Uruguay Primary School Curriculum - History (4th/5th Grade)

This information is based on the official curriculum documents published by the Administración Nacional de Educación Pública (ANEP) of Uruguay.

Tramo 3 (3rd and 4th Grade)

• America in the World: This unit covers the spatial and temporal location of America, along with general cultural aspects of the pre-Iberian, American, and regional periods. Students learn about historical maps and timelines.
• Cultural and Artistic Manifestations: This unit explores the cultural and artistic expressions of various pre-Columbian civilizations, such as the Nazca, Olmec, Toltec, Guarani, and Querandi.
• Peoples of America Before European Exploration: This unit examines the diversity, development, tensions, and conflicts of the peoples of America before the arrival of Europeans. It covers political structures, socio-economic organization, and artistic achievements. A case study of a specific civilization (e.g., Maya, Inca, Aztec, or Guarani) is included.
• European Voyages of Exploration and Expansion: This unit focuses on the innovations and interests that drove European exploration and expansion in the 15th and 16th centuries. Individual and collective protagonists from the Iberian Peninsula are studied, using resources such as travelers' letters, chronicles, and maps.
• Discovery, Conquest, and Colonization: This unit examines a case study of discovery, conquest, and colonization, considering different perspectives and academic revisions on its scope and effects. The political, health, commercial, food, and cultural consequences of the formation of Spanish and Portuguese America and the struggles between the two empires are explored.

Tramo 4 (5th and 6th Grade)

• The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1810: This unit covers the geography, economy, and society of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1810. It also explores the Oriental Revolution and José Artigas' project, including key ideas and events from 1811-1820. Students work with timelines and documents such as the Instructions of the Year XIII, the Tariff Regulations, and the Regulation for the Promotion of the Countryside and Security of its Farmers of 1815.
• Independence and Consolidation: This unit examines the liberation campaign (Cruzada Libertadora) and the laws of August 25, 1825. It also covers the Preliminary Peace Convention, the role of England (1828), the Constitution of 1830, and the challenges in consolidating Uruguay's independence (1830-1876). Political, economic, and social processes of the period are studied, including political factions, leaders (caudillos and doctores), ways of life in the countryside and the city, the Guerra Grande, and the politics of Fusion and Pacts.
• Modernization and Nation-Building: This unit focuses on the modernization of Uruguay and the consolidation of the nation-state (1876-1903). Economic and social changes, immigration and its contributions, ways of life and cultural expressions in rural and urban areas are explored. The unit also covers Militarism, the Varelian reform and its school principles, and Uruguay in the early 20th century (ideas, arts, and trades).
• History as a Science and the 20th Century: This unit introduces history as a science and the study of the 20th century. It covers scientific criteria for seeking objectivity in history (dimensions of analysis, facts, data, concepts, and reasoned interpretations), and the differences between history and memory. Tools for analyzing the past, such as historical documents, maps, and timelines, are also introduced. The unit then delves into the history of the 20th century, including the World Wars and their consequences, the Russian Revolution, the USSR and real socialism, totalitarian regimes and genocides (e.g., the Holodomor), and the Holocaust. International organizations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) are also discussed.
• Uruguay in the 20th Century: This unit covers Uruguay's history in the 20th century, divided into several periods:
• First Half (1903-1958): The Batllista period, political, social, and economic transformations, the role of the state, agriculture and industry, the ISI model, the secularization of the state, the 1933 coup d'état, opposition to the regime, differences between the 1919 and 1934 constitutions, universal suffrage, education, thought, arts, the second Batllismo, and daily life.
• Crisis and Democratic Recovery (1959-1985): Economic and social evolution, the 1967 Constitution, the Cold War in Uruguay, the guerrilla movement, threats to republican and democratic institutions, the political evolution of the period, the coup d'état and the civic-military dictatorship (1973-1985), human, civil, and political rights violations, the 1980 plebiscite, and the return to democracy.
• Developments, Transformations, and Challenges (1986-2010): Main economic and political features, regional and international insertion (ALADI-MERCOSUR), the world of work and its transformations, the impact of science and technology, urban and rural arts and cultures, migrations, and the planet and its resources in historical perspective.

Both Tramo 3 and Tramo 4 emphasize active learning methodologies, such as project-based learning, inquiry, and problem-solving, to foster critical thinking and historical understanding. The curriculum also encourages the use of diverse resources, including digital texts, games, and field trips, to enhance learning. Formative assessment is prioritized, with an emphasis on providing students with clear evaluation criteria and opportunities for self- and peer-assessment.