January 2008 Social Studies Department Meeting

1. Future PD days on the Social Studies Curriculum – Our Goals (5 minutes)

    Using PD days and Department Meetings, we will work to accomplish the following:
   a.Design Grade-Span Thematic Essential Questions – Bulleted explanations
    
   b. Design Tiered Yearly Assessments for Grade-Span Thematic Essential Questions – Include Rubrics
    
   c. Revise Existing Curriculum to Answer These Questions* - Go through current curriculum and eliminate and add what is needed to answer these questions.
    
   d. Design Era Specific Sub-Questions for Larger Questions
    
   e. Create Time Framework – Consider how much time for each Era
    
   f. Create Yearly and Grade-specific Culminating Rubrics & Assessments
    
   g. Develop Curriculum Cross-walk including Department Materials
    
   h. Post Online for Availability to All
    *The curriculum MUST be revised so that it can be taught in its entirety

2. Review of Essential Thematic Questions from each grade level (10 minutes)

3. Reaching Consensus – Department Grade Span Essential Thematic Questions (45 minutes)

1. Brainstormed Grade Level Essential Thematic Questions
2. Coventry Social Studies Curriculum
3. National Standards for History

Results so far: Grade-Span Thematic Essential Questions (6th-8th)

Central Question: How does understanding the past help us to understand the present?

1. Why do people move and live where they do? (Geography and Human Migration)
2. Why do people live the way they do? (Beliefs, Traditions, Dress, Language, Shelter – Culture)
3. How has the quest for resources affected the development of the world? (Economics, Trade, Resources)
4. How are human societies organized? (Civics, Social Order)
5. How does technology affect people’s lives? (Technology, Innovation)
6. How has conflict and cooperation shaped human history? (Conflict, War)

Unfinished Themes:

1. How do we know? (Historiography, Archeology…)
2. Civilizations (Definition of, Rise & Decline…)