A Guide to Using This Curriculum

This curriculum is designed to be implemented at a variety of grade levels, across subject areas. In each lesson, we provide key content, primary sources related to the content, and student activities.

Our recommendations for abridging the material are as follows:

If you have one day: Lesson one
If you have three days: Lessons one, four, and six
If you have five days: Lessons one, three, four, five, and six
If you have seven days: Lessons one, three, four, five, six, seven, nine

Standards are aligned to the Common Core, as well as the New York City Scope and Sequence for Social Studies.

Objectives contain key learning goals for each lesson.

Aim questions are designed as guiding questions for the lesson.

The Lesson section includes background information, with content that is essential to understanding the topic(s) under discussion. In some cases, more information will be included for the educator’s own knowledge.

Some lessons will not have background information labeled separately if all of the written information should be communicated to the students.

Suggested answers to questions are bracketed.

Key points are bolded. These should be included in the lesson, with supplemental information provided. It is up to the educator to determine how much or how little of this supplemental content should be provided to students.

Some suggested methods for providing students with the content are:
• Lecture
• PowerPoint presentation
• Reading assignment

We leave it to the educator to determine the best method for his or her students.

Guided practice segments are whole-group activities.

Student activities are individual or small-group activities designed to have students engage more closely with primary students. These can also be assigned as homework if class time does not allow for the activity to be completed.

Wrap up activities are designed to conclude the lesson. They may be written questions or whole-class discussions.