Social Studies for Year 4,5 and 6

SOCIAL STUDIES
For Years 4, 5 And 6

1. INTRODUCTION

In Brunei Darussalam, the subject Social Studies is being introduced as a replacement for 2 main subjects, History and Geography. The scenario of having these 2 subjects, History and Geography separately has left little space for developing an understanding of contemporary society and culture as experienced in our everyday lives. Thus, there has been a strong call for the introduction of a one single subject that incorporates the elements of both the subjects History and Geography. Hence, Social Studies, which is comparative and holistic in its approach to social life and hoping to have all the necessary elements is being introduced.

2. WHAT IS SOCIAL STUDIES?

Social Studies looks at society in totality and examines the forces that hold society together and those that transform it. The content includes our nation’s history, an awareness of human relationship and their interdependence to each other, economics and resources, and an understanding of global issues as we see happening around the world, and how these events affect our students’ views on world.

3. AIMS

The Social Studies curriculum for Years 4, 5 and 6 aims to:

i. provide students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of Social Studies concepts, in order to help them understand themselves and the environment they live in.

ii. develop in students the basic Social Studies processes to enable them to learn about society and participate in their local and national community as informed, confident and responsible citizens.

4. OBJECTIVES

The three basic components of knowledge, skills, and attitudes and values are given emphasize in this syllabus towards achieving its aims.

a. Knowledge:
i. Understanding people’s interaction with places and the relationship between people, places and their surroundings;
ii. Acquire knowledge of how things were in the past and how things change and develop over time;
iii. Appreciate that resources are limited and that it is important to make wise and informed choices about the use of resources;
iv. Appreciate the multi-cultural way of living in Brunei Darussalam and to recognize the unique attractions of this country.

b. Skills:
i. Ability to express and present information and ideas clearly orally, visually and in written forms;
ii. Ability to work effectively in groups;
iii. Ability to develop and apply effective decision-making skills.

c. Attitudes and values:
i. Develop understanding and commitment towards the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB);
ii. Develop a sense of responsibility towards the people, country and environment;
iii. Develop understanding and responsibility towards the social harmony;
iv. Develop a positive attitude towards life-long learning;
v. Develop flexible thinking skills by recognising the need for change.

5. GOALS

The Social Studies syllabus for Years 4, 5 and 6 prescribes three major goals:

i. Concept Formation
Concepts are foundational organisers in helping students to understand and apply knowledge, skills and values.

ii. Attitudes and Values
The attitudes that this Social Studies syllabus should develop – which means, what kind of feelings students should have about social issues, events, etc. It also teaches what students should value when they complete the program so that students are able to evaluate the ideas and beliefs facing citizens of a modern and tolerant society.

iii. Learning Outcomes
This includes knowledge and skills objectives that students are expected to develop at the end of each lesson. It deals with the question on what knowledge should we impart to our students from this subject - that is, what should students know when they complete the program so that students are able to organize, interpret, and communicate information about the Social Studies. It also deals with the question what skills should be developed - that is, what should students be able to do when they complete the program so that students understand those skills/abilities necessary in organizing, interpreting and communicating social studies information.

6. SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM CONTENT

This Social Studies syllabus was developed as an integrated body of content drawn from a multi-disciplinary subject, drawing its content matter and its relevant skills from several different disciplines. The most important of these are history, geography, economics and sociology. This approach suggests that children will learn about the world through coordination of information, concepts, structures, and methods of the sociologist, economist, historian and geographer. However, interdependence is very much in focus.

Furthermore, this syllabus was also organized around 4 following major issues:
i. Issues related to understanding of ourselves and the immediate environment;
ii. Issues related to understanding the founding and growth of a nation;
iii. Issues related to people in other places of our world; and
iv. Issues related to man living with nature.
7. SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM APPROACH

The Social Studies Syllabus for Years 4, 5 and 6 was developed by taking into consideration the content most suited to the students at this level. The syllabus adopts a thematic approach focusing on the essential content from four themes visited in all the 3 years of learning:
i. Our Heritage
ii. Our Resources
iii. Our Communication
iv. Our Places and Locations

The following model was the basis for the development of the Social Studies syllabus.



























Spiral Developmental Approach


This model is derived from the well known spiral model which develops progressively from year to year. This approach has been named as ‘spiral developmental approach’, as in all the three years of study, students will look at the 4 themes which develop progressively from one year to the next. At the same time, the three objectives of ‘knowledge’, ‘skills’, and ‘attitudes and values’ are given utmost importance in developing the content of all the themes. This approach which gives the opportunity for gradual progression from one year to the next will help students to understand how a new idea or concept is related to the idea or concept that they have learnt before. This way, students’ understanding of the particular idea or concept can be reinforced.


8. PRIMARY SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHING MATERIALS

i. Social Studies for Brunei Darussalam Textbook 4, Workbook 4 and Teacher’s Guide 4 were produced in 2008, and being implemented in schools from 2009 for Year 4.















ii. Explore Social Studies for Year 5 Textbook, Workbook and Teacher’s Guide were produced in 2009, and being implemented in schools from 2010 for Year 5.















iii. Currently, Explore Social Studies for Year 6 Textbook, Workbook and Teacher’s Guide are being produced and will be implemented in schools from 2011 for Year 6.
iv. Apart from these, D-Books for Year 4 to 6 are being developed and will be available in schools in stages beginning with Year 4 in 2010.