Second Graders’ Knowledge and Thinking About Shelter as a Cultural Universal

Critics of traditional K-3 social studies curricula have claimed, without presenting evidence, that many topics commonly addressed in the primary grades do not need to be taught because students already know about them from everyday experience. Data obtained from middle-class second graders dispute this claim, at least as it applies to the topic of shelter. These students did understand that shelter is a basic need, could talk about some of the formal aspects of different types of homes, and displayed at least tacit knowledge of certain norms (e.g., people need to pay for their shelter, and most prefer home ownership over apartment rental). However, their ideas about these topics were not always accurate and were not embedded within elaborated structures that included connections and cause-effect relationships. Furthermore, they did not understand much about the historical, geographical, or cultural reasons for differences in housing styles, the economics of housing purchase or rental, or the mechanisms through which modern houses are supplied with utilities and other conveniences. These findings are discussed with reference to potential implications for curriculum and instruction.