Social Science

   Social science is an important part of primary education. It will provide opportunities to learn the past, present and the future of Maldives and the interconnections with the wider world. Social science allows students to value their roots, explore their pasts and understand their contexts, appreciate the interrelationships between people across time, environments and cultures while developing civic efficacy’ (NIE, 2015).

  This assignment is based on the social science key stage one syllabus document. By doing this assignment we will get to know how to plan an integrated theme to teach social science on primary grade and how it relates to different strands of social science as well as integrating it to different subjects. For this assignment “Human VS Nature” is chosen as an integrated theme for teaching social science grade 2.

Under this theme students will learn the geographic features of nature and man-made. In addition they will be able to identify the natural and made man resources. For the assignment I have choose three outcomes from three different strands which are related with one another. From three strands one will be a skill strand which is strand 6 (Investigation, communication and participation). The outcomes I have chosen and the selected indicators relate to theme and it would help students easily understand the topic.

   The integrated curriculum is a great gift for teachers as well as the students which make them more exciting and help students to take more response on their own learning. Integration is around us everywhere in society and nature. Lake (1994) believes that curriculum plays an important role that encourage students motivates to learn. It seems new way of looking at teaching and has received great deal of attention in education setting (Lake, May 1994).

    Integrated curriculum is very important for today’s education because it is normally presented in the form of thematic approaches, According to Park (2008) that integrated curriculum is important because it often involves project based learning and flexible students groupings and usually highlights relationships between and among important concepts that across disciplinary lines. It is also an educational powerful aspect of a school’s approach that prepares children for lifelong learning. It views learning and teaching in a holistic way and reflects the real world, which is interactive (Park 2008).

   When curriculum is integrated students see relationships among ideas and concepts as they plan and experience a theme – based inquiry. Relationships between in and out of school topics become obvious to students. Communication processes become authentic as students engage in thematically based leaning activities. Students are encouraged to share ideas, as they listen to one another, their personal bases of ideas are extended. Students become more responsible for their own learning and engaging the lessons. The teacher assumes as a facilitator rather than information distributor. Assessment is reliable, continuous and related to learning events.