Five Strands of Social Studies

What is Social Studies? The study of how people over time have interacted with each other and their environment. In social studies, we have “five strands” of social studies. A strand is an area of study.

Five Strands (or pieces) to the Social Studies Puzzle They are… Geography Culture History Economics Government

Geography The study of people, places and the environment Physical features: Continents, oceans, and landforms Longitude & Latitude Geography Political features: countries & cities Climate: weather over a period of time The study of people, places and the environment

Art & Recreation Religion & Traditions Culture Food, Dress, & Greetings Language The beliefs, customs, laws, art, and ways of living of a group of people.

History A record of the past We learn history from 2 sources: Primary source: document, person, or object from the actual time Secondary source: document, person, or object that interprets or analyzes primary sources Events that changed the way people live today History People who changed society A record of the past

Personal freedom Citizen participation Government Type of government Structure of the government The people and groups within a society that have the authority to make laws, to make sure they carried out, and to settle disagreements about them.

Economic systems: traditional, market, command, and mixed Natural, Capital, and Human resources Economics Trade barriers, money, exchange rates Entrepreneurs The study of how people manage their scarce (limited) resources by producing, exchanging, and using goods and services.

Five Strands of Social Studies Matrix

Geography How does where you live affect how you live? How does the physical geography and climate affect how people live, work, and travel? What are the physical and political features of a region? How have humans changed the environment?

Culture How does cultural diffusion change the region in which you live? What is the belief system of the people and how does it affect the region? How does language affect the region? How does local culture affect the traditions of the region?

History How does the past shape the present? How have people and events changed society? How have influences of other, more powerful countries, affected countries today? What factors caused European countries to colonize the world?

Government How does citizen satisfaction impact the government? How much can a citizen participate in their government? Who has the power to make laws and policies for a nation? How many levels does the government have? (national, regional, and local)

Economics What factors influence a country’s standard of living? Who decides what, how, and for whom things are made? (gov’t, people, traditions) What is the role of entrepreneurs in the economy? How does free and restricted trade affect countries?