Meaning, Scope and Nature of Social Studies – JSS1 Social Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

Social studies is the study of man and his environment, including how people interact with that environment and with one another.

Behavioural objectives

1. Define social studies.
2. Name the environments with which man interacts.
3. Give examples of how the physical and social environments influence man.
4. Explain science and technology and state how they have influenced man.
5. List the subjects that make up social studies.

What is social studies?

Social studies is the study of man and his environment.

• Man: means human beings, both male and female.
• Environment: everything around man that affects his way of life.
• Second definition: social studies is the totality of man’s physical and social environment.
• Main concern: how people live, work and relate with one another and with their surroundings.

What is the scope of social studies?

The scope of social studies is the range of areas it covers: the physical environment, the social environment, and science and technology.

• Influence of environment: it affects man’s language, dress, food, work and many other parts of life.
• Two environments: man interacts with the physical (natural) environment and the social (man-made) environment.
• Third area: science and technology, which man uses to change and improve his surroundings.

What is the physical environment?

The physical environment is the natural surroundings of man, such as land, water and vegetation.

• Grassland: open land covered with grass.
• Mountains and valleys: high land and low land between hills.
• Rivers, seas and oceans: bodies of water that man uses for food and travel.
• Deserts: dry areas with very little rain.
• Forests: large areas covered with trees.

The physical environment influences how people earn a living.

• Riverine areas: people such as the Ijaw and Ilaje often take up fishing and farming.
• Forest areas: people living close to forests often become hunters.
• Climate: it affects the clothes people wear and the type of houses they build.

What is the social environment?

The social environment is the man-made way of life that people share in a society.

• Religion: beliefs and forms of worship.
• Tribe: the ethnic group a person belongs to.
• Customs: accepted ways of doing things, such as greetings and festivals.
• Language: the means of communication among people.
• Dressing: the clothes a society wears.
• Morals and values: ideas of right and wrong that guide behaviour.

Example of the influence of the social environment:

1. An adult who cannot speak Hausa moves from Yorubaland to Northern Nigeria.
2. He meets and mixes with people daily.
3. Within a few years he picks up the Hausa language.
4. He also takes on their way of greeting, eating and dressing, often without noticing.

What are science and technology, and how do they affect man?

Science is the systematic way of getting knowledge through observation and experiment, and technology is the use of that knowledge for practical purposes.

• Science: finds out how things work, for example how water can turn a machine.
• Technology: turns that knowledge into useful things, for example a dam that produces electricity.

Science and technology have made life more comfortable in these ways:

• Communication: the internet, television, cable and telephone keep people in touch with world events.
• Power: rivers are dammed to produce electricity, as at Kainji on the River Niger.
• Transport: cars, trains, ships and aircraft move people and goods faster.
• Health: medicines and hospital equipment help to treat diseases.

What is the nature of social studies?

The nature of social studies is that it combines several school subjects to study man in society.

Which subjects make up social studies?

Six main subjects contribute to social studies: Geography, History, Civics, Government, Sociology and Economics.

What are the features of social studies?

• Combined subjects: it shows how man uses the resources in his environment to solve problems and improve life.
• Living together: it studies how people live in harmony in society and influence one another.
• Conflicts: it helps us to know the causes of conflicts in society.
• Solutions: it helps us to understand the effects of conflicts and the ways of resolving them.

Why do we study social studies?

We study social studies to understand ourselves, our society and our environment.

• Environment: to understand how man uses and is affected by his surroundings.
• Harmony: to learn how to live peacefully with other people.
• Conflict: to learn the causes and effects of conflict and how to settle it.
• Problem solving: to learn how resources can be used to improve life.

Evaluation

1. Define social studies.
2. Name the two environments with which man interacts.
3. Explain science and technology.
4. List the subjects that make up social studies.
5. State three reasons why we study social studies.

Assignment

Name the two environments man interacts with. For each one, explain how it influences man and give one example.