Social Studies
The Social Studies curriculum places a strong emphasis on the history and geography of the United States as well as that of the leading countries of the world. Students become very familiar with the people of the major countries of the world, their governments, and their leaders.
Many educators criticize the social studies curricula in many schools throughout the United States because a number of years ago, when history and geography were combined to form social studies, geography was often watered down and, in many cases, nearly totally eliminated.
Nearly everyone is aware of the numerous recent studies, which have been widely reported in the news media, that have pointed out how poorly prepared American high school and college students are in geography. This is not the case at Wayland Academy, where geography is strongly emphasized at all levels of the social studies curriculum. Each classroom has modern up-to-date wall maps of the United States and the World. Geography as well as the important geography skills are continually reviewed and reinforced.
Students in Kindergarten are made aware of the people and places that are important in their community. The children begin to learn about the various cultural backgrounds of the other children in the class. They explore these other cultures through cooking, music and dance, arts and crafts, visitors, books, and films. Students also celebrate the holidays of various ethnic and religious groups and are introduced to important Americans of the past and present.
In grades 1 and 2, children become aware of the importance of their environment and the need for conservation and the control of pollution. They study about Native Americans, Christopher Columbus, Colonial America, important early American leaders, and geography of the important cities and states of the United States. Familiarity with basic map skills is also stressed.
In order to offer a broad prospective of world cultures, students in grades 3 and 4 concentrate on one important era in United States history and also study at least one country in each of the Eastern and Western Hemispheres each year. Geography, including map skills, is vital to the social studies curriculum. In order to make the program as realistic as possible, guest speakers are invited to speak on their areas of expertise. Frequent field trips are also arranged to visit museums and important historical places in the Massachusetts area.
Students in grades 5 and 6 study the history of the world from ancient civilizations to modern times, including government and world dynamics. Through a variety of field trips to area museums, as well as through detailed projects and presentations, students have the opportunity to learn about intriguing events in world history and culture. Students keep abreast of global current events and study how these events impact their community, their nation, and the world. Many schools to which our graduates have gone have commented on the advanced ability and general knowledge that Wayland Academy graduates posses in the areas of geography, history and government.