Five Strands of Social Studies
DID YOU KNOW?
• Social Studies answers the burning question…”WHY”? WHY do people live there? WHY do they speak that way? It combines the study of cultures, geography, history, economics, and government and their impact on our lives today…and tomorrow!
In Social Studies, we have “five strands” of Social Studies. A strand
is an area of study.
• They are…• Geography
History
Government
• Culture
• Economy
Each strand is COMBINED to create
the identity of a region, a nation, and a person!
Salt to taste….• The strands of
Social Studies form the identity of a region, nation and person but not necessarily in equal parts. Like a recipe, different combinations make the perfect dish!
• Which strand of Social Studies best defines one’s identity?
Geography
• The study of people, places and the environment
Political features: countries &
cities
Climate: weather over a period of
time
Longitude & Latitude
Physical features: Continents, oceans, and landforms
Geography
• How does where you live affect how you live?
HistoryPeople who
changed society
Events that changed the way people live today
• A record of the past-can be a written account OR
an artifact
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
History
• How does the past shape the present?
Culture
Religion & Traditions
• The beliefs, customs, laws, art, and ways of living of a group of people.
Art & Recreation
Language
Food, Dress, & Greetings
Culture
• How does local culture affect the traditions of the region?
Government
Citizen
participation
• The people and groups within a society that make laws, to make sure they carried out, and to settle disagreements about them.
Type of
government Structure of the
government
Personal
freedom
Government
• How does citizen satisfaction impact the government?
• How much can a citizen participate in their government?
Economics
• The study of how people manage their resources by producing, exchanging, and using goods and services.
Trade barriers,
money,
exchange
rates
Natural,
Capital, and
Human
resources
Economic systems:
traditional, market,
command, and mixed
Entrepreneurs
Economics
• Who decides what, how, and for whom things are made? (gov’t, people, traditions)