Manchester Essex Regional School District Piloting Inquiry-Based Social Studies Curriculum

Superintendent Pam Beaudoin and Director of Curriculum Heather Leonard are proud to share that MERSD has been awarded a competitive grant from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to support “Investigating History,” a newly developed History/Social Science curriculum. Teachers in Grades 5-7 are participating in a field test of the high-quality curriculum resources to expand access to high-quality social science curriculum.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education developed the “Investigating History” project, which aims to create curriculum materials that align to the state social studies. 

“Investigating History” is inquiry-based which encourages student curiosity and promotes critical thinking skills, collaboration, and communication.

Instruction is teacher-guided rather than teacher-delivered. Teachers pose one or more big-picture questions to guide students, who ask further questions and investigate sources as part of the inquiry. Finally, they make claims supported by evidence to answer the essential questions.

At Manchester Essex Regional Middle School, students in Social Science teacher Kristen Degnan’s Grade 6 class created timelines for a unit on human origins to better understand the vast history of Earth. The students condensed 4.5 billion years into the 100 yards of a football field, plotting major milestones and even recreating what they learned on the High School turf field.

Students created their own Paleolithic Era tools using soap, pencils, rocks, and popsicle sticks, learning the skill and creativity early humans had developed.

“Implementing our new curriculum tool has been a fantastic journey thus far!” Degnan said. “I have been impressed with its depth and quality – from the organization of the lessons and materials to the high level of student engagement, Investigating History has helped our class enjoy an inquiry-based approach to learning.”

“Inquiry-based education is a powerful tool in helping our students to become curious about the world and to think critically,” Superintendent Beaudoin said. “We strive through our Vision of a Graduate to ensure our students value collaboration and respect different cultures, and have an incredible impact on their world after graduation.”