Social Studies

St. Paul’s social studies curriculum follows the Ohio Learning Standards and seeks to develop thoughtful, empathetic, and active citizens who care about relationships, community, and learning from our history.  Social studies concepts and key ideas are essential to many of the project-based learning initiatives encountered throughout the year.

At the youngest grade levels, core social studies ideas and standards are integrated into our interdisciplinary literacy curriculum.  Students experience the “big ideas” of social studies through specific case studies using the genres of both fiction and non-fiction. The project-based learning initiatives can also provide a deeper understanding of these essential ideas. 

Beginning in 4th grade, students achieve mastery of the increasingly more complex social studies standards by working with departmentalized specialists.  Using a variety of resources and genres, including textbooks, primary and secondary sources, novels and short stories, and online videos, teachers strive to create an immersive historical experience for students so they can truly empathize with the people from the past.  The teachers consistently move back and forth along the timeline, relating past events to current world events.