SOCIAL STUDIES

SOCIAL STUDIES

What we Teach,

Why we Teach It

Why History Matters…

 "Memory is what makes us who we

are. If we lost all of our memory

whenever we fell asleep at night, it

would be the same as if we died and

a new person woke up in our body

the next morning. History is the

memory of a nation."



Thomas Sowell, "The Vision of the Anointed."

What We Teach:

History and the Social Sciences



 Social sciences include history as

well as geography, economics,

psychology, anthropology,

political science/civics and

sociology

 Diversity of curriculum develops

a broad spectrum of learning

Why We Teach It, or

Why Study the Social Sciences?

 To understand people and societies

 To understand change and how the

society we live in came to be

 To understand the importance of

history in our own lives

 To understand how history contributes

to moral understanding

Why Study Social Sciences?

(continued)

 To provide identity—

cultural literacy: a

shared history that is

assumed all already

know.

 To become responsible

citizens

Why Study Social Sciences?

(continued)

 To develop essential skills

• Critical thinking

• Questioning

• Making connections

• Adapting to new

situations



 To succeed in the

world of work

What Do Our 17-Year-Olds Know?



 Intercollegiate Studies Institute (non-

profit) gave students at 25 selective

colleges a civic literacy test

• Freshman scored 56.6%

• Seniors scored 59.4%

• Harvard seniors 69.6%--passing?

• Less than half of college seniors knew that

NATO was formed to resist Soviet expansion.

It’s Not your Parents’ Social

Studies class

 Schools used to emphasize solely the

memorization of facts.



 Today the emphasis is on skills

(concepts, connections and application)

because of the concern that students in

the U.S. are leaving high school without

the necessary skills to function in higher

education and the workforce in order to be

globally competitive.

However, content is just as

necessary because:

• it provides context

and perspective for

new learning

• it helps us reconcile

time and space

• some is essential to

build a framework for

skill development

• skills without facts

result in knowledge

gaps

Our Focus is on Essential

Questions

 Essential Questions are questions that:

• get students to think

• do not have a “right” answer

• can be debated

• point to big ideas

• help students make sense of difficult concepts





Example: What does it mean to be an

American?

How are we preparing our students

for the 21st century?

 What skills are

needed?

 What skills are we

teaching?

 How are students

responding?

 Are our methods

working?

 Are they learning?

Partnership of 21st Century Skills

developed this framework:

In Other Words, the skills needed in

the 21st Century are:

• Creativity and innovation

• Critical thinking and problem solving

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Information literacy

• Media literacy

21st Century Skills (continued)



 Information and Communication

Technology literacy

 Flexibility and adaptability

 Initiative and self-direction

 Social and cross-cultural skills

 Productivity and accountability

 Leadership and responsibility

New Jersey State Standards

for Social Studies

 Social Studies Skills

 Civics

 World History

 United States / New Jersey History

 Economics



 Geography

Our Curriculum:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 Kindergarten: Belonging and Family

 Grade 1: Belonging and Neighborhoods

 Grade 2: Belonging and Communities/

Citizenship

 Grade 3: Lenape/Ethnic Heritage/

Immigration

 Grade 4: Colonization/American

Revolution/Government (U.S. & NJ)

 Grade 5: 5 Themes of Geography/Ancient

Civilizations

Essential Questions, Grades 1-

5

 What is family? How can differences bring

people together?

 How do communities meet the needs of its

members?

 What are the elements of Lenape culture?

 How does the movement of people affect

others and the physical environment

around them?

 How does geography impact humans?

How do humans impact geography?

5th Grade Task

 Person of Positive Achievement

• Talk about the characteristics of such a person

• Decide by consensus on a list of about 6

• Read “around the topic”

• Pick a person to study to research

• Use online and reference materials

• Take notes

• Cite sources

• Write a 3-5 paragraph essay explaining why

the person chosen meets the criteria

• Word process the document

Our Curriculum:

MIDDLE SCHOOL

 Grade 6

• World History

 Topics: Geography / Birth of



Civilization / Early Societies

 Grades 7 and 8

• “A” Year (Social Sciences):

Civics

• “B” Year (US History, 1600 -

1870: United States History,

Colonization through

Reconstruction

Essential Questions, Grade 6

 Why are the legacies of one society

important to another society?

 How does the culture of a society

influence its development?

 What happens when cultures collide?

 Is government essential in a society?

 What causes a society to want to

expand?

6th Grade Research Task

 Museum exhibit



• Choose a society that has had a

significant impact on the world

• Research the society and a specific

person, event or development

• Write an essay

• Construct a physical artifact/model

• Create a multimedia presentation

Essential Questions

Grades 7/8 A (Social Sciences)

• How does government affect human

development?

• Is any political system the best?

• How does a nation’s government affect its

relations with its citizens and the rest of the

world?

• How is wealth distributed among individuals

and nations?

• How does the use and distribution of

available resources affect people’s lives?

Essential Questions

Grades 7/8 B (U.S. History)

 Can different cultures blend and appreciate

each other?

 How does where you live effect how you

live?

 Why do people revolt?

 How do governments balance the common

good and individual rights?

 Is compromise the best solution to solve

conflict?

 What qualities make an effective leader?

7th/8th Grade Research Task

 Examine 10 significant events in world or

U.S. history

 Choose one event to explore in more

depth

 Locate 2 additional sources, take notes,

develop a thesis and write a 5-paragraph

research paper

 Math connection: collect data, place it in

a spreadsheet and create a chart or graph

to present to peers in science class

Our Curriculum:

High School

 *Grade 9: Government & Economics

 *Grade 10: United States History

 *Grade 11: Global Studies

 Grades 11 & 12: many choices of

electives



 *Required for graduation

Essential Questions

Grade 9 (Government & Economics)

 Does any one form of government best

protect the rights of the individuals?

 What role should government play in

balancing the needs of individuals versus

the needs of the community?

 Does the government have the

responsibility to protect the rights of all

people?

 Can there be a truly “free” economy?

 What role should government play in the

distribution of wealth?

Essential Questions

Grade 10 (U.S. History)

 How does war impact society and the

individuals involved in war? What can be

learned from war?

 How does the global community affect the

U.S?

 How did the U.S. government expand its

involvement in the economy during the

1930s?

 How does propaganda influence people’s

opinions and actions?

 What was and is the role of the U.S. in the

world?

Essential Questions

Grade 11(Global Studies)

 How has the spread of religion shaped our

world?

 Why are regions of the world interdependent?

 Is it possible for China to maintain a more

open economy in a society that is still closed

politically?

 What does the rise of India mean for the rest

of the world?

 How is globalization changing the face of

South Asia?

 How has Russia’s failure to develop a vibrant

economic system caused a cycle of reform

and repression in Russian political life?

Electives

 In grades 11 & 12, students may choose from

the following electives. Currently there are 923

students enrolled in social studies electives at

SBHS:

• Holocaust & Genocide

• Race, Class & Gender

• American Justice

• Sociology

• Anthropology

• IPLE

• The Vietnam Era

• Psychology

More Electives

 Students may also choose from the

following Advanced Placement courses,

provided they meet the prerequisites:

• European History

• U.S. History

• U.S. Government

• Comparative Governments

• Psychology

Co-curricular activities

 The following clubs and activities related

to the social studies are offered at the

high school:

• Psychology Club

• Military Education Club

• Model UN

• Dead Presidents Society (history

club)

• Phi Alpha Theta (history honor

society)

So, Your Child Wants to Major in

Social Studies?

 What can you do with a major in

history/social studies?

• Become an educator

• Become a writer/editor/journalist

• Become a librarian/archivist/museum

curator/historic preservationist

• Become a lawyer or paralegal

• Become a psychologist

• Work for a non-profit organization

• These are just a few of the opportunities

available

How Does Social Studies Apply

Outside the Classroom?

 It provides knowledge and understanding

and the ability to think, adapt and

question

 It educates people for citizenship “in a

multicultural, democratic society” (Star

Ledger Sept ’08)—E pluribus unum: out

of many, one

“And if we think them (the people) not

enlightened enough, the remedy is to

inform them by education.”

~Thomas Jefferson

What does this all mean?

 “If we dedicate ourselves to studying

our history rightly, if we take the

time to look at the entirety of our

firmament, we will see what our

Founders saw we could be, what

foreigners who came here saw all

along, and what we ourselves can—

even today—see once again.”

--William J. Bennett

Where can you find it?

 In your own backyard: resources for

discovering our local history—a

presentation

Sources

 American Historical Association

 Equipped for the Future Content

Standards

 National Council for the Social

Studies

 The History Channel

Presenters

 Nicole Pormilli

nicole.pormilli@sbschools.org

 Janet Gleim

janet.gleim@sbschools.org

 Tim Wright

twright@sbschools.org

 Corie Gaylord

cgaylord@sbschools.org