History & Social Sciences
Young children are naturally curious about the world around them—how people live, work, and connect with one another in communities. In SEE classrooms, children begin to explore foundational concepts of history and social sciences by learning about themselves, their families, their classmates, and their communities. Through hands-on experiences, stories, and collaborative projects, they start to develop a sense of identity, belonging, and cultural awareness. These early explorations lay the groundwork for understanding broader concepts of civics, geography, history, and economics.
History and social sciences are woven into daily classroom life and explored through meaningful, project-based learning. Children investigate questions about the world and their role in it, using developmentally appropriate tools like building, drawing, dramatizing, and storytelling. Through this integrated approach, they engage with the four core strands of social studies:
- Civics: Learning how communities work by co-creating classroom rules, cooperating with others, and taking responsibility for shared spaces.
- Geography: Exploring physical spaces through classroom and neighborhood maps, building models, and observing their environment.
- History: Recalling and retelling personal and classroom events, learning about how things change over time, and developing a sense of chronology.
- Economics: Engaging in dramatic play and classroom jobs to understand roles, responsibilities, and the basics of goods and services.
Children explore questions such as:
- Why are there rules? by helping develop classroom norms and practicing shared responsibilities.
- What is my story? by sharing about their families, traditions, and identities.
- How can we show where we live and learn? by creating visual and 3D representations of familiar spaces.
- How do we learn about the past? by sequencing events and using time-related language.
- What kinds of work do people do? through pretend play, stories, and guest visits.