Birmingham Public Schools A K-12 Narrative of Social Studies Education in 2015

Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade Student Hugo is a 9 year old student. He is an ELL student from France. He attended the French School in early years but is now fluent in English. He receives reading support – needs vocabulary improvement. He also has some behavior issues so is not always focused and attending to the task at hand. Hugo, age 9

Conditions This student is exposed to Social Studies about four times a week – about 30 min per period. We use the TCI text in the beginning of the year. We also use videos, websites, class discussions and short articles from Oakland Schools. Oakland Schools has developed units that align to the standards. The TCI book does not support all of the fourth grade standards. Oakland Schools has developed units for all standards but they are not kid friendly. Oakland Schools is easy to find and follow, however there are no assessments available. There are no indications of mastery level, etc. More difficult for students as there is no year-long text to use – students have to be organized and understand how to read short articles, flowcharts, teacher notes, etc. This is difficult for my student Hugo, as he has trouble paying attention in a full class discussion. He gets distracted while navigating on the computer looking for websites to read, etc. When reading is assigned it is often over his level.

Major Units of Study Geography – U.S. In Spatial Terms – Comparing regions, Physical & Human characteristics, Map Skills Human Geography in the U.S. – Impact of immigration on culture in the U.S. How People use the Environment of the U.S. Economics – Characteristics of a Market Economy, Competition, Division of Labor, Role of Gov’t in Economy, Global Competition Federal Government – Why we need a government, Kind of Govt we have, Powers of, Organization of Federal Government, Checks & Balances, Limiting Powers of Govt Rights & Responsibilities of Citizenships – Bill of Rights, Responsibilities of Citizens, Core Dem Values, Public Issues, Taking a Position on a Public Issue facing the U.S.

Foundational Skills & Concepts Basic map skills – continents, oceans, cardinal directions Research skills – ability to navigate a website, read short articles and find main idea and details Basic economic vocabulary Background on government system – 3 branches at State Level History and economics of Michigan Familiarity with Core Democratic Value vocab

Assessment Strategies A few of the TCI assessments in the beginning of the year. Many teacher created asssessments. Projects and presentations No common district assessments How does your diverse student respond to these assessments? In this box, share any connections that your social studies curriculum has with… The goals of the Strategic Plan BPS Learner Profile C3 Framework (Inquiry Arc) Social and Emotional Learning Standards Character Education’s 11 Principles NCSS Vision