history & social science
department description
The History and Social Science department promotes rigorous, culturally sustaining, anti-racist curriculum and instruction designed to deepen students’ analytical and literacy skills, to cultivate historical curiosity, and to promote informed civic engagement. The department creates and implements the district’s history and social science curriculum, facilitates professional learning, and provides tools and strategies to support the continuous improvement of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. The department works with a range of local partners, including the Democratic Knowledge Project, Primary Source, and Facing History and Ourselves.
Strategic Goals
- Collaborate with the ELA, Science, and Math Departments to promote best practices in teaching literacy across the curriculum areas.
- Review 3rd grade social studies curriculum for opportunities to align to new national civics standards, best practices in literacy instruction, and inclusive, multicultural historical content.
- Support 8th grade, CRLS, and HSEP teachers in facilitating student-led civic engagement projects aligned with state law and best practices.
- Provide professional learning and coaching to support exemplary instruction in civic education, disciplinary literacy, and anti-racist, culturally sustaining pedagogy.