Teaching Social Studies
Why teach social studies?
There’s lots of reasons, but here’s just three compelling reasons why children should be spending more time on social studies—both for themselves and for society in general.
1. Social studies helps students develop fulfilling professional, civic, and academic lives.
- For their professional lives, children need a broad foundation of knowledge about the world they live in and the ability to work with others to accomplish their goals—in other words, both hard skills and soft skills. Social studies cultivates both.
- For their civic lives, children need to learn how to be informed voters as they become fully functioning members of society. Democracy isn’t easy. Each generation must learn not only how democracy functions (civics) but also about the world in which they live (history, geography, economics, and everything else). Only then will they be able to make the rational, reasonable decisions that democracy requires to promote the common good.
- For their academic lives, there is a growing body of evidence that a solid grounding in social studies raises student performance across all subject areas, particularly when taught in a well-balanced curriculum of content knowledge, skills, and inquiry-based instruction. When paired with other subjects—whether ELA, math, and science, or music, art, business, and technology—social studies provides meaning to all the other subject areas, making abstract ideas and concepts both tangible and relevant. Inherently cross-curricular, social studies is the glue that holds all the other disciplines together.
2. Social studies cultivates an understanding of community, combats isolationism, and encourages greater empathy for others.
When students study history, geography, economics, and civics, they begin to be able to see themselves within a specific time and place—and to recognize other people who have lived in different times and places. This awareness builds a sense of community, both now and historically. Students can recognize the many communities of which they are a part, and they can see that they are part of something bigger than themselves. At the same time, social studies leads students to discover all the ways in which individuals or groups of people have contributed to our society, which helps them understand the power of people to shape the world around them.
By emphasizing our connections to one another and learning to incorporate a variety of perspectives, especially when tackling complex subjects, students develop greater empathy for others. Social studies pulls them from an isolated worldview by encouraging them to “get to know” many people with different backgrounds, outlooks, and goals.
3. Social studies fosters lifelong curiosity and creativity.
The world, both past and present, is an amazing place, and there’s always something new to discover! Through social studies, students have opportunities to pursue their own interests and follow where their curiosity leads them. They learn about others who created or invented things that changed our lives, which may, in turn, prompt them to create and invent their own contributions to society. With a strong foundation in social studies and the basic principles behind each area of study (history, geography, economics, and civics), students will be able to embark on a lifetime of learning and discovery.
What is social studies?
Social studies offers a coordinated, systematic, and integrative study of the world. Social studies integrates the humanities and the social sciences in three areas that prepare students for life in a complex world: 1) the development of skills; 2) the acquisition of knowledge; and 3) the cultivation of intellectual curiosity. These three elements help foster the ability to negotiate multifaceted issues, solve difficult problems, and make informed and productive decisions, thereby grounding a lifetime of informed civic engagement.
Why state social studies?
Two reasons:
1. Kids can relate! State history is less abstract and more relatable for younger children than national or world history. Students can literally see the remnants of state history all around them in New Hampshire and in their local communities. And because we’re so close to this history, there are also greater opportunities to engage in immersive experiences, like field trips or community projects related to our state.
2. Kids need scaffolded learning! New Hampshire’s history mirrors American history and provides many teaching opportunities to explore national topics at a local or state level, which fosters student connections to the past and makes history feel more relevant to students’ lives. New Hampshire has also had an outsized impact on America. Whether pioneering new industries, sparking new trends and cultural movements, or influencing who will become president of the United States, a lot has happened here—more than most people might think—and the Granite State has both led the country and reflected this larger history. Learning about New Hampshire provides students with a foundation upon which they will understand American history when they become middle and high school students.