Social Studies

Goals

The primary goal of Cartersville City School’s Social Studies Department is to prepare students to be productive members of their families, communities, and the world.

Grade-Level Expectations/What is my Child Learning?

Kindergarten: Foundations of America

National Holidays and words/phrases related to chronology and time of the events
Customs and celebrations of various American families and communities
The difference between a map and a globe
State their street address, city, state, and country in which they live
Understand good citizenship by knowing how rules are made, why they are made, and why they should be followed
Positive character traits of good citizens: honesty, patriotism, courtesy, respect, pride, and self-control
People earn money by working; some jobs introduced include police officer, fire fighter, soldier, mail carrier, farmer, doctor, teacher
How money is used to purchase goods and services and the difference in types of U.S. currency
How people make choices in what to buy based on wants and needs

Map and Globe Skills

Using a Compass Rose to identify cardinal directions is introduced

Information Processing Skills

Compare similarities and differences
Organize items chronologically
Identify issues/problems and find solutions

First Grade: American Heritage

Historical figures and their contributions—Benjamin Franklin, inventor/author/statesman; Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence; Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea, exploration; Theodore Roosevelt, National Parks/environment; George Washington Carver, science; Ruby Bridges, civil rights.
How everyday life of the above historical figures is the same and different from life today
How the above historical figures were influenced by his or her time and place
Identify and locate their city, county, state, country, and continent on a map and globe.
Locate all continents and major oceans on a map and globe
Identify and describe mountains, deserts, valleys, and coasts
Patriotic concepts of brotherhood, liberty, freedom, and pride as seen in the songs My Country Tis of Thee and America the Beautiful
Identify goods that are made and services that are provided
Concept of scarcity
People are producers and consumers
People earn income by working and must make choices about saving and spending

Map and Globe Skills

Use intermediate directions
Use a map to explain impact of geography on world events

Information Processing Skills

Distinguish between fact and opinion
In social studies context, identify main idea, detail, sequence of events, cause and effect
Use primary and secondary sources and know the difference between the two
Interpret timelines, charts, and tables

Second Grade: Georgia, My State

Historical figures and their contributions—James Oglethorpe, Tomochichi, Mary Musgrove, founding of Georgia; Sequoyah, Cherokee alphabet; Jackie Robinson, sportsmanship & civil rights; Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights; Juliette Gordon Low, Girl Scouts & leadership; Jimmy Carter, leadership & human rights
Creek and Cherokee cultures: tools, clothing, homes, ways of making a living, accomplishments, and how it is different from cultures of Georgia today
Geographic regions of Georgia: Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Ridge & Valley, Appalachian Plateau
Major rivers: Savannah, Flint, Chattahoochee
For each above historic figure and the Creek and Cherokee, identify places on a map that were significant to their life and times
How each above historic figure and the Creek and Cherokee adapted to and were influenced by their environments and how the region they lived in affected their lives. How were these regions alike and different from Cartersville?
Regions where Creek and Cherokee lived and how they used their resources
What is a government and why do we need rules and laws?
Identify executive branch members and where they work—US President, Governor, Mayor
How above historic figures and Creek and Cherokee demonstrated citizenship through honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, honor, civility, good sportsmanship, patience, compassion
Scarcity forces people to make choices (opportunity cost)
Goods and services are allocated through: price, majority rule, contests, force, sharing, lottery, authority, first-come-first-served, personal characteristics
Money makes trade easier than barter
Cost and benefit of saving and spending choices

Map and Globe Skills

Use a letter/number grid system to determine location
Natural, cultural, and political features on maps
Use a map key/legend

Information Processing Skills

Identify social studies reference sources for specific purposes
Construct charts and tables
Analyze artifacts

Third Grade: US History-American Indian Cultures through Colonization

Locate regions where American Indians settled in North America and compare & contrast how they used their environments to get food, clothing, and shelter and why some regions lent themselves to permanent shelters and some did not
How American Indians continue to contribute to American life through cultural contributions
Reasons for and obstacles to European exploration of North America
Accomplishments of major European explorers
Cooperation and conflict between American Indians and European explorers
Why the colonies were founded (religious freedom and profit)
Compare & contrast the 3 regions of colonies (New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southern) in terms of education, economy, religion and how physical geography determined economies
How early explorers did or did not adapt to their new physical environments
Describe colonial life from the perspective of: large landowners, farmers, artisans, women, children, indentured servants, slaves, American Indians
On a map, locate the Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado, Hudson, and St. Lawrence Rivers and the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains
Locate and describe the equator, prime meridian, and lines of latitude and longitude on a globe
Describe the three branches of the national government, the three branches of the state government, and state the responsibility of each
The importance of shared American democratic beliefs and principles—respecting the rights of others, promoting the common good, obeying laws/rules, participating in public (civic) life
Four types of productive resources: Natural, Human, Capital, Entrepreneurship
Governments provide some goods/services such as schools, roads, police/fire, military and pay for them with tax dollars
Consumers and producers and interdependent
Goods and services get allocated in the marketplace by price
Some goods are made locally, some in other parts of the country, and some internationally
Most countries create their own currency (money)
Opportunity cost in relation to choices to spend or save

Map and Globe Skills

Draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information on a map
Use latitude and longitude to determine location

Information Processing Skills

Draw conclusions and make generalizations
Analyze graphs and diagrams
Translate dates into centuries, eras, or ages

Fourth Grade: United States History-Revolution to Reconstruction

· Events that shaped the Revolutionary Movement: French and Indian War, 1765 Stamp Act, “no taxation without representation”, Sons and Daughters of Liberty, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party

· People and groups of American Revolution: King George III, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Paul Revere, Black regiments

· Major events of American Revolution and factors leading to American victory including Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, and Yorktown

· Declaration of Independence: who wrote it, how it was written, why it was necessary, how it was a response to tyranny and abuse of power

· Leaders of the Constitutional Convention: James Madison, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin

· Major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention: weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, Federalism, 3/5^th’s Compromise, and the Great Compromise.

· Causes and events of the War of 1812

· Impact of westward expansion on American Indians: Trail of Tears, Battle of Little Big Horn, forced relocation to reservations

· Territorial Expansion: Louisiana Purchase and Lewis & Clark Expedition, acquisitions of Texas including The Alamo and independence, Oregon and the Oregon Trail, California and the Gold Rush and development of mining towns

· Abolitionists and suffrage movements: Susan B Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman

· Causes, events, and consequences of the Civil War: Uncle Tom’s Cabin; John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry; states’ rights and slavery causing increased tensions between North and South; major battles/events/campaigns: Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, the Atlanta Campaign, Sherman’s March to the Sea, the Atlanta Campaign; roles of Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis

· Effects of Reconstruction: 13^th, 14^th, 15^th Amendments; Freedman’s Bureau; sharecropping; Jim Crow laws

· Locate: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Great Plains, the Continental Divide, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes; New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, D.C.; Gettysburg, PA; and the Erie Canal.

· How physical systems effect human systems: how American and/or British military used physical geography of Lexington & Concord, Saratoga, and Yorktown to their benefit

· Physical barriers and gateways that hindered and benefitted expansion from 1801 to 1861

· Natural rights in the Declaration of Independence (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)

· “We the People” as a reflection of consent of the governed and popular sovereignty in the Constitution

· Representative democracy/republic and federalism

· Importance of the freedoms found in the 1^st Amendment

· Checks and balances and separation of powers in relation to the 3 branches of the US government

· Bill of Rights: how it limits powers of the government, reasons it is included in the Constitution

· Opportunity cost of decisions to settle in the west

· How price incentives affect choices regarding what to grow and produce (cotton, tobacco, textiles)

· How specialization improves standards of living (North vs South)

· How voluntary exchange helps buyers and sellers (Gold Rush mining towns)

· How trade promotes economic activity (between Europe and The United States)

· How technological advances such as the cotton gin, steamboat, steam locomotive, and telegraph impacted business productivity as the United States developed

· Elements of a personal budget (income, expenditures, saving)

Map and Globe Skills

· use graphic scales to determine distances on a map

· compare maps of the same place at different points in time and from different perspectives to determine changes, identify trends, and generalize about human activities

· compare maps with data sets (charts, tables, graphs) and /or readings to draw conclusions and make generalizations

Information Processing Skills

· formulate appropriate research questions

· determine adequacy and/or relevancy of information

· check for consistency of information

· interpret political cartoons

Fifth Grade: Industrialization to the Digital Age

· Describe how life changed at the turn on of the century including: role of cattle trails, Black cowboys in Texas, Western Cattle Trail, Chisolm Trail; the Wright Brothers, George Washington Carver, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison; William McKinley and Teddy Roosevlet’s expansion of America’s presence in the world including the Spanish-American War and the Panama Canal; reasons for immigration, where they came from, and where they settled in the US

· United States involvement in WWI including German attacks on US shipping, especially the sinking of the Lusitania, and why that led to the US joining the war; US contributions to WWI and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles 1919

· Cultural developments of 1920’s including Jazz Age (Louis Armstrong), Harlem Renaissance (Langston Hughes), baseball (Babe Ruth), automobile (Henry Ford), transatlantic flight (Charles Lindbergh).

· How the Great Depression and the New Deal affected millions of Americans through the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and Herbert Hoover, FDR, the Dust Bowl, and soup kitchens.

· The main features of the New Deal including the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Works Progress Administration, & the Tennessee Valley Authority.

· Cultural elements of the 1930’s including Duke Ellington, Margaret Mitchell, and Jesse Owens.

· Explain America’s involvement in WWII including: German aggression in Europe and Japanese in Asia; major events—Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE and VJ Day, & the Holocaust.

· Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki

· Be able to identify FDR, Stalin, Churchill, Hirohito, Truman, Mussolini, and Hitler.

· Change in the role of women and African-Americans during WWII including Rosie the Riveter and the Tuskegee Airmen along with the effects of rationing.

· Eleanor Roosevelt and the formation of the United Nations.

· Explain the origins and consequences of the Cold War including: meaning of “iron curtain”, how the US tried to stop the spread of communism through the Berlin airlift, the Korean War, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; know who Joseph McCarthy and Nikitia Khrushchev are; the importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War

· Importance of key people, events, and developments from 1950-1975 including Jim Crow laws and practices; Civil Rights Movement including Brown v BOE (1954), Montgomery Bus Boycotts, March on Washington, Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, Thurgood Marshall, Lydon B Johnson, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, MLK Jr; TV & space exploration.

· Important developments from 1975 to 2001 including the collapse of the Soviet Union and the role of Ronald Reagan; September 11^th and its impact on American life; impact of the personal computer and internet on American life

· Locate: the Chisholm Trail; Pittsburgh, PA; Kitty Hawk, NC; Pearl Harbor, HI; Montgomery, AL.; and Chicago, IL

· Reasons for spatial patterns of economic activities: know where primary agricultural and industrial areas were from the end of the Civil War to 1900 and how population, transportation, and resources influenced them (i.e. Pittsburg); know the same for areas since the turn of the 20^th Century (i.e. Chicago)

· How a citizen’s rights are protected under the Constitution including due process

· Know the Constitution’s amendment process and its purpose

· How voting rights have been protected through the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th amendments to the Constitution.

· Use the basic economic concepts of trade, opportunity cost, specialization, productivity, and price incentives to illustrate: decisions by individuals in response to rationing during WWII; decisions to participate in cattle trails because of increased beef prices; Henry Ford’s use of the assembly line reduced the price of automobiles; how the Panama Canal increases trade among countries.

· Describe the functions of four major sectors in the U. S. economy: household function in providing resources and consuming goods and services; private business function in producing goods and services; bank function in providing checking accounts, savings accounts, and loans; government function in taxation and providing certain public goods and public services.

· Describe how consumers and producers interact in the U. S. economy including: how competition, markets, and prices influence consumer behavior; how people earn income by selling their labor to businesses; how entrepreneurs take risks to develop new goods and services to start a business.

· Identify the elements of a personal budget (income, expenditures, and saving) and explain why personal spending and saving decisions are important.

Map and Globe Skills, Information Processing Skills

· No new skills are introduced. All previously introduced skills should reach mastery by grade-end.

Sixth Grade: Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada, Europe, and Australia

Locate and identify major countries, cities, rivers, mountains, and landmarks in Europe, Canada, Latin America, and Australia.

Learn how location and climate affect where people live, what jobs they do, and how they trade with others.

Discuss environmental issues (like pollution, deforestation, and water shortages) and how countries are working to solve them.

Learn about different forms of government — like democracies, constitutional monarchies, and authoritarian systems.

Understand how citizens participate in government (voting, freedoms, rights, and responsibilities).

Compare how governments in Europe, Canada, Latin America, and Australia make decisions and share power.

Learn how economic systems (like market, command, and mixed economies) work in different regions.

Understand how trade, currency exchange, and natural resources impact a country’s economy.

Explore how entrepreneurs, labor, and technology influence growth and job opportunities.

Practice economic decision-making — thinking about costs, benefits, and how people meet needs and wants.

Study major historical events that have shaped modern-day Europe, Canada, Latin America, and Australia.

Learn about exploration, colonization, independence movements, and cultural changes across regions.

Understand how history influences current issues, cultures, and relationships among countries.

Seventh Grade: Africa, Southwest Asia (Middle East), Southern and Eastern Asia

Contact

Emily Walker- Liaison