Guiding Principles

 Guiding Principle One

Every student should study history and social science every year from kindergarten to high school.

Guiding Principle Two

An effective history and social science curriculum combines the learning of content and skills in the study of history, geography, economics, and civics and government.

Guiding Principle Three

An effective curriculum in history and social science draws on many disciplines.

Guiding Principle Four

While encouraging respect for differences in home backgrounds, an effective history and social science curriculum nurtures students’ sense of their common ground as present or future American citizens in order to prepare them for responsible participation in our schools and in civic life.

Guiding Principle Five

An effective history and social science curriculum emphasizes the development of the political principles and institutions of Western civilization.

Guiding Principle Six

An effective history and social science curriculum prepares students to understand the world outside of the United States.

Guiding Principle Seven

Content

History and Geography

Students will be able to:

·        Use map and globe skills learned in kindergarten to grade five to interpret different kinds of projections, as well as topographic, landform, political, population, and climate maps. (G)

·        Use geographic terms correctly, such as delta, glacier, location, settlement, region, natural resource, human resource, mountain, hill, plain, plateau, river, island, isthmus, peninsula, erosion, climate, drought, monsoon, hurricane, ocean and wind currents, tropics, rain forest, tundra, desert, continent, region, country, nation, and urbanization. (G)

·        Explain the difference between a continent and a country and give examples of each. (G)

·        Interpret geographic information from a graph or chart and construct a graph or chart that conveys geographic information (rainfall, temperature, or population size). (G)

·        Explain the difference between absolute and relative location, and give examples of different ways to indicate relative location for countries or cities across the world. (G)

·        Identify how current world atlases are organized and the kind of information they provide for each continent and country.  (G)

·        Identify time zones, the function and location of the International Date Line, and the function of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England.  Give examples of differences in time in countries in different parts of the world. (G)

·        Use the following demographic terms correctly: ethnic group, religious group, and linguistic group. (G)

Civics and Government

Students will be able to:

·        Define what a nation is and give examples of the different ways nations are formed. (C)

·        Give examples of several well-known international organizations (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the British Commonwealth, and the United Nations), and explain their purposes and functions. (C)

Economics

Students will be able to:

·        Provide examples of currencies from several countries, and explain why international trade requires a system for exchanging currency between nations. (E)

·        Give examples of products that are traded among nations and examples of barriers to trade in these or other products. (E)

·        Define supply and demand and describe how changes in supply and demand affect prices of specific products. (E) Supply is what producers or sellers want to sell or exchange. Demand is what consumers or buyers want to get in exchange or buy.

·        Identify the key elements of a market economy. (E) In a market economy, the major decisions about production and distribution are made in a decentralized manner by individual households and business firms following their own self- interest.

·        Describe how different economic systems (traditional, command, market, mixed) try to answer the basic economic questions of what to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce. (E)

·        Compare the standard of living in various countries today using gross domestic product per capita as an indicator. (E)

World Geography

Africa

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world, locate the continent of Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Great Rift Valley. On a map of Africa, locate the Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, and Southern regions of Africa, the Sahara Desert, the Nile River, Lake Victoria, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Cape of Good Hope. (G)

·        Use a map key to locate countries and major cities in Africa. (G, E)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major African regions and countries:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources.

e. population size (G, E)

·        Identify when modern African countries became independent nations and explain how independence was achieved. (H, G)

Western Asia (the Middle East)

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world, locate Western Asia, or the Middle East. On a map of the Middle East, locate the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Peninsula, and the Persian Gulf. (G)

·        Use a map key to locate countries and major cities in the Middle East. (G, E)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major Middle Eastern countries:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources

e. population size (G, E)

·        Identify when the countries in the Middle East became independent nations and explain how independence was achieved. (H, G)

Central and Southern Asia

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world, locate Central and Southern Asia. On a map of Central and Southern Asia, locate the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges River, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Northern Mountains, the Deccan Plateau, the Himalayan Mountains, and the Steppes. (G)

·        Use a map key to locate the countries and major cities in Central and Southern Asia. (G, E)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major Central and Southern Asian countries:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources

e. population size (G, E)

·        Identify when India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Central Asian republics first became independent countries, and explain how independence was achieved. Explain the relationship of the Central Asian republics to the former Soviet Union. (H, G)

Southeastern Asia and Oceania

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world, locate Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, the major Pacific Islands, the Pacific Ocean, and the Coral Sea. On a map of Southeast Asia and Oceania, locate the Bay of Bengal, the South China Sea, the Great Victoria Desert, and the Great Barrier. (G)

·        Use a map key to locate countries and major cities in the various regions of Southeast Asia, Australia, and the major Pacific Islands. (G, E)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major countries of Southeast Asia and Oceania:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources

e. population size (G, E)

·        Identify when countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania became independent countries, and describe how independence was achieved. (G, H)

Northern and Eastern Asia

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world, locate Northern and Eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. On a map of Eastern Asia, locate the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the Gobi Desert, the Himalayas, and the Huang He (Yellow) and Chang Jiang (Yantgtze) Rivers. On a map of Northern Asia, locate Siberia and the Yenisey, Lena, and Kolyma rivers. (G)

·        Use a map key to locate the countries and major cities in the various regions of Eastern Asia. (G, E)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major Eastern Asian countries:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources

e. population size (G, E)

·        Identify when North Korea, South Korea, and Mongolia became independent countries, and describe how independence was achieved. (G, H)

Europe

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world locate the continent of Europe. On a map of Europe, locate the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea. Locate the Volga, Danube, Ural, Rhine, Elbe, Seine, Po, and Thames rivers. Locate the Alps, Pyrenees, and Balkan mountains. Locate the countries in the Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern, and Western regions of Europe.

·        Use a map key to locate countries and major cities in Europe. (G)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major European countries:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources

e. population size (G, E)

South America

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the world, locate South America, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On a map of South America, locate the Amazon, the Andes Mountains, Cape Horn, and the Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western regions of South America. (G)

·        Use a map key to locate the countries and major cities of South America. (G, E)

·        Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of major South American countries:

a. absolute and relative locations

b. climate

c. major physical characteristics

d. major natural resources

e. population size (G, E)

Historical Applications

·        Develop curiosity, ask questions and actively pursue learning.

·        Recognize the importance of multiple viewpoints for understanding people, events and issues.

·        Empathize with people of different historical periods, places, and backgrounds.

·        Make connections and look for patterns to construct meaning.

·        Learn that most issues encountered in social studies are complex, need thoughtful analysis, and may lack simple solutions.

·        Form and express opinions by weighing information and evidence but be willing to revise these opinions in light of additional information and perspectives.

·        Inquire into costs and benefits of competing alternatives.

·        Ask rigorous questions, try new things, act on beliefs, resist peer pressure, and take other appropriate risks.

·        Use peaceful and just strategies for resolving strongly conflicting opinions.