K-3 4-5 6-8 9-12

Curriculum Frameworks K-12
GRADE K
Social Studies Standard 6.1- Social Studies Skills All students will utilize historical thinking, problem solving, and research skills to maximize their understanding of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics.

Benchmarks
By the end of Grades 3 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should:

Grade Specific Concepts/Skills
By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet Grade 8 benchmarks, a student should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance:

Student Activities/Evidence
The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of a student’s progress toward proficiency:

1. Explain the concepts of long ago and far away

A. Use various timelines • Student lifeline from birth to present • Teacher created timelines (2) that reflects a greater span of time than the students 10years then 20 years • Allow students to make comparisons between the three timelines B. Map of Paterson (See provided copy) • Up, Down (Translate into North and South) • East, West, North South

Create time lines placing the events in chronological order, making sure the time intervals are evenly spaced. Students should be able to mark spans (e.g., duration of wars, the reigns of rulers, etc.) as well as specific events (e.g., the signing of treaties, important battles, etc.).

• •

Never Eat Shredded Wheat Never Eat Slimy Worms Never Eat Soggy Waffles Never Eat Sour Watermelon
How long does it take to get to school in the morning? How long does it take to get to the

GRADE K
Social Studies Standard 6.1- Social Studies Skills All students will utilize historical thinking, problem solving, and research skills to maximize their understanding of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics.

Benchmarks
By the end of Grades 3 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should:

Grade Specific Concepts/Skills
By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet Grade 8 benchmarks, a student should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance:

Student Activities/Evidence
The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of a student’s progress toward proficiency:

supermarket? How long does it take to get your cousins house? • How long does it take to get to New York? Students will then consider the manner in which it takes to get to these various locations and make connections with matters relating to distance. The longer the distance to more sophisticates the mode of transportation. C. Modes of Transportations • Air Transportation -Design of airports buildings, runways, flight schedules • Railway Transportation-Right of way pursuance, bridge & turn design, hub stations • Maritime Transport-Dock/Port design, schedules, storage maximization • Vehicle Traffic-Roadway design, congestion management. • Mass Transit-New technology, right of way pursuance, construction design • Non-Mechanical Transportation-Pedestrian walkways / crossings, bicycle paths Students should be provided with some visual representation of these means of transportation to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of these concepts. •

Aunt Edna had all sorts of strange things to send to different people, so she went to the Post Office to ask for help. The following is a list of items that she wanted to send:

• • • • •

A letter to her daughter A new car to her son who lives overseas in Japan A box of bananas to her friend in Alaska A cat to her mother (who lives a few states away) Her son on a visit to his cousins (who live a few towns away)

Make a list of the type of transportation that you think the Post Office suggested for each item, including the advantages and disadvantages of each mode. Are there items that could be sent more than one way? Why do you think modes of transportation are important to Aunt Edna? The letter should be sent by ______________________. The car should be sent by _________________________. The box of bananas should be sent by ___________________. The cat should be sent by ________________________. Her son should be sent by ________________________.

GRADE K
Social Studies Standard 6.1- Social Studies Skills All students will utilize historical thinking, problem solving, and research skills to maximize their understanding of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics.

Benchmarks
By the end of Grades 3 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should:

Grade Specific Concepts/Skills
By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet Grade 8 benchmarks, a student should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance:

Student Activities/Evidence
The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of a student’s progress toward proficiency:

2. Apply terms related to time including past, present, and future.

3. Identify sources of information on local, national, and international events (e.g., books, newspaper, TV, radio, Internet).

Familiarize students with the following concepts through the use of examples and reinforcement activities. A. Past: ●Yesterday ●Last week ●Last month ●When you were a baby ●When your Mom was a baby ●In the Colonial Time Period ●In the Stone Age B. Present: ●Today ●Right now ●At this moment C. Future: ●Tomorrow ●When I grow up ●Next year ●Next week ●Next month ●In the Year 2010 A. Local Events • Weather • Our School • The Highways • The town’s safety • The mayor B. State Events • State Legislature • National Events • The President of the United States • The Fourth of July • Hurricane Katrina C. International Events • The United Nations • Olympics

Compile a list of important developments surrounding their chosen historical event, and predict how events might have turned out differently if an individual or a group chose a different course of action. For example, if this task is applied to United States history, the student might choose the Reconstruction era and discuss how that period would have been different if John Wilkes Booth had not assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Once students determine their predictions for an event, they create two timelines. One timeline will include historicallyaccurate events, while the other will depict the events as predicted by the student. Students will also write an expository composition in which they describe their predictions.

Use a variety of sources (e.g., newspapers, magazines, the Internet) to identify different types of information pertaining to local, state, and international events that have occurred in recent years. Based on their findings, students choose aspects that represent your local community; state or international affairs (e.g., weather, government, people, etc.) then provide a summary/picture on the topic.

GRADE K
Social Studies Standard 6.1- Social Studies Skills All students will utilize historical thinking, problem solving, and research skills to maximize their understanding of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics.

Benchmarks
By the end of Grades 3 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should:

Grade Specific Concepts/Skills
By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet Grade 8 benchmarks, a student should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance:

Student Activities/Evidence
The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of a student’s progress toward proficiency:

D. Books as a source of: • Events in history • Fascinating facts/trivia about other countries • People in history E. Newspapers as a source of:: • Current Events (within a day of it happening) • The Weather • Sports F. Television as a source of: • Current Events (the moment it is happening) • The Weather • Sports • Health G. Radio as a source of: • Current Events (the moment it is happening) 4. Retell events or stories with accuracy and appropriate sequencing. A. Play the game “operator” ●Whisper “I ate pancakes for breakfast” in a students ear ●The students whisper it up and down the rows until the last student says the message out loud. ●The main rule is the room must stay quite because there should be no repeating the message to anyone. B. The game should demonstrate the importance of what we say and how stories change when told over and over again. C. Tell the story of the “discovery of America” by Christopher Columbus from two perspectives: Christopher Columbus and the Native Americans. Traditional fairy tale vs. historical truth Preparation/Discussion First, use a variety of predictable books, fairy tales, or other literature that follows a pattern to demonstrate for the class the relationship between sequence (e.g., beginning, middle, ending) and story language (e.g.,” once upon a time," "long ago," "happily ever after"). Discuss the types of information and language that tend to appear in different parts of a story. For example, the beginning of a story may establish setting, describe a character’s appearance, or establish relationships between characters; the middle may show more about a character’s personality and describe different events; and the ending might describe a lesson that was learned. It might be helpful to create a class list of language that is used to signal different parts of a story, such as "once upon a time," "one day," "from then on."

GRADE K
Social Studies Standard 6.1- Social Studies Skills All students will utilize historical thinking, problem solving, and research skills to maximize their understanding of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics.

Benchmarks
By the end of Grades 3 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should:

Grade Specific Concepts/Skills
By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet Grade 8 benchmarks, a student should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance:

Student Activities/Evidence
The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of a student’s progress toward proficiency:

Have students refer back to the timelines that were created in the lesson prior. Reinforce the notion of sequencing by allowing the students to create a timeline accounting the Christopher Columbus’ voyage and “discovery”. The purpose is to ensure that the students are able to sequence the information in the proper manner.

Whole Class Activity Using either a picture book with no words, or a short story with the words covered up, model for the class how to write a story by interpreting picture clues. Then choose a second book to "read" with the students, asking them to contribute possible interpretations of each picture. Students should use appropriate story language to establish sequence, as well as pay attention to the overall flow of the narrative. Finally, if you are using a story with the words covered up, compare the actual text to the text generated by the class. Discuss the similarities and differences between the two stories, and look at the pictures again to see if there were any clues that the class overlooked. Small-Group or Individual Activity Distribute photocopies of picture books or allow students to choose which copy they would like to use. Students should then "read" the story to themselves, asking their teacher for help if they have trouble interpreting the illustrations. After "reading" the text, students should write the story they believe the illustrations are telling, writing the appropriate text under each illustration. Students that cannot write the stories themselves can dictate the story to an adult. Students should focus on using story language that indicates sequence (e.g., the beginning, middle, and end). They can refer to the class list of story language, or to the literary texts originally used to model such language, and determine where in the story it might be appropriate. After students have completed their stories, in class or at home, teachers can either collect them or have the students form small groups and read their stories to each other.

GRADE K
Social Studies Standard 6.1- Social Studies Skills All students will utilize historical thinking, problem solving, and research skills to maximize their understanding of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics.

Benchmarks
By the end of Grades 3 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should:

Grade Specific Concepts/Skills
By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet Grade 8 benchmarks, a student should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance:

Student Activities/Evidence
The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of a student’s progress toward proficiency:

5. Develop timelines.

A. Timeline from Various Perspectives • World • United States • State • Local • Self B. Creation of classroom reference timeline (accordion fold, larger linear type around classroom, etc.)

Create time lines about your life placing the events in chronological order, making sure the time intervals are evenly spaced. Students should be able to mark spans (e.g., date of birth, their first day of school, etc.) as well as specific events (e.g., important dates in family, etc.).

RESOURCES
Paterson Public Schools District Social Studies Standards-based Instruction Guide New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards Relevant work/review sheets Graphic Organizers Project-specific rubric www.mcrel.org