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SOCIAL STUDIES FUNDAMENTALS
Why Study History?
Social Studies is not all about memorizing name, dates and events of the past. It is about
understanding our present situation by recognizing how we got here in the first place. It is
also about making fair judgments of what could happen in the future based on what has
already happened in the past. Finally, social studies is about actively fulfilling our civic duty by
taking meaningful steps toward improving our current community for the generations to
come.
Questions: There’s a Difference?
Historians are known for asking important questions. “What happened, When did it happen,
who was involved, why did it happen, what caused it to happen, what results?” Sound
familiar? But thinking like a historian requires a deeper thought process. Rather than simply
memorizing and regurgitating information that someone else has determined as “accurate
history,” students are encouraged to think like historians, delving into deeper a level of
questioning.
Essential Question: Essential questions, sometimes called compelling questions, are the most
important concepts that students should learn from a particular lesson. They are actually
concepts (big ideas) presented in the form of a question. They usually have no obvious “right
or wrong” answer, which students to inquire and gain evidence to either support or refute
their opinion and are sometimes debatable. Essential questions require students to go beyond
simply memorizing and reciting information given to them.
Supporting Question: Supporting questions, also called formative questions, are used to
contribute to the understanding of the essential question. At the very basic level, these are the
“who-what-when-where” type questions. They focus on descriptions, definitions, and
processes in which there is a general agreement on.
Understanding the Question
When answering a question, it is important to first identify what the question is asking for.
Here are some terms commonly used in Social Studies
ANALYZE:
Break it down into parts. Tell
about the parts.
EVALUATE:
Tell the good and the bad.
Judge it.
INFER:
Read between the lines. What
is the hidden meaning?
SUMMARIZE:
Tell the main idea. Tell the
beginning, middle and the end.
PREDICT:
Hypothesize. Make an educated
(smart) guess.
SUPPORT:
Back up the information.
Prove. Provide evidence.
COMPARE:
Tell all the ways they are
the same.
TRACE:
Outline. Explain the
development. Follow (or
explain) the path.
DESCRIBE:
Tell me about it. Give details
about it. Paint a picture with
words
EXPLAIN:
Teach or show me. Tell me the
steps.
FORMULATE:
Create. Put together.
CONTRAST:
Tell all the ways they are
different.
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Historical Thinking Skills (HTS)
In order to think like a historian, we must familiarize ourselves with the skills used by
historians. There are nine fundamental skills that all students of Social Studies should master.
Skill Type
I.
Chronological Reasoning
II.
Comparison & Contextualization
III.
Crafting Historical Arguments from
Historical Evidence
IV.
Historical Interpretation and Synthesis
Historical Thinking Skill
1. Historical Causation – identify, analyze,
and evaluate the relationships among
multiple historical causes & effects.
2. Continuity & Change over Time –
recognize, analyze, and evaluate the
dynamics of historical continuity and change
over periods of time (varying in length) and
to relate these patterns to larger historical
processes or themes.
3. Periodization – describe, analyze, evaluate,
and construct models that historians use to
organize history into discrete periods.
4. Comparison – describe, compare, and
evaluate multiple perspectives & historical
developments within one society, one or
more developments across or between
different societies, and in various
chronological & geographical contexts
5. Contextualization – connect historical
events and processes to specific
circumstances of time and place and to
broader regional, national, or global
processes.
6. Historical Argumentation – define, frame,
& address a question about the past through
the construct of a plausible argument
including an analytical thesis based on the
evidence available.
7. Appropriate Use of Relevant Historical
Evidence – describe & evaluate evidence
about the past from diverse sources, making
relevant inferences on authorship, purpose,
format, and audience.
8. Interpretation – describe, analyze,
evaluate, & construct diverse interpretations
of the past, considering how particular
circumstances & contexts shape how
individual historians interpret past events.
9. Synthesis – develop meaningful &
persuasive new understandings of the past
by applying all of the other HTS, and
applying insights about the past to other
historical contexts or circumstances.
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TIPS FOR WRITING
Social Studies is a writing-intensive discipline. There are a few simple steps you
can take to ensure your writing effectively communicates the message you wish
to convey. Our class will be using the acronym ACE to improve our writing
abilities.
ACE your writing
(found: Interactive Writing Notebooks)
A good answer is always an ACE. In order to prove your point, you must do more
than simply state your opinion. You need to back up your opinion with evidence
and reasoning.
A – answer the question (claim)
C – cite the evidence (source)
E – explain how the evidence supports your answer (reasoning)
Grading Rubric
+
Exceeds Standard
100%
++
Meets Standard with
Excellence
90-99%
+
Meets Standard
80-89%

Approaching Standard
70-79%
Below Standard
60-69%
Well Below Standard
0-59%
Answer is a perfect ACE, complete with flawless
grammar.
Answer is an excellent ACE, complete with sufficient
evidence & reasoning. May have slight grammatical
errors &/or minimal room for improvement.
Answer is an accurate claim, with proper evidence and
sufficient reasoning. However there may be slight
grammatical errors &/or room for improvement
Answer is an accurate claim, including evidence and
reasoning, however more discussion is required to
produce an ACE response.
OR
Answer is an accurate claim with adequate evidence &
reasoning, however excessive grammatical errors
detract from the overall statement.
Although claim is not completely accurate, there is
adequate evidence and reasoning to support it.
OR
The answer includes an accurate claim, but no evidence
or reasoning
Answer provided is completely wrong & no explanation
No Answer
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POINT SCALE
+
10
++ 9
+ 8
+
20
++ 18
+ 16
 7
- 6
- 5
 14
- 12
- 10
+ 30
++ 27
 21
+
40
++ 36
+ 32
+ 24
- 18
- 15
 28
- 24
- 20
+
45
++ 40.5
+ 36
+
50
++ 45
+ 40
 31.5
- 27
- 22.5
 35
- 30
- 25
+
60
++ 54
+ 48
 42
- 36
- 30
+
75
++ 67.5  52.5
+ 60
- 45
- 37.5
+
90
++ 81
+ 72
+ 100
++ 90
+ 80
 63
- 54
- 45
 70
- 60
- 50
GR.A.C.E. Comment Key
GR grammar
G1: (Pronoun) You used a pronoun (he, she, it, they…) before you identified the noun in the
answer. You must always identify the subject first and use the pronoun later.
G2: (Sentence Sense) Your sentence either doesn’t make sense or you used the wrong verb
tense.
G3: (Complete Sentence) Fragment or run-on error, incomplete thought
G4: (Proofread) Spelling, capitalization, or punctuation error(s)
A answering the question
A1: Your answer is either wrong, or partially wrong.
C citing evidence
C1: You did not cite clear evidence or you did not cite evidence properly.
E explanation
E1: answer is too vague. Include more reasoning and/or more specific details from the
passage.
ORGANIZING NEW KNOWLEDGE
The human brain actually prefers when the world around is organized. Think of the last time
you were confused, how did you feel? Your brain will help you remember and apply new
information if you organize it in a sufficient manner. Here are a few ways you can help your
brain organize, memorize, and utilize new information.
Frayer Model Diagram
You can summarize new vocabulary, concepts, and ideas by completing the following model:
Definition
1. From the text
Characteristics
Descriptions of the term, how it’s used,
How it applies to the bigger topic, etc.
2. In your own words
Examples
Synonyms
Examples of items, events, etc
that are extremely similar to the term.
TERM
Non-Examples
Antonyms
Examples of items, events,
etc that are the complete
opposite of the term.
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S.A.I.L. Through Note Taking (Christian Homeschool Hub)
S – select: relevant information – don’t waffle – keep to the point
A - analyze: “PEE” on every paragraph – make a POINT, give an EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE, then
EXPLAIN how this is relevant to the question. Reliability – bias, usefulness
I – interpret: are there different ways to view this information, different ways to process it?
L – link: link your explanation to a question, a bigger picture/idea, another theme, event or
time period.
Cornell Note Taking with SAIL
A good note taking system will help you make sense of what you learn and makes it easier to
refer to later on.
Title (chapter, lecture, topic, etc)
I – interpret
I.
And
L – link new
information
II.
Date
Section title I
a. Subsection title
i. PEE (summarize main idea in each
paragraph)
ii. Next paragraph
b. Subsection title
i. PEE
ii. PEE
iii. PEE
Section title II
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ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
SOAPS Tone primary document analysis strategy
S – Speaker: who is this person, what background information do you know about him/her
that may shape their opinion.
O – Occasion: what is happening previously, during,& impending that influences the speaker
A – Audience: the immediate audience as well as the implied audience
P – Purpose: what does the author hope to achieve by delivering this message? What
emotions/thoughts/actions do they wish to convey (include the subject of the text here)
S – Supplemental (formerly subject): what supplemental information do you have
surrounding the issue [events, political movements, social attitudes & trends]
T – Tone what attitude does the author use (seen though the diction, syntax, & imagery)
HIPPO document analysis strategy
Historical Context: What was the historical context of this event? What other events or
processes were going on during the time period (or just prior) that relate to the topic of the
document?
Intended Audience: What person or a group did the author expect to inform or influence?
How would that affect what or how they would portray the subject?
Purpose: Why did the author create this document? What were they trying to convince the
reader of
Point of View: Who was the author? What was the author’s profession, gender, race,
ethnicity, nationality, or social class and might this have impacted the content of the document
Organization: How would you use the information from HIPP to formulate an argument
G.R.A.P.E.S. (analyzing themes in Social Studies)
G – Geography: Study of the earth’s surface, climates, and countries
Location, description of the land, climate
R – Religion: Belief in god(s)
Gods, beliefs, practices, customs
A – Achievements: something important or difficult done successfully
Art/music, writing, math/science, literature, inventions
P – Politics: Ideas & activities relating to government & power
Leaders, laws, government
E – Economics: Production and trade of goods and money
(….continued )
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Trade, agriculture, labor systems, slaves, money
S – Social Structures: organization of people and the way they live in a society
Family life/daily life, social classes, roles of men women & children
S.P.I.C.E. (analyzing themes in Social Studies)
S – Social: development & transformation of social structures
Gender roles & relations,
Social structures (arrangements & hierarchies),
family & kinship,
racial & ethnic construction,
social & economic classes & class conflict
P - Political: State-building, expansion & conflict
Political structures & forms of governance (government, leaders, political
parties, voting, political systems, laws & court systems)
Empires, Nations & nationalism,
revolts & revolutions (war),
Regional- trans regional- and global structures & organizations (eg United
Nations, NATO)
Foreign Policies
I – Interactions with the environment
Location (geography)-climate, regions
Demography & disease
Migration
Patterns of settlement
Role of the environment
Ecology
Natural resources &/or disasters
C – Cultural: development & interaction
Religions
Belief systems, philosophies & ideologies
Science & technology
The Arts & Architecture (music, literature, high culture, pop culture, forms of
entertainment)
E – Economics: creation, expansion & interaction of economic system
Agricultural & pastoral production
Trade & Commerce (types of businesses, financial systems, consumption,
Networks of exchange, taxes, money/capital)
Labor systems (slavery & indentured servitude)
Industrialization (production of goods & services)
Capitalism and Socialism
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PERFORMANCE TASKS
PRESENTATIONS
10 Easy Steps for Creating Better Power Point Presentations (Reflective Sparks)
1. The Audience is the Hero: Your presentation is not about you, it’s about your audience! If your
presentation is boring, unreadable, crammed with text or unnecessary graphics and animation, you
have just wasted their time (and yours!) and you have lost their respect. Know your information &
know your audience. Understand what vocabulary or content you might have to explain in-depth,
and also what prior knowledge you can connect your content to.
2. Tell a Compelling Story: Your presentation must be organized with a beginning, middle, and
end. If it doesn’t have an effective flow to it, your message is lost.
3. The 3-Second Rule: A well designed slide takes just 3 seconds to digest. Where do you want
your audience to focus, on the slide or on you? If they must read & study the slide, they are not
listening to you. If your slides are telling the story why do we need you? Instead, your slides should
highlight and emphasize the information you are sharing.
4. Start with Sticky Notes: Don’t plan your presentation in a Power Point template. Once you have
finished determining the content (what you will present), draw out your slide concepts on sticky
notes (or scratch paper). Arrange your paper slides into a story that makes sense. Determine
whether you need more/less slides to effectively tell the story. Only AFTER this step, should you
begin creating your Power Point presentation.
5. Build a Slide Series: Rather than display a complex slide with 5 major points, address major
points separately and slowly add brief supporting evidence as you discuss it. This allows your
audience to follow along with you both visually and auditory, as you address content, rather than
feel compelled to quickly copy a vast amount of bulleted information and miss the main message
which you are delivering verbally.
6. Picture vs. Text: Know what you want your outcome to be for each slide. If you want to create an
emotion, use a full screen picture. If you want o deliver facts, use text. Be creative with your
concepts rather than just typing out the information. Sometimes a picture, graph, equation is more
effective communication than written words.
7. Know Your Devices: Standing in front of a class of expecting students is not the time to become
familiar with a computer/projector. It is also not the time to discover your file is corrupt &/or
cannot be displayed as you intended. Know what format you are using, and what format(s) are
available on the computer you are presenting from. Also, do not assume that all computers have
internet access. Therefore, links to files, videos, music, etc may not work. You are encouraged to
download a copy of your presentation (and all supporting content) to a jump drive or memory stick.
8. The 10/4 Practice Rule: So many times presenters aren’t ready. They are nervous, don’t really
know what comes next, aren’t focused or are too busy trying to remember their content, they
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simply read slides and forget to address the audience. Avoid this major pitfall by taking the time to
practice. The 10/4 rule simply states, practice your presentation 10 times by yourself, and 4 times
in front of an audience (a friend, a family member, a pet). Actually speaking out loud allows your
brain to hear your words and helps you come up with better slides. Then take it to next level by
allowing others to give you feedback and stop you when your words don’t make sense.
9. Lock it Down, Get Rest: We tend to put off work until the last minute, but making last minute
changes (additions, animations, new graphs , etc.) make you unprepared. You need a few days to
practice and master your content and presentation. Believe it, your performance will suffer if you
wait till the last minute to organize your presentation.
10. Know your Content and your Resources: The only thing worse than not being prepared on
presentation day, is presenting information you have no understanding about. Even a brief study of
unfamiliar vocabulary, people, places, events, pronunciation, etcetera not only makes you a more
confident presenter, but also a more effective presenter since you will be able to clarify these issues
for your audience. If you think it is a waste of time to do in-depth research before even starting to
create your Power Point presentation, please refer to rule #1 – it’s not about you! The whole
purpose of the presentation is to inform the audience. At the end of your presentation, if your
audience has more questions than answers, then you failed as a presenter.
RESEARCH
5 Important Steps to Online Research (Scholastic Teachers)
1. Check your Source: Is it current? Does the source provide in-depth information? Does the
information come from a credible and reliable source?
2. Ask Good Questions: Is your search too vague? Do you need to narrow your search?
3. Go Beyond the Surface: Expand your information by digging deeper. Do not stop at the first
search result. Make a fact tree, which expands information beyond basic content. Back up your
information with additional evidence.
4. Be Patient: Research takes time. You will have to explore multiple sites and sources to attain a
sufficient understanding of your content.
5. Respect Ownership: Plagiarism is a crime. Cite your sources. Write and organize your own
content. Effectively citing sources also makes it easier to revisit content for clarification purposes.
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Socratic Seminars 4 levels of questions
Robot: who, what, where, when (what happened first-second-third? Who are the characters, setting
problem?)
Detective: why, what caused…, what do you predict…, what does the author mean… why do you
think…?
Judge: what things did X do that were --, do you think…, would you agree that…, in your opinion…,
do you agree with the author (why/why not)…, how did you feel about the part where…, would it be
better if…, how do you know…?
Inventor: How would you…, were you ever…, what would you do if… , if you were – had-…,
Non-Fiction Reading Response Choice Board
Interesting Fact
Explain the most interesting
thing you learned from the
reading and why it stood out
for you. Be specific and
reference the text (ACE)
Main Idea
What is the main idea of the
text? In other words, what is
the passage mostly about?
How do you know? Cite
specific information in the
text (ACE)
Questions
After reading the assigned
passage, what are two
questions you have that you
will research more to learn
about? (points pending
research)
What I Learned
Opinion
What are two new pieces of What is your opinion on the
information that you learned topic you are reading about?
from your reading? Why are
How do you feel about the
these significant
issue? Are there any moral
discoveries?
issues present?
Vocabulary
Details
Pick 4 vocabulary words
What are 3 details from the
that either you don’t know
text that support the main
the meaning of, or are
idea? (ACE)
important to understanding
the text. Complete a Frayer
Model diagram for each
word.
Visual Images
Summary
Choose a diagram, map,
Use who, what, when, where,
chart, graph, or image that is
and why, and how to
important to the text. Draw
summarize what your read.
the image & explain its
significance to the text.