II. Local Studies Topics
The following is a general list of topics that may be part of your
curriculum already or could be
integrated into it through your discipline or interdisciplinary activities. Many topics fit into the
social studies expanding world model (a variation below). Land use and resource topics connects
with the science curriculum as do skills used for exploration, observation and experiment. There
are language arts opportunities for writing journals and reports, hearing and transcribing oral
history, and reading biographies and stories. Math skills are needed for many statistical inquiries,
graphs, and mapping activities. And fine and performing arts are part of the traditions fabric of
the community. What were once work and family roles may now be considered trades, "arts and
crafts". Many disciplines can be interwoven in a study of the fabric of community.
Self, Family
- Family Tree
- Family Folklore
- social and cultural traditions
- celebrations and connections
- stories, family history
- Artifacts, memorabilia
- Personal Timeline
- Childhood, personal and general
- Games, past and present
- Childhood responsibilities, changing roles
- Schooling, past and present
- Stories about and by children
Neighborhood
- Sense of Place
- Architecture of Buildings
- Land Use, past and present
- People - neighbors, organizations stories, neighborhood history
- Walking areas, natural areas, place names
- Social contacts, meeting places, block parties
Community
- Sense of Place
- Town/City Government, past and present
- structure and development over time
- town/city services (schools, e.g.)
- relation to neighborhoods
- relation to county, state, New England courts, laws, representatives
- relation to nation, world
wars, treaties, global issues in
terms of local needs, actions
- Settlement patterns - from original locations of
Native Peoples to today
- Land development - changes over time
- People
- population, censuses and growth rate
- birth, marriage and death statistics
changing customs
health issues, death causes
- ethnicity and immigration
- biographies of important people
- everyday lives of common people
- Organizations
- Planning aspects
- Transportation, type and networks
- Communication , meetings, media
- Records and archives: how and where kept
Economic Changes
- Agriculture: development of farming from
self-sufficient family farm to market
gardens; produce grown, methods
- Industry: from backyards to factories
- how, why changes?
- local resources, power
- Worker types, job types
- recruitment-immigration
- training, apprenticeships and education
conditions
Landscape, Environment
- Natural features
- Geology and soils
- Vegetation, animals
impact of people (as major consumers, predators)
- Landscape-land use relationship
- Resources: air, land, water, environmental protection and
environmental pollution