New York State
K-12 Social Studies Update
Dr. John B. King, Jr.
New York State Commissioner of Education
President of the University of the State of New York
Greg Ahlquist
Patricia Polan
Social Studies Teacher,
2013 NYS Teacher of the Year
State Education Department, Social Studies
State Education Department,
Associate for Instructional Services Social Studies
K-12 Social Studies Timeline
-2012-2013: Draft Framework reviewed by field
-November 1-2, 2013: Content Advisory Panel
reviewed second draft.
-Revised and edited draft based on feedback
-December 2013: Second draft released for public
commentary
-January 2014: Content Advisory Panel reconvened
to review public commentary
-Final revisions…finished
-March 10, 2014: Presentation to Board of Regents
EngageNY.org
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Current Status
• Adopted by the Board of Regents
at April 29, 2014 meeting
• Social Studies Item at Board of Regents
on Monday September 15, 2015
• Documents are located at
http://www.engageny.org/resource/new-yorkstate-k-12-social-studies-framework
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Next Steps
• Field Guide: coming early fall
• Assessments and Regulations:
CAP Recommendation:
• 2 year mandated Global History and Geography*
• 10th grade Regents exam (only 10th grade content)
*pending Board approval
• Resources: NYS K-12 Social Studies Resource Toolkit
• Created by NYS Teachers for NYS Teachers
• Aligned to NCSS C3 Framework
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EngageNY.org
Same 5 NYS Social Studies
Learning Standards
• Standard 1: History of the United States and
New York
• Standard 2: World History
• Standard 3: Geography
• Standard 4: Economics
• Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and
Government
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Course of Study Remains Same
Grade
Course of Study
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Self and Others
Grade 12
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My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago
My Community and Other Communities
Communities around the World
Local History and Local Government
The Western Hemisphere
The Eastern Hemisphere
United States and New York History – I
United States and New York History – II
Global History and Geography – I
Global History and Geography – II
United States History and Government
Participation in Government
Economics and Economic Decision Making
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A Program that Supports Teaching,
Learning and Assessment
EngageNY.org
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The Foundation:
Key Ideas, Conceptual Understandings &
Content Specifications
KEY
IDEAS
CONCEPTUAL
UNDERSTANDINGS
CONTENT
SPECIFICATIONS
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How to Read the Framework
Key
Idea
Conceptual
Understanding
4.5 IN SEARCH OF FREEDOM AND A CALL FOR
CHANGE: Different groups of people did not have equal
rights and freedoms. People worked to bring about
change. The struggle for rights and freedoms was one
factor in the division of the United States that resulted
in the Civil War.
(Standards: 1, 5; Themes: ID, TCC, SOC, CIV)
4.5a There were slaves in New York State. People
worked to fight against slavery and for change.

Content
Specifications

Students will examine life as a slave in New York State.
Students will investigate people who took action to abolish
slavery, including Samuel Cornish, Fredrick Douglass,
William Lloyd Garrison, and Harriet Tubman.
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Social Studies Practices
1. Gathering, Using, and Interpreting Evidence
2. Chronological Reasoning and Causation
3. Comparison and Contextualization
4. Geographic Reasoning
5. Economics and Economics Systems
6. Civic Participation
EngageNY.org
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Common Core Skills
• Reading




Key Ideas and Details
Craft and Structure
Integration of Knowledge & Ideas
Range of Reading & Text Complexity
• Writing




Text Types and Purposes
Production and Distribution of Writing
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Range of Writing
• Speaking and Listening


Comprehension and Collaboration
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
EngageNY.org
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C3 Foundations
C3 Inquiry Arc
What is the C3 Framework?
Inquiry Arc
• Dimension 1: Developing Questions and
Planning Inquiries
• Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Tools
and Concepts (Civics, Economics,
Geography, and History)
• Dimension 3: Evaluating Sources and
Using Evidence
• Dimension 4: Communicating
Conclusions and Taking Informed Action
NY Social Studies Framework
3 Instructional Shifts
• Focus on Conceptual Understanding.
• Foster Student Inquiry, Collaboration,
and Informed Action.
• Integrate Content and Skills
Purposefully.
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Instructional Shift #1:
Focus on Conceptual Understanding
From
To
Facts
Concepts and
Content????
Knowledge
Breadth of Topics
Depth within
????
Topics
Recall
Transfer and
????
Connections
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Instructional Shift #2:
Foster Student Inquiry, Collaboration,
and Informed Action
From
To
Teacher as
Disseminator
Teacher as Facilitator
????
of Investigation
Students Learn Facts
from Textbook
Students Investigate the
Social Sciences
???? Using
Multiple Sources
Students Retell
Interpretations
Students Construct
Interpretations
???? and
Communicate Conclusions
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Instructional Shift #3:
Integrate Content and Skills Purposefully
FROM A Social Studies Classroom
Where…
TO A Social Studies Classroom
Where…
Students experience an additional
nonfiction reading class or
textbook focused instruction
Students learn to read, discuss,
and write like????
social scientists
Students develop literacy skills
and social studies practices
separately
Students develop disciplinary
literacy skills ????
and social science
practices in tandem
Students learn content knowledge
Students integrate and apply
???? and content
concepts, skills,
knowledge
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NYS K-12 Social Studies
Resource Toolkit
• Collaborative project with SUNY Binghamton
• Resource Toolkit to equip teachers and
districts to design curriculum and instruction
• Each grade level: 1 annotated inquiry
• Each grade level: 5 “blueprints”
(summary of 5 more compelling question inquiries)
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NYS Framework in Action…
• NYSUT is one partner already beginning work
on implementation and support
• Elizabeth Sheffer-Winig is a Content Advisory
Panel member and Assistant in Educational
Services at NYSUT
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A Program that Supports Teaching,
Learning and Assessment
EngageNY.org
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