Promoting Social Justice Awareness and the Culturally Relevant Teaching Practices
In the second grade, our social studies curriculum is “Origins.” With “Origins,” second graders study world and United States history, geography, economics, government and social justice. Students explore their own family’s history and listen to and read a variety of teacher or student selected stories about: distinctive individuals, peoples, achievements, customs, events, places, or landmarks from long ago and around the world.
Read alouds and stories are carefully selected to reflect the cultures of our students in our classrooms as well as the cultures of the community of Cambridge. We encourage families to share expertise regarding their cultural experiences with our classrooms. Students will also compare and contrast the continents of Africa and North America through the use of maps, atlases and globes. Students will be able to locate continents, regions and countries from which students, their parents, guardians, grandparents, or other relatives or ancestors came. With the help of family members, students will describe traditional food, customs, sports and games, and music of the place they came from.