Parent Resources

Q. What are children learning about Social Studies in the NYC schools?

A. All students in New York City K-12 public schools are expected to meet NYS Social Studies Standards. Students are provided with instruction in the five strands of social studies: U.S. history; world history; geography; economics and civics; citizenship and government. In grades K-2, students begin to develop awareness about self, family, neighborhoods, and communities. In grades 3-5, they are introduced to the diversity of world communities, the historic development of New York State, and the similarities and differences among the nations that make up the Western Hemisphere. In middle school, students study the Eastern Hemisphere in grade 6, and build their historical knowledge of the United States from colonies to country in grades 7 and 8. When students enter high school, they pursue in-depth studies of Global History in grades 9 and 10, American History in grade 11, and Economics and Government in grade 12. As students move through the grades, they are expected to build content knowledge and historical thinking skills through reading and writing informational text and analyzing primary documents of increasing complexity.

For more information, please see:

http://text.nycenet.edu/Academics/SocialStudies/default.htm

Q. What are the NYS Social Studies Standards? Where can they be found?

A. There are five New York State Social Studies Standards. Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of: (1) the history of the United States and New York, (2) world history, (3) geography, (4) economics, and (5) civics, citizenship, and government. These five standards are interwoven with the ten themes and concepts identified by the National Council for the Social Studies. These themes and concepts are (1) culture, (2) time, continuity and change, (3) people, places and environments, (4) individual developments and identity, (5) individuals, groups and institutions (6) power, authority and governance, (7), production, distribution and consumption, (8) science, technology and society, (9) global connections, and (10) civic ideals and practices. These themes create the framework for the social studies curriculum.

The State Education Department provides information about the learning standards, the K-12 core curriculum and assessment.

For more information, please see:

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/ssfaq.html

http://eservices.nysed.gov/vls/levelSelection.do?title=Level%20Selection&contentID=7

http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands

Q. Why are the Learning Standards important? How are children affected?

A. The New York State Department of Education publishes brochures that explain what parents need to know about NYS Learning Standards. The brochures address general education students and students with special needs. There are two types of learning standards: content standards and performance standards. Content standards detail what children are expected to learn in each grade and performance standards tell us how well students have learned the content. Performance indicators and benchmarks outline the types of activities and tasks that students in each grade should be able to do to demonstrate understanding.

For more information, please see: http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/social.html

A. Strong social studies programs provide student-centered, inquiry-based learning experiences that are active, challenging, meaningful, and that integrate curriculum. In-depth units of study use numerous resources including a rich variety of primary and secondary sources, library resources, maps and globes. Students read related non-fiction and fiction, examine multiple perspectives, take part in field trips, integrate technology skills and participate in project-based learning. Students are encouraged to examine, analyze, and synthesize material through numerous approaches. Social studies programs help students link the effects of the past to the present, and relate geography to society, economics and politics. These programs help students understand democratic concepts, promote responsibilities of citizenship, and develop local, state, national and global perspectives. They also help students examine the characteristics and contributions of diverse cultures, and relate economic concepts to daily life. Students are encouraged to solve problems, make connections, compare and contrast ideas, and analyze the cause and effects of actions as they study social studies content. Whenever possible, the curriculum merges the social studies content strands with English language arts, science and math.

Q. How can parents help their children get excited about Social Studies?

A. Parents often ask how they can help their children become excited about social studies. New York City has always played an important role in the history of our country. As a result, the city is a “living history museum”  that provides opportunities for rich connections between the past and the present. Museums, historical societies, cultural institutions and libraries offer programs for children and for families. Families can also explore the diverse communities and local history of the city through walking tours, boat tours, and the study of local maps. Ask your child’s teacher for suggested films, books and resources. The National Council of Social Studies provides yearly lists of outstanding fiction and non-fiction books for children that can be shared by families through literacy activities such as read-alouds, shared reading and book discussions. The Department of Education website provides links to historical and cultural institutions:

http://www.ncss.org/resources/notable

A. The DOE Social Studies website contains a parent resource page with links to cultural institutions, as well as a link to the New York State Department of Education which provides detailed curriculum, resource and assessment information.

Q. Where can parents find information about the New York State Social Studies exams?

A. New York City public school students are required to take a state standardized

exam on the following grade levels:

• Grade 5 Elementary-Level Social Studies Test – administered in November
• Grade 8 Intermediate-Level Social Studies Test – administered in June
• Global History and Geography Regents – administered in June, August, and January
• United States History and Government Regents – administered in June, August, and January

The New York State Department of Education has a great deal of information

about these exams on their website. You can find out more by clicking on:

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/elintsocst.html

http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/osa/hssocst.html

Q. Where can parents get Social Studies information about specific student populations?

A. The New York State Education Department offers a wide range of resources for parents. These include sites that address issues of testing and curriculum for differentiated instruction, such as gifted and talented education, and bilingual education, among others. For details see:

http://usny.nysed.gov/parents/

For information about how the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) legislation affects your child, see “Just the Facts for NY Parents”:

A. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), all schools must make “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP). Students who do not reach achievement targets in social studies are mandated to receive Academic Intervention Services (AIS). Schools develop a comprehensive yearly plan that outlines the types of AIS services students will receive. AIS is a comprehensive, intensive and focused support program that is offered in a variety of settings both during the school day and through after-school programs.

For additional information, please see: