1. SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE PRIMARY
CLASSROOM
(Please turn up your volume!)
Lauren Parkinson
May 21, 2013
EDUC 4620

2. WHAT IS SOCIAL STUDIES?
● The aim of social studies is the promotion of
civic competence—the knowledge, intellectual
processes, and democratic dispositions required
of students to be active and engaged
participants in public life (NCSS, 1992)
● Social studies seeks to examine and understand
communities, from the local to the global, their
various heritages, physical systems, and the
nature of citizenship within them (Ministry of Ed,
2004)

3. WHAT IS SOCIAL STUDIES?
It is derived from a variety of disciplines such as:
● Anthropology
● History
● Geography
● Economics
● Sociology
● Political Science
At the elementary school level, the focus is
mainly on local family and community.

4. ● Learning about social studies helps children
learn more about themselves and how they are
meaningful contributors of a community of
people.
● Social studies acts as a basis upon which all
other areas of a child's social development will
be built. Focus on these personal and social
development skills starts in Kindergarten.
● Social studies is an important component of a
child's developing social domain.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
PRIMARY GRADES?

5. THE SOCIAL DOMAIN
A child's social domain has 4 facets:
● Social skills: children learn to interact with others
● Socialization: children learn the values, beliefs,
customs, and rules of their society
● Social responsibility: children learn to respect
others and value themselves as contributing
members of their communities
● Social studies: children explore human
interactions in societies of the past and
present

6. SUBJECT AREAS AND STRANDS IN
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM
Social studies for grades 1-6 are divided into two
strands with specific topics for each grade. This
will include strictly the primary grades.
● Heritage and Citizenship
– Grade 1: Relationships, Rules, Responsibilities
– Grade 2: Traditions and Celebrations
– Grade 3: Early Settlements in Upper Canada

7. ● Canada and World Connections
– Grade 1: The Local Community
– Grade 2: Features of Communities around the
world
– Grade 3: Urban and Rural Communities

8. INTEGRATING SOCIAL STUDIES INTO
THE CLASSROOM
● Maturity level, past experiences, and prior
knowledge will play a role in choosing activities
that will fit the needs of the students.
● Active and direct participation in classroom
exploration reflects what we know about
childhood development.
● Children tend to take interest in what is most
relevant and important to them.
● Integration can be cross-curricular ie) students
could act out a historical tableaux (Drama B1.1)

9. RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL STUDIES
LESSON/UNIT PLANNING
● Includes lessons created by teachers based on
the Ontario Curriculum
http://orgs.educ.queensu.ca/curr/
● Links to websites to support research for social
studies topics
http://linktolearning.com/social_studies.htm
● An extensive collection of online lesson plan
resources, organized by subject area
http://edselect.com/

10. ● National Council for the Social Studies, a US
organization that supports social studies educators
www.socialstudies.org
● Online versions of the Ontario Curriculum documents
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/
● An interesting article discussing the controversy
surrounding Social Studies in the US classroom
http://www.education.com/reference/article/
controversy-social-studies-programs/ or textbook
'Essentials of Elementary Social Studies' by Thomas
N. Turner

11. THOUGHTS?
● What could be a simple way to incorporate the
fundamental concept of 'Culture' into play-based
learning?
● What are the similarities and differences
between the concepts/disciplines listed for the
Ontario Curriculum and those listed in the
National Standards? Are there any that we
leave out that you believe should be included?
(hint: chapter 14 of 'Developmentally Appropriate
Curriculum')

12. “Basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics
are necessary but they alone do not prepare
students to participate effectively in a world
demanding independent and cooperative
problem solving to address complex social,
economic, ethical, and personal issues.” (GCSS)
● In our schools system today, there is a greater
emphasis placed on literacy and numeracy.
How could you incorporate social studies into
these areas?

13. SOURCES CITED
● Klein et al. Teaching and Learning Social
Studies in the Elementary Grades in Georgia.
Web. 14 May. 2013.
<gcss.net/positionstatement2.pdf>
● National Council for the Social Studies. Web. 14
May 2013. <www.socialstudies.org>
● Ontario Ministry of Education. The Ontario
Curriculum Grades 1-6: Social Studies. 2004.
Print.