Social Science Education

Goal 1. Explain Social Studies Education as a field of study.

• 1.1 Define and state the purposes of social studies from historical and contemporary perspectives.
• 1.2 Relate or state issues related to the purpose of social studies from historical and contemporary perspectives.
• 1.3 Demonstrate knowledge of various methods of teaching secondary and middle school social studies.

Goal 2. Explain principles expressed in documents shaping Constitutional Democracy in the United States.

• 2.1 Identify basic historic documents, including their origins, evolution, and changing interpretations.
• 2.2. Relate basic democratic ideals implicit in basic documents (human dignity and rights, justice, general welfare, freedom, equality, rule of law, etc.).
• 2.3. Analyze and interpret how past events and developments relate to each other and to the present.
• 2.4. Demonstrate methods used to analyze situations where democratic ideals are in conflict.

Goal 3. Explain continuity and change in the history of Missouri, the United States, and the World.

• 3.1. Explain major concepts of historical periods, people, events, developments, and documents.
• 3.2. Demonstrate understanding by re-stating how past events and developments relate to each other and the present.
• 3.3. Analyze how and why people have viewed and continue to view events, circumstances, and developments differently.
• 3.4. Explain how and why historians bring their own viewpoints and conceptual frameworks into the interpretation of history.
• 3.5. Compare key historical concepts (e.g., time, chronology, cause and effect, change, conflict, etc.).

Goal 4. Discuss principles and processes of governance systems.

• 4.1 Use examples to compare the impact of political theories and philosophies.
• 4.2 Demonstrate knowledge of the government and politics in the United States.
• 4.3 Compare similarities and differences in governments and politics worldwide.
• 4.4 Explain how nations interact.
• 4.5 Examine the role and impact of citizen participation in civil society and in the political arena.

Goal 5. Discuss economic concepts and principles.

• 5.1 Demonstrate understanding economic systems by comparing systems.
• 5.2 Explain basic economic concepts (scarcity, opportunity, cost, trade-offs, supply, demand, etc.).
• 5.3 Compare economic choices and processes for making rational decisions (saving, purchasing, investing, etc.).
• 5.4 Identify the economic factors which determine the goods and services produced (natural, capital, and human resources, investment, entrepreneurship, etc.)
• 5.5 Compare domestic and international trade and the interdependence of economies (specialization, use of money in trade, comparative advantage, etc.).
• 5.6 Explain the roles governments play in economic systems (production of public goods, taxation, regulations, etc.).

Goal 6. Identify elements of geographical study and analysis.

• 6.1 Identify geographic representations, tools, and resources (maps, atlases, aerial photographs, etc.).
• 6.2 Explain locales, regions, nations, and the world relative to place, direction, size, and shape.
• 6.3 Identify or explain the interaction between physical geography and culture, history, politics, and economics.
• 6.4 Explain the relationships between human systems and the environment.

Goal 7. Compare relationships of individuals and groups to institutions and cultural traditions.

• 7.1 Analyze sociological concepts (culture, mores, stereotypes, socialization, etc.).
• 7.2 Compare the similarity of basic human needs and the diverse ways individuals, groups, societies, and cultures met these needs.
• 7.3 Examine interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and cultures.
• 7.4 Explain how individuals, groups, institutions, and cultures change over time.
• 7.5 Explain psychological concepts and theories such as personality, developmental processes, cognitive theory, etc.

Goal 8. Utilize social science tools and inquiry.

• 8.1 Demonstrate competency in various methods for framing research questions.
• 8.2 Identify types of inquiry such as naturalistic, historical, experimental, etc.
• 8.3 Demonstrate competency by correctly using data sources, collection, and analyzing techniques and procedures (artifacts and historical places; field research; primary and secondary sources; interviews, surveys, polling; geographic representations; case studies; statistics; observations; charts, graphs, and tables; and multimedia/electronic resources; etc.).
• 8.4 Demonstrate competency by reporting findings to different audiences (presentation of data).