Social Studies (SAF01‑04)
Basic skills

Oral skills in social studies refers to being able to listen to, interpret, formulate and present opinions, and to respond to and discuss them with others. This also includes listening to other people’s opinions and asking clarifying and in-depth questions. The development of oral skills progresses from being able to express one’s own opinions, taking turns in discussions and listening to and answering the responses of others, to being able to adopt various perspectives and justify arguments in wider causal contexts. This development also involves an increasing degree of being able to talk about connections, discuss subject-specific questions and process more complex information, as well as being able to understand how different ways of expressing opinions may have impact on the message and the receiver.

Writing in social studies refers to the ability to plan, structure and work with texts that have been adapted to the purpose. This also involves the ability to share, impart and present knowledge and information in writing, and to use social-studies concepts, as well as the ability to construct arguments, and explore and problematise social-studies-related topics. This also refers to the ability to document and present findings of social-studies related research in writing. The development of writing skills in the subject progresses from formulating simple sentences presenting facts and questions and referring to sources, to being able to write academic texts, discuss issues and refer to more complex sources.

Reading in social studies refers to the ability to explore, interpret and deliberate on various historical, geographic and social studies sources. This also involves finding information and making well-reasoned decisions to select or eliminate various sources. Reading thus refers to the ability to reflect on how attitudes and perspectives affect the various sources, recognising argumentation and distinguishing between opinions, facts and claims. The development of reading skills in the subject progresses from being able to use a small number of adapted sources, to finding and comparing a broader and more complex range of sources on one’s own.

Numeracy in social studies refers to the ability to compile, work with, analyse and assess statistics and big data in light of the context, and to take a position on societal issues. This involves using timelines and metrics to explore and present historical and geographic contexts and to see the connections between them. This also refers to working on issues connected to the economy and consumption, and recognising how they are interconnected. The development of numeracy skills in this subject progresses from being able to interpret concrete and simple tables and graphs to the ability to combine and analyse larger data sets and see the changes over time.

Social studies is a key subject for developing the pupils’ digital citizenship. Having digital skills in social studies refers to the ability to use digital tools to find, process and navigate in digital sources, and to critically assess digital sources and select relevant information. This also refers to the ability to communicate, collaborate and create digital products and to follow the rules and norms for online communication, privacy protection and copyright. These skills refer to the ability to protect and secure online information and data. The development of digital skills in this subject progresses from being able to explore and use digital resources, to the ability to search for and select information on one’s own, and to demonstrate good judgement when choosing digital information, using digital resources and communicating online.