Brookwood School

At Brookwood, social studies prepares kids to think critically and globally. Students learn to question the sources of their information, to examine multiple perspectives on an issue, and to identify bias. Primary sources are used wherever possible; for example, when they study Columbus, students read the letters that the explorer himself wrote, rather than just a textbook. They identify the groups and cultures of which they and others are a part, and they come to appreciate the foundations of each. They study maps, and they make them. They compare and contrast. They use evidence to persuade, and they seek it in the arguments of others. Our students make connections. Social studies and history come alive because teachers encourage students to connect their studies with the world around them.

Teachers at Brookwood tap into the rich cultural network of both the North Shore and Boston to complement class work. Students recall witch hunts at the House of Seven Gables. They literally climb inside the globe at the unique Mapparium, part of the Mary Baker Eddy Center in Boston. Older students travel to the Eighth District Courthouse, where they serve as jurors in mock trials sponsored by the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Program.

Exciting, relevant, challenging—all attributes of the social studies program at Brookwood.

Social Studies Curriculum Goals
In general, the Social Studies Department seeks to have Brookwood students:

• Define and explore the concept of culture by investigating diverse forms of government, ancient and modern world civilizations, geography, and religion
• Develop a sense of self and appreciate how one fits into various communities
• Examine American and World history in an effort to develop critical thinking skills
• Seek evidence, appreciate perspective and bias, understand cause and effect, and search for connections
• Organize information through research, note taking, and declarative writing

Grade Level Curricular Goals and Focal Points
At each respective grade level, our goal is to have students:

Pre-K:

• Investigate the reasons for rules and laws
• Identify "problems" in the community and explore solutions (service learning)
• Consider how one’s own actions and contributions can affect communities
• Explore common aspects of culture including religion, language, music, education, and celebrations
• Identify some commonalities/differences among people, cultures, and resources throughout the globe
• Use various maps, charts, and graphs to consider specific geographic cultural connections

Kindergarten:

• Develop a sense of self as a part of a larger community
• Acquire a deepened understanding of “culture” and the potential impact of one’s own cultural perspective
• Identify similarities and differences among various world cultures and those that exist in America
• Examine the connections among people across the globe

Grade One:

• Deepen the understanding of the self as a part of a larger community
• Broaden understanding of “culture” and how one’s own culture contributes to perspective and bias
• Learn the locations of continents, countries, states, and cities
• Develop an understanding of the distinctions between the above continents, etc.
• Appreciate the connection between the culture and geography

Grade Two:

• Continue to examine how one’s actions and contributions affect communities
• Appreciate the differences between urban, rural, and suburban communities
• Explore how ancestry and cultural heritage contribute to family traditions and enrich communities
• Acquire basic map vocabulary
• Begin discussions of early American history
• Explore the foundations of the Civil Rights movement and concepts of peace and conflict

Grade Three:

• Explore ways to sustain ourselves, the community, and the earth
• Gain exposure to various aspects of Colonial life, such as clothing, customs, and education
• Investigate the lives of important U.S. historical figures(Pre-Civil War)
• Pursue the study of maps with special emphasis on New England and local geography
• Explore the Civil Rights movement by exploring the lives of Martin  Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, and others
• Study women’s history and the struggle for women’s rights
• Learn about the social order/hierarchy of wolves

Grade Four:

• Develop a working understanding of ancient civilizations across various continents
• Perform Greek plays, build Mesopotamian bricks, design topographic maps of the Nile River, and experience other activities that bring ancient cultures to life
• Embark on the research process, including taking notes from a wide variety of sources, discerning pertinent versus nonessential information, and presenting information through formally written and performed pieces

Grade Five:

• Examine the exploration of North America by world explorers
• Study the social and political history of Colonial America
• Analyze the motivations for and implications of immigration to the United States
• Simulate exploration, colonization, and immigration (late 18th century/early19th century) through experiences such as the Ellis Island Immigration Simulation
• Reinforce the development of research skills begun in fourth grade by producing a formal research paper

Grade Six:

• Investigate the concept of culture by exploring its ten attributes or components of culture and pursuing the differences in these attributes across continents
• Acquire a basic understanding of economics through explorations into supply and demand and by discerning connections between economics and the other attributes
• Explore the Israeli and Palestinian conflict in an effort to better analyze the dynamics of conflict resolution and decision-making
• Utilize supporting evidence to substantiate arguments both orally and in writing
• Apply research skills to various written and creative projects and papers
• Memorize geographical locating of over 400 countries, cities, states, bodies of water, and mountain ranges
• Utilize class content to both practice and improve critical thinking skills

Grade Seven:

• Analyze the structure of American government and the responsibilities of each branch thereof
• Explore and compare communist revolutions in Russia, China and Cuba
• Develop a basic understanding of both World Wars and the deterioration of German society that led to the Holocaust
• Examine the causes and legacy of the Cold War
• Produce a thesis-based research paper, complete with MLA-style citations

Grade Eight:

• Examine both the American Revolution and the Civil War and the impact of both wars on the political, social, and economic systems of the United States
• Scrutinize, in greater detail and with greater nuance, the U.S. Constitution and the American system of government
• Conduct an intensive mock trial to bolster understanding of the U.S. legal system
• Produce a 5-8 page MLA-formatted research paper