These concepts provide a way for students to develop the ability to think critically about significant events, developments and issues, both within the curriculum and in their lives outside the classroom.
The curriculum focuses on developing students’ ability to apply concepts of disciplinary thinking, which are inherent in “doing” each subject. … The six concepts of social studies thinking are: significance
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Think like a HISTORIAN:
How have the people who have come before impacted the way we live today? Think like a GEOGRAPHER: What's where? Why is it there? Why should I care? How have people affected the land? How has the land affected the way people live? Think like a SCIENTIST: What do I predict will happen? What happened? Why caused it to happen? Think like a RESEARCHER: What should I ask? Who is an expert that I could contact? Where should I look? What does it mean? How should I share? |
Perspectives |
Significance |
PERSPECTIVES…
This concept refers to the ways in which different individuals and/or groups view something (e.g., an issue, event, development, person, place, process, interaction). Students learn that different groups have different perspectives, which depend on factors such as beliefs, social position and geographical location, among others. Students also learn the importance of analyzing sources to determine whose perspectives they convey and of gathering sources that reflect multiple perspectives. |
SIGNIFICANCE… This concept requires students to determine the importance of something (e.g, an issue, event, development, person, place, process, interaction). Students come to understand that significance often depends on the context or situation. For example, what’s important to one person or group of people may not be important to another. (pg 58)
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Cause and Consequence |
Patterns and Trends |
CAUSE & CONSEQUENCE …
This concept requires students to determine the factors that affect or lead to something (e.g., an event, situation, action, interaction) as well as its impact or effects. Students study the causes and consequences of various types of events, situations and interactions in both the natural environment and human society. (pg 59) |
PATTERNS & TRENDS…
How is this similar to other places (or times) in the world? This concept requires students to study characteristics that are similar and repeat themselves in a natural or human environment (patterns) and characteristics or traits that exhibit a consistent tendency in a particular setting and/or over a period of time (trends). The characteristics may be spatial, social, economic, physical, or environmental. Students discover patterns by making connections between characteristics; they discover trends by making connections between those characteristics over time. (pg 59) |
Continuity and Change |
Interrelationships |
CONTINUITY & CHANGE…
This concept requires students to determine what has stayed the same and what has changed over a period of time. Continuity and change can be studies with reference to ways of life, political policies, economic practices, relationships with the environment, social values and so on. Students make judgements about continuity and change by making comparisons between some point in the past and the present, or between two points in the past. (pg 59) |
INTERRELATIONSHIPS…
This concept requires students to explore connections within and between natural and/or human systems, including how they adapt to and have an impact on one another. Students explore various components within a system, interactions between components of a system and relationships between systems. (pg 60) |