AUGUST 2021 1

EED 5 - TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN THE

ELEMENTARY GRADES (PHILIPPINE HISTORY
AND GOVERNMENT)
Prepared By: Prof. SIXTO O. Orzales

Objectives
GET IN THE KNOW:

At the end of this module, you are expected to:

Clarify and explain the meaning and importance SOCIAL SCIENCES DEFINED
of Social Sciences and Social Studies.
Create an infographic discussing the importance SOCIAL STUDIES (ARALING

of Social Studies/Teaching AP. PANLIPUNAN) DEFINED

IMPORTANCE/RELEVANCE OF
TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES
(ARALING PANLIPUNAN)

Let's Try This!

Fill out the Schema Map below. In the Schema box, write down the things you know about Social
Sciences and Social Studies. The Misconception and New Learning box will be answered at the end of
this module.
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Start Here!
Social Sciences Defined

There are various definitions of social science. A short one is “the scholarly study of human society
and social relationships”.

The European Science Foundation has a longer one: “Social sciences are key to the understanding of
many…societal issues such as the balance between economic growth and impact on the environment.
In other words the social sciences examine what it means to be a social being, ranging from the
minutiae of human behaviour and brain functions, to large scale social movements, demographics,
economics and politics.”

The social sciences include: anthropology; business and management; economics; human geography;
law; media studies; political science and international relations; psychology; social policy and
sociology.

Source: https://campaignforsocialscience.org.uk/about-us/social-sciences/
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Social Studies (Araling Panlipunan)

Defined
Araling Panlipunan is a learning discipline that is concerned with the study of society. It develops the
pupils' literate and effective participation as a citizen of the country (Corpuz and Salandanan, 2012).
“The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned
decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an
interdependent world.”
– National Council for Social Studies

Social studies can also be referred to as social sciences. It’s a field which deals with human behavior,
relationships, resources, and institutions.
Specific topics within social studies that are studied in school coursework include geography,
anthropology, economics, history, sociology, political science, and civics.

Aim And Purpose Of Social Studies

The main goal of teaching social studies is to teach students to become good citizens. We are living in
a diverse society — one that requires knowledge of social studies to succeed. With a social studies
background, children become adults that can participate civilly in our democratic society.

Social Studies In The 21st Century

Social studies connect students with the real world. In today’s interconnected world, students must be
prepared to interact with people of all cultures and communities, and social studies prepares them for
this.
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Importance/relevance of Teaching
Social Studies (Araling Panlipunan)
All children who go through the school curriculum become something when they graduate. And no
matter what that something is, they will need to interact with others from different cultural and
socioeconomic backgrounds. Students must study how society works, and how people work in a society
in order for it all to work once they enter society after graduation.

8 Reasons: Why Is Social Studies Important For Students?

Students learn skills through social studies that help them succeed in further education as well as life.
Here are all the amazing ways learning social studies benefits kids and society together:

1. Better Reading And Learning

Social studies is one area in education where content integration is key. Students are given reading
material that corresponds with the current learning topics. Giving reading materials in context helps
students become better readers. They also become better learners because they are asked to use
analysis, critical thinking, and writing to show understanding.

2. Citizen Responsibilities And Values

How can we expect young people to contribute positively to society, engage in discourse, and thrive in a
democratic society if they are not exposed to the topics and aspects of history and life that made
society the way it is? Students need an understanding of history, political science, culture, and all
humanities to be able to understand why it is important to be a good citizen.

3. Cultural Understanding
Students should be exposed to cultures far beyond what they experience personally every day. Not
every student has the opportunity to interact with other cultures on a daily basis. We need students to
learn about, understand, and appreciate cultural differences if we expect them to have meaningful
interactions with people of all backgrounds in the future.
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4. Economic Education
Economics is a crucial part of social studies, whether studied on its own, or as a part of
history, anthropology, or political science. By learning economics, young people understand
how their financial decisions have an impact on their future, as well as the future of society.

5. Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a part of social studies — students are taught to evaluate others’ decisions
and make connections between influences and circumstances. Young people get the
opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes through social sciences.

6. Real-World Understanding
Studying social sciences gives students an understanding of the real world around them.
Students learn about places, cultures, and events around the world, what conspired to make
them the way they are, and can make inferences about how the rest of the world works.

7. Political Skills
From social studies classes, students learn about government, political ideas, country economy
and resources, and more. Students gain political skills by analyzing and evaluating existing
systems and imaging the future of the place in which they live.

8. Respect History
History is what made the world the way it is, and it is essential that people study it in order to
have an appreciation for and understanding of the way the world works. Learning about
history is what makes it possible to learn from the past and plan for the future.

Making Sense of the World: Social Studies for Young Students

One of the reasons for teaching young people social studies is for them to be able to
participate civilly in a democratic society. Children start as early as kindergarten to
understand the world around them, and schools should follow suit and start teaching social
studies concepts such as communication, critical thinking, and culture as early as possible.

Qualities Of Purposeful Social Studies

1. Meaningful
Social studies should be meaningful to students. Teachers should embrace the natural interests
of students and plan topics around those interests.
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2. Integrative
Integrating all aspects of life is key to a successful social studies curriculum. Not only should
current events and other classes be integrated, but also aspects of daily life as well. Every
moment is a teachable moment.

3. Value-Based
Key values of democracy are opportunity, equality, justice, and freedom of speech. These
values should be echoed throughout all parts of social studies.

4. Challenging
Teachers can challenge children in social studies classes in ways they aren’t or can’t be
challenged in other classes. In-depth critical analysis should be implemented — getting
students to think and reflect will help them engage and challenge them to care about what’s
going on around them.

5. Active
Get students active and engaged with debates, discussions, role playing, projects, and
simulations. This is one area of school where kids should really get into it!

Let's REFLECT!

This time, fill out the New Learning section with the new things you have learned about
Social Science/Social Studies. Then, fill out the Misconception box with the
misbeliefs/misconceptions you have had before taking this module.
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Sentence-Phrase-word

S - Choose a sentence that was meaningful to you that you felt captures a core idea of the text
provided in this module.
P - Select a phrase that moved, engaged or provoked you.
W - Choose a word that captured your attention or struck you the most.

lET'S aPPLY WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

Create an infographic discussing the importance of teaching Social Studies/AP. Your work
will be rated based on the following criteria.

Concepts and Insights (40%)

Clarity (30%)
Mechanics (30%)