单选题 In 1987, a survey was given to 5000 high school seniors. It showed that they did not know geography. Students in Boston were questioned. One-third of them could not name six New England states. Students in Baltimore were questioned. Half could not shade in the United States on map. Here is what another survey showed. Students did not know history. Most did not know the dates of the American Civil War. Many did not know World War Ⅱ leaders.
Someone else asked this question. What did students think of social studies? Their answer: social studies was not important. They said it was the least important of their studies.
What is social studies? It is the study of individuals. It is the study of groups. It is the study of societies. Social studies covers many fields. You have read about history and geography. These are part of social studies. It covers many other areas as well. Let"s say you study the way people live together in groups. This is an area of social studies. So is learning about very early people. So is studying government.
Is social studies important? Early Americans thought so. Students then learned history and civics. This was to make them good citizens. A report from 1916 set a new goal. It said, "The social studies should cultivate a sense of membership in the world community." The world community is very large. But today it is easy to share ideas in it. We have radio and TV. We have phones. We have computers.
Social studies helps us understand the world"s people. It helps us know groups and societies. The 1916 goal was important then. It is even more important now. We all need to be good world citizens.