The Structure of the Social Studies Curriculum
The Social Studies Strands
Strand Aims, Achievement Objectives, and Indicators
Each of the strands has two aims. All achievement objectives are derived from
these achievement aims. There are two achievement objectives for each strand
at each level.
The achievement objectives are expressed at eight progressive levels, in accordance
with The New Zealand Curriculum Framework. The objectives at each level are
appropriate to students' development and maturity as they move from junior primary
to senior secondary school. Students learn at different rates, and therefore,
at any time, individual students or groups of students of the same age could
be working towards achieving objectives at different levels within and across
the strands.
The Indicators for the Achievement Objectives
Indicators for the strands are expressed as sets. As a group, each set indicates
how one of the achievement objectives could be met. Each set of indicators gives
examples of what students may come to know or understand as a result of their
learning experiences at a particular level and each set reflects concepts and
ideas that relate to a particular achievement objective.
The indicators provided with each achievement objective are not exclusive.
Further indicators may be devised by teachers to supplement
or replace those provided.
The indicators for the strands are intended to show how students could demonstrate
knowledge and understandings. These indicators use only four verb stems: "give
examples of ...", "identify ...", "describe ...", and
"explain ...". When developing specific learning outcomes, teachers
will use a wide range of verb stems to reflect the many skills involved in developing
students' knowledge and understandings.
The aim of
social studies education
is achieved through learning in
FIVE STRANDS
with
two achievement aims for each strand,
two achievement objectives for each strand at
eight levels,
and one set of indicators for each achievement
objective |
The Five Strands
Social Organisation
Whaia te iti kahurangi.
Strive for the things in life that are important to you.
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
From their study of Social
Organisation, students will understand:
- people's organisation in groups; and
- the rights, roles, and responsibilities of people as they interact
within groups.
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Because people are social beings, they live their lives as members of a variety
of groups. Students will study the kinds of groups people form, the kinds of
groups they join, the ways in which groups function, and the ways in which interaction
occurs within and between groups. They will learn about different groups that
exist in society, the reasons why groups are formed, and the dynamic nature
of groups. They will find out how groups operate to meet particular goals, challenges,
and crises.
Students will understand the rights, roles, and responsibilities people have
as they participate in groups and learn about the rules and laws that determine
people's behaviour in groups. They will discover how individuals, communities,
and nations exercise their rights and meet their responsibilities. They will
understand the effects of change on these rights, roles, and responsibilities.
Culture and Heritage
He taonga tuku iho na nga tipuna.
A cultural treasure handed down from our ancestors.
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
From their study of Culture and Heritage, students will understand:
- the contribution of culture and heritage to identity; and
- the nature and consequences of cultural interaction.
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Students will consider how culture and heritage contribute to their own identity
and to the identity of others, as individuals and as group members. They will
learn about the identities that are important to people, including national
identity and cultural identity. Students will compare the features of their
own culture and heritage with those of others. They will discover how communities
reflect the cultures and heritages of their people and find out how and why
culture and heritage are developed, transmitted, and maintained. Culture is
dynamic, and students will learn how and why cultures adapt and change. They
will understand how culture influences people's perception of, and responses
to, events, issues, and activities. They will discover how communities and nations
respond when their identity is challenged.
Students will examine the nature and consequences of cultural interaction as
they investigate the customs and traditions associated with cultural activities
and find out how people interact within cultural groups and how cultural groups
interact with other cultural groups. Students will learn how cultures and heritages
are influenced by the movement of people and the spread of ideas and technology.
In studying people's attitudes and responses to diversity, students will become
aware that people often operate in several cultural settings.
Place and Environment
Toitu te whenua, whatungarongaro te tangata.
People come and go, but the land remains.
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
From their study of Place and Environment, students will understand:
people's interaction with places and the environment; and
the ways in which people represent and interpret place and environment.
Students will understand the importance of places and the environment to people
and the ways in which people influence place and environment and are influenced
by them. They will examine the different ways people and groups view places
and environments and consider how and why people move between places and how
places and environments change. They will learn that environments include both
natural and cultural features. They will learn how people regulate the use of
places and environments and how differences over their use can be resolved.
Throughout this strand, students will learn how people record and describe
the nature of places and environments. They will come to understand that people
perceive and describe places differently because they experience them differently.
They will discover how and why different kinds of representations and descriptions
may be used. They will understand how people find out about places, how people
express their sense of belonging to particular places, and why particular places
and environments become significant for people.
Time, Continuity, and Change
Ano te toka tu moana, he akinga na nga tai.
Like a rock in the sea lashed by the tides.
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
From their study of Time, Continuity, and Change, students will understand:
relationships between people and events, through time; and
interpretations of these relationships.
Students will develop understandings of time through learning experiences that
draw on past, present, and possible future settings. They will examine the ways
in which people's values, aspirations, and actions have been shaped and continue
to be shaped by social change and social continuity. As they study relationships
between events and people, students will learn to recognise short-term and long-term
causes of events and of people's actions and to predict the consequences of
these for society.
Throughout this strand, students will examine ways in which the past can be
remembered and recorded. They will learn how people experience events in differing
ways and that people's views of time and events may differ. Students will consider
how past experiences and actions are perceived, interpreted, and revised and
how these perceptions and interpretations may influence people's views and actions
in the future.
Resources and Economic Activities
Ma te huruhuru te manu ka rere.
A bird relies on its wings to fly.
ACHIEVEMENT AIMS
From their study of Resources and Economic Activities, students will understand:
people's allocation and management of resources; and
people's participation in economic activities.
Students will develop their knowledge of the nature of resources and of the
ways people use them. Resources include human, natural, capital, and information
resources. Students will learn that resources may be considered renewable or
non-renewable and that the management of resources involves choices. Students
will study the ways in which economic systems are constructed to manage economic
activities and will find out how these systems can create opportunities and
constraints for particular individuals, groups, enterprises, and nations.
Throughout this strand, students will examine the changing nature of economic
activities including work opportunities and conditions. They will find out how
societies organise the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and
services. They will discover how specialisation and interdependence relate to
exchange and trade and learn about the rights of consumers and workers and how
these may change. Students will consider how the policies and actions of institutions,
businesses, governments and international organisations affect economic activities
and have consequences for people and for society.
Concepts in Social Studies
The diagram below highlights some of the concepts that are reflected in the
five strands of this curriculum statement. The lists provided are not comprehensive.
Teachers will use these list selectively when planning concepts to study within
their programmes and add to them as appropriate. Some concepts are repeated
in more than one strand; this emphasises the integrated nature of the strands.
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