Social studies

A wider world to understand.

Explore how people live, how places change and how the past helps us ask better questions.

It starts with
a connection.

Social studies connects a learner’s own community to a much wider world. We explore maps and sources, consider different perspectives and practice making careful distinctions between an observation and an interpretation.

A subject that
grows with them.

A guide to the learning journey

Early learning

Talk about families and communities, familiar places and the passage of time.

Elementary

Use maps and timelines to explore local history and the wider world.

Middle school

Study civilizations and civic ideas using evidence from a range of sources.

High school

Explore historical inquiry, geography, government and economic questions.

Planning ahead beyond the current Grade 8 offer.

A little idea to try together

Map your community

Draw a map of familiar public places. Add a key, then explain how one place helps people in the community.

Adapt the activity to the learner’s age and work with an adult when needed.

Skills that travel with them

More ways
to make sense of it.

Maps & geography
Historical thinking
Source evaluation
Civic understanding

Try a learning preview

From a topic to a learning goal

Choose the next useful step.

Use a map, photograph, account or short source with a clear question. Ask who made it, when and for what purpose. Different accounts can add context without being equally strong evidence for every claim.

A practice sequence to adapt

Notice. Try. Explain. Revisit.

1
Identify the place, period or community being explored.
2
Describe what a source directly shows or says.
3
Compare another source and note agreement or difference.
4
Write a conclusion that separates evidence from interpretation.

Subject questions

A clearer way to begin.

How are different perspectives handled?

Compare the context and evidence behind each account. Learners can describe a perspective without endorsing it, and can respectfully question a claim.

Can a project begin with our community?

Yes. Public places, local maps and shared history can make a useful starting point. Avoid collecting private information or publishing another person’s details for a project.

Find a place for this interest.

Compare the ways this subject could fit into an online routine, home learning or focused support.

Compare learning formats