TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES

SOCIAL STUDIES METHODS SPRING, 2012

*Social Studies is more than a collection of facts for children to memorize; it is an understanding of how people, places, and events came about and how people can relate and respond to each other’s needs and desires. Social Studies is also how we develop respect for different viewpoints and cultural beliefs.

*Social Studies is the study of cultural, economic, geographic, and political aspects of past, current, and future societies.

In 1994, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) developed new standards for teaching the social studies. Through ten themes, social studies are taught in an integrated approach. To integrate the social sciences fully, it is important that the teacher understand each of the six social sciences.

Ten Themes

1.Culture2.Time, Continuity, and Change3. People, Places, and Environment4. Individual Development and Identity5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions6. Power, Authority, and Governance7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption8. Science, Technology, and Society9. Global Connections10. Civic Ideals and Practices

Six Social Sciences

1. Anthropology

2. Economics

3. Geography

4. History

5. Political Science/Civics

6. Sociology

Physical Anthropology is the study of the physical aspects of human kind. Human habitations - ancient dwellings, monuments, objects of art, tools, weapons, etc.

Cultural anthropology is concerned with the different types of human behavior, past, and present, found throughout the world.

Anthropology is the field of study concerned with the discovery of what people were like from earliest existence. Basically, the how, what, and why people change over the years.

Economics is the field of study concerned with the production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of products.

Production The making of goods and products. The study compares the goods and services provided by businesses in their community.Distribution To dispense goods or services. The study shows how goods and services are made available to consumers through advertising, selling, and shipping.Exchange involves taking one thing for another in trade; may be goods or services for money or other goods or services.Consumption is determined by the needs and wants of the buyer.

History is the study of how people lived in the past. This may include how people lived in local communities, the United States, or the world. Students study:

The gathering and interactions of peoples, cultures, and ideas - how these helped develop the culture of USA.

Economic and technological changes and their relation to society, ideas, and the environment - history of changes in the USA.

The changing role of America in the world - how American went from an isolated country to how it depends on resources and goods from other nations today.

Changes and continuity in American democracy.

Geography is the study of the earth, including its features and the distribution of its human inhabitants and other life. Students need to become familiar with the five geography themes:

Location: Describes where specific places or points are on a map or the earth’s surface

Place: Describes the unique or distinct characteristics (both physical and human) of a location.

Relationships within places: Describes how people react to their environment and the changes they make.

Movement: Characterizes how people travel from place to place, how they communicate with each other, and how they depend on products and information from other areas.Regions: Categorizing an area according to its features (climate, landform, land use, natural vegetation, culture, and etc.

Political Science, also referred to as civics, is the study of how people govern themselves.

In K-5 classrooms, the examination of the political system is important so that children gain an understanding of how government works.

In 6-8 classrooms students need to develop a coherent and consistent set of values, particularly those contained in the political documents that frame the values, beliefs, and ethical principles to which this nation adheres.

In the upper grades classes can have a self-governing board to hear about problems that arise in the classroom and decide how to solve them.

Sociology is the study of humans and their interactions in groups. Groups may be as small as a nuclear family or as large as a union. Sociologists look for common values and beliefs.

Sociologists tend to conduct case studies of either individuals or a group over a period of time. A case study usually consists of information pertaining to the daily routine of the individuals or the group.

K = Awareness of Self in a Social Setting

1st = Understanding School and Family

2nd = The Neighborhood

3rd = The Community

4th = The Region

5th = The United States & Its Close Neighbors - Canada& Mexico

6th = The Eastern Hemisphere

7th = A Global View - the world as a home of many different people

8th = The United States - history and economic development

SCOPE AND SEQUENCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES

The Definition of StandardsStandards are statements of what students should know and be able to do.

Different types of standards address various aspects important to learning:

Content standards cover what students are to learn in various subject areas, such as mathematics and science. 

Performance standards specify what levels of learning are expected.

 Opportunity-to-learn standards state the conditions and resources necessary to give all students an equal chance to meet performance standards.

World-class standards indicate content and performances that are expected of students in other industrialized countries.

This term is also attached to the movement in the United States to bring U.S. students' academic achievement and knowledge on a par with students' accomplishments in the other industrialized countries.

Source: From The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms, by J. L. McBrien & R. S. Brandt, p. 93, 1997, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Performance DescriptorsThe performance descriptors are organized into proficiency levels. These proficiency levels describe the content and processes that a student at a given proficiency level would be expected to know, demonstrate, or perform. To identify increasing proficiency in social studies, the levels are labeled as follows:Advanced: A student performing at the advanced level exceeds expectations for that grade level. The student is able to perform the content standards for the grade at a high level of difficulty, complexity, or fluency beyond that specified by the grade-level standards.Proficient: A student performing at the proficient level meets expectations for that grade level. The student is able to perform the content standards for the grade at the level of difficulty, complexity, or fluency specified by the grade-level standards.Basic: A student performing at the basic level performs below expectations for that grade level. The student is able to perform some of the content standards for the grade below the level of difficulty, complexity, or fluency specified by the grade-level standards.

ACTIVITIES

3-5th Grade Social Studies Standards

K-2nd Grade Social Studies Standards

6-8th Grade Social Studies Standards