Social Studies

 

Social Studies at St Dominic's College

 The social sciences learning area is about how societies work and how people can participate as critical, active, informed, and responsible citizens. Contexts are drawn from the past, present, and future and from places within and beyond New Zealand. (New curriculum document)

At St Dominic’s College, this means that social studies helps students understand human interactions that occurred in the past, are occurring now, and that are likely to occur in the future. It helps to develop values and an understanding of differing perspectives which are aimed at making the student a good and useful citizen.

 

At Year 7 students will study topics from four themes:

o   Celebrate our culture

o   City Issues (Auckland as a case study)

o   People who make a difference

o   NZ Society

 

At Year 8 students will study four themes:

o   Disasters

o   Dealing with famine

o   Indigenous groups: Aboriginal Australians or American Indians

o   Middle Ages

 

At Year 9 students will study four themes:

o   Ancient Civilizations

o   Te Ao o Te Maori

o   Human rights and social justice

o   Environment and Resources

 

     At Year 10 students will study four themes:

o   Our treaty

o   The immigrants

o   Unique Pacific Tourism

o   New Zealand Government

(Students will also study a ‘Design a Career’ course in term three, in conjunction with the Career’s department)

 

Achievement objectives for social studies at levels 1–5 integrate concepts from one or more of four conceptual strands are covered at each year level:

Identity, Culture, and Organisation – Students learn about society and communities and how they function. They also learn about the diverse cultures and identities of people within those communities and about the effects of these on the participation of groups and individuals.

Place and Environment – Students learn about how people perceive, represent, interpret, and interact with places and environments. They come to understand the relationships that exist between people and the environment.

Continuity and Change – Students learn about past events, experiences, and actions and the changing ways in which these have been interpreted over time. This helps them to understand the past and the present and to imagine possible futures.

The Economic World – Students learn about the ways in which people participate in economic activities and about the consumption, production, and distribution of goods and services. They develop an understanding of their role in the economy and of how economic decisions affect individuals and communities.

Using a social inquiry approach, students:

• ask questions, gather information and background ideas, and examine relevant current issues
• explore and analyse people’s values and perspectives
• consider the ways in which people make decisions and participate in social action
• reflect on and evaluate the understandings they have developed and the responses that may be required.

Inquiry in the social sciences is also informed by approaches originating from such contributing disciplines as history, geography, and economics.

Learning based on the level 1–5 social studies achievement objectives establishes a foundation for the separate social science disciplines offered in the senior secondary school. At levels 6–8, students are able to specialise in one or more of these, depending on the choices offered by their schools. Achievement objectives are provided for social studies, economics, geography, and history, but the range of possible social science disciplines that schools can offer is much broader, including, for example, classical studies, media studies, sociology, psychology, and legal studies.