Teachers describe adoption of TCI social studies materials across district grades

Bennington Public Schools teachers and curriculum leads presented the district’s social studies textbook adoption and classroom implementation at the March 9 board meeting.

Fifth‑grade teacher Callie O’allahan told the board a panel of teachers unanimously chose TCI Social Studies Alive for fifth grade and that the middle school also adopted TCI. “One reason that we all loved this program is that it had everything that we were looking for,” she said, citing an online platform, games, editable assessments and built‑in differentiation. Teachers described hands‑on lessons—mock Colonial Williamsburg activities, tug‑of‑war metaphors for the American Revolution, and inquiry‑driven exploration games—that they said help students retain content.

At the high school level staff reported continued use of McGraw Hill resources for core courses and BFW texts for AP courses. Teachers noted strengths of the adopted materials include rich primary‑source collections, aligned standards, online resources and built‑in assessment tools; they also raised platform‑compatibility issues with Google Classroom that the district plans to address with supplemental supports.

Teachers said pacing adjustments will reduce five units to four in fifth grade next year to allow deeper coverage of the American Revolution and government standards, and the district will continue phased professional development with the publisher. The board received the presentation and had the opportunity to ask questions about alignment, pacing and training.