Social Studies
Programs, philosophy, and school life
Social Studies instruction frequently takes the theme approach and is often highly integrated throughout the curriculum. The purpose of the Social Studies curriculum is to foster in students, an appreciation of the dynamics of cultures both similar to and vastly different from their own, to assure geographic literacy, and to empower students with the intellectual - tools to approach the study of cultures, areas, and eras.
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The school uses a set of organizing questions to guide social studies at each grade level. As students move through their years of study the questions become increasingly complex. A representative set of questions could be:
Geography: What is the land like? How have the people changed the land?
Economics: How are goods produced? How are goods exchanged or traded? Is money used? How are goods distributed?
Religion and Philosophy: What do people believe about God or the gods? What do they believe about the meaning of life? What do they believe about right and wrong? How do their beliefs affect their lives?
Language, Education, and the Arts: How do people communicate with each other? What kind of knowledge do they think is important? What can we learn about them from their painting, sculpture, building, music, writing?
Political Science: How are the people governed? Do they have laws?
Sociology: Do the people live in groups? Are they rich and poor? Are there slaves?
History: Is the society changing? Slowly or quickly?
Recognizing that many of our students have immigrant roots in the recent past and that they live in a global community, there is a strong emphasis on learning about other cultures. Kindergarten students begin the year focusing on learning about their new school community and move on to learn about Africa and Japan in the following months. Other classes follow explorers around the world or focus on a culture such as "Inuits" or a time period such as the Renaissance.
Our students are also involved in studies closer to home: the focal community, of Hoboken, New Jersey, Native Americans, Immigration, and Government. In learning about their own culture and the cultures of others, the students can begin to build bridges of understanding that will encourage them to be thoughtful citizens and contributors to their communities.
