K12 Curriculum and Resources
Social Science education must move away from traditional textbook coverage to a model that is more consistent with the research on ambitious social science teaching.
What should I be teaching?
What should I be learning?
Engaging students in powerful Culturally Responsive Inquiry is critical to our democracy and essential to the success of every child in whatever their chosen college and career pathways. To meet the demands of college, career and civic life, our students must be engaged in deep and meaningful exploration of history, geography, economics and civics—the core disciplinary domains of the Illinois Social Science Standards.
In social science classrooms students not only build critical literacy and numeracy skills, they also develop the skills, habits and dispositions to critically interrogate the world around them, to evaluate and assess information from a variety of sources, to work collaboratively with others, and to make informed decisions about who they want to be and plan how they will take action in the world.
The Inquiry Arc Framework is organized into four dimensions, which support robust social science curriculum and instruction rooted in inquiry.
Units and Lessons
Note: These resources are for CPS educators only and require a CPS email address to access.
- Middle School Participate Civics
- Reparations Won (8th Grade)
- CPS/Facing History and Ourselves: Choices in Little Rock (8th Grade - visit this link for info on workshops to receive unit resources)
- Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO), Holocaust and Human Behavior (visit this link for info on workshops to receive unit resources)
- Skyline: Social Science High School I, World Studies
- Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO) Reconstruction Unit (visit this link for info on workshops to receive unit resources)
- Reparations Won
- Constitution Unit and Assessment (PL 195)
- Skyline: Social Science High School II, U.S. History
Curricular Resources
Note: These resources are for CPS educators only and require a CPS email address to access.
Includes Themes and Essential Questions to support Dimension 1 of Inquiry Arc Framework:
- 6-12 Social Science Scope and Sequence Guide: Provides educators with a step-by-step guide to navigate the scope and sequence.
- 6-12 Social Science Scope and Sequence: Provides educators with an outline for planning and facilitating culturally responsive, inquiry-based social science learning experiences for students.
- Social Science History Content Mandates: Curricular supports for a more diverse curriculum related to CPS and Illinois mandates.
- K-12 Social Science and Civic Engagement Curriculum Index/Map: Outlines grade level topics, themes, essential questions and district developed and implemented curricula.
- Master Social Science Mandate Implementation Guidance: Information regarding policies that mandate content and/or curriculum that must be addressed in Chicago Public Schools.
- K-12 Illinois Social Science Learning Standards
Under revision..thank you for your patience
Leverage these robust resources to enrich and supplement Dimensions 2 and Dimension 3 of your inclusive curriculum:
- Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month
- Black History Month
- Women's History Month
- Financial Literacy Month
- Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- Indigenous Peoples' Day
- Filipino American History Month
- Native American Heritage Month
- Celebrating Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
- Muhammad Ali Commemorative Holiday: Guidance for SB0564
Leverage these dynamic resources to support deeper explorations of content within your inclusive, culturally responsive inquiries:
- Inauguration 2021: Guidance on Supporting Students During Difficult Times
- Say Their Names: Conversations on Race and Civil Disobedience Toolkit
- Engaging Students in Discussion and Learning: Chauvin Verdict
- The Day After...A Classroom Discourse Guide for Timely Responses to Difficult Controversial, or Controversialized Events
- The Inquiry Design Model (IDM) is a distinctive approach to creating curriculum and instructional materials that honors teachers’ knowledge and expertise, avoids over-prescription, and focuses on the central elements of the instructional design process as envisioned in the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework.
- Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school.
- Stanford History Education Group Document-Based Lessons: From webinars to week-long workshops, SHEG staff provide professional development that prepares history/social studies teachers to meet the Common Core State Standards.
- The Teaching Channel: Sign up for an affordable monthly or yearly subscription to get access to a huge library of best-in-class videos, 10+ PD courses, downloadable materials, and other tools to help self-direct your professional learning.
- Library of Congress
- NewsELA
- CPS SOAR/Virtual Library/Databases
- Smithsonian
- Facing History and Ourselves: Student Texts 6-12
- InquirED