M.S. 936 Arts Off 3rd
The School for the Performing and Visual Arts
The Social Studies Department
Passports to Social Studies
The NYCDOE K–8 Passport to Social Studies program is a comprehensive instructional resource that integrates the NYC Social Studies Scope & Sequence and the New York State Social Studies Framework and reflect the Next Generation Learning Standards to support strong social studies teaching and learning.
The Passport to Social Studies curriculum was developed by a team of NYCDOE staff and teachers, in collaboration with scholars of the humanities and social sciences as well as museum curators. An effective social studies program allows students to make sense of the world in which they live, make connections between major ideas and their own lives, and see themselves as active members of a global community. With the Passport to Social Studies curriculum, students immerse themselves in a topic by discussing focus questions, reading and analyzing a rich collection of diverse primary and secondary sources, examining artifacts, and interpreting images, such as paintings, photographs, maps, and political cartoons. A variety of texts and primary sources are also included to support rigorous instruction and student inquiry.
While knowledge of content is very important, it is equally important to engage our students in historical thinking. This program challenges students to think like historians and encourages them to raise questions, think critically, consider many perspectives, and gather evidence in support of their interpretations through the practice of chronological processing, decision-making, and historical research and analysis. These real-world skills will serve students well as participating citizens of a democracy. To evaluate student mastery of content knowledge, cognitive processes, and critical thinking skills, units include formative assessments and performance-based assessment activities.
