Q: When I was in school, nothing was mentioned about any other early settlement besides Plymouth Rock. What are the children’s books teaching today?
—Carolyn Rauch, Jonesboro
A: Decisions regarding textbooks are made at local levels, but the state has set guidelines according to the Georgia Performance Standards (2016-17) and the Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies (2017-18).
The Georgia colony is studied in the second grade and in the eighth grade in Georgia’s public schools, a Georgia Department of Education spokesman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Fourth-graders study British colonization, but that topic will be moved to the third grade next year, he wrote.
Colonization is studied more in-depth in high school history classes and the standards “identify additional significant events related to specific colonies.”
An area of study includes Virginia’s growth, including the Virginia Company and “relationships with Native Americans such as Powhatan.”
Q: What happened to the carousel in Piedmont Park the last two Christmas seasons? It previously was by the Legacy Fountain and the last two were down by Park Tavern.
—Gary Furin, Atlanta
A: The carousel was brought in for Piedmont Park's "Season of Magic" promotion that wasn't scheduled in 2016.
The park is working on plans to bring the “Season of Magic” and the carousel back this year, a spokesman told Q&A on the News in an email.
The “Season of Magic” was held from Thanksgiving to early January.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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