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.

Social Science Instruction

Chicago Public Schools students must be provided opportunities to build, practice, and deepen inquiry skills, content knowledge, and social, cultural, and political competencies from Pre-Kindergarten through high school, at every grade level, every day and throughout the year. To be sure, the kinds of powerful learning we describe are indeed available and thriving here in Chicago. Our challenge is to ensure that these opportunities are made available to all students.

In order to realize the district’s vision for rigorous, culturally sustaining classrooms that prepare all students, grades K-12 for college, career, and civic life, high quality, stand-alone social science instruction must be made available to all students, in every school in our district. To ensure that students are positioned for success, the Chicago Public Schools is redoubling its efforts to ensure that all students have access to powerful social science instruction. Our vision for powerful instruction is informed by the new Illinois state standards, current research in learning science, culturally sustaining pedagogy, ethnic studies pedagogy, and aligned to the Common Core and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework.

Curricular Resources by Grade Level