CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideThe Organization and Alignment of Grade-specific CT Core StandardsEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Standards-based Social Studies Instruction Standards-based social studies instruction at the kindergarten (K) through Grade12 levels can provide students with the critical content and skills they need to comprehend and impact the challenging and complex world they live in. High quality social studies instruction also allows students to appreciate and understand the cultures of all individuals and groups that reside in our state.Course Description:  In Grade 3, students examine how Connecticut’s history has shaped its identity. Students will investigate Connecticut’s cultural diversity, state constitution and government, and economic growth over time using disciplinary tools and resources that support planning and developing inquiries, gathering relevant information, and communicating knowledge and ideas about Connecticut history. Questions that should be answered in a course description include: How has Connecticut’s history shaped the state’s identity? What was the significance of Connecticut’s contribution to United States history? Aligned Core Resources:   Core resources are a local control decision. It is imperative that curriculum be implemented using high quality instructional materials to ensure all students meet Connecticut’s standards. Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for holistic success. There are tools that are available to districts to assist in evaluating alignment of resources, such as CCSSO’s Mathematics Curriculum Analysis Project and Student Achievement Partner’s Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool.   In addition, there exist compilations of completed reviews from a variety of resources. Some of these include but are not limited to EdReports, Louisiana Believes, CURATE, and Oregon Adopted Instructional Materials. Connecticut is currently working on providing additional alignment guidance for the most frequently used resources across the state.  Additional Course Information:  Big ideas addressed in the course: State Constitution and Government Cultural Communities in Connecticut Past and Present Innovation, Industry, and Economic Growth Habits of Mind/SEIH/Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The skills you want students to master in their journey to success in college, career, and civic life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration, empathy, respect). The Standards for Social Studies practice are aligned with the C3 Framework and follow the four dimensions of inquiry. The inquiry process is critical for framing how students learn about history, geography, civics, and economics. The Inquiry Standards of Practice describes the thinking processes, habits of mind, and dispositions students need to develop a vital, critical, and courageous enduring understanding of Social Studies. Central to the C3 Framework is the Inquiry Arc, which frames how students learn social studies content. The Inquiry Arc established four dimensions of inquiry: (1) developing questions and planning inquiry, (2) applying disciplinary concepts and tools, (3) evaluating sources and using evidence, and (4) communicating conclusions and taking informed action. The C3 Framework also established four major disciplines in social studies—civics, economics, geography, and history—that form the basis of the second dimension of the Inquiry Arc, and all four major disciplines should be represented within social studies courses. Therefore, students should: Explain why compelling questions about Connecticut and local History are important to others (e.g., peers, adults). Explain how supporting questions help answer compelling questions in an inquiry about Connecticut history.  Determine the kinds of sources that will help answer compelling and supporting questions, considering the different opinions people have about how to answer the question.  Apply disciplinary knowledge and practices to demonstrate an understanding of social studies content. Gather relevant information about Connecticut history.  Identify evidence from multiple sources in response to a compelling question about Connecticut history. Use evidence to develop claims in response to a compelling question about a significant person or event in Connecticut history. Construct arguments using claims and evidence from multiple sources about Connecticut history.  Construct explanations using reasoning, correct sequence, examples, and details with relevant information and data.  Critique arguments and explanations.  Present a summary of arguments and explanations to others using print, oral, and digital technologies.  Explain the challenges and opportunities, both present and past, in addressing local, regional, and global problems in Connecticut history. Use a range of deliberative and democratic procedures to evaluate and implement strategies to address problems in classrooms and schools.  It is important to note that the Social Studies curriculum units integrate social, emotional, and intellectual habits. For more details, please review the Components of Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Habits: Kindergarten through Grade 12.