VICTORIA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL Kindergarten through 12 th Grade Social Studies Office of Curriculum Instruction and Accountability Ericka M. Barr, M.Ed - Elementary (K-5) Curriculum Coordinator Lynne Kutach, M.Ed Secondary (6-12) Curriculum Coordinator
The Social Studies department supports effective, engaging, and relevant social studies education in the Victoria Independent School District so that all students can become knowledgeable about, and involved in, civic affairs. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. NCSS Goal: Social Studies includes the disciplines typically classified as belonging to social and behavioral sciences as well as history, geography, law, economics, philosophy, and the humanities. It also includes those topics, which focus on social problems, issues and controversies. The first priority of social studies is to ensure students are prepared to serve as citizens in a free nation through the development of becoming enlightened citizens. The mission of social studies education must be to instill in students an understanding of their cultural heritage and to provide them with a working knowledge of the economic, political and social factors that make up the human ecosystem in which we all must function. A central goal of the social studies program is effective thinking and reasoning. It is important that students learn to conceptualize and connect ideas and knowledge with beliefs and civic participation. To do that, thinking and reasoning skills are learned through systematic practice throughout the social studies department. K-12 Social Studies TEKS: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/index.html K-5 Studies Weekly: https://app.studiesweekly.com/online/ Grades 6-12 Textbooks: https://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/login.do All VISD students can get online access instructions from their teachers.
The Eight Social Studies Strands History Geography Economics Government Citizenship Culture Science, Technology, and Society Social Studies Skills People, events, and issues from the past influence the present and the future. Students learn how individuals and societies interact over time in order to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to make effective decisions in live. Relationships among people, places, and environments result in geographic patterns on Earth s surface. Students can compete in the global economy, ensure the viability of Earth s environments, and comprehend the cultures of the diverse people who share the planet through an understanding of geographic relationships. People organize economic systems to produce, distribute, and consume goods and services. Students make effective decisions as consumers, producers, savers, investors, and citizens by understanding economic systems including the benefits of the U.S. free enterprise system. People create systems of government as well as structures of power and authority to provide order and stability. Students recognize ways individuals and governments achieve their goals by understanding the purposes, structures, and functions of political systems. Citizenship in the United States requires and understanding of an commitment to civic responsibilities, rights, and ethical behavior. People fully participate in society when they understand civic ideals, citizenship practices, and the basis of our constitutional republic. People develop, learn, and adapt cultures. Students develop an appreciation and respect for the variety of human cultures in the community and around the world by exploring the similarities and differences among people. Advances in science and technology affect the development of society. Students understand changes in ways people live, learn, and work past, present, and future through analyzing the relationships among science, technology, society, and the environment. Social Studies skills are necessary in order to acquire, organize, and use information for problem solving and decision making. Students apply social studies knowledge and skills to become competent problem solvers, decision-makers, and independent lifelong learners. Kindergarten through 12 th Grade Social Studies
Grade Level CONTENT CATEGORIES Kinder (Self, Home, Family and Classroom) In Kindergarten, the study of the self, home, family, and classroom establishes the foundation for responsible citizenship in society. 3) Government and Culture 4) Technology and Society First (Citizenship) In Grade 1, students study their relationship to the classroom, school, and community to establish the foundation for responsible citizenship in society Second (Local Community) In Grade 2, students focus on a study of their local community by examining the impact of significant individuals and events on the history of the community as well as on the state and nation. Third (Community and World) In Grade 3, students learn how diverse individuals have changed their communities and world. Students study the effects inspiring heroes have had on communities, past and present. Fourth (Texas History) In Grade 4, students examine the history of Texas from the early beginnings to the present within the context of influences of North America. Historical content focuses on Texas history, including the Texas Revolution, establishment of the Republic of Texas, and subsequent annexation to the United States. Fifth (U.S. History) In Grade 5, students survey the history of the United States from 1565 to the present. Historical content includes the colonial period, the American Revolution, the establishment of the U.S. Constitution and American identity, westward expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction, immigration and industrialization, and the 20th and 21st centuries. Grade Level CONTENT CATEGORIES
Sixth World Cultures In Grade 6, students study people, places, and societies of the contemporary world., Government and Citizenship 3) Culture Seventh Texas History In Grade 7, students study the history of Texas from early times to the present. Eighth U.S. History In Grade 8, students study the history of the United States from the early colonial period through Reconstruction. Ninth World Geography In World Geography Studies, students examine people, places, and environments at local, regional, national, and international scales from the spatial and ecological perspectives of geography., Government and Citizenship 3) Culture Tenth World History World History Studies is a survey of the history of humankind. The major emphasis is on the study of significant people, events, and issues from the earliest times to the present., 800 BC to AD 1750 2) History 1750 to the Present 3) Geography and Culture Eleventh U.S. History In United States History Studies Since 1877, which is the second part of a two-year study that begins in Grade students study the history of the United States from 1877 to the present. Twelfth Government In United States Government, the focus is on the principles and beliefs upon which the United States was founded and on the structure, functions, and powers of government at the national, state, and local levels. 3) Economics, Government and Citizenship 4) Science, Technology and Society 5) Social Studies Skills Twelfth Economics Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits is the culmination of the economic the basic principles concerning production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services (the problem of scarcity) in the United States and a comparison with those in other countries around the world. 1) Economics 2) Personal Financial Literacy 3) Social Studies Skills