K-12 Social Studies
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Major Instructional Goals
All Students grades K-11 receive instruction in Social Studies with three high school credits required for graduation. Instruction at all grades centers around the following general goals:
- Knowledge of principles expressed in documents shaping constitutional democracy in the United States.
- Knowledge of principles and processes of governance systems.
- Knowledge of continuity and change in the history of Missouri, the United States and the world.
- Knowledge of economic concepts including productivity and the market system and principles including the laws of supply and demand.
- Knowledge of major elements of geographical study and analysis such as location, place, movement, regions and their relationship to society and the environment.
- Knowledge of relationships of the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions.
- Knowledge and use of the tools of social science inquiry such as surveys, statistics, maps and documents.
- Knowledge of current events.
Themes and Courses of Study
Instruction at each grade focuses upon a theme or course of study.
Kindergarten: Self, Celebrations and Holidays.
First Grade: Family and Community.
Second Grade: My Community.
Third Grade: History and Government of Springfield; Regions of the United States.
Fourth Grade: Missouri History and Government; Native Americans and the Age of Exploration in North America.
Fifth Grade: United States History from Colonization through Civil War.
Sixth Grade: Ancient World History through the fall of the western Roman Empire.
Seventh Grade: World History from the Middle Ages through the Age of Exploration
Eighth Grade: United States History from Colonization through the Civil War.
Ninth Grade: United States History from Reconstruction through the end of the 20th century.*
Tenth Grade: A survey of World History with an emphasis on the modern era.*
Eleventh/Twelfth Grade: Liberty and Law (1/2 credit)*
*Weighted multiplier Honors option available
High School Elective and Advanced Placement
High School students must complete a minimum 1/2 credit in a social studies elective course selected from the following offerings (specific course availability and schedule may vary at each high school):
- American Baseball History
- American Civil War
- American Frontiers
- AP Comparative Government*
- AP Economics*
- AP European History*
- AP Human Geography*
- AP Psychology*
- AP United States Government and Politics*
- AP United States History*
- AP World History*
- Asian Studies
- Economics*
- The Holocaust
- Humanities
- Psychology
- Sociology
- World Geography
*Weighted multiplier course
Professional Development/Workshop Opportunities
September 22-23, 2011, Missouri Council for History Education Conference, St. Louis, MO.
Regional Conference -- Elementary Literacy in Social Studies: Reading Across the MAP.
- October 22, 2011, Kansas City
- October 29, 2011, St. Louis
February 24-25, 2012, Missouri Council for the Social Studies Conference, Jefferson City, MO.
Upcoming Events
Current Event Resources
- Weekly Readergrades K-2
- Time for Kids grades 3-5
- Junior Scholastic grades 6-8
- Upfront MagazineLiberty and Law classes