and where tribes live and trade.
· G2.2.4 Distinguish human activities and human-made features from natural events or physical features.
· H3.2.1 Discern that there is more than one way to interpret or approach a situation, event, issue, or problem within your community.
Trimester 3:
Our Changing Landscape
Our relationship to the physical world around us begins with our own geographical location and the physical features of that location. In this Inquiry, students explore natural resources, how and why we modify the landscape, and the impacts that modifications can have on land, water, and living things. Then, they consider how to take action in their community in response to the changing landscape.
3rd Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Inquiry Journeys from InquirED
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
· Junior Achievement: Our City
Trimester 1:
Global Connections
Is it possible to touch a country and its people without ever setting foot there? From the label on a t-shirt to the sticker on a banana, we come into contact with evidence that the items we use have been harvested, manufactured, produced, or otherwise touched by people around the world. Students explore the ways they are connected to distant places through the movement of people, goods, and ideas.
Trimester 2:
Migration and Movement
The people of the United States have ancestors from places all over the world, some who arrived long ago and others who immigrated more recently. In this Inquiry, students explore the push and pull factors that contribute to the movement of people across nations. They compare past and present stories of immigration to develop and deepen their understanding of how cultural identity is built and maintained in a multicultural society.
TPS Developed Civics Unit- Coming Soon!
This unit focuses on the following priority standards:
· C2.3.1 Describe the basic organization of government in the community or city.
· C2.3.2 Identify the basic function of government and laws in the community or city.
· C2.3.3 Explain the reasons for rules in the home or in school, and compare rules and laws in the local community.
· C2.3.4 Describe ways in which people benefit from and are challenged by working together, including through government, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and families.
4th Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Inquiry Journeys from InquirED
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
· Junior Achievement: Our Region
Trimester 1:
Natural Resources of the US
Each region of the United States is unique; together, they provide people with the different resources they need to survive. In this Inquiry, students explore the rich natural resources across the US, how people use them, and the ways everyone can help sustain them. Then, they consider how to take action in their community to promote sustainable use of our natural resources.
Trimester 2:
Our State’s History
The historical roots of state and local development are not buried; they are alive in the artifacts, monuments, and buildings around us, as well as the stories that we tell. In this Inquiry, students learn about the first peoples to live in their state and major events at the roots of their state’s history. They explore a variety of historical sources and the various perspectives reflected in them, learning to ask critical questions of their sources and look for limitations as well as benefits.
Economic Choices
With unlimited wants and limited resources, people must make economic choices constantly. Students explore the concept of economics and how it relates to their lives, building a foundation of financial literacy while gaining an understanding of interdependence, economic relationships, and the role each of us plays in the system. Throughout the Inquiry, they investigate our power to make economic choices that can have a positive impact on our communities today and in the future.
5th Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Inquiry Journeys from InquirED
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
· Junior Achievement: Our Nation
Trimester 1:
Native America
Indigenous Americans have been misrepresented in both the popular imagination and historical record since their first encounter with Europeans. This Inquiry challenges students to explore diverse sources, including artifacts and oral traditions, to form a deeper understanding of the rich, varied cultures and histories of Indigenous Americans. Then, students consider how they can take action in their community to better honor the cultural heritage of their land.
Trimester 2:
The Colonial Era
The European settlement of North America led to profound global impacts. In this Inquiry, students go beyond a single narrative to explore causes of migration to the So-Called New World, and the consequences arising from contact and collision between cultures. They investigate how geography influenced the unique regional identities and economics of the colonies, which established a web of trade and gave rise to slavery.
The American Revolution
The ideals of democracy that fueled the American Revolution turned the power structure of the world upside down. In this Inquiry, students are challenged to examine the people, events, causes, and effects of the American Revolution. They create a connection between the ideals of the American Revolution and our own modern challenges to promote life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
Rights and Responsibilities
The US Constitution describes the rights and responsibilities of individual citizens and defines the power of elected officials and the branches of government. This Inquiry challenges students to examine how limits on freedom and power, whether outlined in the Constitution or arising from other contexts, help to protect individual and collective rights so all people can fully participate in our democracy.
Middle School (6-8)
6th Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Educurious, adopted 2023
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
Semester 1:
Mesopotamian Milestones
How does living in a civilization impact people’s lives?
Students engage in an immersive narrative experience to learn about Sumerian and Babylonian history. They begin with a launch module that gets them in an investigative mindset through exploring the archeological remains of early man. From there, they jump forward in time to Sumer and learn more about the Tigris-Euphrates Valley as they build a setting for their city. Once they have a setting, they are organized into family groups and create characters that mimic the social hierarchy and specializations present during the time period. Next, the city copes with three challenges: how to respond to a famine, how to respond to lawlessness, and how to respond to an invasion. The unit culminates with students considering one component of civilization, a stable food supply, and considers how accessing a stable food supply in their own communities is not equitable. They use what they’ve learned to create a Zine that promotes taking action to ensure no children in their community go hungry.
Egyptian Experiences
How do the things we create inspire people in the future?
Students begin their exploration of ancient Egypt through exploring one of their most iconic monuments, the Pyramids. Their first challenge is to escape a pyramid using the information they learn about ancient Egypt. Next, they dig into that history by exploring how we have learned about ancient Egypt. They explore how the key characteristics of civilization show up through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms and identify artifacts that best represent those characteristics. Finally, students design a gallery for the Grand Egyptian Museum and an accompanying experience that would engage and excite youth and pitch their plans to a shark tank of their peers.
Semester 2:
Greece and Rome
Which form of government is best?
Students are introduced to Greece and Rome by looking at myths and analyzing them to understand how they help us think about power in the ancient world. Next, they divide into two groups–campaigners and citizens. Campaigners take a deep dive into a particular form of government as they prepare a campaign to convince citizens of Greece and Rome that their form of government is best. Citizens take a deep dive into either Greece or Rome and teach their classmates the key pieces of history and geography that will help the campaigns better understand each of these civilizations. Together, the class will use primary sources to understand the role of particular groups in each civilization. The unit culminates with the campaigners making their best case for governing and citizens making their choice.
Messages from the Maya
How can we better understand, respect and protect indigenous people and their culture?
Students begin this unit with a virtual exploration of the remains of a Mayan city in Copan, Honduras where they analyze artifacts for evidence of the characteristics of civilization. From there, students explore how the Mayan civilization evolved and adapted over time including exploring how their languages and culture survive to the present day. Students learn about the collapse of the Mayan civilization through a structured academic discussion and then trace what has happened to the Maya since then. Throughout the unit, students are drawing connections between the history of the Maya and the histories of other Indigenous communities in their own area. The unit culminates in a social justice fair where students identify how indigenous people in the Americas are fighting for their rights and create an education campaign to support that work.
The Nobel Prize: Islamic Golden Age
Of all of the contributors to the Golden Age of Islam, which is most deserving of a Nobel Prize?
Students explore the Islamic Golden Age – the great thinkers of the time and their contributions to humanity and science. They deliberate over eight possible nominees for a new Nobel prize, the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to Humanity.” After a thorough investigation of the history of Islam, the four caliphates, and the eight nominees, students engage in a series of battle round debates. Through skilled argumentation, a winner is determined. Students write to the Nobel committee recommending their suggested winner as the first recipient of this new posthumous award.
7th Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Educurious, adopted 2023
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
Semester 1:
Connected
How are people in Washington connected to each other and the rest of the world?
This unit is designed to build inquiry about and interest in the themes and topics woven throughout Educurious’s multi-unit Washington State History course. To start off, students discover and share how they are connected to their classmates by participating in a “Web of Connectedness” activity. Throughout the unit, students engage in mapping, data visualization, and cost-benefit analyses in order to unpack the theme of connectedness and answer the unit driving question: How are people in Washington connected to each other and the rest of the world? As students learn about resources, economies, innovations, people, and places in Washington, they draft a series of six interactive community boards that educate others about the ways in which people are connected. For the culminating product of this unit, student teams finalize one of their six draft community boards to help students in their school make connections between themselves, Washington, and the world.
Decisions That Define Us
What decisions and whose stories define Washington state?
Students learn about the controversial history of a mural in Anacortes, WA, and consider what it would take to create a more inclusive and accurate mural in Anacortes today. Then students learn about the tribes, immigrants, and settlers in the region where they live and how their stories are represented in local murals in public spaces. Students draw on what they have learned to respond to the unit driving question: What decisions and whose stories define Washington state? Then, drawing on local resources such as tribal members, historical societies, and museums, students work in teams to propose a new mural that tells an inclusive story of the people and place where they live.
Roaring Rivers
How can dams in Washington serve the common good?
This unit begins with a challenge in which students must make a decision for the common good. The task highlights the importance of considering various stakeholder perspectives in order to serve the common good. Students transfer what they have learned to their study of a major dam project in Washington State. Teams focus on one of four projects (Upper Skagit Hydroelectric Project, Lower Snake River Project, Columbia River Gorge Project, Columbia River Basin Project). Each team works together to understand the perspectives of diverse stakeholders as they develop a response to the unit-driving question: How can dams in Washington serve the common good? Teams apply what they have learned to come up with a recommendation for the future of the dam project that considers how it will impact people and places.
Semester 2:
#Rights #Representation #Change
How can we use social media to engage community members on issues of injustice?
Students learn how young people in Washington exercised their rights and responsibilities through “fish-in” protests to fight for tribal fishing rights in the 1960s. Students use this example of civic engagement to reflect on their rights and responsibilities today, then begin to consider the unit-driving question: How can we use social media to engage community members on issues of injustice? Working in teams, students examine a case study on one of three critical issues: natural resources, the environment, or hazard preparedness. The case studies help students understand how social media can be used to raise awareness and promote action. Finally, teams create a social media campaign that engages their local elected officials and community on an issue of social and environmental justice.
Innovation Through the Lens
How does innovation impact communities in Washington?
Students kick off the unit with an analysis of images by engaging in a Four Corners activity, in which they begin to unpack the many positive and negative impacts of innovations on communication, infrastructure, and workers’ rights. After this initial analysis, students listen to oral histories, read narrative accounts, and study photos of people and places, to answer the question: How does innovation impact communities in Washington? Throughout the unit, students research a transformative innovation in workers' rights, communication, and infrastructure in order to create a thought-provoking photo essay about how their chosen innovation impacts people and places in Washington.
Resettling in Washington
What can the experiences of displaced people teach us about community, resilience, and humanity?
Students begin this unit by exploring the themes of humanity and community as they discuss the many factors that influence the development of personal identities. They unpack together how we show versus hide different parts of ourselves, and how our identities can be both fixed and ever-changing. Then, students listen to oral histories by Vietnamese Americans in Washington to learn how displacement and resettlement have impacted them personally and shaped their outlook on helping others. Using evidence from these firsthand accounts, students answer the question: What can the experiences of displaced people teach us about community, resilience, and humanity? Throughout this unit, students work in teams to create a podcast where they reflect on their collective responsibility to stand in solidarity with displaced people.
8th Grade
Adopted Curriculum:
· Educurious, adopted 2023
Additional Curricular Resources:
· Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State: Since Time Immemorial (STI)
· Junior Achievement: Finance Park
· The Constitution of the United States
Semester 1:
Indivisible
What unites communities?
Students engage in a variety of community-building tasks as a way to understand some of the factors and variables that will help them respond to the unit-driving question: What unites communities? Throughout the unit, students learn how other communities are organized and formed. They learn about the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Igbo people of Nigeria, and Enlightenment philosophers to understand how their ideas of community and governance informed and influenced the founding of the United States. Working in teams, students look at ways the ideas from these three groups are found in the United States government today, then use what they have learned about uniting groups of people to create a Community Commitment that will support their project-based learning during the school year.
Untold Stories of the Revolution
Why is it important to tell untold stories of American history?
To understand the importance of multiple perspectives when interpreting an event and making informed decisions, students study a disruption at a high school basketball game with the lens of a historian. Students then apply that approach to the events of the American Revolution to help them identify the told and untold stories of colonialists, women, African Americans, and Native Americans. Students explore how historical stories can evolve and change based on perspective and bias as they develop an answer to the question: Why is it important to tell untold stories of American history? Throughout the unit, students apply and strengthen their social studies skills, including sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading as they research stories about people who were marginalized during the American Revolution. Working in teams, students use primary and secondary sources to create an original podcast about an untold story of the American Revolution that challenges people to consider multiple perspectives when studying history.
Writing for Change
How should the government balance protecting life with protecting liberty?
Students consider a scenario where their privacy is impacted at school as a result of social media posts. This helps students begin thinking about their rights in school and outside of school, and what responsibilities they have to their community. Students learn about the Supreme Court and its responsibility to interpret the Constitution. Then they explore constitutional controversies in the United States that highlight government actions taken to protect life and liberty to develop a response to the question: How should the government balance protecting life with protecting liberty? Students research one particular constitutional issue and develop a persuasive argument for change that they will present to an elected official.
The American West
Whose stories must be told to understand migration to the West?
Students begin by sharing their own stories of migration as a way to connect their personal experiences to history. Then students investigate the push and pull factors that influenced people moving to and through the American West during the 19th-century. To understand the diverse experiences of people during this time period, students use primary and secondary sources to learn the stories of Native Americans, children on the Oregon Trail, Black pioneers, and immigrants who worked on the railroads, among others, as they consider the question: Whose stories must be told to understand migration to the West? Students develop a response to the unit-driving question in the form of an original graphic story that draws on relevant historical information to tell a story about migration to the West.
Civil War
How was life changing for Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction?
Students consider different arguments for and against the removal of Confederate statues to think about the connections between the Civil War and today. To understand what led to the Civil War, students compare the North and South and analyze perspectives on secession. They then examine the experiences of women, soldiers, and African Americans during and after the war as they respond to the unit driving question: How was life changing for Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction? Throughout their study of the war, students explore the importance of historical accuracy and empathy by analyzing paintings of the time period. Working in teams, students combine art analysis with research into primary and secondary sources, and their own historical dramatization to create, curate, and present a living museum gallery that brings a specific period of the Civil War to life to engage and educate their audience.
High School (9-12)
9th Grade
Washington State Learning Standards:
Curriculum: World History-Modern Era , Adopted in 2010, Current Adoption Underway
Content Learned Semester 1:
- The Muslim World/Africa/Asia/Medieval/Renaissance Europe
- Global Expansion and Encounter
- Age of Revolutions
Content Learned Semester 2:
- International Conflicts
- Emergence and Development of New Nations
- Challenges to Democracy and Human Rights
Washington State Learning Standards:
Curriculum: World History-Modern Era , Adopted in 2010, Current Adoption Underway
Content Learned Semester 1:
- The Muslim World/Africa/Asia/Medieval/Renaissance Europe
- Global Expansion and Encounter
- Age of Revolutions
Content Learned Semester 2:
- International Conflicts
- Emergence and Development of New Nations
- Challenges to Democracy and Human Rights
10th Grade
Washington State Learning Standards:
Curriculum: World History-Modern Era , Adopted in 2010, Current Adoption Underway
Content Learned Semester 1:
- The Muslim World/Africa/Asia/Medieval/Renaissance Europe
- Global Expansion and Encounter
- Age of Revolutions
Content Learned Semester 2:
- International Conflicts
- Emergence and Development of New Nations
- Challenges to Democracy and Human Rights
11th Grade
Washington State Learning Standards:
Curriculum: US History-Modern America , Adopted in 2010, Current Adoption Underway
Content Learned Semester 1:
- Foundations of US History (emphasis on 1776-1791)
- Industrialization and the Emergence of the US as a World Power (1877-1918)
- Reform, Prosperity and the Great Depression (1918-1939)
Content Learned Semester 2:
- WWII, The Cold War, and International Relations (1939-1991)
- Movements and Domestic Issues (1945-1991)
- Entering a New Era (1991-present)
12th Grade
Washington State Learning Standards:
Curriculum: American Pageant Magruder’s American Government, Adopted in 2010, Current Adoption Underway
Content: Students take two courses in order to fulfill the graduation requirement. One semester of Civics and one semester of Contemporary World Issues.
Semester 1:
- Foundations of American Democracy
- Branches of Government
- Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Semester 2:
- Political Parties and Ideology
- Voting
- Elections