Elementary Social Studies Instruction

The NNPS Elementary Social Studies K-5 curriculum is designed for students to have multiple inquiry experiences where students connect to concepts and make meaning on their own first before explicit teaching. Learning History is more than memorizing names and dates–it's about making meaningful connections to past and present, analyzing sources of information, and drawing conclusions based on the available evidence. With the addition of new standards and courses, our social studies curriculum will continue to undergo changes in order to adapt to new standards and expectations as well as data from state and local testing.

The social studies curriculum has a thematic progression for learning about our world through history:

• Kindergarten - Community
• 1st Grade - The Commonwealth of Virginia
• 2nd Grade - The United States of America
• 3rd Grade - The World
• 4th Grade - Virginia Studies
• 5th Grade - United States History to 1865

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Daily lessons and investigations support students towards mastery of the grade level History and Social Science Standards of Learning (SOL) outlined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

Each day in Newport News Public Schools the focus is on one mission: ensuring that all students graduate college, career and citizen-ready. NNPS students embody the NNPS Profile of a Learner and the Virginia Profile of a Graduate. Elementary students learn to be Leaders, Emotionally Intelligent, Academically Prepared, Resilient, iNnovators, Equity Minded, and Reflective.