New York State Social Studies Framework: Social Studies Standards

Some years ago, the New York State Education Department established standards in each subject area for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level.

  WESTERN HEMISPHERE TODAY

Social Studies at the elementary level introduces students to the five strands of social studies that comprise the New York State K-12 curriculum. While each grade level emphasizes a different theme, each course of study has students investigate the social, geographic, economic, political and historical aspects of that theme. Throughout each year, students are introduced to the skills that are required of a student of social studies. These skills include map, chart and graph reading, reading non-fiction material for understanding, the foundations of both essay writing and oral communication. Finally, elementary social studies seeks to increase our students' knowledge and appreciation of the world in which they live through the study of current events. (WWW.NYSED.GOV)

Standard 1:History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 2: World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 3: Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live - local, national, and global - including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth's surface.

Standard 4:Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

The Ten Thematic Strands

I Culture – A people’s way of life, language, customs, arts, belief systems, traditions, and how they

evolve over time.

II Time, Continuity, and Change – The importance of understanding the past and key historical concepts, analytically and from various

perspectives.

III People, Places, and Environments – The complex relationship between human beings and the environments within which they live and work.

IV Individual Development and Identity – The exploration of human behaviors as they relate to the development of personal identities and the various factors that impact identity formation.

V Individuals, Groups, and Institutions – The impact of educational, religious, social, and political groups and institutions and the integral roles they play in people’s lives.

VI Power, Authority, and Governance – The complex purposes and features of individuals and groups with respect to issues of power and government.

VII Production, Distribution, and Consumption – The role of resources, their production and use, technology, and trade on economic systems.

VIII Science, Technology, and Society – The significance of scientific discovery and technological change on people, the environment, and other systems.

IX Global Connections – The critical importance of knowledge and awareness of politics, economics, geography, and culture on a global scale.

X Civic Ideals and Practices – The understanding that civic ideals and participatory citizenship are central to democracy.

 Thinking Skills

 – comparing and contrasting

– identifying cause and effect

– drawing inferences and making conclusions

– evaluating

– distinguishing fact vs. opinion

– finding and solving multi-step problems

– decision making

– handling diversity of interpretations

Sequencing and Chronology Skills

– using the vocabulary of time and place

– placing events in chronological order

– sequencing events on a timeline

– creating timelines

– researching time and chronology

– understanding concepts of time, continuity, and change

– using sequence and order to plan tasks

– setting priorities

Research and Writing Skills

– getting information

– organizing information

– looking for patterns

– interpreting information

– applying information

– synthesizing information

– supporting a position

Map and Globe Skills

– reading maps, legends, symbols, and scales

– using a compass rose, grids, time zones

– comparing maps and making inferences

– interpreting and analyzing different kinds of maps

– using cartographic tools

– creating maps

Interpersonal and Group Relation Skills

– defining terms

– identifying basic assumptions

– identifying values conflicts

– recognizing and avoiding stereotypes

– participating in group planning and discussion

– cooperating to accomplish goals

– assuming responsibility to carry out tasks

Graph and Image Analysis Skills

– decoding images (graphs, cartoons, photos)

– interpreting graphs and other images

– drawing conclusions

– making predictions