The paper discusses the theoretical basis of elementary social studies curriculum. Using a categorization tool developed by Eisner and Vallance, the author examines recent elementary school social studies literature in order to determine the underlying of curriculum philosophies. Five philosophical positions are revealed. The first, academic rationalism, is a content-focused curriculum. This theory implies that the knowledge that has been revealed to man through the ages is the content the student must learn. The second, cognitive processes, is concerned with the skills of intellectual operations which focus on the processes of learning and thinking. The third, social reconstruction-relevance, views education as the means of creating a better society and views the school's role as an agency of adaption. The fourth, curriculum as technology, focuses on the processes involved with producing a more efficient means of teaching. The fifth, self-actualizing curriculum, provides personally satisfying experiences so that a better understanding of the student and world becomes possible. (Author/JK)