Elementary School Social Studies

Goal

The goal of social studies is to help create literate and well-informed citizens who actively participate in a democratic society. Students learn how to become effective citizens through:

active engagement in the learning processes and skills of the social sciences and history; development of a useful knowledge base in culture, economics, geography, history, and politics;
learning the fundamental structures of human systems of interaction and how these systems have developed over time;
application of concepts and knowledge of the past to problem-solving real-world issues of the present;
application and evaluation of the role of an effective citizen, including putting citizen participation theory into practice;
effective use of multiple sources of investigation for research and learning, including technology, primary and secondary source materials, the arts, film, and oral history; and
development and communication of social studies concepts and knowledge using a variety of formats, with a special emphasis on analytic and argumentative writing.

Elementary Currciulum

The Elementary Social Studies curriculum is under revision. Training on the revised Grade 4 and Grade 5 curricula took place during Summer 2023 for implementation in the 2023-2024 school year. Grade 3 curriculum training occurred during the Summer of 2025 for implementation in the 2025-2026 school year. There are no changes to the Grades K-2 Social Studies curriculum for the upcoming school year.

Curriculum Overviews

Grading and Reporting

Social Studies report card Measurement Topics align with the Social Studies Thinking Skills and/or Social Studies Standards taught and practiced in Grades K-5.

K-2 Measurement Topics: Civics, History, Economics, Geography, and Culture Social Studies Standards

Grade 3 Measurement Topics: Sourcing, Financial Literacy, Civics, Economics & Geography, and History & Culture

Grades 4 and 5 Measurement Topics: Sourcing, Contextualization, and Corroboration (Gr. 5 only)

What are the social studies thinking skills?

The Social Studies Thinking Skills, also known as Historical Thinking Skills, were developed by historians and researchers to support the analysis and interpretation of history through inquiry and primary sources. In MCPS’ Elementary Social Studies curriculum, these skills are embedded through inquiry-based learning and primary source analysis. The skills have long been a key component of the middle and high school social studies programs. They are now included in the revised elementary curricula to build a strong foundation in historical thinking. This integration fulfills the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Social Studies Standard 6.0, Social Studies Processes and Skills. Social Studies Processes and Skills help students to “develop, defend, and critique arguments to take informed action” (COMAR 13A.04.08.01 - Requirements for Social Studies).

Social Studies Thinking Skills

Skill	Description
Sourcing (Gr. 3-5)	Asks students to consider who wrote a document and the circumstances of its creation.
Contextualization (Gr. 4-5)	Asks students to locate a document in time and place and to understand how these factors shape its content.
Corroboration (Gr. 5)	Asks students to consider details across multiple sources to determine points of agreement and disagreement.
Close Reading (Gr. 3-5)	Helps students evaluate sources and analyze a text by asking: What claims does the author make? What evidence does the author use to support the claim?

Social Studies Grades 3-5 Skills Framework