HOME | Departments | Teaching and Learning | Social Studies
Social Studies

Social Studies Learning Standards

Curriculum Team

Overview of the Social Studies Curriculum

Social Studies is the overall title for one of the core academic subjects taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade in the School District of Greenville County. It includes a wide variety of topics and courses, which enable our children to become successful adults who will contribute to our community. Students must gain a well-rounded understanding of the past (history), our place in the world (geography), our rights and responsibilities as citizens (government), and the systems that enable us to survive and prosper (economics). A specific, scheduled curriculum from kindergarten through twelfth grade ensures that students reach these goals.

All courses are based on the South Carolina Social Studies Standards, which were approved by the South Carolina Board of Education in January 2005. These standards are in effect at every grade level as of the 2005-2006 school year. In kindergarten through eighth grade, four major strands including history, government, geography, and economics are included in the standards. District curriculum planning guides for these grades have been developed to aid teachers in planning lessons and incorporating state standards. At the high school level, instructional planning guides for the core courses (Global Studies 1 and 2, United States History, Government, and Economics) include the key concepts, topics, and state standards to help teachers plan and pace their instruction through each course.

The Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) now includes a Social Studies test at grades three through eight. Each test is comprised of multiple choice and constructed response questions based on that grade's Social Studies standards. Because Social Studies is now an equal testing partner with the other core academic subjects, it is more important than ever that it is taught at every grade. The first high school end-of-course Social Studies test is in United States History, which counts as 20% of the course grade beginning in the 2006-2007 school year.

Social Studies Curriculum, K-12

In the early grades (kindergarten through second) students learn about the world with which they are most familiar: home, school, the nearby neighborhood, and the broader Greenville community. These grades use the Houghton Mifflin social studies series. Titles include My World (kindergarten), School and Family (first grade), and Neighborhoods (second grade). Third grade introduces children to the history of our state and teaches them about South Carolina's geography, jobs, and government, Scott Foresman’s Social Studies: South Carolina. The remaining elementary years focus on the story of the United States based on the important events, people, and policies that have led us to become the country we are today. Scott Foresman publishes both textbooks. Fourth grade classes use Building a Nation while fifth graders use Growth of a Nation.

The middle school years broaden our students' knowledge as they learn about other places and people in the world. They gain an understanding of the importance of the past and the conditions that have brought countries and regions to their present states today.

Sixth grade Social Studies is based on the history of early world cultures from their beginnings until the 1500's. The government, geography, and economics of various civilizations and time periods are integrated chronologically throughout the year as students learn about long-ago places and events. The sixth grade textbook is Glencoe/McGraw-Hill's Human Heritage.

Seventh grade social studies continues the study of world cultures with a focus on the changes that have occurred in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas from 1600 to the present. Students examine the history and geography of the societies that have been developing concurrently during this period, including the growing interaction among these societies as well as the exchange of ideas, beliefs, technologies, and commodities. Teachers are encouraged to use a wide variety of resources in their teaching of this content.

Eighth grade Social Studies is the history of South Carolina and the United States from the earliest settlements until the beginning of the 20th century. Government, geography, and economics are integrated chronologically throughout the year. Two texts are incorporated in the curriculum, Clairmont's South Carolina: The History of an American Stateand Holt, Rinehart & Winston's Call to Freedom.

In high school, students gain a deeper understanding of world history and geography through Global Studies 1 and 2 in ninth and tenth grades. United States History is taught at the eleventh grade with a review of early US history and an emphasis on events from the Civil War to the present. Government and Economics (eleventh and/or twelfth grades) complete the series of core social studies courses. Students also have the opportunity to take more specialized courses in many additional areas of the social studies, including several which enable them to earn college credit.

Contacts

  Thomas Riddle
K-12 Social Studies Consultant
Phone: 355-3190
Email: triddle@greenville.k12.sc.us