Appendix F: ECIPs – Social Systems (Cognitive)

“I’m four years old and my friends and I love to play in the dramatic play area at our preschool program. This is where we try out various adult roles that we have observed people take on in our families, schools, and communities. We pretend to care for babies and raise children. We incorporate the cultural traditions and values of our own families as we pretend to interact with loved ones engaged in daily life. We also try out different jobs and careers in our pretend play. We may act as the cashier in the grocery store, the doctor or nurse in the hospital, the police officer or firefighter in the neighborhood or the server in the restaurant. This kind of play is lots of fun. And, as we play we’re learning about our own identities, our families, our communities and our society. We’re using different languages and ways of doing things that we see in our families’ lives. We’re learning more about economics and the environment and how people are similar and different. Sometimes, we take field trips and attend special events.  Family members share information so we learn about different cultures and family experiences. We also work hard to learn to get along, solve problems, and celebrate our differences and commonalities. From all of these opportunities, we learn new vocabulary and form ideas about how we live and work together.”

Children are surrounded and deeply influenced by the values of their family and first caregivers. From the very beginning of their lives, children are learning about themselves and how to relate to others. Their family members also live and work in a neighborhood, a broader community, and a national society. As children establish their identity, the choices they make and how they function in society are shaped. As they learn to share and take turns and care for each other and the environment, they participate in the foundational concepts of a democratic society. The expectations that are set out in the Social Systems domain of the Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs) are the building blocks for creating future neighbors, volunteers, workers, taxpayers, voters, and responsible citizens.

The indicators in this domain are written so that teachers can know appropriate expectations for young learners in their development related to Social Systems. They are aligned with the Minnesota Academic Standards in Social Science for Kindergarten.  The Social Systems Domain includes five components:

Components SS1-2: Community, People and Relationships
Component SS3-4: Change over Time
Component SS 5-6: Environment
Component SS6-7: Economics
Component SS8: Technology

The sub-components and indicators identified for the ages of birth through kindergarten entry address the specific expectations across the developmental spectrum.

• For infants, indicators focus on the ways that children make their needs and wants known, relate to others, begin to notice the sequence of routines, and recognize familiar people, toys, and objects.
• The indicators for toddlers include how they are beginning to notice similarities and differences in people and themselves, show understanding of expectations and routines, participate in self care, engage in pretend play, and help put away toys.
• The indicators for preschoolers focus on their developing understanding of their identity and of belonging in different groups, are learning to follow rules and routines, to show interest in family culture and participate in turn-taking and negotiation.

The skills and concepts in the Social Systems domain are interrelated with children’s development in other domains and many overlap with those in social and emotional development. The understanding of past and future, of economic concepts, and of caring for the environment relate specifically to the cognitive domains in the ECIPs.
While young children are not suited to memorizing historical facts and learning about the ins and outs of governmental agencies, there are important ways develop understanding of social systems. The ECIPs guide teachers and providers in supporting this important domain in ways that are just right for young children and just right for the greater society.
“Social studies as content and process is a vibrant and vital part of early childhood curricula. Social studies at the center of early childhood curricula offers the hope that the focus of education will be on the development of effective, efficient, ethical children who will approach their world non-simplistically and thoughtfully. (Mindes 2005, 7)

Resource:

Mindes, Gayle. 2005. “Social Studies in Today’s Early Childhood Curricula.” Beyond the Journal. Young Children on the Web. Washington, D.C.: NAEYC. http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200509/MindesBTJ905.pdf

Domain: Social Systems
Component SS1-2: Community, People and Relationships

Components SS3-4: Change over Time

Source:

https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dDocName=MDE059808&RevisionSelectionMethod=latestReleased&Rendition=primary