Iowa Core Social Studies (.pdf)
Iowa Core Social Studies (.doc)Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies 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.
Definition of Social Studies
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
What's New
The Social Studies, Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction (SSACI) Group that is part of the Council of Chief State School Officiers (CCSSO) has opened the targeted review of the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. The Iowa Department of Education has been asked to “target” individuals within Iowa who are best positioned to provide useful feedback on the C3 Framework. To assist with this process, the Statewide Social Studies Leadership Team will be recruiting organizations that have a social studies focus to provide feedback. The Department is responsible for summarizing the feedback from invited organizations that choose to participate in the review and submitting one collective review from Iowa. That feedback will be used by the authors of the C3 Framework to update and improve it. Once the C3 Framework is officially completed, the full document will be available for public view.
If you have any questions, contact Brad Niebling, interim Social Studies consultant for the Iowa Department of Education at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The founders of our country emphasized that the vitality and security of a democracy depends upon the education and willingness of its citizens to participate actively in society. This level of participation requires civic competence. In other words, it is imperative that our future generations gain an understanding of the core concepts of Social Studies. Life in the United States within our democratic system is constantly changing which creates varying social circumstances. As a result, citizens need to adapt to such changes in order to sustain vital democratic traditions. Meeting this need is the mission of the social studies. In social studies, students develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions, including but not limited to:
- Possessing basic knowledge and ways of thinking drawn from many academic disciplines
- Expressing ideas in written form
- Reading reflectively and critically
- Analyzing their own and others' opinions on social issues
- Becoming motivated to participate in civic and community life as active and informed citizens
As we work to carry on the ideals of the founders, we are compelled to revisit our fundamental beliefs and institutions and to construct new social contexts and relationships. The Iowa Core for Social Studies reflects the belief that the informed social studies students comprehend and apply to personal and public experiences the core content perspectives of the many academic fields of the social studies. Our entire social experiences, as well as our republic, are established upon the principles of individual citizenship. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the education of those future citizens.
For that reason, the Iowa Core for Social Studies has been structured around five core social studies content areas. They are:
- Behavioral Sciences
- Economics
- Geography
- History
- Political Science/Civic Literacy
For each area, knowledge and skills have been identified and defined in terms of detailed understandings that students should be able to apply. It is of key importance that students possess the knowledge and skills associated with the economic, political, and social forces that make up the human systems in which they live. In addition, they must possess the historical knowledge which created the spatial, temporal, and cultural perspectives present in our world.
The Iowa Core for Social Studies is premised upon a rigorous and relevant K — 12 social studies program. Engaging students in the pursuit of active informed citizenship will require a broad range of understandings and skills. It will also require an articulated curriculum which connects students to the social world through informed instructional experiences led by teachers who are committed to active civic participation. This represents a bold step toward a vision of social and civic literacy for all of Iowa's students.