New Jersey Student Learning Standards Essay

Many argue that social studies has taught the basics because it is the status quo. Grades k-3 miss out on important stories and explanations because the heavy focus is on founding fathers, democracy and geography. Through Ravitch's research, she realized that, "The social studies curriculum for the K-3 grades is organized around the study of relationships within the home, school, neighborhood, and local community" (Ravitch, pg. 1). Young students' social studies instruction mostly focuses on these concepts about important leaders and founding fathers. The consequences of this content is that students do not learn about legends, folklore and fairy tales. These texts are just as important because they address morals, cultures, and values. Social

1). In the vision of the standards it talks about students learning to explore a combined approach of many perspectives and encouraging them to be globally aware. The problem lies in the breakdown of grades. In K-4, students learn government, citizenship, geography, economics, and history. These students miss out on conflicts, culture, and service learning. Students do not delve into those topics until 5th grade. It seems that the first 5 years of education is concentrated on facts, that require not analysis of problems or what they can do to create change. Students in the early years miss out on global studies too. The important concepts that give students a worldly view of how our country interacts globally are not included. The standards try to give students a combination of what the authors suggest, but each grade is very scheduled in what is to be learned and without much