Laney Rogers is watching a classroom of elementary students argue. Wait, strike that. They aren’t arguing. They’re debating.
The elementary instructional technology coach studies two third graders, hunched over a Discovery Education puzzle, locked in quiet negotiation. The pair is wrestling with a question that stumps plenty of adults: which branch of government does Congress belong to? Does the puzzle piece go with the Legislative branch? Or the Executive?
Their conversation exercises not only their communication skills, but their analytical muscles. That’s an essential aspect of effective social studies instruction, says Rogers. “When students are taught the skills for critical thinking and problem solving, then they are able to apply those learnings to what is happening in their world today.”
More and more educators are realizing that social studies isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s foundational to critical thinking, citizenship, and literacy. So, what does it actually take to give students that foundation? We asked educators on the front lines.
Teaching Kids to Ask Why
In classrooms across the country, social studies has been pushed aside in favor of the more heavily tested subjects of math and reading. That’s a mistake, says elementary teacher Jessica Brush of Henrico County, Virginia. “It’s super important to keep social studies in the classroom,” she said. “It helps students become informed, thoughtful citizens. It helps develop curiosity, student voice, and discussion in so many ways.”
Rogers sees the same value play out in her own schools. Social studies, she says, is essential for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
It also flexes students’ analytical muscles, which is essential for logic and reasoning. “Social studies gives students the opportunity to analyze, because they are looking at a historical event, a historical document, or a historical person, and figuring out their motivations and their actions and if they changed over time,” Rogers said. “Discovery Education’s interactives, virtual field trips, photographs, videos, and instructional strategies all build the skills of analysis, finding evidence, critical thinking, and problem solving.”
For both educators, the throughline is the same: social studies doesn’t just teach what happened. It teaches students how to think about what happened, a skill they’ll need for a lifetime.
Raising Kids Who Show Up
Another important aspect of social studies is learning to be engaged, thoughtful citizens. Both educators agree that this doesn’t happen by accident; it has to be taught. “Learning about rights and responsibilities introduces kids to the power that they have by taking a stand for things and by voting. They learn they can make a difference,” said Rogers. Discussion and exposure to other points of view also strengthens students’ decision-making skills within a safe learning environment.
Brush sees this shift firsthand in her own classroom, where the subject helps students move from a passive perspective to actual engagement with the real world. That transition happens through discussion and reflection, and it ultimately leads to greater understanding and more thoughtful participation in the world.
Reading with a Purpose
For students at the elementary level, reading skills and comprehension develop across every subject, and social studies gives that work a reason to matter. It acts as a hook. “There are kids who don’t like reading for reading’s sake, but social studies makes it interesting,” Rogers said. “They’re analyzing primary and secondary sources, thinking about the motivations behind the writing of it. It greatly influences literacy skills.”
That connection plays out just as clearly in Brush’s classroom, particularly when her students conduct research. They use social studies texts to build and defend arguments, reading sources not for a grade, but to find the text evidence that supports their opinion in a research project. That process, she says, pushes them to actually dig for information rather than simply state an opinion.
How Discovery Education Helps
Discovery Education’s social studies resources are essential in both educators’ classrooms because they deliver high-quality, standards-aligned instruction that engages students and saves teachers time. Brush recalls a moment when her students were disappointed they couldn’t visit Jamestown, Virginia, for a field trip. “So, we used Discovery Education’s augmented reality to create a Jamestown settlement. They could visually see what the houses looked like during that time and how the fort was built, and it was just truly amazing. What a wonderful experience to watch my kids’ eyes get so bright and excited!”
