1. Five Strands of Social Studies

2. 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.

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

4. 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

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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Five Strands of Social Studies Matrix

10. 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?

11. 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?

12. 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?

13. 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)

14. 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?