At each grade level, Gordon’s social studies curriculum guides the students in discovering and defining themselves as learners, thinkers and citizens in our world.
Social studies and language arts are connected tightly. Students demonstrate their understanding of classroom topics through the written word, and these demonstrations can include historical fiction, screenplays and journal entries as well as research papers and reports. At all grade levels, social studies is supported by literature chosen to tie into the theme or time period being studied.
Throughout the school, teachers strive to present multiple perspectives and a variety of experiences within the social studies curriculum. One unit in Preschool that highlights this approach is a study of calendars. Teachers provided students with many different kinds of calendars like the Jewish calendar and the Chinese calendar to show children the variety of perspectives on something as common as the calendar. This kind of opportunity—the opportunity to examine how different people view the world around them— is a constant in the educational experiences of students at Gordon
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In Lower School, units on immigration and Native Americans as well as a continued focus on family continue to guide students to appreciate the diverse world in which they live. During these years, students write their first research papers, and conduct original research to create oral histories. By the end of fourth grade, students will have memorized all fifty states, presented research projects to visitors throughout the school, and directly enriched the school community through a variety of service learning and leadership responsibilities.
The Middle School social studies curriculum is based on intense, extended studies that include a weeklong immersion in the world of Ancient Egypt and a geography study that culminates in each student drawing a detailed map of the world from memory. The eighth grade study of American history takes “The role of the individual in society” as its theme, and leads to a trip to Alabama and Georgia to meet with participants in the civil rights movement and four weeks of fulltime service at a local nonprofit organization.
Third grade study of Native Americans
Fourth grade creates US map
Fourth grade creates graphic novels
Fifth grade immersion week
Sixth grade memory maps
Eighth grade Civil Rights Trip