What defines K-12 social studies instruction in New Hampshire?

Three documents provide the foundation for New Hampshire's K-12 Social Studies education.

1. The Minimum Standards for Public School Approval (Concord: State Board of Education, 1993) revised [2004]

2. State laws RSA 186:13 and RSA 189:11

3. The K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Framework

What are the minimum standards? 

The NH Minimum Standards for Public School Approval require that elementary and middle/junior high school students "acquire knowledge and understanding of civics, economics, geography, and history" and require that high school students "acquire knowledge and modes of inquiry" in the same four subjects "including the related areas of sociology, anthropology, and psychology." 

What do the laws require? 

State laws RSA 186:13 and RSA 189:11 require specific instruction in the privileges, duties, and responsibilities of citizenship and in the history, government and constitutions of the United States and New Hampshire.   

What is the K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Framework?

The curriculum framework serves as a guide to what New Hampshire students should know and be able to do within the Social Studies. The framework does not establish a statewide curriculum.  It is the responsibility of local teachers, administrators and school boards to:

• Identify and implement approaches best suited for the students in their communities to acquire the skills and knowledge suggested in the framework.

• Determine the scope, organization, and sequence of course offerings.

• Choose the methods of instruction, the activities, and materials to be used.

Using this framework, districts can be assured they are guided by the best understandings as to what should be included in social studies courses for the 21st century. In the future, social studies assessments may be developed for the state of New Hampshire that will be based on this framework and should reflect "best practices in New Hampshire."   

Why study Social Studies?

The study of Social Studies provides:

• the knowledge and skills needed to participate intelligently and responsibly in our ongoing democratic experiment and in an interdependent world.

• the knowledge, skills, and values  that lead to economic self-sufficiency and personal self fulfillment.

• a foundation for future citizens providing them an understanding of the legacy of our republic and its enduring themes enriched by the study of the full human experience.

• insights into the political process and the rule of law.

• an appreciation of the environment and the restrictions it places on choices, a concept essential to a full appreciation of the responsibilities of citizenship.

What is Social Studies education?

The study of the Social Studies involves an examination of how humans, in the past and present, have:

• interacted with the physical and cultural environments.

• developed philosophic, religious, artistic, economic, and political systems.

• used the world's limited resources for the advantage of both individuals and groups.

• participated as informed public citizens in the life of their communities and nation.

• gained personal and societal knowledge and applied it in daily living.

• made choices both individually and as groups and lived with the consequences of these choices over time and in all regions of the world.

How might a Social Studies curriculum be structured? 

An effective study of the social studies must focus on conceptual frameworks and themes rather than solely an examination of facts. Organizing courses around a core of concepts and recurring patterns that can be expanded and more thoroughly explored as students move through grades K-12 will build on past information and involve students in the excitement of learning and the development of curiosity about the world.  Social Studies must explore both past and current issues and their impact on the individual and groups. The most effective Social Studies courses include a strong element of personal understanding and intellectual growth and encourage students to lead reflective lives while actively participating in the world around them.

Who created the revised Social Studies Curriculum Framework and Why?

State law RSA 193-C1 requires that curriculum frameworks in each of the major subject areas be revised and updated. The first New Hampshire socials studies framework was developed in 1994 so a revision process was undertaken in 2004. The initial draft of the revised framework was created over a 10-month period involving 8 committees with approximately eighty K-12 teachers, college and university faculty, and citizens of New Hampshire. This draft framework represents the effort and vision of educators and citizens from the state of New Hampshire.

How is the K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Framework organized? 

The framework is organized in three parts.

Part 1:  Ten Themes

Under each theme there is:

• A brief definition giving the essential ideas of the theme.

• Content examples illustrating how information from different Social Studies disciplines may be included under the theme.

• Several essential questions suggesting directions for exploring these integrative themes.  

The ten themes may serve as the organizing tool for a Social Studies curriculum at any level and they invite the inclusion of information from all the Social Studies as well as from other subjects.
 
Part 2:   Essential Skills for Social Studies
            
These skills:

• Are used throughout the Social Studies but particular skills may be more emphasized in different disciplines.
• Cannot be separated from the teaching of content.

Part 3:  Five Content Strands (Subject Areas)

Civics, Economics, Geography, New Hampshire and United States History, and World History and Contemporary Issues - based on four Social Studies Disciplines. These five strands serve as the organizing strands for the remainder of the framework.

Each strand includes:

• A statement of purpose - each narrative indicates why knowledgeable citizens need to understand and appreciate the information particular to that strand. These narratives also provide a context for the delivery of instruction to students.

• Several curriculum standards - each briefly stated standard; provides a sub-division of the knowledge and understanding essential to that strand.

• Proficiencies - several suggested proficiencies to illustrate expectations for cumulative understanding to be achieved at the end of grades 4, 8, and 12.

These proficiencies present principles and concepts around which a curriculum may be organized.  The proficiencies often include examples of the content one might use to illustrate the principle or concept in a course.  Although these proficiencies focus on the four specific disciplines, information from other subject areas might be used to illustrate the strand.