Themes of Social Studies

Last week our major focus was understanding the fields of social studies. Students were divided in to small groups (3 to 5 depending on class size) and each group was assigned one of the five fields:

1. History:  The study of past events.
2. Geography:  The study of the earth's surfaces and the processes which shape it.
3. Political Science:  The study of government, types of government, and their processes.
4. Economics:  The study of consumption, production, and the transfer of wealth.
5. Behavioral Science:  B.H. was broken in to the three sub-fields below.

• Anthropology:  The study of humankind (physically and behaviorally).
• Psychology:  The scientific study of the mind and its functions.
• Sociology:  The study of the development, structuring, and functioning of society.

Each group was given between 20-25 minutes to find a definition of their field, come up with examples to further define their field, and create a mini-presentation. The topics were presented on Friday, but there are still a few groups who will present on Monday. There will be a short quiz which will be administered sometime this week (probably Wednesday).

This week we will be completing our discussion regarding the five fields of social studies and begin to look at the five components of civilization.  These 'fields' and 'components' will be the fundamental building blocks of this course.

Note:  For the first few weeks of school, there are no real differences between honors and general sections of my classes.  Once we begin the next unit (Prehistory), the real differentiation will begin.