SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS What are Social Studies Skills? Social Studies Skills are those skills that help a student better understand the world around him or her. Some examples of useful Social Studies Skills are: • Understanding Map Skills • Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources • Understanding Different Points of View Map Skills A drawing of what a particular place on the Earth looks like from above is a map. Mapmakers, known as cartographers, use map symbols to stand for real objects on a map. The place on a map where map symbols are explained is the map key. The map key is also called the map legend. Understanding map skills will give you more knowledge about the Earth. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
Primary and Secondary Sources Firsthand accounts from the time the event takes place are called primary sources. One example of a primary source is a speech written in a famous person's handwriting. Another example of a primary source is a journal entry. An autobiography is the story of a person's life written by the person himself. An autobiography is also an example of a primary source. Facts from primary sources are put together to create a secondary source. One example of a secondary source is a Social Studies textbook. Different Points of View A person's ideas or feelings about a particular subject are called his or her point of view. A person' s point of view is based upon his or her life experiences. Listening to and trying to understand another person's point of view will help you to be more open-minded about the world and to learn more about the world and the people in it. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.