K-8 Social Studies units
It is the goal of RSU5 to provide instruction that is aligned to the current Maine Learning Results Social Studies Standards. Each grade level (K-8) has a minimum of 3 units. At the high school level, these courses are required.
View Social Studies units here.
Kindergarten
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations
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Unit 1: How Do I Fit In My School? (Citizenship) |
1. What does it mean to be a positive, active member of a community? 2. What are my roles and responsibilities within my communities?
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Unit 2: Stories of the Past |
1. Why do we remember and celebrate things that happened or people who lived long ago? 2. Why do we remember and study influential people? How were they able to create change? |
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Unit 3: Community and Geography |
1. What does my community have/need/want? 2. What geographical features are in my community and how do they impact how I live?
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Grade 1
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Our Community |
1. Where do I live in the world? (my home, my town, my state, my country, my world) 2. What are some jobs in our community? (family, school, city/town, state) 3. How can we make our community (family, school, city, town, state) a better one?
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Unit 2: Government Around Us |
1. What strategies can I use to solve problems and help my classroom community? 2. How are spending, saving, and sharing ways to use money?
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Unit 3: Commonalities of Individuals and Groups |
1. How are my beliefs, traditions, and languages the same and different from others in my class? What are some of the beliefs, traditions, and languages within Native American communities? 2. How is my life different today than it was for families long ago in history? (tools, jobs, living, traditions, etc.)
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Grade 2
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Culture Studies |
1. What is culture? 2. How can I develop respect and understanding for my culture, and other cultures? 3. How is my culture the same or different from other cultures? |
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Unit 2: Wabanaki Studies Across Time and Culture |
1. What is history? 2. How do people learn about history? 3. What are different ways people lived in the past? 4. How is Wabanaki culture the same and different from other cultures? |
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Unit 3: Geography Studies |
1. What is geography? 2. What are some geographic features of Maine? 3. How does geography affect people's daily lives? 4. What geographical features are in Maine and how do they impact our needs/wants?
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Grade 3
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Geography and Mapping of Maine |
1. How does geography (climate, physical features, plants, animals, people) affect life in Maine? 2. How can we use maps as tools to represent our community? 3. How do maps communicate where goods and resources are located in Maine? 4. How do we understand the perspective of a specific map? |
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Unit 2: Civics and Government of Maine |
1. Why do the people in the state of Maine need a government? 2. How is our state government organized? 3. What are some important rights and responsibilities of Maine citizens? 4. How do citizens enact their duties and responsibilities when there is injustice? 5. What makes a law good? How have rules and laws treated people unfairly based on their group identities? |
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Unit 3: History of Our Community (Durham, Freeport, Pownal)
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1. How have the RSU5 communities (Durham, Freeport, Pownal) changed over time? |
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Grade 4
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Economics |
1. How and why do people make economic decisions? 2. How have economic systems evolved over time? |
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Unit 2: Maine History |
1. What significant historical events helped to create Maine’s identity? 2. What has the Maine Wabanaki experience been over time? |
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Unit 3: Geography |
1. How does Maine’s geography impact Maine industry and resources?
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Unit 4: Maine Government
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1. Why is government important? 2. How are the US/Maine’s government structured?
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Grade 5
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Geography (US/World) |
1. What are some impacts of the interactions between people and the environment? |
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Unit 2: United States Government
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1. What is the purpose of the government?
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Unit 3: Economics |
1. How and why do people make decisions about money? (income, family structure, risk vs. reward, saving, budgeting, etc)
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Grade 6
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Prehistory |
1. How do people adapt to their environment? 2. What was life like during the Paleolithic age? 3. How did people adapt during the ice ages? 4. Why did people begin to farm? 5. How did farming change people’s lives? 6. What was life like during the Neolithic Age? 7. What characteristics did early civilizations share? |
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Unit 2: Mesopotamia |
1. How did geography influence the way people lived in the Middle East in ancient times? 2. What defines a “civilization?” 3. Why does conflict develop? 4. What is the role and purpose of government? |
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Unit 3: Ancient Egypt |
1. How did geography influence the way people lived in Ancient Egypt? 2. What makes a unique culture? 3. Why do civilizations rise and fall?
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Grade 7
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Wabanaki Studies |
1. What cultural elements define the Wabanaki? 2. What was the impact of colonization on the Wabanaki homeland? 3. How and why do culturally biased stereotypes transfer into our culture? |
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Unit 2: Colonial America |
1. How did the geography of North America influence the way people lived in the American colonies? 2. How do new ideas change the way people live? |
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Unit 3: Westward Expansion |
1. How did Manifest Destiny affect different groups of people with and around the U.S.? 2. What push-pull factors impacted westward expansion? 3. How do new ideas change the way people live?
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Grade 8
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Immigration |
1. Why were people willing to uproot their lives and leave everything behind to move to a new home? 2. What was the experience like for immigrants? 3. How has immigration changed and stayed the same over time? |
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Unit 2: Government Structure and Bill of Rights |
1. How is our government a government of the people ? 2. Why is our government designed the way that it is? |
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Unit 3: Industrialization |
1. How did America change during the industrial era? 2. What are the factors that lead to industrialization? 3. How were people impacted by the change in the nation?
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High School - Global Studies
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: What is Culture? |
1. What is culture? 2. How should we study/view cultures other than our own? |
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Unit 2: Geography |
1. What basic understandings of geography do we need to have to understand regions of the world? 2. How does geography affect the development of cultures? 3. What is the impact of globalization on the development of cultures throughout the world? |
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Unit 3: The Middle East |
1. How did the Middle East become the birthplace of civilization? 2. What are the Abrahamic religions and how did they arise and grow in the Middle East? 3. How did the growth of these religions impact the development of civilization in the region? 4. What are the ongoing contemporary issues that the region faces today? |
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Unit 4: South Asia (India) |
1. What is the role of religion in Indian culture and society? 2. How do the beliefs and practices of Hinduism and Buddhism shape the way people in India live their lives? 3. What factors led to the Indian Independence Movement, and what impact did it have on India and the world? 4. How does the history and culture of India contribute to its identity as a nation? 5. How do the legacies of colonialism and independence shape India's place in the world today? 6. How can nonviolent civil disobedience be used to achieve societal changes? |
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Unit 5: China |
1. What were the main characteristics of early Chinese civilization? 2. What were the key accomplishments of early Dynasties? 3. What were the main differences between the Nationalists and Communists? 4. What was the role of Mao Zedong in Chinese history? 5. What were the goals and consequences of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution? 6. How has China emerged as an important world power in the present and what role does China play in current geopolitics? |
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Unit 6: Africa |
1. How has Africa's history shaped its present-day economy, society, and culture? 2. How did European imperialism and colonization impact Africa's political and economic development? 3. What were the major social and economic effects of the transatlantic slave trade? 4. How did African countries gain independence from European colonial rule, and what were the challenges they faced? 5. How have African countries navigated the challenges of modern economic development? 6. How has the diversity of Africa's cultures, religions, and ethnic groups contributed to the region's history and shaped its contemporary society?
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High School- American History
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Pre-Columbian America Through the Revolution |
1. How/why did people come to America? 2. What did culture/civilization look like prior to European colonization? How did European powers colonize North America? 3. What were regional differences in British North America? 4. What were some of the causes of the American Revolution? 5. What is the purpose of the government? 6. What were some of the results of the Revolution? |
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Unit 2: Forming a New Nation |
1. What were some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? 2. What events/circumstances led to the creation of the Constitution? 3. How did the Constitution address the issues presented by the Articles of Confederation? 4. What were some of the early challenges to the Constitution? |
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Unit 3: The Growing Nation |
1. How did the United States expand to the Pacific Ocean? 2. What were the consequences of Westward Expansion? 3. How did political, social, and economic forces shape the expansion of the United States? |
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Unit 4: Civil War and Reconstruction |
1. What were the causes of the Civil War? 2. What was the significance of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation? 3. Why was 1863 a Turning Point of the War? 4. Why did the Union win the Civil War? 5. What were the various Reconstruction Plans? 6. How was Reconstruction a success/failure? |
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Unit 5: America’s Changing Role on the World Stage |
1. What was the impact of the Cold War on US foreign and domestic policy? 2. How did this era influence the expansive (non-isolationist/hegemonic) role of the U.S. in the world today? |
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Unit 6: Changing America/Contemporary America |
1. What is the US role in Middle Eastern Conflicts? 2. What was the impact of 9/11 on US foreign and domestic policy? 3. How has the Patriot Act changed life in America? |
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High School- American Government and Economics
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Founding Documents (Declaration and Constitution) |
1. What are the principles and mechanisms embedded within our founding documents? |
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Unit 2: Legislative Branch |
1. What are the key elements of Article I of the Constitution, and how do these play out within our democracy? |
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Unit 3: Executive Branch |
1. What are the key elements of Article II of the Constitution, and how do these play out within our democracy? |
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Unit 4: The Judicial Branch |
1. What are the key elements of Article III of the Constitution, and how do these play out within our democracy? |
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Unit 5: Economics |
1. What are the key principles of a capitalist economic system? 2. What is the relationship between government actions and economic outcomes? 3. What are the basic elements of financial literacy?
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High School- Modern World Conflict
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Unit Title |
Guiding Questions |
Performance Expectations |
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Unit 1: Pre-20th Century Background |
In MWC, students collect evidence throughout the entire semester from primary/secondary sources to address the following questions:
1. How have geographic factors such as location, access to natural resources, and human-environmental interactions driven modern world conflicts? 2. How have conflicts affected the modern world’s geography? 3. How has the purpose of government evolved throughout modern world history? 4. How have the competing ideals of “maintaining individual liberty” and “working towards the common good” shaped the development of modern society? 5. What have been the positive and negative effects of nationalism throughout modern world history? 6. How have competing political ideologies and systems driven modern world conflicts? 7. How have challenges to political institutions by marginalized peoples manifested throughout modern world history? 8. How has economic development throughout the world acted as a catalyst for both social progress and division? 9. How has systemic discrimination shaped modern world society? 10. Which ongoing issues in the modern world are going to shape the rest of the 21st century, and in what ways? |
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Unit 2: WWI |
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Unit 3: WWII & The Holocaust |
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Unit 4: Cold War |
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Unit 5: Legacies of of 20th Century Conflict |
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Revised May 2023