DCPS Social Studies Curriculum Concerns

[Anonymous]

I teach SS in neighboring MoCo. MCPS MS SS curriculum in 2023-24 is essentially the same curriculum I got in Archdiocese of Baltimore MS in 1983-84. Ancient civilizations in 6th. Middle Ages and Renaissance in 7th. And US History I in 8th. My Catholic MS taught much more geography, but MCPS does a better job of including Africa and Latin America in 6th and 7th and a much better job of discussing the African American experience in 8th.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have a DCPS kid in high school who was passionate about reading, writing, and history. But she's saying now she wants to go into the hard sciences because there is less of a prescribed agenda. Every English or Social Studies paper is about "identity" and needs to written in from an oppressor/victim POV to receive a high grade. The kids roll their eyes a bit, but they play the game. It just isn't intellectually fulfilling.

I recommend supplementing with different material and perspectives at home. That's helped us a bit.

+1. We did a lot of supplementing to. It sort of became a running joke at our dinner table. I mean every single book they read is about racism or identity. It’s completely out of whack.

What supplementing?

We supplement with the actual truth about US history. Which is, despite its warts and all the US is the greatest country that’s ever existed and has brought freedom to billions around the world.

What does that entail?

Freedom to go without basic human needs because capitalism good and socialism evil.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The overfocus on STEM is causing this. Wait till high school. My ninth grader at JR isnt even reading a book -/ just texts from books! And they read then out loud in class!

Reading out loud in class is a good way to figure out who doesn't know how to read. There are many who don't know how to read in 9th grade in DCPS.

It also helps with auditory and public speaking skills. Lots of well read people out there who can't pronounce words properly because they never heard the word read properly. Helps making sure kids are paying attention; helps kids overcome stage fright or any fear of public speaking.

Nothing is a total panacea.

Reading out loud in a 9th grade class is a complete joke. Come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overfocus on STEM is causing this. Wait till high school. My ninth grader at JR isnt even reading a book -/ just texts from books! And they read then out loud in class!

Reading out loud in class is a good way to figure out who doesn't know how to read. There are many who don't know how to read in 9th grade in DCPS.

It also helps with auditory and public speaking skills. Lots of well read people out there who can't pronounce words properly because they never heard the word read properly. Helps making sure kids are paying attention; helps kids overcome stage fright or any fear of public speaking.

Nothing is a total panacea.

Reading out loud in a 9th grade class is a complete joke. Come on.

Yeah. I remember doing that in elementary school.

[Anonymous]

I read all of Streetcar Named Desire out loud. In 10th grade English. At a New England boarding school that now costs $70,000 a year.

[Anonymous]

I’m going to FOIA your boarding school now

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I know OP. My 6th grader has zero knowledge of how big the US is or where it is in relation to other countries. He was shocked that it takes less time to fly to the Dominican Republic than San Francisco. I said, “Look at the map - California is much further away.” He said “We learned in Social Studies that maps are bad because they make Africa look small.” 🤡

I'm sorry, did you expect us to believe this? What a dim view of educators you must have, to think that parents would believe such clearly fabricated nonsense.

this is what he told me! if your DCPS child had lessons in basic geography - identifying states and countries on a map - let us know.

I know people love their anonymity here, but in this conversation knowing what schools are teaching what could be helpful. It is hard for me to know exactly what my kids learned in school vs. at home because they read a ton and we talk a bunch about history/current events. Once they come home I'd be happy to get them to list what topics they have covered in various grades and come back here. I think it is not helpful to generalize without knowing what school(s) -- the pandemic impacted things, some teachers are stronger than others, some schools are better at including social studies time, some ELA teachers are better at weaving history/civics into which books they read and their projects, etc. Science and social studies were getting the short end of the stick because of our horrible obsession with standardized tests, but that has shifted (at least at my kids ES and MS in their Title 1 Cap Hill schools). They now have science every day and social studies is included in ELA and also as a separate block a few times/week.

The schools are supposed to teach to the same standards, linked above.

Right, but a lot varies on teacher quality and schedules set by admin that allows more or less time for social studies, so it is relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read all of Streetcar Named Desire out loud. In 10th grade English. At a New England boarding school that now costs $70,000 a year.

I remember reading aloud in 10th grade English too. Went to one of the big 3 dc preps and now cost $70k too.

Parents think a price tag means it’s better so then reading aloud is better

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read all of Streetcar Named Desire out loud. In 10th grade English. At a New England boarding school that now costs $70,000 a year.

notably that is a PLAY. and you read the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a DCPS kid in high school who was passionate about reading, writing, and history. But she's saying now she wants to go into the hard sciences because there is less of a prescribed agenda. Every English or Social Studies paper is about "identity" and needs to written in from an oppressor/victim POV to receive a high grade. The kids roll their eyes a bit, but they play the game. It just isn't intellectually fulfilling.

I recommend supplementing with different material and perspectives at home. That's helped us a bit.

This could be a troll but there is a kernel of truth here. My kid is younger I heard something similar from my nephew recently (not in DCPS) about the way they are taught to write in high school. I haaaaate saying this because I think the whining about CRT is overblown, but it does sound like there is so much focus on politically correct thinking that it undermines some basic education. And it backfires too, because the kids don't actually adopt the "correct" viewpoints they are spoon-fed. They get annoyed with how rigid it all is and roll their eyes at it, but have much more nuanced opinions on it all that they simply don't express to adults. Which is actually troubling. They are learning to play a game to parrot certain talking points but then not really engaging with teachers or parents on these issues.

Kernel of truth? It’s more like a supersized bucket of movie theater popcorn sized truth. Look at the summer reading list for Deal. It’s like they tore off the recommended reading list from a college gender/ethnic studies course and repackaged it like the Harvard president would.

+1 Exactly! And the school year reading list was not much different. It's hard to get middle school boys to read, and even harder when the books pushed on them are identity-based and middling. No wonder the ELA scores for boys at Deal are so much lower than the girls.

[Anonymous]

Reading out loud? Of course that happens in every class: literacy, mathematics, biology, etc.

This is about social studies!

To the OP: your child either wasn't listening when it was taught or the teachers at your es didn't teach it.

At the es level the curriculum is intertwined with the literacy. They are the one and the same. All those topics are taught at my es.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a DCPS kid in high school who was passionate about reading, writing, and history. But she's saying now she wants to go into the hard sciences because there is less of a prescribed agenda. Every English or Social Studies paper is about "identity" and needs to written in from an oppressor/victim POV to receive a high grade. The kids roll their eyes a bit, but they play the game. It just isn't intellectually fulfilling.

I recommend supplementing with different material and perspectives at home. That's helped us a bit.

This could be a troll but there is a kernel of truth here. My kid is younger I heard something similar from my nephew recently (not in DCPS) about the way they are taught to write in high school. I haaaaate saying this because I think the whining about CRT is overblown, but it does sound like there is so much focus on politically correct thinking that it undermines some basic education. And it backfires too, because the kids don't actually adopt the "correct" viewpoints they are spoon-fed. They get annoyed with how rigid it all is and roll their eyes at it, but have much more nuanced opinions on it all that they simply don't express to adults. Which is actually troubling. They are learning to play a game to parrot certain talking points but then not really engaging with teachers or parents on these issues.

Kernel of truth? It’s more like a supersized bucket of movie theater popcorn sized truth. Look at the summer reading list for Deal. It’s like they tore off the recommended reading list from a college gender/ethnic studies course and repackaged it like the Harvard president would.

+1 Exactly! And the school year reading list was not much different. It's hard to get middle school boys to read, and even harder when the books pushed on them are identity-based and middling. No wonder the ELA scores for boys at Deal are so much lower than the girls.

+1. Huge problem. DC schools have gone way too far on this topic and these books are replacing classic literature that kids should be reading. It’s a big reason we are considering private.

[Anonymous]

I’m a DCPS social studies teacher. If you’re a high school parent, make your kid take AP/IB. The general education curriculum is incredibly easy and covers simplistic concepts that your kid should already know if they watched any PBS Kids growing up.

Idk what the elementary schools do with social studies, but I’m appalled how I have to assign and often teach a world map in high school (… as in label the continents. Yeah.)

[Anonymous]

ES teacher. Placing names on maps is fun for many kids, just some people see it as rote learning and too simple. Why are they learning that when I can look it up is also a comment I hear often.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read all of Streetcar Named Desire out loud. In 10th grade English. At a New England boarding school that now costs $70,000 a year.

notably that is a PLAY. and you read the whole thing.

That's a good point. IIRC, we read Shakespeare aloud in 10th grade.