Social Science Skills Module

What are the social sciences?

The social sciences are disciplines that study human behavior, society, and interactions.

What does history study?

History examines past events to understand patterns, causes, and effects on human societies.

What does geography study?

Geography studies Earth's surface, including physical features, human populations, and interactions between people and their environment.

What does political science study?

Political science analyzes political systems, governments, political behavior, power, governance, public policy, and international relations.

What does economics study?

Economics studies how societies allocate scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants and needs.

What do behavioral sciences include?

Behavioral sciences include disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology.

What does psychology study?

Psychology studies individual behavior and mental processes.

What does sociology study?

Sociology studies social structures and group dynamics.

What does anthropology study?

Anthropology explores human cultures and societies, often through fieldwork and ethnographic research.

Why are social science disciplines considered interdisciplinary?

They are interconnected and use different perspectives and methods to understand complex human behavior and society.

How do social sciences connect to the humanities?

Both study human culture, values, and experiences, connecting social sciences with literature, philosophy, and the arts.

How do social sciences connect to natural sciences?

Social sciences draw on natural science concepts and methods, particularly in areas such as geography and psychology.

How do social sciences connect to mathematics?

Statistical analysis and modeling are essential tools in many social science disciplines.

Why are interdisciplinary approaches useful in social science instruction?

They provide richer learning experiences by combining different perspectives and methods.

What is historiography?

Historiography is the study of how history has been written, researched, and interpreted over time.

What does historiography examine?

It examines historians' methods, approaches, sources, evidence, perspectives, biases, and how historical narratives change over time.

Why is history more than studying past events?

History also examines a society's culture, politics, economics, causes, effects, and the perspectives of people who lived through events.

What do historians look for when studying events?

Historians look for the causes and effects of events and try to understand how and why events happened.

What types of sources do historians use?

Historians use primary sources, secondary sources, and oral histories.

Why should historians consider historiography?

It encourages the use of multiple interpretive sources and helps historians understand how historical interpretations have been constructed and revised.

How can political science help explain why societies form governments?

Political science explores authority and order.

How can economics, geography, and sociology help explain migration?

Economics can examine jobs, geography can examine climate, and sociology can examine social networks.

How can sociology and psychology help explain social movements?

They can examine inequality, collective identity, and frustration.

Why are multiple social science perspectives useful?

Combining perspectives allows researchers to analyze behavior, predict outcomes, and develop solutions to social challenges.

What is a primary source?

A primary source is a firsthand account or original source connected directly to an event, person, or time period.

What is a secondary source?

A secondary source is a secondhand account that analyzes, discusses, reviews, or interprets primary materials.

What is an oral history?

An oral history is a firsthand account of events and experiences from people who lived through them.

What is one major strength of primary sources?

They provide direct or intimate glimpses into the lives, thoughts, emotions, routines, and experiences of people.

What is one limitation of primary sources?

Primary sources can be subjective and may reflect the author's biases, beliefs, limited viewpoint, omissions, or exaggerations.

Why can artifacts be difficult to interpret?

Their meaning can vary depending on cultural, social, and historical context and may require expertise.

What are examples of primary sources?

Podcasts, diaries, census and statistics, letters, speeches, photographs, paintings, historical maps, autobiographies, Google Maps, interviews, and artifacts.

What is one strength of secondary sources?

They provide analysis and discussion of primary materials and can give detailed information about political, social, economic, and cultural issues.

What is one limitation of secondary sources?

They may contain biases, inaccuracies, sensationalized reporting, omissions, or the prevailing ideologies of the time.

What are examples of secondary sources?

Journal articles, newspaper articles, books, biographies, almanacs, encyclopedias, and biographical dictionaries.

What is a strength of oral histories?

They provide perspectives, emotions, and personal experiences, especially from marginalized or underrepresented groups.

What is a limitation of oral histories?

They can be affected by memory lapses, bias, distortion, interview context, and the passage of time.

What are examples of oral histories?

Stories, songs, folktales, and legends.

Why are primary sources not automatically the most reliable sources?

They provide one perspective and may contain bias or limitations even though they are firsthand accounts.

What should students understand about primary sources?

Primary sources should be evaluated critically rather than automatically treated as authoritative or completely reliable.

Why is using multiple sources important?

Multiple sources can provide different perspectives and create a more complete understanding of an event or topic.

What is the example of bias in Roman accounts?

Roman generals often portrayed Roman armies as successful, benevolent, and righteous, while people fighting against Rome could have had a different perspective.

What was Frederick Jackson Turner's Frontier Thesis?

It was a thesis presented in 1893 arguing that the American frontier helped shape unique American culture and democratic institutions.

What did Turner argue about the frontier?

He argued that settling the frontier fostered individualism, egalitarianism, democracy, and economic growth.

What criticisms have historians made of Turner's Frontier Thesis?

Some argue it overlooks race, gender, class, violence, exploitation, immigration, industrialization, and other factors shaping American society.

Why is Turner's Frontier Thesis important to historiography?

It remains an important landmark in American historiography and continues to be debated and reinterpreted.

What is source credibility?

Source credibility refers to how trustworthy, reliable, and appropriate a source is for supporting information or conclusions.

What five criteria can be used to evaluate a source?

Currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.

What is currency when evaluating a source?

Currency asks when the information was published, whether it has been updated, and whether it is still current.

What is relevance when evaluating a source?

Relevance asks whether the source directly relates to the topic, who the intended audience is, and whether it is the best source for the need.

What is authority when evaluating a source?

Authority asks who created the source, whether the author is an expert, what credentials they have, and who sponsors them.

What is accuracy when evaluating a source?

Accuracy asks where the information comes from, whether evidence supports it, whether the evidence is sufficient, whether it has been verified, and whether the tone is free of bias.

What is purpose when evaluating a source?

Purpose asks why the author created the source and whether they aim to teach, sell, spread awareness, examine, or persuade.

Why should students not automatically trust internet search results?

Information found online may be incomplete, biased, inaccurate, or otherwise lack credibility.

How can school librarians help students with research?

School librarians can help students find credible research sites and evaluate sources.

Why should students use sources with different points of view?

Different points of view help create a more complete and nuanced understanding of an issue or event.

What is problem-solving in social science?

Problem-solving involves identifying problems, questioning, researching, generating options, evaluating pros and cons, and evaluating outcomes and solutions.

What should students evaluate when studying historical materials?

Students should evaluate relevance, motives, perspectives, alternative paths and outcomes, different viewpoints, and arguments related to events.

What is historical inquiry?

Historical inquiry is the process of investigating historical questions or problems through research, evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

What is a research question?

A research question is a question that guides the research process and investigation.

What should a good social studies research question be like?

It should be open-ended and encourage deeper thinking and investigation.

What are Costa's Levels of Questioning?

Costa's Levels categorize questions by increasing levels of complexity and critical thinking.

What is Costa's Level 1?

Level 1 involves gathering information or recalling factual information directly found in the material.

What is an example of a Costa Level 1 question?

"What year did the American Revolution begin?"

What is Costa's Level 2?

Level 2 involves processing or analyzing information, often through comparison or explanation.

What is an example of a Costa Level 2 question?

"How did the outcomes of the American and French Revolutions differ?"

What is Costa's Level 3?

Level 3 involves applying information through synthesis and evaluation, including judgments, predictions, and applying knowledge to new situations.

What is an example of a Costa Level 3 question?

"How might the principles of the American Revolution influence modern movements for independence?"

How do Costa's question levels increase in complexity?

They progress from recalling information, to analyzing information, to applying, synthesizing, and evaluating information.

What are graphic organizers?

Graphic organizers are tools that help students organize information, summarize sources, and track main ideas.

What is a Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) graphic organizer used for?

It helps students summarize sources and organize main ideas into claims, evidence, and reasoning.

What is a Venn diagram used for?

A Venn diagram helps compare and contrast events, people, or time periods.

What can three-column charts or KWL charts help students do?

They can help students research multiple arguments and formulate their own opinions.

What are sequence organizers used for?

They help students organize events in chronological order and track main events on a timeline.

Why should researchers compile bibliographies?

To acknowledge sources and provide a reference list for their work.

How can electronic citation management tools help researchers?

They help create accurate and consistent bibliographies and save time.

How can databases and spreadsheets help historians?

They help organize and analyze large amounts of historical data systematically.

How can online collaborative platforms help historians?

They allow historians to work together, share resources, and contribute to collective research.

Why is collaboration useful in historical research?

It allows researchers to share findings, resources, and perspectives during historical inquiry.

What are ways students can communicate research findings besides a research paper?

Dioramas, posters, pamphlets, brochures, graphic novels, children's books, presentations, performances, videos, timelines, time capsules, museum exhibits, artifacts, plaques, infographics, and podcasts.

Why should teachers give students voice and choice in demonstrating learning?

It supports different ways of demonstrating learning and engages multiple cognitive functions.

What is point of view?

Point of view is the perspective or lens through which a person views and interprets an event or issue.

Why is exposure to multiple perspectives important in social studies?

It builds critical thinking, open-mindedness, and tolerance and shows students that people can perceive the same event differently.

How can teachers teach multiple perspectives?

Teachers can provide two firsthand accounts or compare firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event.

What is a fact?

A fact is a verifiable statement that can be proven or disproven with evidence.

What is an opinion?

An opinion is a subjective judgment or belief based on personal feelings, experiences, or values.

How can students identify a fact?

They can look for objective evidence such as statistics, data, or direct observation that can verify the statement.

How can students use the source to distinguish fact from opinion?

They can consider the credibility of the source because expert sources may be more likely to provide factual information while personal blogs or social media may contain more opinions.

What language can indicate an opinion?

Words such as "should," "ought to," and "must" often indicate opinions.

What language can indicate a fact?

Words such as "is," "are," and "was" often indicate facts, although context must still be considered.

What is a conjecture?

A conjecture is a statement believed to be true but lacking definitive proof, often based on evidence or reasoning.

What is an example of a historical conjecture?

The idea that the decline of the Mayan civilization was primarily caused by prolonged drought is a conjecture supported by some evidence but not definitively proven.

What is an interpretation?

An interpretation is an explanation or analysis of a fact.

Why can historical interpretations vary?

They can vary because of individual perspectives, biases, and the context in which facts are presented.

What is an assertion?

An assertion is a statement or claim made without necessarily providing evidence to support it.

What is evidence?

Evidence is data or information used to support a claim or assertion.

What forms can evidence take?

Evidence can include facts, statistics, observations, or other relevant information.

Why does an assertion need evidence?

Evidence is needed to support an assertion and make it more valid.

What is an informed opinion?

An informed opinion is a judgment or conclusion based on careful and systematic analysis of evidence.

Why are informed opinions valuable?

They promote critical thinking, support meaningful discussion, and lead to better decision-making.

Can informed opinions still contain bias or limitations?

Yes. Even informed opinions can be affected by bias or limitations in the available evidence.