There are two primary goals of social studies education, and they are the guiding lights of most

social studies curriculum standards.

Standards
are statements that describe what students should learn

Objectives
the desired results of instruction.

Standards
- make no sense unless we know the goals they are aiming to achieve. To get at the goals of
social studies, let’s begin with a definition.

Social studies
- is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence.
According to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

Primary Purpose
- is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the
public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world

On one side of this definition is the subject matter that is studied.

“Subject matter”
- is the what of teaching and learning—the curriculum. It includes
● the facts (also known as information or data)
● ideas
● skills
● issues (short for “controversial issues”),
● methods of inquiry drawn from the seven social sciences:
○ history
○ geography
○ political science
○ economics
○ sociology
○ psychology
○ anthropology.

The humanities
● philosophy
● ethics
● literature
● religion
● music
● visual and performing arts
>are involved as well. These fields of study or “disciplines” serve as resources:
The social studies curriculum draws on them, blending and integrating them with two additional
ingredients
● students’ cultural experiences
● society’s needs.

What is the purpose?

On the other side of the definition is the purpose,

civic competence or democratic citizenship
> the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally
diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.

Civic competence is the readiness and willingness to assume citizenship responsibilities.

These responsibilities include more than just voting.

For in a democracy, it is also

*one’s responsibility to serve on juries, to be lawful, and to be just.

(“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” famously said by Martin Luther King, Jr.4)

*One is expected to be tolerant of political and cultural differences

*one is expected to participate in creating and evaluating public policy

*it is one’s duty to be civic-minded—to think not only of oneself and one’s own rights and freedoms
but also of the good of the whole community.

social studies education has two goals:

● social understanding
- knowledge of human societies
● civic competence
- democratic citizenship

-When developing any social studies unit or reading any set of curriculum standards for social
studies, keep an eye on these two goals.

Schools typically approach these two broad goals by way of three subgoals:
● knowledge
● attitudes and values
● skills.
More specific objectives (or “standards”) are typically listed under each subgoal.

KNOWLEDGE
Which social knowledge is most important?

We can answer this question in three ways:

● disciplines
● themes
● topics.

One way to determine which social knowledge is most important is to refer to the disciplines (also
called fields) of study. These are the seven social science disciplines and the humanities. Within
these disciplines, knowledge is systematically created, interpreted, critiqued, and revised continually
in a never-ending process of disciplined
(i.e., it’s systematic, not random or without rules of inquiry) knowledge construction.

Another approach is to identify a set of basic content themes.

Themes
- help curriculum planners and teachers narrow the scope somewhat and give them a better
idea of which social knowledge deserves the most attention.

The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies created by the National Council for Social Studies
identifies 10 such themes.

● The best-known knowledge themes for social studies instruction in the elementary and
middle grades and have been incorporated into a number of state and local social studies
standards frameworks:

1. Culture

2. Time, Continuity, and Change

3. People, Places, and Environments

4. Individual Development and Identity

5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions

6. Power, Authority, and Governance

7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption

8. Science, Technology, and Society

9. Global Connections

10. Civic Ideals and Practices

A third way to answer the “Which knowledge is most important?” question is to identify topics. There
is no shortage of topics, and of course they cannot all be taught and no one would want to learn
them all.

The second subgoal of social studies learning—attitudes and values—is directed less at cognitive
knowledge and more at emotion, feeling, and beliefs about right and wrong. Particular attitudes
(also called dispositions, traits, and virtues) and values are essential to democratic citizenship.

Without attitudes and values, like a boat without a rudder or a hiker with no compass. Democratic
government and civic life would be impossible.

The following are typical of what is listed in state and local curriculum guidelines.

-Being committed to the public values of this society as suggested in its historical documents, laws,
court decisions, and oaths

-Being able to deal fairly and effectively with value conflicts that arise when making decisions about
the common good (public policy)

-Developing a reasoned loyalty to this nation and its form of government.

-Developing a feeling of kinship to human beings everywhere—to the human family.

-Taking responsibility for one’s actions and fulfilling one’s obligations to the community

The third subgoal—skills—identifies what students should know how to do. Of course, doing involves
knowing; skillful behavior is skillful to a great extent because of the knowledge that supports it. A
child is skillful at something because he or she knows how to do it well. A skill, then, is also called
know-how or procedural knowledge.

Skills are often subdivided as follows:

I. Democratic Participation Skills

A. Listening to and expressing opinions and reasons
B. Participating in classroom, school, and community decision making, especially participating
in group discussions of public issues (classroom, community, international) with persons
with whom one may disagree; leading such discussions; mediating, negotiating, and
compromising
 C. Working cooperatively to clarify a task and plan group work
D. Accessing, using, and creating community resources

II. Study and Inquiry Skills

A. Using and making time lines, maps, globes, charts, and graphs

B. Locating, reading, and analyzing information from a variety of resources, such as books,
encyclopedias, the Internet, newspapers, and libraries
C. Writing reports and giving oral presentations
D. Distinguishing between primary and secondary sources
E. Forming and testing hypotheses

III. Intellectual Skills (critical thinking and problem solving)

A. Comparing and contrasting
B. Making and evaluating conclusions based on evidence
C. Identifying and clarifying problems and issues
D. Distinguishing fact from opinion
E. Inferring cause-effect relationships

Pitong Tema ng Araling Panlipunan

(Seven Themes in Araling Panlipunan)
Umiinog sa pitong magkakaugnay na tema ang pag-aaral ng Araling Panlipunan. Bawat tema ay
gumagamit ng mga ideya at prinsipyong hango sa Agham Panlipunan at siya ring nag-uugnay sa
iba’t ibang pangunahing ideya (big ideas)

● People, Society, and Environment

● Time, Continuity, and Change
● Culture, Identity, and Nationhood
● Rights, Responsibility, and Citizenship
● Power, Authority, and Governance
● Production, Distribution, and Consumption
● Regional and International Relations

1. Tao, Lipunan, at Kapaligiran

(People, Society, and Environment)

*ugnayan ng tao sa lipunan at kapaligiran ay pundamental na konsepto sa Araling Panlipunan.

*Binibigyang-diin ng temang ito ang pagiging bahagi ng tao
-hindi lamang sa kinabibilangang komunidad at kapaligiran kundi sa mas malawak na lipunan at sa
kalikasan.

2. Panahon, Pagpapatuloy, at Pagbabago

(Time, Continuity, and Change)
*pag-unlad ng lipunan mula sa sinaunang panahon hanggang sa kasalukuyan (maunawaan ang
kanyang sarili at bansal
*makapagbuo ng pagkakakilanlan bilang indibiduwal at miyembro ng komunidad, bansa at daigdig.

Sentral sa pag- aaral ng tao, lipunan at kapaligiran ang konsepto ng panahon (time), na nagsisilbing
batayang konteksto at pundasyon ng pag-unawa ng mga pagbabago

*Bagamat mahalaga ang kaisipang kronolohikal, ito ay isa lamang sa maraming paraan sa pagsusuri
at pagtuturo ng kasaysayan.

*Mahalaga sa temang ito ang pagkilala sa pagkakaiba ng nakaraan sa kasalukuyan,

*ang pagpapatuloy ng mga paniniwala, istruktura at iba pa sa paglipas ng panahon, ang pag-unawa
ng konsepto ng kahalagahang pangkasaysayan (historical significance), pagpapahalaga sa
konteksto ng pangyayari sa nakaraan man o sa kasalukuyan, at ang mga kaugnay na kakayahan
upang maunawaan nang buo ang naganap at nagaganap.

3. Kultura, Pagkakakilanlan, at Pagkabansa

(Culture, Identity, and Nationhood)

*konsepto ng kultura, na tumutukoy sa kabuuan ng mga paniniwala, pagpapahalaga, tradisyon, at

paraan ng pamumuhay ng isang grupo o lipunan, kabilang ang mga manipestasyong katulad ng
wika at sining.

*mahalagang suriin ang pagkakakilanlang plural (plurality of identities). Sa pag-aaral ng temang ito,
inaasahan na makabubuo ang mag-aaral ng sariling pagkakakilanlan bilang kabataan, indibidwal at
Pilipino, at maunawaan at mabigyang-galang ang iba’t ibang kultura sa Pilipinas.

*Ang pagkakakilanlan bilang Pilipino ay batayan ng makabansang pananaw, na siyang tutulong sa

pagbuo sa mas malawak na pananaw ukol sa daigdig.

4. Karapatan, Pananagutan, at Pagkamamamayan (Rights, Responsibility, and Citizenship)

*pag-unawa sa papel na ginagampanan ng bawat isa bilang mamamayan at kasapi ng lipunan at sa

pagkilala at pagtupad ng mga karapatan at tungkulin bilang tao at mamamayan.

*Pananagutan ng mamamayang isakatuparan ang kagalingang pansibiko sa pamamagitan ng

pagbibigay sa mga ito ng pagkakataong makalahok sa gawaing pampolitika, pangkabuhayan, at
pansosyo-kultural na inaasahang makapagpapabuti sa kalagayang panlahat.

5. Kapangyarihan, Awtoridad, at Pamamahala

(Power, Authority, and Governance)

*Bahagi ng pagkamamamayan ay ang pag-unawa sa konsepto ng kapangyarihan at ang paggamit

nito, ang kahulugan at kahalagahan ng demokratikong pamamalakad, at ang uri ng pamahalaan sa
Pilipinas.
*Sakop din ng temang ito ang pagsusuri ng
-Saligang Batas ng 1987 na nagsasaad ng mahahalagang probisyon tulad ng karapatan at
pananagutan ng mamamayan at ng sambayanang Pilipino.

*Ang pag-unawa sa konsepto ng awtoridad at liderato sa iba’t- ibang antas at aspekto ng

pamahalaan, kasama ang tungkulin ng isang pinuno ay sakop din ng temang ito.

6. Produksyon, Distribusyon, at Pagkonsumo

(Production, Distribution, and Consumption)

*Sentro ng temang ito ang ugnayan ng walang katapusang pangangailangan at kagustuhan ng tao
at ang limitadong pinagkukunangyaman ng bansa at ang implikasyon nito sa lipunang nagdaan,
kasalukuyan, at hinaharap.

*Ipinapakita rin dito ang tuwirang epekto ng pagpapasya ng mamimili sa takbo ng presyo, implasyon,
at iba pang mekanismong pampamilihan (market mechanisms) na malaki ang epekto sa pag-angat
ng ekonomiya at pag-unlad ng bansa.

ang mga konseptong may kinalaman sa pambansang produksyon, distribusyon, at pagkonsumo,

sambahayan, at bahay-kalakal.

7. Ugnayang Panrehiyon at Pandaigdig

(Regional and International Relations)

*Nakatuon ang temang ito sa dinamikong ugnayang pambansa na nakaaapekto sa iba’t ibang
aspekto at dimensyon ng kalagayang panlipunan, pang- ekonomiya, pangkultura, at pampolitika.

*Layunin: makabuo ang mag-aaral ng pambansa at pandaigdigang pananaw at pagpapahalaga sa

mga pangunahing usapin sa lipunan at daigdig.

*Makatutulong: sa malalim na pag-unawa sa gampanin ng Pilipinas sa ugnayan ng mga bansa sa

rehiyon at iba pang panig ng daigdig.