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Board reviews new K205 social studies units and partnership with historical society
Summary
Dr. Russo presented new K205 social studies units aligned to Connecticut frameworks, described a storyboarding approach to instruction, and previewed partnerships with the Orange Historical Society for in-class and field experiences.
Dr. Russo told the board the district will roll out new K205 social studies units designed to be accessible to students and aligned to state frameworks. She said the curriculum team used a storyboarding approach to move instruction away from coverage and toward engagement, examination and demonstration of learning.
"We want to move away from coverage and we want to really think about engaging students, having them examine the resources and then demonstrate their learning," Dr. Russo said as she described vertical articulation and lesson design.
Why it matters: The new units are intended to give teachers a clear progression of essential questions and learning targets across grades and to make standards comprehensible for students and families. The board discussed opportunities for students to visit local historical landmarks and for the Orange Historical Society to bring artifacts into classrooms.
Key details: Grade-level units include essential guiding questions (for example, kindergarten: "What makes the Orange community unique?") and linked lessons for teacher use; grade six materials will be revisited separately. Dr. Russo said units are in first iteration, with grade two still in draft form and ongoing feedback to be incorporated.
Responses from the board included praise for the work, suggestions to make state-framework alignment explicit in materials, and requests to share paper copies and links to standards in the electronic board packet.
Speakers quoted or referenced: Dr. Russo; Mrs. Hadlock; Mr. Zimon.
Ending: The board asked staff to circulate materials and next steps; the curriculum will be revisited during the year through professional learning sessions.
