Holding together the pluribus and the unum: challenging? Yes. Do-able? Yes. How educators can turn social studies, the catch-all curriculum, into an integrated subject. .

Dinosaurs, recycling, American presidents, igloos made from sugar cubes, the changing of the seasons, glaciers, insects, how to care for classroom pets, nutritious eating, Greeks and Romans, relief maps, canals, and pollution ...

Is this social studies?

By themselves, they're just topics, of course, not a coherent curriculum. But all of these might appear in a social studies class.

In 1998, for example, the curriculum committee of the Georgia Department of Education "chose to reinstate the listing of social studies skills as a viable component necessary for the proper integration, application and development of content, skills and constructive attitudes." The committee agreed to divide social studies skills under five headings: information processing, problem solving, civic participation, time and chronology, and map and globe.

So walk into a fourth-grade classroom practically anywhere--Georgia is not alone in its methodology--and you might see a social studies bulletin board where a stegosaurus is competing with George Washington for space, above a bookcase shelf loaded with clay models of volcanoes.

That would come as no surprise to Gary B. Nash, director of the National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"In my experience, social studies is regarded as just too mushy," he says. "We're far ahead of the rest of the Western world in teaching World History--that's the good news. France teaches French history. Germany teaches German history. But keep in mind that most countries have a centralized curriculum and nationally chosen textbooks."

"But in this country, each state and often each school gets to decide what it wants to teach in social studies. That's one of the things that happens when you have a very decentralized system of schooling. It's pretty much up for grabs state by state, district by district."

"The National Council of Social Studies takes the line that social studies is an interdisciplinary affair," Nash says. "That sounds noble, but to make that work in a fifth-grade, eighth-grade or high school class is pretty tough."

Social Studies as a "Catch-All"

Social studies comes in for a drubbing by publishers, too, for a simple reason: the scope of social studies topics makes trying to supply appropriate materials increasingly frustrating.

"Social studies is a catch-all, especially in primary school where it is not well-integrated," says Laurel R. Singleton, associate director of the Social Science Education Consortium.

"Our titles come from two different sources--products coming out of our own projects, and submissions over the transom. But we're finding it harder and harder to get the kind of sales we used to get," she says.

And now because teachers are looking for specific materials that will address standards-driven test items, Singleton says, the content of social studies is getting parsed even finer.

"I'm totally sympathetic to teachers who have to do well on tests," she cautions. "But lately, for example, there's been a demand for content materials by a subgroup of teachers who want to teach about Asia in a way that supports the standards. They are aficionados of Asia and they will continue to teach about what they love. As a publisher, what we try to do is more things in depth. But if you're addressing the standards, then you're going to concentrate more on breath than depth."

"We're worried that social studies will get pushed out of elementary school entirely because reading, writing and math are more concrete and measurable," she says.

Nor will social studies standards as they're currently written make the case that social studies is as "concrete and measurable" as any other discipline, in Singleton's opinion. "The sets of social studies standards are an incredible amount of junk."

Fertile Ground

Controversy about what social studies should be is not new. Since the end of World War II, there has been debate over social studies curriculum goals and content, usually centered on two ideologies--liberalism, which espouses the rights of the individual, and principles of collective responsibility regarding class, ethnicity and gender.

History as a discipline has tried to embrace both, says Nash at the Center for History in the Schools. "The rap against history was that it was very conservative and not inclusive. But that's changed in our own time. We have women's history, Africa-American history, gay and lesbian history, just to name a few." John LeFeber, online instructional/curriculum developer, National Council on Economic Education, agrees that history provides a natural springboard for teaching in a number of different directions.

"I struggle with the history teacher who says, `I don't teach economics.' There's very little in our country alone that does not have to do with economics. I defy anyone to walk into the a kindergarten room and not see a play store where kids learn arithmetic by making purchases. By the same token, you can't teach history without geography," LeFeber says.

If this is true--that history is such fertile ground for integrating subject matter--then what is the role of social studies in a school curriculum as a separate discipline? According to the National Council for the Social Studies, the goal of social studies education is to promote civic competence. The primary purpose is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.

In her speech to the NCSS's national convention in November 2000, then-president Susan Adler said, "I keep returning to the core of our work as social studies educators--enabling kids to be citizens in a democratic society. I use the word `citizen' and `civic virtue' broadly. I am referring to the rights and responsibilities of all of us to think critically, to participate thoughtfully in society and to interact with one another, in open and respectful ways, in order to make decisions that affect the broader community."

Get Out the Vote

Even when just a few weeks later, the 2000 presidential contest teetered back and forth on voter problems in Florida, Adler like many of her social studies colleagues was dismayed, but not discouraged.

"Yes, we have a lot of evidence in the form of low voter participation and low test scores that we need to do our job better," says Adler. "We've not done a broadly effective job of contributing to citizenship. We haven't done it well enough. On the other hand, probably many teachers haven't thought through why they're teaching history and geography, either, and how those disciplines contribute to a larger understanding of the world. But we would never argue that those should be done away with."

At Suzanne Middle School in Walnut, Calif., Alan Haskvitz, a former NCSS Middle Level Teacher of the Year and an inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame in 1997, argues that the "flexibility and encompassing nature of social studies" is its greatest strength over other disciplines. Social studies, he says, can make connections.

"History and the other disciplines don't integrate the subject matter well. Think about your college history, civics, economics, psychology and geography classes," Haskvitz says. "Were they integrated, related to the past, present and future? Were you able to understand the importance of geography to economics and how it altered history from any one class?"

"My advanced students are working with a Harvard University professor, the California Secretary of State and the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters in making a video on the history of government and voting. They also raised $5,000 for the Red Cross and wrote a letter to the mayor of New York asking for a piece of the World Trade Center to place at the school memorial wall. The class garden, which is used to help feed those at the local homeless shelter, contains foods from around the world. They have to maintain it and plan the garden to develop an appreciation for agriculture. It uses all recycled products, including reclaimed water," he says. "Social studies is alive."

Untapped Potential

Charles C. Haynes, senior scholar for religious freedom programs at the Freedom Forum's World Center in Arlington, Va., is an authority on religious liberty issues in public education. Haynes was one of the principal organizers and drafters of Religious Liberty, Public Education and the Future of American Democracy: A Statement of Principles sponsored by 24 educational and religious organizations. To his way of thinking, social studies holds yet untapped potential for making profound changes in the fabric of society.

"We talk about academic achievement and testing and accountability, but none of them will make any difference if we don't understand what it means to be an American," Haynes says.

Speaking two days after the destruction of the World Trade Center by terrorists in September, he said, "At the heart of social studies is the task of helping people understand that principles and ideals are what define us as a people, and enable us as Americans to live and work together across deep differences. That means more than teaching people to tolerate each other. It means teaching young people to defend the rights of other people, even those we deeply disagree with, and how we should disagree--how to bring our differences into the public square and the public school."

"If I've learned one thing," he says, "especially working with social studies teachers, it's that we can't force people to like each other or accept other races or cultures by demanding it. But we can teach people about the experiment in liberty that the United States is supposed to be."

"Holding the pluribus and the unum together is the social studies teacher," Haynes says.

National Council for the Social Studies 2001 Social Studies Programs of Excellence

Linton Springs Economics Program

Linton Springs Elementary School, Sykesville, Md. www.carr.org/ccps/Ise/home.html

The Linton Springs Economics Program provides students with hands-on, authentic learning experiences during which they acquire and apply knowledge of economic concepts. Students generate ideas for product stereotypes, then select those worthy of production. Companies are formed, stock is sold to raise money to purchase resources, products are produced and advertised, and a school fair is held to sell goods and services. Profits are used to pay dividends and make donations to charitable organizations chosen by students.

Mountains to the Sea

Smokey Mountain Elementary (K-8), West Millbrook Middle (6-8), Central Middle (6-8), Raleigh, N.C.

The Mountains to the Sea program extends learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. This project involves 1,500 students from different regions of the state by increasing their knowledge of the state's geography, history and culture. Lesson plans in language arts, math, science, arts and character education are integrated with technology and community service and implemented in daily classroom activities. As a culminating activity, students meet one another at the end of the year.

History/Social Science Department

Santiago High School, Corona, Calif. www.cnusd.k12.ca.us/santiago-hs/

The history/social science department features a blend of many diverse programs and projects that offer its students a unique opportunity to find academic success. Through collaborations, assessing and using student learning styles, and actively involving students, teachers have created a learning environment where their students effectively reach their goals.

Our Georgia Garden

Webb Bridge Middle School, Alpharetta, Ga. www.fulton.k12.ga.us

Webb Bridge Middle School has taken the innovative approach to instruction by designing a portion of the school's landscape into a Georgia Garden of Opportunities. The design, which incorporates educational goals and curriculum, is an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses the arts and sciences. The master plan includes creating a native Georgia garden and orchard as well as an outdoor reading, writing and arts center.

The Calvert Criminal Justice Program

Calvert County Public Schools, Prince Frederick, Md. www.calvertnet.k12.md.us

The Calvert Criminal Justice Program involves students in the integration of curriculum and work-based learning experiences designed to prepare them for careers within the criminal justice system. The curriculum focuses on the study of government, law, law enforcement, the courts and correctional systems at the local, state and federal levels. The sheriff's department, the state police and the community college are involved in the ongoing development and evaluation of the program.

Exploring History

Simon Baruch Middle School, New York, N.Y.

The Exploring History program provides learning activities that engage today's students in yesterday's events. This active, hands-on learning is accomplished by simulating historical events, lobbying and debating, analyzing primary source documents, writing persuasive essays and reading young adult historical fiction. The program is written to complement and support the NCSS standards. It provides opportunities for cross-curricular learning and viewing of historical issues from multiple perspectives.

Where to Go for Standards

* The NCSS curriculum standards, Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, are available for $12.75 for NCSS members and $15.00 for non-members from NCSS Publications, www.ncss.org/publications/, 800-6830-812. National curriculum standards for civics and government, geography and history are also available. Introductory sections of Expectations of Excellence are available online at www.socialstudies.org/standards/stitle.htmL

* State curriculum standards are available at www.indiana.edu/~ssdc/stand.htm, a Web site maintained by ERIC/Chess, the ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education.

* In addition, the Council of State Social Studies Specialists has published the National Survey of State Requirements, Course Offerings and Assessment in Social Studies, available at www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/cs4survey/cs4intro.html.

* NCSS's National Standards for Social Studies Teaching are available at www.socialstudies.org/standards/teachers/

Charles Shields, [e-mail], is a freelance writer and 20-year veteran educator based in suburban Chicago.