Social Studies Department

The Einstein School Social Studies department believes that studying the past is critical to building a better future.

Einstein Social Studies classes are designed to develop critical thinking and analytical skills that will serve students in all areas of study

This incorporates:

  • making inferences from primary and secondary sources
  • using specialized vocabulary appropriately
  • collaborative thinking
  • actively exploring materials.

The department promotes diversity and cultural awareness through exposure to different cultures, the rich histories of different countries, and of the evolution of human institutions.

Our mission is to empower the students who will build that future by providing them a historical context to make connections between the past and present, and better understand the world around them.  

Most importantly, in accordance with the Einstein School spirit, we believe in creating an environment where creative thinking is encouraged, celebrated, and integral to the student’s classroom experience.

Lower School Social Studies

Social Studies for LS students is designed to lay the foundational knowledge that students will use in High School Social Studies courses and beyond. Whether learning how to navigate the globe using longitude and latitude, the founding of our nation, or Remembering the Alamo, our Lower School students will explore our world through geographical, historical, and cultural studies. Through the use of verbal, written, and creative expression, our students engage with history today, in modern and relevant ways. 

This course focuses on the study of the physical features, places, environments, cultures, and the living organisms that inhabit the world. Students will look at the interaction and relationship between people and the physical environment and will discover why the study of geography is important to our past, present, and future. Also, they will examine the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual developments of the various regions of our Earth.
This course covers the history of Texas from early times to the present. Students examine the full scope of Texas history, including Natural Teas and its People; Age of Contact; Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early Statehood; Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and railroads; Age of Oil, Texas in the Great Depression and WWII; Civil Rights and Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas eras. The focus in each era is on key individuals, evens, and issues and their impact. Students identify regions of Texas and the distribution of population within and among the regions and explain the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society. Students describe the structure and functions of municipal, county, and state governments, explain the influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution, and examine the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens.
This course is designed to study the history of the United States fro the early colonial period through Reconstruction. Historical content focuses on the political, economic, religious, and social events and issues related to the colonial and revolutionary eras, the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution, challenges of the early republic, the Age of Jackson, westward expansion, sectionalism, the Civil War and Reconstruction.
This one-year course focuses on the world during the twentieth century. Students will study the key events, people, and issues of the century and will gain an understanding of why they developed. The course is an in-depth study of major historical themes and will include units on imperialism, world wars, the post-colonial world, conflicts, and genocide.

High School Social Studies

These courses survey higher levels of Social Studies to foster curiosity of the world around us. Students are encouraged to discover, question, and share in a safe and respectful environment. Students will deepen their understanding of geography, global events that contribute to our own history, and the functions of federal and state governments. Through written expression, discussion, and examination of primary and secondary sources, high school students will explore their world and its events.

This course is a comprehensive study of the earth, its regions, and the people who've in these regions Students wills study topography, weather, and climate of each region as well as the languages, customs, and ways of living of the people who inhabit these regions. In addition, the interaction of people with the environment and with each other will be studied Students will become familiar with the relative locations of the world's continents, oceans, and countries and will learn to use maps, charts, graphs, and other methods of research used by geographers. The characteristics of regions will be analyzed in addition to the impact of technology and human modifications on the physical environment.
This course provides students with a chronological study of world history. The major emphasis of this course is on the stud of significant people, events, and issues fro the earliest times to the present. Students will examine historical points of reference, evaluate the causes and effects of political and economic imperialism, the historic origins of contemporary economic systems, trace the historical development of law, and analyze the impact of major religious and philosophical traditions. Students will analyze the connections between major developments in science and technology and the growth of industrial economies.
This course is a study of the political, social, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from pre-colonialism to the post-cold war era. Students will use critical thinking skills and a variety of primary and secondary source material to explain how significant individuals, issues, ideas, and events affect our country's history, present, and future. Themes that may be addressed include American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, urbanization and suburbanization, the expansion of the federal government, and the study of U.S. foreign policy. 
This one-semester course is to prepare the students for decision-making within the framework of the American political system. The study topics include the philosophical background of our constitutional framework, federalism, and the branches of government. In addition, students will study the fields of civil rights and liberties, political parties and participation, policy formation, the Texas Constitution, and state and local government. Son completion, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts and participatory processes of the American political system. Basic concepts of Texas government and its relationships with the federal government are also examined.
In this one-semester course, students will gain a greater understanding of economic concepts and practices ranging from the viewpoint of the individual consumer or small business owner to the global economy. Various types of economic systems and decisions, economic indicators and cycles are explained as well as personal economic decision-making concepts like credit and interest rates. Financial and governmental institutions workings are detailed as well as this course relates history and politics to the study of economics.