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From Needs and Wants to Global Trade: Building an Economics Curriculum Progression That Deepens Every Year

In many primary schools, “needs and wants” is taught in Grade 1, again in Grade 2 and again in Grade 3. Then, around Grade…

Comparing Social Studies Curriculum Providers Side by Side: A Framework That Looks Beyond the Sample Chapter

Most provider comparisons go the same way. Three or four publishers send sample books. A committee meets for an afternoon and turns the pages.…

How to Evaluate a Social Studies Curriculum Before Adoption: A Practical Checklist for School Leaders

The usual adoption process looks like this. A publisher gives a strong presentation. The committee sees a few beautiful sample chapters and an alignment…

Integration Starts With the Question: Designing Social Studies Around Questions That Connect Disciplines

Many schools teach an Ancient Egypt unit that looks integrated. On Monday, students label the Nile on a map. On Wednesday, they learn about…

A Ready-to-Adapt Rubric for Assessing Social Studies Inquiry Projects (and How to Stop It Becoming a Checklist)

Every school has seen this project. The poster is beautiful, with neat headings, bright images and a timeline in three colours. It scores highly.…

Beyond Recall: Designing Social Studies Assessments That Show How Students Reason

A Grade 8 student scores 18 out of 20 on a unit test about the American Revolution. She knows the dates, the battles and…

How Should Schools Assess Civic Knowledge and Skills? Why Naming the Branches of Government Is Only Half the Test

A Grade 8 student can tell you that a legislature makes laws, an executive carries them out, and courts interpret them. Now give the…

Daily Checks That Reveal Students’ Social Studies Understanding: Small Questions That Show How Students Think

The lesson ends and the teacher asks, “Any questions?” Nobody speaks. Or the teacher asks for a thumbs up, and thirty thumbs go up.…

Concepts Over Content: Designing a Social Studies Curriculum Around Big Ideas Students Can Carry Forward

Open almost any social studies scope and sequence and you will find a list of nouns. Ancient Egypt. Landforms. Community helpers. The Silk Road.…

How to Structure a Three-Year Preschool Programme: Plan Backwards From Six, Build Forwards From Three

Picture a preschool where each year was written by a different person at a different time. The Level 1 plan came from a founding…