To improve social studies in grades K-12, the Syracuse Social Studies Curriculum Center engaged in a 5-year study to identify major concepts in social studies and to develop materials and techniques for teaching these concepts at various grade levels. The results of this research revealed that (1) social studies concepts can be developed for students of varying abilities and levels of maturity and ought to be included in the curriculum, (2) concepts generate sub-concepts which should be included in social studies instruction, (3) social studies concepts overlap into many subject areas and are best taught by an interdisciplinary approach, (4) social studies instructors at the local level should decide for themselves the scope and sequence of concepts to be included within a particular curriculum, and (5) statements by notable scholars on major social studies concepts are valuable resources in preparing pupil materials. (An appendix details the Center's recent activities in using the major concepts to develop curriculum materials for the urban disadvantaged learner.) See also TE 499 909 and TE 499 939. (MP)