Society in Action (SIA) a Standards-Based Social Studies Program

Middle school students are at a very special age. They’re looking for answers and they’re questioning authority. Still filled with childhood’s creative and imaginative powers, they possess a wealth of energy that often skips the classroom in favor of sports, music, and flirtation. But what if we could harness the myriad interests of these young people and bring them to bear in the learning process?

Most students can temporarily absorb material to replicate on a test. But we only truly learn for the long term when the learning is based on experience and internally motivated.

MICROSOCIETY has taken the educational principles that frame its whole school program into middle school social studies classrooms with Society In Action (SIA). In the SIA classroom, subject matter is supported by student-directed research and classroom demonstrations that bring history, geography, and civics curriculum to life.

The program targets students in grades six through nine but can be adapted to lower and higher grade levels. Students organize themselves into small learning groups with specific roles for research, writing, and presentation. SIA’s peer-to-peer instruction, hands-on individual and group research and demonstrations, identification of essential questions, and alignment with state and district social studies goals make history, geography, government, and economics compelling for adolescents and keeps them present, alert and engaged in class.

Its flexibility allows Society in Action to be tied directly to any state’s standards and as a framework, it fits into any social studies curriculum. It is easily adaptable to a variety of learners.

Typical Components of SIA

• Newspaper Publishing
  Diplomatic relations in the Middle East are illuminated in a student-authored newspaper.
• Court
  Students argue with passion over Cortez’s guilt or innocence in a student-run courtroom.
• TV News
  Students studying the Founding Fathers write and produce a documentary on the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
• Products and Sales
  Students researching Egypt draft a business plan to produce and sell replicas of popular toys used by Egyptian children.
• Museum
  The traditions of Plains Indians are brought to light at a student-created museum.
• Theater
  Students studying cultures in Africa and India perform a play showcasing the traditional garb of various international regions.