Academics » Social Studies
Fall 2008 Update In the spring of 2008, secure and exemplary standards were identified for all Social Studies standards in Grades K-11 based on the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks. Using these standards, twelve common units were written during the summer of 2008. In grades Kindergarten through eleven teachers re-examined the content standards and began the process of identifying where in the curriculum “Concepts and Skills” identified by the Frameworks are introduced, and then mastered. Teachers then developed a common unit of instruction which articulated not only the content of the unit, but what concepts and skills will be taught. Parents should expect to see the common unit below taught during this school year. The common unit includes common objectives, suggested learning tasks, and common assessments. Teachers will be compiling instruction and assessment data from their classrooms in order to identify best practices for teaching the content and assessing concept and skill development. The goal for the 2008-2009 school year is to begin collecting data from the units to determine if students are learning the content and acquiring the skills intended to be taught. This information will allow improvement of the first common units and guide the design of the second units. In addition, the team will continue to improve curriculum and instruction in grades K-12 in order to identify where Concepts and Skills are introduced, practiced and mastered. The units are as follows: Kindergarten – American Symbols and Holidays Students understand why major American holidays are important, identify the American flag and explain the meaning of the stars and stripes, identify the current president and say his/her name when asked, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and sing the national anthem correctly. Grade One – Map Skills Students describe a map as a representation of space/place, compare/contrast a map and globe, identify cardinal directions and apply them to maps and locations using a compass rose, read and understand a map key and apply it to a map, define and locate the equator and North and South Poles on a map and globe, and define and give examples of a continent, river, mountain, lake, and ocean. Grade Two – Ancestry of Students Students define ancestry, tell what country and continent their ancestors came from and locate the country on a map, tell the capital of their country, identify major landmarks of their country, identify major landforms in their country, recognize the different languages spoken in the world and know what language(s) is spoken in their country, know the various jobs people can have and identify jobs in their country, know why people are famous and tell about one famous person from their country. Grade Three – Map Skills Pertaining to Massachusetts Students recognize Massachusetts (MA) as a part of New England, define a natural resource and name natural resources in MA, identify the features of a map, name and locate three rivers in MA, identify important landforms in MA, and locate the major cities of MA, telling the importance of each. Grade Four – Geography of Canada and Mexico Students identify the five themes of geography, locate Canada, its provinces and major cities, describe major Canadian physical characteristics, explain how these characteristics relate to settlement, trade, and economy, describe major ethnic and religious groups of modern Canada, explain how and when Canada became independent, identify the location and social features of at least Native American tribes of Canada, along with the Inuit Nation, identify the major language groups of Canada, locate Mexico and its major cities on a map, describe major Mexican physical characteristics and explain how they are related to Mexico’s settlement, trade, and economy, identify the languages, major religion, and peoples of Mexico, and give examples of limited and unlimited resources and explain scarcity and its consequences. Grade Five – The American Revolution and its Documents Students understand how the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of the Earth, observe and identify details in cartoons, photographs, charts, and graphs relating to historical narrative, explain the meaning of key ideas of equality, natural rights, rule of law, and purpose of government contained in the Declaration of Independence, describe battles and other significant events of the Revolution and the factors that lead to American victory, describe the life and achievements of important leaders during the Revolution and early years of the U.S., and identify the authors and purposes of the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, and the Olive Branch Petition. Grade Six – The Five Themes of Geography and the European Continent Students identify the five themes of geography, identify where things/places are located based on relative and absolute location, determine a place’s natural and cultural characteristics through the use of models and maps, identify and define geography terms, locate major European physical and cultural characteristics, apply understanding of absolute and relative location to European countries and cities, identify and locate major cultural/political regions of Europe, identify ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups of Europe, identify currency used, products traded, standard of living, type of economy, and participation in well-known international groups, identify ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups in a particular country, use world atlases and almanacs to find information about a specific country, understand the basic types of economies, and explain what a nation is and how it can be formed. Grade Seven - Ancient Greece Teachers: George Jackson, Naomi Leeper Students will explore how the unique geography of Greece impacted the culture, economy, agriculture and myths, and how Athenian democracy influenced modern U.S. government. Students will also focus on the “Golden Age” of Greece, the role of polytheism, and the rivalry between Sparta and Athens. Finally, students will assess how Greek culture spread and why it is considered the birthplace of western civilization. There will be two common assessments for this unit: a Unit test and a Greek God and Goddess Poster. Grade Eight - Medieval Europe Teachers: Abby Besse and George Jackson Students will be able to explain what was done to restore order and stability in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Students will examine the feudal system and the role of each class in that political organization. Students will also explore the role of the Catholic Church, life in a medieval town, and the political transformation of English law and government during this era. Finally students will examine the origin and impact of the bubonic plague and the factors that led to the decline of feudalism. There will be two common assessments for this unit: a Unit test and a research paper. Grade Nine - The French Revolution Teachers: Alexis Dorn, Jeffrey Doyle, David Rix Students in grade nine will identify and be able to differentiate between social, political, economic, intellectual, religious, and scientific causes and effects of the Revolution. Students will examine the philosophical differences between monarchies and constitutional democracies and will seek to assess Napoleon’s role in the Revolution. There will be six common assessments for this unit: a concept map of the causes of the French Revolution, a newspaper article detailing the Storming of the Bastille, an OP Ed article concerning the role of civil liberties during times of conflict, an annotated timeline of the rise and fall of Napoleon, a quiz on the Congress of Vienna and a Unit Test. Grade Ten - The Constitution Teachers: Brian King, Robert Mallon, Lynne Place Students will evaluate the impact of the ideological debates leading to the establishment of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. Students will be able to describe the roles of the representatives at the Constitution and the compromises and concessions that followed. Students will be able to evaluate the significance of the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Students will be assessed with two quizzes, an essay and a Unit Test. Grade Eleven- The Vietnam War
Teachers: Dana Battista, Marybeth Brust, Jeff Doyle, Brian King
Students will be able to explain how Cold War ideology applied to U.S. intervention in Vietnam and the objectives of the Cold War from the U.S. perspective. Students will be able to describe the U.S. intervention in Vietnam and its impact on the soldiers, the military institution, and domestic events. Students will also examine why the Vietnam War became the war by which all other military actions are compared and judged. Common assessments for this unit include a map quiz, a quiz on the causes of the war and a ten minute presentation that analyzes the historical accuracy of a film, song or literary selection related to the war. The Pembroke Social Studies Team: Kathie Adams Bryantville, Grade 6 Marybeth Brust High School, Social Studies Dept Chair Pam Doton North Pembroke, Grade 2 Amy Durgin Hobomock, Grade 6 Brandon Hall High School, Social Studies Helen Healey Bryantville, Grade 2 Marybeth Hussey Hobomock, Grade 2 George Jackson Middle School, Social Studies Michael Lisi Hobomock, Psychologist Sandra Lovett Bryantville, Assistant Principal Jean Selines North Pembroke, Principal Jennifer Simmons North Pembroke, Grade 5 Margaret Szostak High School, Assistant Principal
Pembroke Public Schools
72 Pilgrim Road Pembroke, MA 02359
781-829-0832
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