GCCS Expedition Curriculum Framework
Time
Period
PREHISTORY
EARLY PEOPLE/
WOODLAND
PEOPLES
INDIANS/
EXPLORERS/
SETTLERS
VILLAGE
TO CITY
CITY GROWS
TODAY &
TOMORROW
Approx.
Dates
Big Bang – First People
4,500 MYA-12,000
Years Ago
First People –
European Contact
12,000 Years Ago-1600
European Contact –
PreCanal
1450-1820
Canal – Civil War
1820-1865
Post Civil War –
Pre-space exploration
1865-1960
Space Exploration – Future
1960-Tomorrow
Overarching
Question
What were the
beginnings of our
universe, our planet,
and its living things?
How do we know?
How did people live
in earliest times?
What lasting ideas do
we have from early
cultures and
civilizations?
Iroquois Way of Life
Prior to 1600
How did people make
choices about where
to live? What were
the beginnings of our
democracy?
How did the village
become a city? What
were the successes
and struggles?
Settler Life: The
Story of the Settlement of Rochester
Village Life
How did industry and
inventions make a
difference in city life?
How did people take
responsibility for their
community?
Technological
Changes in Work
and Play
Where and how do
plants and animals
live? How do people
keep the environment
safe for every living
thing?
Local Habitats
Prehistoric Life
Time and Sequence
Beliefs and Traditions
K-1
Living and Nonliving Things
Family and
Community Roles
Going to New
Places/Reasons for
Change
Community Roles
and Responsibilities
Household Inventions
The Need for Rules
and Laws
Toys and Games
Early Occupations
Family Roles
Agricultural Economy
City Infrastructures
Life Cycles
Needs and Wants
Fossil Formation
Economic
Opportunity
Food and Shelter
Natural Resources
Animal Defenses
Natural Resources
Farming and Crops
Woodland Animals
Beliefs and Traditions
The River
Locating Iroquois
Nation on Globe and
Map
Development of
Community
Birds, Fish, and
Plants Along the
River and in Our
Community
Local Habitats: The
River, Pond, and
Forest
Food Chain
Seasons/Cycles
Four Seasons and
Related Weather
Patterns How Seasons
Affected Villagers’
Work
Relationship between
Living and Non-living
Things
Environmental
Change and Habitat
Destruction
Conservation of
Natural Resources
Genesee Community Charter School
Curriculum Framework
GCCS Expedition Curriculum Framework
Origin of the
Universe
EARLY PEOPLE/
WOODLAND
PEOPLES
Native Peoples of
North America
INDIANS/
EXPLORERS/
SETTLERS
Living along the
Genesee River
Space
Solar System
Origin Theories
Climate, Geography,
and Natural
Resources
Early Earth
Continental Drift
Warm Seas
Ice Age
Traditional and
Creation Stories
The River as a
Resource for
Transportation,
Power, Food, Water,
and Irrigation
The Sun-Source of
Heat and Light
Early North American
Trade and
Communication
Beginnings of a
Milling Economy
Economics of natural
Resources
Mapping: New York
State
PREHISTORY
2-3
Craft and Symbols
Genesee Community Charter School
Milling and Water
Power
Rochester’s Earliest
Settlers and the Seven
Settlements
CITY GROWS
The Nursery
Industry
Connections Between
Industries - Printing
& Nurseries
Erie Canal
Simple Machines
Power & Energy
Float & Sink
Seasonal Cycles
Mapping: Regions of
North America
VILLAGE
TO CITY
America’s First
Boom Town
Flour City to Flower
City
Mapping: City/Street
Maps
Seeds and Plants
Plant Structures
Photosynthesis
Reproduction
Climate
The Water Cycle
Lake Effect
Weather Maps
Beginnings of
Rochester’s Parks
System
TODAY &
TOMORROW
Human Effects on
World Biomes
Comparing Local
Woodland, Pond, and
River Eco Systems
with World Desert,
Ocean, Tundra, and
Rainforest
Wildlife Around the
World
Classification
Skin Coverings
Adaptations
Food Chains
Metamorphosis
Endangered Species
Protecting and
Rehabilitating World
Habitats
Pollution
Recycling
Curriculum Framework
GCCS Expedition Curriculum Framework
PREHISTORY
The Changing Earth
4-5
Glaciers and
Changing States of
Water
River Formation
Erosion
EARLY PEOPLE/
WOODLAND
PEOPLES
Early People &
Human Adaptation
INDIANS/
EXPLORERS/
SETTLERS
Cultural Influence
and Exchange
Paleo, Archaic, and
Woodland Peoples
Shelter
Tools
Food
Social Organization
Belief Systems
World Exploration
Looking for Markets,
Trade Opportunities,
and New Resources
Continental Drift
Volcanoes
Movement and
Change
Land Formations
Mapping the World
Organizing
Geological Time
Changing
Perspectives of
History
Layers of the Earth
Rocks & Minerals
Formation
Classification
Properties
Interpretation of
Artifacts, Data, and
Multiple Sources
The Formation of
Theories
Fossil Formation
The Human Body
World Geography
Oceans, Continents,
Land Formations,
Latitude & Longitude
Colonization of North
America
The Formation of
America's Democracy
Declaration of
Independence
The Revolution
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights
Levels and Functions
of Government
Individual
Participation in
Government
VILLAGE
TO CITY
The Quest for
Freedom
Slavery and Women’s
Rights
Voices of Dissent
The Underground
Railroad
Civil War
Suffrage
The Economic and
Social Issues of North
vs. South
Rochester’s Early
Leaders
Frederick Douglass
Susan B. Anthony
Harriet Tubman
Sojourner Truth
Elizabeth Cady
Stanton
Austin Steward
CITY GROWS
Immigration and
Local Industry
Moving to an
Industrial Economy
The Changing
Nature of Work
The Industrial
Revolution
The Assembly Line
Mass Production
Electricity
The Work Force
Immigration
Population Shifts
Rise of Urban
Centers
Field to Factory:
Migration From
South to North
The Labor Movement
Child labor
The Formation of
Labor Laws and
Unions
TODAY &
TOMORROW
Human Impact on
the Natural World
Conservation of
Natural Resources
Water/Soil Quality
Or
Alternate Sources of
Energy
Role of Science,
Engineering, and
Technology
Gathering, Analyzing,
and Publishing Data
Community Activism
Local Industries
Photography,
Clothing, Shoes,
Gears, Cars,
Xerography
Local Philanthropy
and Service
Genesee Community Charter School
Curriculum Framework
GCCS Expedition Curriculum Framework
Sixth Grade Curriculum
Examining a “Hot Topic” Affecting Our Community
The Rise of Civilization
Posing the Problem
Defining the Issue Facing Rochester
Setting Purpose for Year’s Study
The Evolution of Cities
Where People Settled
Advances that Made Settlement Possible
The Characteristics of Civilizations
Settlement in Cities
Labor Specialization
Government and Public Works
Surplus Production and Trade
Class Structure
Writing, Mathematics, Science
The Components of Cities
Concentration of People
Government
Challenges Cities Face
Transportation
Sanitation
Food and Water
Public Health
Crime
Genesee Community Charter School
The Science of Materials
Imagining a New Rochester
Properties of Matter
Mass
Volume
Density
Solubility
Conductivity
City Decision-making
Who’s Who in City Government
Process of Making Municipal Projects
Happen
Issues of Economics and Historic
Preservation
Chemical Structures of Materials
Compounds
Mixtures
Solutions,
Suspensions
Citizens’ Roles and Responsibilities
Community Activism
Formation of Associations/Societies/grass
Roots Organizations
Working with City Government
Chemical Reactions and Changes in States of
Matter
Gathering Community Input and
Disseminating Information
Gathering Community Input
Analyzing Qualitative Data
Principles of Marketing
Atoms, Elements, and The Periodic Table
Models as Representations of Objects, Structures,
and Systems
Elements of a New Rochester
Housing
Recreation
Retail
Historic Preservation
Transportation
Events
Curriculum Framework
GCCS Expedition Curriculum Framework
Sixth Grade Curriculum
Examining a “Hot Topic” Affecting Our Community
Man’s Fellow Traveler: Disease
The Human Body
Posing the Problem
Need for a World-class Health Exhibit
Setting Purpose for Year’s Study
Body Systems
Respiratory, Circulatory, Digestive,
Integumentory
The Characteristics of Civilizations at Four
Points in Time
Settlement in Cities
Labor Specialization
Government and Public Works
Production and Trade
Religion and Science
Class Structure
Chemical Reactions in the Body
The Components of Cities
Concentration of People
Government
Challenges Cities Face
Transportation
Sanitation
Food and Water
Public Health
Crime
Genesee Community Charter School
States of Matter
Nutrition and Fitness
Atoms, Elements, and The Periodic Table
Models as Representations of Objects, Structures,
and Systems
Designing a Community Resource
Institutional Decision-making
Who’s Who in Not-for Profit Institutions
Process of Making Large-scale Projects
Happen
Issues of Financial Sustainability
Citizens’ Roles and Responsibilities
Community Activism
Working with Stakeholders
Gathering Community Input and
Disseminating Information
Conducting Market Research
Analyzing Qualitative and Quantitative
Data
Elements of a Museum Exhibit
Design Process
Technology
Interactives
Label Copy
Marketing
Curriculum Framework