Social Studies

Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it. -- Edmund Burke

Overview

Prior to working for High Tech High, I taught at Stevenson PACT Elementary School, where my teaching partner and I taught to the California Content Standards for History-Social Science. We primarily used the Scott Foresman History-Social Science curriculum. In my current position, our grade-level team continues to use those standards and resources to inform our work. With my students, I have developed success criteria for all classroom practices, including social studies assignments, and it is available here.

California Content Standards for History-Social Science

Second Grade:
People Who Make a Difference

2.1 Students differentiate between things that happened long ago and things that happened yesterday.

Trace the history of a family through the use of primary and secondary sources, including artifacts, photographs, interviews, and documents.
Compare and contrast their daily lives with those of their parents, grandparents, and/or guardians.
Place important events in their lives in the order in which they occurred (e.g., on a time line or storyboard).

2.2 Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of people, places, and environments.

Locate on a simple letter-number grid system the specific locations and geographic features in their neighborhood or community (e.g., map of the classroom, the school).
Label from memory a simple map of the North American continent, including the countries, oceans, Great Lakes, major rivers, and mountain ranges. Identify the essential map elements: title, legend, directional indicator, scale, and date.
Locate on a map where their ancestors live(d), telling when the family moved to the local community and how and why they made the trip.
Compare and contrast basic land use in urban, suburban, and rural environments in California.

2.3 Students explain governmental institutions and practices in the United States and other countries.

Explain how the United States and other countries make laws, carry out laws, determine whether laws have been violated, and punish wrongdoers.
Describe the ways in which groups and nations interact with one another to try to resolve problems in such areas as trade, cultural contacts, treaties, diplomacy, and military force.

2.4 Students understand basic economic concepts and their individual roles in the economy and demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills.

Describe food production and consumption long ago and today, including the roles of farmers, processors, distributors, weather, and land and water resources.
Understand the role and interdependence of buyers (consumers) and sellers (producers) of goods and services.
Understand how limits on resources affect production and consumption (what to produce and what to consume).

2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past have made a difference in others’ lives (e.g., from biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur, Sitting Bull, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Golda Meir, Jackie Robinson, Sally Ride).

Third Grade:
Continuity and Change

3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.

Identify geographical features in their local region (e.g., deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes).
Trace the ways in which people have used the resources of the local region and modified the physical environment (e.g., a dam constructed upstream changed a river or coastline).

3.2 Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in the recent past.

Describe national identities, religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions.
Discuss the ways in which physical geography, including climate, influenced how the local Indian nations adapted to their natural environment (e.g., how they obtained food, clothing, tools).
Describe the economy and systems of government, particularly those with tribal constitutions, and their relationship to federal and state governments.
Discuss the interaction of new settlers with the already established Indians of the region.

3.3 Students draw from historical and community resources to organize the sequence of local historical events and describe how each period of settlement left its mark on the land.

Research the explorers who visited here, the newcomers who settled here, and the people who continue to come to the region, including their cultural and religious traditions and contributions.
Describe the economies established by settlers and their influence on the present-day economy, with emphasis on the importance of private property and entrepreneurship.
Trace why their community was established, how individuals and families contributed to its founding and development, and how the community has changed over time, drawing on maps, photographs, oral histories, letters, newspapers, and other primary sources.

3.4 Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S. government.

Determine the reasons for rules, laws, and the U.S. Constitution; the role of citizenship in the promotion of rules and laws; and the consequences for people who violate rules and laws.
Discuss the importance of public virtue and the role of citizens, including how to participate in a classroom, in the community, and in civic life.
Know the histories of important local and national landmarks, symbols, and essential documents that create a sense of community among citizens and exemplify cherished ideals (e.g., the U.S. flag, the bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Capitol).
Understand the three branches of government, with an emphasis on local government.
Describe the ways in which California, the other states, and sovereign American Indian tribes contribute to the making of our nation and participate in the federal system of government.
Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms (e.g., Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr.).

3.5 Students demonstrate basic economic reasoning skills and an understanding of the economy of the local region.

Describe the ways in which local producers have used and are using natural resources, human resources, and capital resources to produce goods and services in the past and the present.
Understand that some goods are made locally, some elsewhere in the United States, and some abroad.
Understand that individual economic choices involve trade-offs and the evaluation of benefits and costs.
Discuss the relationship of students’ “work” in school and their personal human capital.

Fourth Grade:
California: A Changing State

4.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places and regions in California.

Explain and use the coordinate grid system of latitude and longitude to determine the absolute locations of places in California and on Earth.
Distinguish between the North and South Poles; the equator and the prime meridian; the tropics; and the hemispheres, using coordinates to plot locations.
Identify the state capital and describe the various regions of California, including how their characteristics and physical environments (e.g., water, landforms, vegetation, climate) affect human activity.
Identify the locations of the Pacific Ocean, rivers, valleys, and mountain passes and explain their effects on the growth of towns.
Use maps, charts, and pictures to describe how communities in California vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife, climate, population density, architecture, services, and transportation.

4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.

Discuss the major nations of California Indians, including their geographic distribution, economic activities, legends, and religious beliefs; and describe how they depended on, adapted to, and modified the physical environment by cultivation of land and use of sea resources.
Identify the early land and sea routes to, and European settlements in, California with a focus on the exploration of the North Pacific (e.g., by Captain James Cook, Vitus Bering, Juan Cabrillo), noting especially the importance of mountains, deserts, ocean currents, and wind patterns.

Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and Indians (e.g., Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola).

Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.
Describe the daily lives of the people, native and nonnative, who occupied the presidios, missions, ranchos, and pueblos.
Discuss the role of the Franciscans in changing the economy of California from a hunter- gatherer economy to an agricultural economy.
Describe the effects of the Mexican War for Independence on Alta California, including its effects on the territorial boundaries of North America.
Discuss the period of Mexican rule in California and its attributes, including land grants, secularization of the missions, and the rise of the rancho economy.

4.3 Students explain the economic, social, and political life in California from the establishment of the Bear Flag Republic through the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush, and the granting of statehood.

Identify the locations of Mexican settlements in California and those of other settle ments, including Fort Ross and Sutter’s Fort.
Compare how and why people traveled to California and the routes they traveled (e.g., James Beckwourth, John Bidwell, John C. Fremont, Pio Pico).
Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics, and the physi cal environment (e.g., using biographies of John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
Study the lives of women who helped build early California (e.g., Biddy Mason).
Discuss how California became a state and how its new government differed from those during the Spanish and Mexican periods.

4.4 Students explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the transformation of the California economy and its political and cultural development since the 1850s.

Understand the story and lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to its construction.
Explain how the Gold Rush transformed the economy of California, including the types of products produced and consumed, changes in towns (e.g., Sacramento, San Francisco), and economic conflicts between diverse groups of people.
Discuss immigration and migration to California between 1850 and 1900, including the diverse composition of those who came; the countries of origin and their relative locations; and conflicts and accords among the diverse groups (e.g., the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act).
Describe rapid American immigration, internal migration, settlement, and the growth of towns and cities (e.g., Los Angeles).
Discuss the effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II on California.
Describe the development and locations of new industries since the turn of the century, such as the aerospace industry, electronics industry, large-scale commercial agriculture and irrigation projects, the oil and automobile industries, communications and defense industries, and important trade links with the Pacific Basin.
Trace the evolution of California’s water system into a network of dams, aqueducts, and reservoirs.
Describe the history and development of California’s public education system, including universities and community colleges.
Analyze the impact of twentieth-century Californians on the nation’s artistic and cultural development, including the rise of the entertainment industry (e.g., Louis B. Meyer, Walt Disney, John Steinbeck, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, John Wayne).

4.5 Students understand the structures, functions, and powers of the local, state, and federal governments as described in the U.S. Constitution.

Discuss what the U.S. Constitution is and why it is important (i.e., a written document that defines the structure and purpose of the U.S. government and describes the shared powers of federal, state, and local governments).
Understand the purpose of the California Constitution, its key principles, and its relation ship to the U.S. Constitution.
Describe the similarities (e.g., written documents, rule of law, consent of the governed, three separate branches) and differences (e.g., scope of jurisdiction, limits on government powers, use of the military) among federal, state, and local governments.
Explain the structures and functions of state governments, including the roles and responsibilities of their elected officials.
Describe the components of California’s governance structure (e.g., cities and towns, Indian rancherias and reservations, counties, school districts).

Political Map Exemplars

In order to teach students how to make political maps, I asked students to draw a map of Mountain View, including its roads, neighborhoods, and points of interest. They started using a map I adapted from this one, along with the success criteria here. If they chose, they could create additional political maps of California and the United States adapted from Netstate and Coloringcastle.

California Map
United States Map

Mountain View Map
File Size:	5774 kb
File Type:	jpg

Download File

2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

Physical Map Exemplars

In order to teach students how to make physical maps, I asked students to draw a map of the Bay Area, including its bodies of water, regions, and major cities. They started using a map I adapted from this one, along with the success criteria here. If they chose, they could create additional physical maps of California and the United States adapted from Netstate and Coloringcastle.

Bay Area Map
File Size:	5516 kb
File Type:	jpg

Download File

California Map
United States Map

2014-2015

2013-2014

2012-2013

Current Events

2013-2014

Two years ago, I asked students to read a nonfiction news article of their choice once a week as their reading homework. They could read an article at their approximate reading level from a source, such as BBC Newsround or Newsela, which has articles written in multiple Lexile levels. For example, an article about the New York City mayoral race is written at a Lexile 730, 840, 1030, 1170, and beyond. They could also ask their parents to read to them from a more advanced source, such as The New York Times. I selected a relevant topic, such as climate change, as well as a discussion question, such as "Should we act to try to stop man-made climate change now, or should we wait until more people agree that it is a real problem?" A parent volunteer sent an email to families with links to related articles and videos. During our classroom meeting, I first read selections of those articles and play those videos for approximately 15 minutes. Next, we discussed the question for approximately 30 minutes. Finally, we spent about 30 minutes discussing other news stories that students find interesting. I took notes during our conversation in a Google Doc for future students. Notes from last year's current events discussions are available here.

Prior to this arrangement, a parent volunteer sent an email to families with links to interesting local, national, and international news stories, and she also helped me facilitate a half-hour classroom meeting with a current events focus following the assigned homework. Finally, she wrote a summation of the conversation for future students.

3/26/14 A student's parent shared some pictures from the 1853 Crimean War, which may have been the first war ever photographed. Students had questions about the soldiers' uniforms, cannonballs scattered on a road, cattle used for soldier's food, etc. Another student shared that pieces from Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 may have been found in the southern Indian Ocean, although other students pointed out that it had not yet been confirmed. Others questioned whether the plan could have travelled so far simply from ocean currents.
3/19/14 A student started by sharing his article about how seven countries were now looking for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Students wondered whether the plane could have been caused by a hijacking, a pilot suicide, or a pilot being drunk. I suggested that something could have gone wrong with the plane mechanically, causing the pilots to fall unconscious. Students also debated whether the plane was flying four feet or four miles above the water before it crashed, which caused some to double-check their articles. Finally, two more students shared articles about whether animals have feelings and the consequences for Russia annexing Crimea, like its suspension from the G-8.
3/12/14 A student began by sharing an article about a five-alarm fire at a construction site near AT&T Park and reported that, amazingly, there were no injuries. Another student shared that a missing Malaysian airliner had mysteriously gone missing. More students wanted to know what could have happened to it and whether the mystery could have something to do with the Bermuda Triangle. Finally, a students updated the class on the situation in Crimea.
3/5/14 A student began by giving an overview of the article related to Ukraine that he read: "The Ukrainian president was corrupt and aligned with the Russians even though most Ukrainians prefer Western governments. Students sought insights from one of our classroom parents, who is originally from Ukraine, and we looked at several maps of the world and the region in question. Finally, two students shared about dangers facing women in Afghanistan and how the Great Lakes were freezing for the first time in 20 years.
2/19/14 A student began by sharing an article about how a Russian ice skater became eligible to participate in the Sochi Olympics just five days before the opening ceremonies. Another student shared a story about "sending red tape into outer space," which allowed us to talk about regulation as well as figures of speech, as this one led to a lot of confusion initially. A third student reported on how stink bugs are ruining orchards and farmers are bringing wasps in to eat their eggs and save endangered produce. Finally, a student shared an article about how an astronaut nearly drowned in his spacesuit during a recent walk in space and how a team of engineers installed a snorkel for his safety.
2/12/14 A student began by sharing an article about Russian figure skater becoming eligible for the Olympics just five days before the deadline. Another students shared an article about new "red tape" effecting travel into outer space, whereas there were once few laws with respect to space travel, and we had a lengthy conversation about bureaucracy and government regulations. shared about the Russian skater becoming eligible to skate by only 5 days before the olympics. She turned 15 just in time. Finally, a student brought up stink bugs ruining orchards and suggested that wasps could be brought in to eat the stink bugs, while another students shared a story about an astronaut who nearly drowned in space and decided to add a snorkel to his spacesuit for future missions.
2/5/14 A student began by sharing an article about millions of starfish in the Pacific Ocean are dying for no apparent reason, and we watched a video about this story from an episode of NBC Nightly News. Another student shared a story about how Texas has decided to make Algebra II, which is normally a required course, optional for high school students. We had a conversation about high school and college coursework, and whether it makes more sense to have more required classes or more electives. Finally, a student shared an article about a man who invented a car that drives on water. We estimated the cost of purchasing six of them, like the Prince of Dubai did.
1/23/14 A student began by sharing an article about how an elderly English woman, who broke German codes during World War II, died this week. We spent some time discussing why someone might risk their life for a cause, like helping one's country fight a war. We also discussing how Americans used Native American languages to trick code-breakers during the war, and another student shared a visual explanation about how Morse code works. Another student shared news about how a European spacecraft that was sent into orbit 10 years ago is set to wake up from its years-long hibernation in order to land on a moving comet - a feat that has never been done before. Finally, a student shared an article about how Governor Brown declared a drought in California this week, and we compared pictures of California and Nevada taken the same day during 2013 and 2014.
1/15/14 After discussing processed foods, a student share an article about water pollution in West Virginia. We discussed the ramifications of toxic water - no drinking tap water, no bathing, no doing laundry, etc. We also discussed geography in the eastern United States, including the Elk River, the Appalachian Mountains, and coal country; how coal generates power; and why burning coal causes pollution. Finally, a student shared that during a recent figure-skating competition ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, a male figure skater completed two triple axels - an extremely difficult move.
1/8/14 A student began by sharing an article about a shooting in Minnesota, involving Ms. Venezuela and her family. We stayed on this conversation for more than a half hour - with students only digressing to make connections and ask questions about profiling, manhunts, police most-wanted lists, and the criminal justice system. We looked at a map to see how far Minnesota is from California and then debated whether someone suspected of committing a crime could flee across multiple states in just a few days, especially during this week's severe winter storms.
12/18/13 A student began by sharing an article about the bomb threat during final week at Harvard, which allowed us to discuss college life, the seriousness of making threats, and the legal process. Several students read into the cause for industrial fire that kept students inside during recess on Tuesday, and we discussed local and world geography in relation to wind patterns and valleys as well as government regulations designed to encourage companies to take steps to encourage a create a work environment that is safe for people and free from pollution. Finally, a few students shared possible discoveries: ice on Mars, bones from neanderthals in Spain, and evidence of pink dolphins in Hawaii.
12/11/13 We began today by making a list of all the things we know about Nelson Mandela, and together students knew a lot of information: he was the first black President of South Africa, he recently passed away, he fought apartheid through non-violent means and also by waging war against the government, etc. I helped students turn their list of facts into a narrative. We then watched two short videos about Mandela's life - one that was professionally produced and one that was made by a third grade student in Africa. Finally, a student shared his article about Rube Goldberg machines, and we watched another video about a boy who tested one in his house and had a positive outlook on failure.
12/4/13 I began by sharing two videos I saw over the weekend. The first video was from the the Auburn vs. Alabama football game. We discussed how football is played, and I explained how Alabama was favored to win the game. With the game tied and one second left in the fourth quarter, an Alabama player attempted a field goal to break the tie, but missed and the ball was caught by an Auburn player who ran with the ball all the way down the entire field to score the game winning touchdown. We then discussed how unusual this event was. The second video was from a segment on "60 Minutes" that showed how Amazon is developing the technology to deliver packages in as little as 30 minutes by using small, self-flying helicopters. We then discussed how this change might affect the way we buy things online. Finally, we discussed a toddler who was recently featured on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" because of his ability to shoot basketballs on hoops at a variety of heights and from a variety of distances.
11/20/13 A parent began by following up on our discussion about NASA laser-based communications with a brief presentation on morse code. We discussed blue goats, which live in the Himalaya Mountains. We found Tibet on a map, and performed a Google search for "blue goat" in order to find out if they are actually blue. We discovered that they look like regular goats. We also discussed how the Make-A-Wish Foundation helped transform San Francisco into Gotham City over the weekend, so that a little boy with leukemia could take on the role of "Batkid."
11/13/13 I began by sharing an article I read about Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines over the weekend and showing a map of the Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. We discussed how different natural disasters affect different parts of the world, how typhoons are formed, and why natural disasters can be particularly devastating for people living in island nations. We also discussed California forest fires and space junk in South America.
11/6/13 I began by following up on our discussion of the World Series, noting that the Boston Red Sox won the series against the St. Louis Cardinals (4-2). I also shared news about elections in New Jersey, New York City, and Virginia, noting changes in party control and the size of the margins of victory. We also followed up on our discussion about the mysterious Google barge off the coast of Angel Island before turning to the discovery of a new species of platypus and a recent study showing that there may be tens of thousands of habitable, Earth-like planets in the universe. We touched on the differences between herbivores and carnivores and the conditions necessary to sustain life.
10/30/13 I began by sharing an article I read about how the tickets to Game 6 of the World Series at Fenway Park would be the most expensive baseball tickets of all time - with prices approaching $10,000 each for the best seats. We discussed possible reasons why tickets for this game would be so expensive, including the teams, the stadium, and the last time the home team had won the World Series there. We also discussed the presence of a mysterious Google barge off the coast of Angel Island, comparing the location of Angel Island to Mountain View, San Francisco, and Oakland; a surfer who rode an enormous wave during a storm; and NASA laser-based communications as opposed to radio-frequency communications.

2012-2013

Three years ago, I asked students to read a current events article of their choice once a week as their reading homework. Over the course of an hour the next day, each student introduced his or her article before all students could ask questions and discuss the articles they found interesting. At the end of our discussion, students voted on which article they thought was the most significant, and I saved that article for future students.