Valar Morghulis

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 Six Social Sciences

1.Culture 1. Anthropology
2.Time, Continuity, and Change
3. People, Places, and Environment
2. Economics
4. Individual Development and Identity
5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
6. Power, Authority, and Governance
3. Geography
7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption
8. Science, Technology, and Society
4. History
9. Global Connections
10. Civic Ideals and Practices
5. Political
Science/Civics
6. Sociology
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.
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.
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:
Changes and continuity in American democracy.
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.
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.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE IN SOCIAL STUDIES
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

The Definition of Standards
Standards 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 Descriptors
The 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
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
some of the content standards for the grade below the level of
difficulty, complexity, or fluency specified by the grade-level
standards.

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TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES

SOCIAL STUDIES METHODS

Ten Themes Six Social Sciences

Physical Anthropology is the study of the

Cultural anthropology is concerned with the

Production The making of goods and products. The

The gathering and interactions of peoples, cultures, and

Economic and technological changes and their relation to society,

The changing role of America in the world - how

In K-5 classrooms, the examination of the political system is

In 6-8 classrooms students need to develop a coherent and

In the upper grades classes can have a self-governing board to

Sociologists tend to conduct case studies of either

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&

6th = The Eastern Hemisphere

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

8th = The United States - history and economic development

Different types of standards address various aspects important to learning:

Performance standards specify what levels of learning are expected.

Opportunity-to-learn standards state the conditions and resources necessary to

World-class standards indicate content and performances that are expected of

Source: From The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms, by J. L. McBrien

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