Social Studies

Social Studies

The studies of geography, history, culture, civics, and sociology are combined in the St. Charles School social studies program. Content is aligned with the History-Social Science Framework of the California Department of Education and the curriculum frameworks of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Department of Catholic Schools.

To develop responsible citizens, St. Charles teachers of social studies support the development of student skills in reasoning, reflection, and research in areas of chronological and spatial thinking, research with evidence, and point of view.

California Studies Weekly, Grades K-5

St. Charles School has adopted a research-based social studies program for grades K-5: California Studies Weekly. The program provides a new booklet every week and students will engage in hands-on curriculum, where they can highlight, take notes, and complete learning strategies right on the publication. Students can cut up and incorporate social studies information into multiple assignments, interactive notetaking, and learning activities.

Students also have access to the online learning platform and can delve deeper into history through images and videos. Integrated with close reading strategies and language arts standards, the weekly content presents rich information and enables students to apply reading and writing skills into social studies.

TCI History Alive, Grades 6-8

Middle School students use History Alive!, with content and activities that are highly interactive and aligned with California History-Social Studies Standards. Students grasp important details and gain understanding of the "big ideas" across geography and over time. Each unit begins with a Big Idea and an Essential Question and incorporates graphic notetaking, groupwork, and student discovery learning.

Grade 6: History Alive! The Ancient World introduces students to the beginning of the human story.  As they explore the great early civilizations of Egypt and the Near East: India, China, Greece, and Rome, students discover the secrets of these ancient cultures that continue to influence the modern world.

Grade 7: History Alive! The Medieval Word and Beyond explores the legacy of civilizations from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to Asia and the Americas during the Middle Ages. 

Grade 8: History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism immerses students on a powerful journey through the history of the United States from its earliest foundations to the Age of Industrialism.