The Social Studies Curriculum is based on the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Social Studies.
An education in social studies fosters a population that:
Is civic-minded, globally aware, and socially responsible;
Exemplifies fundamental values of democracy and human rights through active participation in local, state, national, and global communities;
Makes informed decisions about local, state, national, and global events based on inquiry and analysis;
Considers multiple perspectives, values diversity, and promotes cultural understanding;
Recognizes the relationships between people, places, and resources as well as the implications of an interconnected global economy;
Applies an understanding of critical media literacy skills when utilizing technology to learn, communicate, and collaborate with diverse people around the world; and
Discerns fact from falsehood and critically analyzes information for validity and relevance.
Grades K-6
Student-friendly core curriculum organized thematically to the social studies strands of civics and government, geography, economics, and history. It includes a student-friendly periodical format and online learning platform.
Spiraled and Scaffolded
Integrated with ELA
Standards-aligned
Research-based
Hands-on and Interactive
Kindergarten
Unit 1: Civics and Government
I am a Member of a Community
What are Rules?
What are Laws?
Learning and Working Together
Our Government
Government Services
Important Documents
Citizens
Patriotism
National Symbols
National Holidays
Sources
Unit 2: Geography
Map Skills
Five Themes of Geography
Location
Place: Physical Characteristics
Place: Human Characteristics
Human-Environment Interaction
Movement
Type of Regions
Culture
Unit 4: History
Time
Changes Over Time
Comparing Children Over Time
Inventions
Transportation Over Time
Communication Over Time
First Grade
Unit 1: Civics and Government
Community
Rules and Laws
Principles of Democracy
Purpose and Structure of Government
Government Services
Important Documents
Citizens
Patriotism
National Symbols
National Holidays
Founders
Primary and Secondary Sources
Unit 2: Geography
Map Skills
Five Themes of Geography
Location
Place: Physical Characteristics
Place: Human Characteristics
Human-Environment Interaction
Movement
Regions of the United States
Unit 3: Inquiry
Culture
Unit 4: Economics
Needs and Wants
Goods and Services
Economic Choices
Economic Activities
Spending and Saving
Unit 5: History
Time
Changes Over Time
Comparing Children Over Time
Inventors
Transportation Over Time
Communication Over Time
Second Grade
Unit 1: Civics and Government
Community
Rules and Laws
Principles of Democracy
Purpose and Structure of Government
Important Documents
Purpose and Structure of Government
Government Services
Citizens
Patriotism
Patriotic Symbols
Memorials and Monuments
National Holidays
Founders
Culture
Unit 2: History
Sources
Unit 3: Geography
Map Skills
Five Themes of Geography
Location
Place: Physical Characteristics
Place: Human Characteristics
Human-Environment Interaction
Movement
Regions of the World
Unit 4: Inquiry
Culture
Unit 5: Economics
Economic Resources
Goods and Services
Economic Principals
Economic Activity
Economic Choices
Unit 6: History
Sequencing and Chronology
Innovations Over Time
Historic Figures
Solving Problems in Your Community
Third Grade
Unit 1 – Civics and Government
Community
Sources
Government
Important Documents
Structure of Government
Conflict and Compromise
Citizens
Patriotism and National Symbols
Heroes and Holidays
Unit 2: Geography
Map Skills
The Five Themes
Location
Place: Physical Characteristics
Place: Human Characteristics
Human-Environment Interaction
Movement
Culture
Regions of the World Part 1
Regions of the World Part 2
Unit 3: Economics
Wants and Needs
Resources
Producers and Consumers
Goods and Services
Economic Principals
Personal Finances
Unit 4: Historic Events
Timelines
Unit 5: Inquiry
Developing Inquires
Examining Evidence and Communicating
Conclusion
Taking Action
Engaging in Your Own Inquiry
Fourth Grade
New Jersey
New Jersey Geography Climate
Regions
Prehistoric New Jersey
Native Americans Defining Culture
Early Explorers
European Settlers
Farmers and Fur Traders
Slavery and the Slave Trade
Colonial New Jersey
The English Take Over New Jersey
Education in New Jersey
Colonial Unrest
War for Independence
New Jersey Battles
Effects of the Revolutionary War
New Jersey as a New State Federal Government and States Rights
Slavery Abolished
Women’s Rights
Early Industry in New Jersey
Inventors and Inventions
Transportation in New Jersey
Immigration and Migration
New Jersey Reform
New Jersey in War and Peace
Economy and Industry Today
Leisure and Arts in New Jersey
The Year in Review
Fifth Grade
Unit 1: Government and Geography
Government
Geography
Unit 2: Pre-Columbian
Life in the Americas
American Indian Government and Trade
Unit 3: Exploration
The Age of Encounters
Consequences of Contact
Unit 4: Colonization
The Colonies and Their Founding
Jamestown
Plymouth
Colonial Life
Unit 5: French and Indian War
Clash of the Empires
Consequences of the French and Indian War
Unit 6: Road to Revolution
The Acts of Parliament
The Actions of the Colonies
The Shot Heard Round the World
Unit 7: Revolution
Independence and Revolution: The People
Independence and Revolution: The Military
Unit 8: The New Nation
The Founders and Process
Constitution
The Bill of Rights
The New Nation
Unit 9: The Nation Grows
America On the Move
Expansion and Growth
The Cherokee Nation
Unit 10: The Nation Divides
Slavery in America
Abolition
Compromises to Keep Slavery Legal
Unit 11: The American Civil War
The Road to War
The House Divided by War
Of Souls and Soldiers
Unit 12: Reconstruction of the Union
Building the Peace
Rebuilding the Union
Sixth Grade
World History
Planet Earth (Geography)
Earth (Geography)
Earliest Humans
Historic Times Begin
People of Phoenicia
Life in Ancient Egypt
Pyramids
African Kingdoms
Ancient Israelites
Ancient Greeks
Greek Civilization
Alexander the Great
Ancient India
Ancient China
Ancient Japan
Life in Rome
Ancient Rome: Part II
Germanic Tribes
Christianity
Islamic Empire
Middle Ages
Crusades Bring Change
Age of Exploration
Maya, Aztec, and Inca
The Renaissance
Reformation
Oceania
Grades 7-8
Grade 7
Pearson Prentice Hall (2004)
Additional Online Resources: Discovery Education, Stratalogica
Waves of Exploration: Viking, African, European, Portuguese, Spanish
The Enlightenment
English Exploration of North America
French Exploration of North American
Monarchies and Revolutions
Colonial Period
Active Citizenship
Grade 8
Pearson Prentice Hall (2004)
Additional Online Resources: Active Classroom, Stratalogica
Colonial Regions
Active Citizenship
Revolutionary Period
US Constitution
Early US Government
Jefferson (Lewis & Clark)
Jackson
Events Preceding Civil War
Westward Expansion and Reform
Civil War and Reconstruction