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:

·        Compare information shown on modern and historical maps of the same region. (G)

·        Use correctly the words or abbreviations for identifying time periods or dates in historical narratives (decade, age, era, century, millennium, AD/CE, BC/BCE, c. and circa). Identify in BC/BCE dates the higher number as indicating the older year (that is, 3000 BC/BCE is earlier than 2000 BC/BCE). (H)

·        Construct and interpret timelines of events and civilizations studied. (H)

·        Distinguish between primary and secondary sources and describe how each kind of source is used in interpreting history. (H)

·        Identify multiple causes and effects when explaining historical events. (H)

·        Describe ways of interpreting archaeological evidence from societies leaving no written records. (H)

Civics and Government

Students will be able to:

·        Define and use correctly words and terms relating to government such as city-state, dynasty, kingdom, empire, republic, separation of powers, civic duty, rule of law, and military. (C)

Economics

Students will be able to:

·        Define and apply economic concepts learned in pre-kindergarten through grade 6:  producers, consumers, goods, services, buyers, sellers, natural resources, taxes, specialization, savings, entrepreneur, prices, markets, scarcity, trade, barter, money, medium of exchange, supply, and demand. (E)

Ancient Civilizations

Human Origins in Africa through the Neolithic Age

Students will be able to:

·        Describe the great climatic and environmental changes that shaped the earth and eventually permitted the growth of human life. (H)

·        Identify sites in Africa where archaeologists have found evidence of the origins of modern human beings and describe what they found. (G, H)

·        Describe the characteristics of the hunter-gatherer societies of the Paleolithic Age: their use of tools and fire, basic hunting weapons, beads and other jewelry. (H)

·        Explain the importance of the invention of metallurgy and agriculture (the growing of crops and the domestication of animals). (H)

·        Describe how the invention of agriculture related to settlement, population growth, and the emergence of civilization. (H)

·        Identify the characteristics of civilizations:

·        the presence of geographic boundaries and political institutions

·        an economy that produces food surpluses

·        a concentration of population in distinct areas or cities

·        the existence of social classes

·        a developed systems of religion, learning, art, and architecture

·        a system of record keeping (H,G,E)

Mesopotamia: Site of Several Ancient River Civilizations, c. 3500-1200 BC/BCE

Students will be able to:

·        On a historical map, locate the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and identify Summer, Babylon, and Assyria as successive civilizations and empires in this region, and explain why the region is sometimes called “the Fertile Crescent.” On a modern map of western Asia identify the modern countries in the region: Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. (H, G, E)

·        Identify polytheism (the belief that there are many Gods) as the religious belief of the people in Mesopotamian civilizations. (H)

·        Describe how irrigation, metal-smithing, slavery, the domestication of animals, and inventions such as the wheel, the sail, and the plow, contributed to the growth of Mesopotamian civilizations. (H, E)

·        Describe the important achievements of Mesopotamian civilization: system of writing (and its importance in record keeping and tax collection) monumental architecture (the ziggurat) art (large relief sculpture, mosaics, and cylinder seals). (H, C, E)

·        Identify Hammurabi and explain the basic principle of justice in Hammurabi’s Code (“an eye for an eye”). (H, C, E)

Egypt: An Ancient River Civilization, c. 3000-1200 BC/BCE

Students will be able to:

·        On a historical map of the Mediterranean region, locate the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the Nile River and Delta, and the areas of ancient Nubia and Egypt. Identify the locations of ancient Upper and Lower Egypt and explain what the terms mean. On a modern map, identify the modern countries of Egypt and Sudan. (G)

·        Describe the kinds of evidence that have been used by archeologists and historians to draw conclusions about the social and economic characteristics of Ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their relationship to the social and economic characteristics of Ancient Egypt. (H, G)

·        Describe the role of the pharaoh as god/king, the concept of dynasties, the importance of at least one Egyptian ruler, the relationship of pharaohs to peasants, and the role of slaves in ancient Egypt. (H, C)

·        Describe the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt with respect to beliefs about death, the afterlife, mummification, and the roles of different deities. (H)

·        Summarize important achievements of Egyptian civilization:

a. the Egyptian agricultural system

b. the invention of a calendar

c. Egyptian monumental architecture and art such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza

d. hieroglyphic writing

e. the invention of papyrus (H)

Phoenicia c. 1000 BC/BCE-300 BC/BCE

Students will be able to:

·        On a map of the ancient Mediterranean world, locate Greece, Asia Minor, Crete, Phoenicia, the Aegean, and the Red Sea. On a modern map, locate Greece, Crete, Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria. (G)

·        Identify the Phoenicians as the successors to the Minoans in dominating maritime trade in the Mediterranean from c. 1000-300 BCE. Describe how the Phoenician writing system was the first alphabet (with 22 symbols for consonants) and the precursor of the first complete alphabet developed by the ancient Greeks (with symbols representing both consonants and vowels). (H, E)

The Roots of Western Civilization: Ancient Israel, c. 2000 BC/BCE-70 AD

Students will be able to:

·        On a historical map of the Mediterranean, locate Mesopotamia, Greece and Asia Minor, the kingdoms of the Hittites and ancient Israel, and Egypt. On a modern map, locate Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Israel, the area governed by the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. (G)

·        Identify the ancient Israelites, or Hebrews, and trace their migrations from Mesopotamia to the land called Canaan, and explain the role of Abraham and Moses in their history. (H, G)

·        Describe the monotheistic religion of the Israelites:

a. the belief that there is one God.

b. the Ten Commandments.

c. the emphasis on individual worth and personal responsibility.

d. the belief that all people must adhere to the same moral obligations, whether ruler or ruled.

e. the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) as part of the history of early Israel. (H)

·        Describe the unification of the tribes of Israel under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, including David’s founding of Jerusalem as his capital city in 1000 BCE and the building of the first temple by Solomon. (H)

·        Explain the expulsion/dispersion of the Jews to other lands (referred to as the Diaspora) after the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the renaming of the country by the Romans. (H)

The Roots of Western Civilization: Ancient Greece, c. 800 BC/BCE to 30 BC/BCE

Students will be able to:

·        On a historical map of the Mediterranean area, locate Greece and trace the extent of its influence to 30 BC/BCE. On a modern map of the Mediterranean area, Europe, England, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, locate Spain, England, France, Italy, Greece and other countries in the Balkan peninsula, Egypt, Crete, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, and India. (H, G)

·        Explain how the geographical location of ancient Athens and other city-states contributed to their role in maritime trade, their colonies in the Mediterranean, and the expansion of their cultural influence. (H, G, E)

·        Explain why the government of ancient Athens is considered the beginning of democracy and explain the democratic political concepts developed in ancient Greece: (H)

a. the “polis” or city-state.

b. civic participation and voting rights.c. legislative bodies.

d. constitution writing.

e. rule of law.

·        Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta. (H)

·        Describe the status of women and the functions of slaves in ancient Athens. (H)

·        Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Persian Wars, including the origins of marathons. (H)

·        Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta. (H)

·        Describe the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture. (H)

·        Describe the myths and stories of classical Greece; give examples of Greek gods and goddesses, heroes, and events, and where and how we see their names used today. (H)

·        Explain why the city-states of Greece instituted a tradition of athletic competitions, and describe the kinds of sports they featured. (H)

·        Describe the purposes and functions of the lyceum, the gymnasium, and the Library of Alexandria, and identify the major accomplishments of the ancient Greeks: (H)

a. Thales (science)

b. Pythagoras and Euclid (mathematics)

c. Hippocrates (medicine)

d. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle (philosophy)

e. Herodotus, Thucydides, Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, and Euripides (history, poetry, and drama)

f. the Parthenon; the Acropolis, and the Temple of Apollo (architecture)

g. the development of the first complete alphabet with symbols for consonants and vowels (H)

The Roots of Western Civilization: Ancient Rome, c. 500 BC/BCE to 500 AD

Students will be able to:

·        On a historical map, identify ancient Rome and trace the extent of the Roman Empire to 500 AD. (H, G)

·        Explain how the geographical location of ancient Rome contributed to the shaping of Roman society and the expansion of its political power in the Mediterranean region and beyond. (H, G, E)

·        Explain the rise of the Roman Republic and the role of mythical and historical figures in Roman history: (H)

a. Romulus and Remus.

b. Hannibal and the Carthaginian Wars.

c. Cicero.

d. Julius Caesar and Augustus.

e. Hadrian.

·        Describe the government of the Roman Republic and its contribution to the development of democratic principles, including separation of powers, rule of law, representative government, and the notion of civic duty. (H, C)

·        Describe the influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus in Rome’s transition from a republic to an empire, and explain the reasons for the growth and long life of the Roman Empire: (H, E)

a. military organization, tactics, and conquests, and decentralized administration.

b. the purpose and functions of taxes.

c. the promotion of economic growth through the use of a standard currency, roadconstruction, and the protection of trade routes.

d. the benefits of a Pax Romana.

·        Describe the characteristics of slavery under the Romans. (H)

·        Describe the origins of Christianity and its central features: (H)

a. monotheism.

b. the belief in Jesus as the Messiah and God’s son who redeemed humans from sin.

c. the concept of salvation.

d. belief in the Old and New Testament.

e. the lives and teachings of Jesus and St. Paul.

f. the relationship of early Christians to officials of the Roman Empire.

·        Explain how inner forces (including the rise of autonomous militarypowers, political corruption, economic and political instability) and external forces (shrinking trade, attacks, and invasions) led to the disintegration of the Roman Empire. (H, E)

·        Describe the contribution of Roman civilization to law, literature, poetry, architecture, engineering, and technology (e.g., roads, bridges, arenas, baths, aqueducts, central heating, plumbing, and sanitation). (H)

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.