Why is Social Studies so important?

High-quality social studies instruction promotes the development of the knowledge, skills, intellectual processes, and dispositions required for citizens to be actively engaged in fulfilling their responsibility of civic participation. As members of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world, young people need to learn how to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good. Social studies fosters a renewed and reinvigorated commitment to the ideal, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” as expressed by President Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. The EUPISD offers curriculum, instruction, and assessment supports to aid districts in achieving this goal.

The EUPISD hosts annual events such as Regional History Day and Constitution Day for regional students to learn and compete in social studies activities.

• EUP Regional History Day  - March 10, 2023
• Constitution Day

Social Studies: Preparation for College, Career, and Civic Life

Michigan recently approved revised Social Studies standards for our state.  In order to facilitate student learning around these standards, the EUPISD supports an inquiry model for social studies instruction, as evidenced through the C3 Framework and the Inquiry Arc.  The links listed below offer resources that maybe helpful as teachers, buildings, and districts make decisions regarding curriculum.

Michigan K-12 Standards for Social Studies

Michigan’s Social Studies Content Expectations describe what students should know and be able to do in order to succeed in college, career, and civic life. The most recent collaborative revision was focused on updating the existing 2007 standards around the charge of “clearer, fewer, and higher”; the result of this work (approved in 2019) is presented here.

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework

The C3 Framework objectives are to: a) enhance the rigor of the social studies disciplines; b) build critical thinking, problem solving, and participatory skills to become engaged citizens; and c) align academic programs to the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies.

Michigan Open Book Project

The MI Open Book Project was a multi-year initiative funded as part of the Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG) which empowered groups of master teachers to come together, collaborate, and develop an open education resource for use in K-12 classrooms around Michigan.

Michigan’s Social Studies Hub

As Michigan begins implementing the new social studies standards, this website will provide valuable tools for implementing the standards and the C3 Framework with fidelity.

NEW Oakland Schools Social Studies K-12 Toolkit

The Oakland Schools Social Studies team has partnered with over 20 local educators and district leaders to create grade-banded lessons (“inquiries”) for use at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year. Teachers have a unique opportunity to reimagine their teaching practice this year; the resources provided in this toolkit are an intentional first step toward enhancing social studies teaching and learning.

Library of Congress

Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library’s unparalleled primary sources into instruction; sections include Primary Source Sets, Lesson Plans, Presentations and Activities, and others.

Stanford History Education Group

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills. Content includes both U.S. History and World History.

High-Quality Social Studies Instruction for ALL

The EUPISD supports high-quality social studies instruction through the implementation of the College, Carreer, and Civic Life Framework and its Inquiry Arc-- a set of interlocking and mutually supportive ideas that feature the four dimensions of informed inquiry in social studies:

1. Developing questions and planning investigations;
2. Applying disciplinary concepts and tools; <
3. Gathering, evaluating, and using evidence; and
4. Working collaboratively and communicating conclusions. 

We believe that social studies instruction sould be student-centered, problem-based, and relevant to today's students who are learning to become tomorrow's intentional citizens

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework

The C3 Framework objectives are to: a) enhance the rigor of the social studies disciplines; b) build critical thinking, problem solving, and participatory skills to become engaged citizens; and c) align academic programs to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies.

C3 Teachers - General Inquiries Archive

C3 Teachers is pleased to publish these inquiries through work on the New York State Social Studies K-12 Resource Toolkit project. Use the Inquiry Filter to view the inquiries.

C3 Inquiry Blueprint Generator

The IDM Generator provides a platform for teachers to develop interactive inquiries that can then be completed online by students.

NEW C3 Teachers “COVID-19 Compelling Question Catharsis”

It is hard to know exactly what to do in a pandemic...But social studies teachers are a hardy breed. In the midst of what was becoming a quarantine, they did what social studies teachers do best by asking compelling questions that have begun to emerge during this crisis. C3 organized those questions into disciplines that make up Dimension 2 of the C3 Framework.

Balanced Assessment System

Engaging in reliable, systematic, and ongoing observation and multidimensional assessment that provides feedback to improve instruction and identifies and directs steps to meet the needs of all students is a necessary component of any school system. It is important that assessments form a coherent system assessing the same content standards; that assessments balance the information needs of the users; and that organizational support for implementation is evident.

For more information on the critical components of a high-quality assessment system, please see this guidance document created by the Michigan Assessment Consortium.

Performance Assessment in Social Studies

The EUPISD is committed to supporting the establishment of Performance Assessment in Social Studies as part of a balanced assessment system.  As such, we have been partipants in the collaborative development of the Performance Assessment of Social Studies Thinking (PASST) project for several years.  Professional learning provided around Performance Assessment seeks to ensure that teachers are able to do the following:

• Understand Performance-Based Assessment as a frequent and blended approach to assessing social studies knowledge and skills
• Provide a meaningful assessment of integrated skills and knowledge as part of a regular classroom experience.
• measure social studies at higher levels of cognitive rigor than basic recall of factual information
• Ensure that the standard and the level of student demonstration required by that standard matches the assessment items
• Investigate a greater variety and effectiveness of items designed by classroom teachers

Social Studies Teacher Leader Corps

The Social Studies Teacher Leader Corps (SSTLC) is entering its third year of support for our region.  We are experienced and passionate K-12 teachers from across the EUP who are dedicated to supporting and sustaining high-quality Social Studies instruction.

We are focused on educating the whole child and engaging teachers in the active pursuit of intentional citizenship for students. We hope to collaborate with educators across our region as we focus on the following Key Areas: 

• Inquiry-Driven Instruction and the C3 Framework
• MiOpenBook
• Performance Assessment of Social Studies Thinking (PASST)
• Integrating Social Studies and Literacy.

Educators interested in learning more are welcome to contact Helen Craig (hcraig-isd@eupschools.org) for more information or register for the SSTLC via Wisdomwhere.