Social Studies: Exploring the World Around Us

You may remember social studies as memorizing facts about crops and industries in each state, important dates from the American Revolution, and the names of state capitals. And, if you're like us, you've probably forgotten most of what you learned, and perhaps even why you learned it. Think about it for a minute. Why was learning social studies important when you were in school? Why should it be included in the curriculum for young children today?

Social studies is the study of people--how they live, work, get along with others, solve problems, and shape and are shaped by their surroundings. Children learn social studies by exploring the world around them. The content of the social studies curriculum should allow your child to explore important concepts and learn how to do research.

The major elements in a social studies curriculum should include:

• basic human needs
• human similarities and differences
• human interdependence
• rights and responsibilities
• people and the places they live
• people and the past

The skills your child should be learning

First things first: social studies start close to home

Learning citizenship through social studies

Questions to ask your child's teacher

The Skills Your Child Should be Learning

According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, to become effective mathematical thinkers, students must learn about:

• patterns and relationships
• number concepts and operations
• estimation
• geometry and spatial relationships
• measurement
• probability and statistics

These components form the basis for mathematics instruction. In every grade, your children should have opportunities to work in each of these areas.

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First Things First: Social Studies Start Close to Home

Some people advocate that young children should begin to learn a core of knowledge in first, second, and third grades--world geography, world and American civilization, and history. While we agree that this knowledge is an important part of children's education, our experience and child development research tell us that when concepts and ideas are too far removed from a child's first-hand experience, they have little meaning. Children have to be able to build on what they know and connect new information to the familiar. In this way, when they learn factual information, they begin to see patterns and make sense of what is unfamiliar. Ours in an age where information is constantly changing. To prepare for a productive life in the 21st century, your child has to learn how to think, ask questions, find information, and solve problems, not just memorize facts.

For these reasons, we believe that primary grade children should explore social studies first using experiences right in their immediate environment. For example, it's certainly true they can learn about distance, direction, and map keys by looking at world maps. But they can learn the same information far more easily by making maps of their rooms at home, their classroom, the school, or even their neighborhood. They can learn how people function in groups by studying their families or communities before they study American or world history. With the "first things first" approach, social studies instruction can build on children's natural curiosity to explore the world around them.

Learning Citizenship through Social Studies

The ability to function in a democratic community--citizenship--is an important component of the social studies curriculum. When the classroom functions as a community, children practice responsible citizenship on a day-to-day basis. They make choices, learn to accept different points of view and different ways of thinking, and are encouraged to treat others with respect. Your child's experience in a classroom community can provide a daily environment where all individuals have rights and responsibilities, where each child contributes to the well-being of others and at the same time is able to express and feel proud of his or her cultural heritage.

We encourage teachers to recognize how discussions as simple as assigning classroom jobs enable children to bring the social studies curriculum to life. In this example, big concepts such as responsible citizenship take on personal meaning as the children themselves design systems for the care of their classroom. The teacher creates an environment where children listen to one another and contribute their own ideas. They have to choose jobs and be responsible for getting them done. When problems arise, children become used to bringing issues to the group for consideration and resolution. These types of experiences in the early grades lay the foundation for children to assume civic responsibility and participate in community affairs as adults. This is reason enough to begin learning social studies in the primary grades.

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Questions to Ask Your Child's Teacher

• What will the class be studying this year?
• What opportunities will there be for first-hand research?
• What trips will the class be taking?
• What kinds of social studies projects will the children be likely to do?
• Can you show me examples of my child's work in social studies?