Social Studies

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As the core of our curriculum, Social Studies calls on our students to understand the experiences of people near and far. This includes understanding structures, systems, and hierarchies that exist in societies here and now—reflecting the diverse identities, backgrounds, and cultures inherent in our school and our city—as well as long ago and far away. 

This study is carried out at two levels. On a concrete level, the children, at all ages, are asked to actively study the relationships and responsibility between the group and the individual through whole-group participation in blocks and jobs.

Simultaneously, they study, on a more conceptual level, the world outside of C&C, how it works, and its larger societal connections. The young children study their family, school, neighborhood and the city around them. Older children study the history of a certain time and place for an entire year. The children are continually asked to reflect upon and analyze the lessons to be drawn from comparing the two “social studies.”

Apart from encouraging the learning of a particular set of content, Social Studies encompasses the important social learning that occurs as children work together to pose and answer questions, conduct research, share breakthroughs and frustrations with one another, and reexamine their learning through the arts and sciences. 

In this way, the children come to a deep understanding of the subject matter and are able to share what they have learned with the greater community—in older Groups through student-written and performed Plays.

Read in depth about social studies Plays–written, designed and performed by C&C students—here.

For specific examples of how social studies is integrated throughout the program, visit each year’s page: 

The 10s Recreate a Medieval Village in the Yard.