The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1956-02-02
Letter to the Editor
January 80, 1856

january oU, 1000
Dear Mr.. Hanst:
| should like to comment on your
worthy editorial in last weeks is
sue of The Republican. | believe in
the teaching of history in our
schools. | believe that citizenship
education is one of the prime OBJ
iectives of the public school. The
study of history is one way to
work toward citizenship education.
| am a little concerned about the
inference in your editorial, that
history teaching is neglected area
in our schools, and without it poor
citizens develop. There may be
few teachers in our school system
who do not emphasize the teaching
of history as much as they should
or as much as members of the ID.
A. r. think it should be emphasized.
AS a point of emphasis, however,
may | say that we are planning a
two week summer workshop where
the efforts of those attending will
center around a program of social
studies (history) in all twelve
grades of the school system.
- IGIlldllNt Bdbbtli II AVi a NiehA
rett County Social Studies program
to be developed at this workshop
shows the following outline;
Grade /. Home and School; Grade
2, Neighborhood; Grade 3, Local
Community; Grade A, State History
of Md; Grade 5, United States
History; Grade 6, Eastern Hemis-
phere; Grade 7, Western Hemis-
phere; Grade 8, United States His
tory; Grade 9, Community Living,
Maryland History, Occupations,
The World of Work; Grade 10,
World History, World Geography,
Youth Problems; Grade IL, United
States History Problems Course;
Grade u, Problems of Democracy,
such as Family Living, Crime, Ed
ucation, Taxes, Local Community
Problems, Economic Problems, To-
cal, state, national; Social Securi-
vt, Vacations, Health, and others.
1t is obvious that a program such
as this will provide a broad back
ground in the social studies field
for all children. 1t starts with the
simple meaning of group society.
one that the child has experienced.
namely. his home, family and
school. From this concept it broad
ems to include the neighborhood.
community, county, and state.
With this background the child
is then taught about his country.
on level comprehensive for chill
dren in the fifth grade. During the
next two years time is spent study
ing the people of the Eastern and
Western Hemisphere. Pupils learn
place geography, they learn GUS
toms and habits of the people of
the world, they learn about great
movements i'm history, they learn
of important events and their
meaning, they learn of people and
their contribution to social groups,
etc.
When pupils reach the eighth
grade the social studies emphasis
is again conferred around the study
of the history of our country.
Here the level is stepped up to
challenge pupils in this grade.
The program broadens out and
relates to many problems Nn-
frOnted by our country today,
but provides for children of this
age a good. solid understanding of
the history of the United States.
After spending about II weeks in
the ninth grade reviewing salient
facts concerning the history of our
State, the remainder of the year is
spent with youth problems in COM
munity living, finding ones place
in the world of work, job opportuni-
ties, etc. The tenth grade is spent
studying World History, World
Geography, and adolescent prob
lens. Pupils return to the study of
United States History in the
eleventh grade on much more ma
ture level, and round out their
twelve years of study in the field
of social science by working on
problems of democracy in the
senior year.
This program, as one can see,
places emphassi on the study of
United States History for three full
years at different age and grade
levels. 1t calls for time for the
teaching of the history of our
State; it calls for ample time for
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