The NCSS Essentials of Social Studies Education
Essential Skills of Social Studies Education
Acquiring Information
A.
Reading Skills
1.
Comprehension
•
Read to get literal meaning
•
Use topic and section headings, topic sentences, and summary
sentences to select main ideas
•
Differentiate main and subordinate ideas
•
Select passages that are pertinent to the topic studied
•
Interpret what is read by drawing inferences
•
Detect cause-and-effect relationships
•
Distinguish between the fact and opinion; recognize propaganda
•
Recognize author bias
•
Use picture clues and picture captions to aid comprehension
•
Use literature to enrich meaning
•
Read for a variety of purposes: critically, analytically, to predict
outcomes, to answer question, to form an opinion, to skim for facts
•
Read various forms of printed material: books, magazines,
newspapers, directories, schedules, and journals
2.
Vocabulary
•
Use usual word-attack skills: sight recognition, phonetic analysis,
and structural analysis
•
Use context clues to gain meaning
•
Use appropriate sources to gain meaning of essential terms and
vocabulary: glossary, dictionary, text, and word lists
•
Recognize and understand an increasing number of social studies
terms
3.
Rate of Reading
•
Adjust speed of reading to suit purpose
•
Adjust rate of reading to difficulty of the material
B.
Study Skills
1.
Find Information
•
Use various parts of a book (index, table of contents, etc.)
•
Use key words, letters on volumes, index, and cross references to
find information
•
Evaluate sources of information—print, visual, electronic
•
Use appropriate source of information
•
Use the community as a resource
2.
Arrange Information in Usable Forms
•
Make outline of topic
•
Prepare summaries
•
Make timelines
•
Take notes
•
Keep records
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C.
D.
•
Use italics, marginal notes, and footnotes
•
Listen for information
•
Follow directions
•
Write reports and research papers
•
Prepare a bibliography
Reference and Information-Search Skills
1.
The Library
•
Use card catalog to locate books
•
Use Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature and other indexes
•
Use COMCATS (Computer Catalog Service)
•
Use public library telephone information service
2.
Special References
•
Almanacs
•
Encyclopedias
•
Dictionary
•
Indexes
•
Government publications
•
Microfiche
•
Periodicals
•
News sources: newspapers, newsmagazines, TV, radio,
videotapes, and artifacts
3.
Maps, Globes, and Graphics
•
Use map- and globe-reading skills:
—
Orient a map and note directions
—
Locate places on map and globe
—
Use scale and compute distances
—
Interpret map symbols and visualize what they mean
—
Compare maps and make inferences
—
Express relative location
•
Interpret graphs
•
Detect bias in visual material
•
Interpret social and political messages of cartoons
•
Interpret history through artifacts
4.
Community Resources
•
Use sources of information in the community
•
Conduct interviews of individuals in the community
•
Use community newspapers
Technical Skills Unique to Electronic Devices
1.
Computer
•
Operate a computer using prepared instructional or reference
programs
•
Operate a computer to enter and retrieve information gathered
from a variety of sources
2.
Telephone and Television Information Networks
•
Ability to access information through networks
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Organizing and Using Information
These are form of Procedural Knowledge
A.
Thinking Skills
1.
Classify Information
•
Identify relevant factual material
•
Sense relationship between items of factual information
•
Group data in categories according to appropriate criteria
•
Place in proper sequence:
—
order of occurrence
—
order of importance
•
Place data in tabular form: charts, graphs, and illustrations
2.
Interpret Information
•
State relationships between categories of information
•
Note cause-and-effect relationships
•
Draw inferences from factual material
•
Predict likely outcomes based on factual information
•
Recognize the value dimension of interpreting factual material
•
Recognize instances in which more than one interpretation of
factual material is valid.
3.
Analyze Information
•
Form a simple organization of key ideas related to a topic
•
Separate a topic into major components according to appropriate
criteria
•
Examine critically relationships between and among elements of a
topic
•
Detect bias in data presented in various forms: graphics, tabular,
visual, print
•
Compare and contrast credibility of differing accounts of the same
event
4.
Summarize Information
•
Extract significant ideas from supporting illustrative details
•
Combine critical concepts into a statement of conclusions based
on information
•
Restate major ideas of a complex topic in concise form
•
Form opinion based on critical examination of relevant
information
•
State hypotheses for further study
5.
Synthesize Information
•
Propose a new plan of operation, create a new system, or devise a
futuristic scheme based on available information
•
Reinterpret events in terms of what might have happened, and
show the likely effects on subsequent events
•
Present visually (chart, graph, diagram, model, etc.) information
extracted from print
•
Prepare a research paper that requires a creative solution to a
problem
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•
B.
C.
•
Communicate orally and in writing
6.
Evaluate Information
•
Determine whether or not the information is pertinent to the topic
•
Estimate the adequacy of the information
Test the validity of the information, using such criteria as source,
objectivity, technical correctness, and currency
Decision-Making Skills
•
Identify a situation in which a decision is required
•
Secure needed factual information relevant to making the decision
•
Recognize the values implicit in the situation and the issues that
flow from them
•
Identify alternative courses of action and predict likely
consequences of each
•
Make decision based on the data obtained
•
Take action to implement the decision
Metacognitive Skills
•
Select an appropriate strategy to solve a problem
•
Self-monitor one's thinking process
Interpersonal Relationships and Social Participation
A.
Personal Skills
•
Express personal convictions
•
Communicate own beliefs, feelings, and convictions
•
Adjust own behavior to fit the dynamics of various groups and
situations
•
Recognize the mutual relationship between human beings in
satisfying one another's needs
B.
Group Interaction Skills
•
Contribute to the development of a supportive climate in groups
•
Participate in making rules and guidelines for group life
•
Serve as a leader or follower
•
Assist in setting goals for the group
•
Participate in delegating duties, organizing, planning, making
decisions, and taking action in group setting
•
Participate in persuading, compromising, debating, and
negotiating in the resolution of conflicts and differences
C.
Social and Political Participation Skills
•
Keep informed on issues that affect society
•
Identify situations in which social actions are required
•
Work individually or with others to decide on an appropriate
course of action
•
Work to influence those in positions of social power to strive for
extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights
•
Accept and fulfill social responsibilities associated with
citizenship in a free society
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Source: In 1989 NCSS adopted the Essential Skills of a Social Studies Education. See
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/
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