Epsom Girls Grammar School Epsom Girls Grammar School

9 Social Studies

9SOS
Course Description

Teacher in Charge: Mrs M. Welsh.

He Tangata, He Tangata, He Tangata! –It’s people, it’s people, it’s people!

This sums up the essence of Social Studies. It is the study of how societies operate and how people participate as individuals and groups in their communities. A society and people’s involvement in it is shaped by its past, the place of its people in it, and its resources.

Students will study the influences which shape people and their communities in the following topics:

  • Time Moves On - a study of the impact of people’s actions and ideas over time.
  • When Cultures Meet - a study of cultural interaction.
  • People Power - a study of the New Zealand systems of government; a comparison with another system of government and the impacts of these systems on people.
  • Aotearoa - Our Place - a study of the impact of change on the people and the landscape of New Zealand from Polynesian migration to European migration.

In addition to the topics the class teacher will determine a time during the year when the students will experience the Community of Thinking (CoT) programme. The students will be given a fertile question connected with their current topic and they will then become responsible for the direction their research takes them in with the aim of finding a unique answer to the fertile question.

Woven into Social Studies and the various topics is the key skill of Social Inquiry; the Key Competencies; the Vision, Values and Principles as detailed in the New Zealand Curriculum. These skills are crucial in the empowering of young people to participate responsibly in our local, national and international communities.


Learning Areas:

Social Sciences


Assessment Policy & Procedures
Pathway

10 Social Studies


Disclaimer

We aim to enable every student to have the course that they prefer, however, some courses have limited places or pre-requisits that may restrict the student's choice.