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FCPS supervisor outlines social studies overhaul, expanded student leadership programs
Summary
Dr. Colleen Bernard presented planned social studies curriculum alignment across grades and highlighted district student leadership programs — National History Day, civics and law academy, mock trial, Model UN and student council activities — aimed at building pathways from elementary to high school.
Dr. Colleen Bernard, FCPS prek–12 supervisor of social studies and student leadership, told the Curriculum, Instruction and (CNI) committee that the district is aligning social studies instruction to revised Maryland frameworks while integrating disciplinary literacy and ELA to reduce teacher cognitive load and strengthen K–12 continuity. "Our goals in social studies" include "empowerment of participatory members of a democratic society," she said, emphasizing inquiry-based source analysis and evidence‑based argumentation.
Bernard said elementary teams have paired ELA thematic units with social studies conceptual units so teachers can reuse materials and reduce daily instructional shifts. She described work to create companion documents, shared vocabulary lists and high‑quality lesson templates so teachers can plan across subjects:…
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