Welcome to the Seattle Public Schools Social Studies Home Page

The Social Studies department supports students, families, and teachers in learning about the world in the contexts of History, Economics, Geography, and Civics. Social Studies skills are used to build new understanding and utilize background knowledge to construct meaning and share complex ideas in these four areas.

Social Studies, History, and Humanities classes will require students to develop life-long learning and critical thinking skills as they engage in "authentic intellectual work."

"Authentic intellectual work," engages students in "construction of knowledge, through the use of disciplined inquiry, to produce discourse, products, or performances that have value beyond school."

King, Newman & Carmichael, 2007 http://www.thedlcteam.com/DLC/AIW_Books.html

Seattle Public Schools students will engage in authentic intellectual work by researching events from multiple perspectives, analyzing their findings and developing responses to questions in the context of History, Economics, Geography, and Civics. Students will use reading, writing, and communication skills to create papers or presentations that show their ability to think critically and struggle with complex ideas.

"A democratic education means that we educate people in a way that ensures they can think independently, that they can use information, knowledge, and technology, among other things, to draw their own conclusions."
Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, School of Education, Stanford University

Last update: February 13, 2009

Quote of the month:
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."Maya Angelou

Book of the month:
The Forgotten Fifth: African Americans in the Age of Revolution, by Gary B. Nash, Professor of History Emeritus, UCLA, and Professor and Director, National Center for History in the Schools