Social Studies - Mastery Charter School

Social Studies at Mastery

Social Studies students possess the knowledge, skills and drive to think, speak and write critically about the past, to see and value the connections between the past and the present, and to challenge the “single story” of history.

Fundamentally, Social Studies teachers teach students how to think historically, not what to think. Through evaluating multiple perspectives in primary and secondary sources, students gain a broader, more complete understanding of the past and its impact on the present. It is critical that students understand key dates and the chronology of major historical events in order to unpack larger political, social, economic, and cultural ideas over time. And of course, the study of history requires students to read critically, drawing upon evidence to construct convincing arguments and then expressing those arguments clearly both orally and in writing. So history teachers are literacy teachers too!

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100+

Social Studies Teachers Across 24 Schools

13

Teacher Leaders to support Social Studies Teachers

Social Studies Courses At-a-Glance

CourseTimingPurpose
TCI Social Studies
Alive! Me and My
World
Kinder Social Studies
45 minutes,
5 days/week –
Semester Course
Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply grade-level Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.

Students explore their relationships with their families, friends, teachers, and neighbors.

Students learn that people live differently in different places and they can help care for the world.
TCI Social Studies
Alive! My School and
Family
1st Grade Social Studies
45 minutes,
5 days/week –
Semester Course
Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply grade-level Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.

Students are introduced to the structures of schools and families.

Students learn how to get along with classmates, follow school rules, and identify people who work at a school.
TCI Social Studies
Alive! My Community
2nd Grade Social Studies
45 minutes,
5 days/week –
Semester Course
Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply grade-level Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.

Students learn the basics of American history, geography, economics, and citizenship in the context of learning about their local community.
TCI Social Studies
Alive! Our Community
and Beyond
3rd Grade Social Studies
45 minutes,
5 days/week –
Semester Course
Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply grade-level Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.

Broadens students' awareness about the local and global communities in which they live.

Students learn the fundamentals of geography and explore different cultures and public service roles.
TCI Social Studies
Alive! Regions of Our
Country
4th Grade Social Studies
45 minutes,
5 days/week –
Semester Course
Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply grade-level Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.

Students explore five regions of the US through the lens of four social sciences - economics, geography, political science, and history.
TCI Social Studies
Alive! America’s Past
5th Grade Social Studies
45 minutes,
5 days/week –
Semester Course
Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply grade-level Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.

Students learn about American history from the first migrations into the Americas through the 20th century. Intense interaction with the personalities, places, and events that structured our nation guides students to be both keen observers of and informed participants in US History.
  • 50 minutes, 5 days/week
  • Understand the following five themes to help them organize the study of geography: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and regions. Students have an opportunity to apply these themes in writing at the end of each unit.
  • Use TCI curriculum as a tool to learn & apply gradelevel Common Core ELA & C3 Standards.
  • Develop inclusive, active citizens of the world.
  • GA! Created in partnership with scholars from the National Council for Geographic Education. GA adopts a stimulating casestudy approach to geography.
  • 50 minutes, 5 days/week
  • Understand the history of the earliest humans and rise of ancient civilizations to the Renaissance and cultural transfusions of Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
  • Learn & apply grade-level Common Core standards for Reading in History.
  • Apply historical thinking skills by reading, writing, and discussing primary sources.
  • 50 minutes, 5 days/week
  • Understand the history of African Americans, beginning with West African heritage. Study continues through Colonial America, Revolutionary War, Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Harlem Renaissance, and ends with a study of the issues facing African Americans in the 21st century.
  • Learn & apply grade-level Common Core standards for Reading in History.
  • Apply historical thinking skills by reading, writing, and discussing primary sources.
  • 50 minutes, 5 days/week
  • Understand world history from 1500s to the present, including European monarchies and revolution, imperialism, industrialization, world wars, and current conflicts.
  • Learn & apply grade-level Common Core standards for Reading in History.
  • Apply historical thinking skills by reading, writing, and discussing primary sources.
  • 50 minutes, 5 days/week
  • Understand U.S. history from the first peoples to the 20th century, including the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Reconstruction, Great Depression, World Wars, and Cold Wars, and Movements for Change.
  • Learn & apply grade-level Common Core standards for Reading in History.
  • Apply historical thinking skills by reading, writing, and discussing primary sources.
  • 50 minutes, 5 days/week
  • In the first semester, students study the foundations of American Government and the political process. In the second semester, students study the basics of economics, the government’s role in our economy, and current issues.
  • Learn & apply grade-level Common Core standards for Reading in History.
  • Apply historical thinking skills by reading, writing, and discussing primary sources.

Academic Program

Engaging and rigorous. Developing independence and critical thinking skills.

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Student Life

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