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Dr. Michael Vinella, Supervisor Mr. John Blair, Department Chairperson, Grades 8-12 |
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Social Studies
Evaluation:
Executive Summary |
Complete Report |
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The primary objective of the social studies program is to help all students become interested, informed and active participants in the world around them by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and civic values necessary for responsible citizenship. Social studies also plays an important role in the development of many other life skills. Among them are skills in using maps, globes, charts, graphs and diagrams; skills in writing, study and research; chronology and time-related skills, and critical thinking skills. A textbook, supplemental materials and current events periodicals are used in grades one through nine. Students in grades five through eleven are engaged in research and performance activities that are assessed by panels of judges. The curriculum in the early grades is designed to motivate students to explore the geographic, historic, social and economic aspects of their immediate world and the world beyond. Grade level topics are: kindergarten, My World and Me; first grade, Places and Change; second grade, We Live Together; third grade, Our Communities; and fourth grade, You, New Jersey and the World. In fifth grade, students begin an in-depth, chronological study of the history, geography, economics, and culture of specific periods of time. Grade level topics are: fifth grade, Early American History; sixth grade, The Ancient World; and seventh grade, World History to Early Modern Times. The junior high school curriculum leads students to probe more deeply into the history and geography of the United States. The program in eighth grade includes the study of American history from the end of colonial times through Reconstruction. The ninth grade course, a graduation requirement, is U.S. History I, covering eras from the New Frontier through F.D.R.’s administration. The other social studies courses required for graduation are: World History and Cultures in tenth grade and U.S. History II, 1932 to the present, in eleventh grade. Geography is a major component of World History and Cultures, while the Holocaust, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War are integral parts of U.S. History II. The high school curriculum includes a variety of electives in law, economics, psychology, and sociology. Advanced placement courses in American history and European history are also available. In the elective entitled Institute for Political and Legal Education (IPLE A.P.), classes follow the procedures used in the United States Congress and students write and debate the legislation.
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