Using the Curriculum and Activity Guide
The curriculum and activity guides for each grade are organized in four units of study, each developing in detail one major concept. The four concepts, identity, heritage, interdependence, and decision making, are the same for each grade level. This was done deliberately for several reasons. The four concepts are broad in scope and can easily accommodate the development of additional important social studies concepts and content. It provides continuity throughout the five grades without being repetitive as the four concepts are developed using different themes and content for each grade. It should facilitate the job of the teachers who increasingly, it seems, find themselves teaching split and multiple grades. In these situations, teachers may deal with the major concepts in a large group situation, and then have differentiated assignments for students at different grade levels.
Each unit is further divided into modules, which simply divide the concepts and content into smaller, more manageable portions.
No optional units or modules have been identified in this curriculum. However, there is a great deal of flexibility built into the entire program. Although teachers are strongly advised not to omit any one of the units, they could omit some of the modules within those units. Each module also has a long list of Suggested Approaches and each Activity Guide has a host of suggested activities. As the titles indicate, these activities are suggestions only. It is up to the teachers, who know the interests and abilities of their students, to choose from the suggestions or design their own activities that might be more appropriate for them and their students.
The curriculum and activity guides are actually one document. Each unit begins with a concept map showing how the concept is developed at different grade levels, a summary, a list of the major learning objectives, some suggestions for integrating that unit, and some suggestions for teaching and organizing the unit.
Each module within the unit begins with the learning objectives and a list of suggested approaches which provides an overview of the suggested activities that follow. That introductory page is followed by the activity guide for that module. The guide includes all or some of the following: