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Social Studies and Geography

The goal of the social studies curriculum is to expand children's horizons beyond their family and home to the larger world, both past and present. The field of social studies will include history, geography and anthropology. Geographical knowledge includes a spatial sense of the world, an awareness of the physical processes that shape life, a sense of the interaction between humans and their environment, an understanding of the relations between time, place, and culture, and an awareness of the characteristics of specific regions and cultures. North Carolina, American, and world history will be presented with increasing detail in each grade. The study of anthropology will be incorporated within the study of geographical areas and history.

In the geography unit the focus in the early years will be to work with maps and globes and to introduce relevant vocabulary. As the children's geographic literacy expands, specific regions will be studied in depth. In addition, ancient and present cultures will be discussed in the context of their location. Beginning in the sixth grade the subjects of geography and history will merge into a unified field of study.

The history curriculum will introduce major events in American and world history in the first few years. This material will be expanded in each successive year. North Carolina history will be given special emphasis within the context of American history. Starting in sixth grade, American and world history will merge chronologically allowing a fuller understanding of the pre-modern world and current affairs in the context of past history.

The cultures of peoples both past and present will be explored within this framework. A special emphasis will be placed on the diverse cultures of our country with a central theme of understanding.

The texts and teaching materials in the first few years will consist of various published maps and manipulatives the children will create. In the upper grades students will be expected to search library materials and other references for information in these areas. This will allow students to expand their skills in research, the arts and library sciences.