School Administrative District #4
Unity of purpose
CORE CURRICULUM: SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Department: Social Studies
CONTENT STANDARD: HISTORY
The study of history acquaints students with human experience through time and helps them to recognize relationships between and among events and people and to identify patterns, themes, and turning points of change, using the chronology of history and major eras. In interpreting current and historical events, students evaluate the credibility and perspectives of information gathered from multiple sources. All students are expected to (1) use the chronology of history and major eras to demonstrate the relationships between and among events and people; (2) develop historical knowledge of major events, people, and enduring themes in Maine, in the United States, and throughout the world; and (3) evaluate source material such as documents, artifacts, maps, artworks, and literature; and to make judgments about the perspectives of the authors and their credibility when interpreting current historical events.
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
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Grade 8 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Describe the effects of historical changes on daily life
á Read personal accounts of people who lived throughout United States history and identify changes in their lives brought about by a historical event
á Explain the Industrial Revolution and evaluate the pros and cons of goods and services resulting from it (e.g., transportation, household appliances)
3. Identify the sequence of major events and people in the history of Maine, the United States, and selected world civilizations
á Identify the chronology of a list of major events and people associated with United States history
4. Trace simultaneous events in various parts of the world during a specific era
á Identify a historical or social event that occurred simultaneously in Europe, the United States, and Maine during a given period of time, e.g., the Depression
5. Demonstrate an initial understanding of the causes and effects of major events in United States history and the connections to Maine history with an emphasis on events after 1877, including but not limited to industrialization, the Progressive Era, the Roaring Twenties, etc.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of selected themes in Maine, United States, and world history (e.g., revolution, technological innovation, migration)
á Identify and differentiate political and economic issues leading to the emergence of the United States as a world power
á Demonstrate an understanding of selected twentieth-century issues and events in Maine and United States history, including "modern" Maine history (1945 to the present)
7. Judge the accuracy of historical fiction by comparing the characters and events described with descriptions in multiple primary sources
á Judge the accuracy of accounts relating a specific twentieth-century event form U.S. history, e.g., Hay Market Square Riot
8. Use information from a variety of primary and secondary sources to identify and support a personal point of view on a controversial historical topic related to
á United States history
9. Demonstrate an initial understanding of why historical accounts of the same event sometimes differ and relate this explanation to the evidence presented by the author or the point of view of the author
10. Demonstrate an initial understanding of ethnic and cultural perspectives missing from a historical account and describe these points of view
11. Formulate historical questions based on examination of primary and secondary sources÷including documents, eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, artifacts, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams, and written texts
CONTENT STANDARD: GEOGRAPHY
The study of geography involves understanding the relationships among people and environments. Students learn how to construct and interpret maps and how to use globes and other geographic tools to locate and derive information about people, places, regions, and environments. In an integrated way, students study people and the physical characteristics and processes of the earth's surface to understand causes and effects, ecosystems, human behavior, patterns of population, inter-dependence, resources, cooperation and conflict and the process by which these are shaped by economic, political, and cultural systems. All students are expected to (1) know how to construct and interpret maps and use globes and other geographic tools to locate and derive information about people, places, regions, and environments; (2) understand and analyze the relationships between people and their physical environments; (3) develop an under-standing of ethnic, gender, socio-economic, religious, and political differences among people; (4) understand that cultural diversity can be both a boon and a bane to society; and (5) understand that cultural change is evolutionary and somewhat predictable.
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
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Grade 8 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Demonstrate an initial understanding of how and why maps change over time
3. Associate the elements of physical geography with a particular geographic region when that region becomes the focus of a discussion, including but not limited to
á Major fresh-water bodies
á Rivers
á Colorado
á Potomac
á Tennessee
á Major countries and major cities within those countries
á North America
á United States (non-capital cities of significance)
á Anchorage
á Baltimore
á Buffalo
á Charleston
á Dallas-Fort Worth
á Detroit
á El Paso
á Houston
á Kansas City
á Las Vegas
á Los Angeles
á Louisville
á Memphis
á Miami
á Milwaukee
á Minneapolis
á Mobile
á Nashville
á Newark
á Norfolk
á Omaha
á Orlando
á Pittsburg
á Portland
á Rochester
á St. Louis
á San Antonio
á San Diego
á San Francisco
á Savannah
á Seattle
á Tampa
á Tucson
á Tulsa
á Vicksburg
á Wichita
4. Visualize the globe and construct maps of the world and its sub-regions to identify patterns of human settlement, major physical features, and political divisions
á Using information from various sources, create maps representing physical features, as well as historical, economic, and cultural information (e.g., transportation systems during the Civil War)
5. Demonstrate an understanding of United States social, political, and economic divisions and the more significant social and political divisions in world geography
á Using various maps, analyze and speculate about the types of economic activities which may be developed within a geographic region
6. Analyze how technology shapes the physical and human characteristics of places and regions
á Analyze the physical and human characteristics of a United States region, and speculate regarding the role of technology in shaping that region
7. Explain patterns of migration throughout the world
á Construct a model showing the population growth of a city over a specified period of time
á North American
á Create a map showing the migration of world cultures into North America
8. Explain how cultures differ in their use of similar environments and resources
á Analyze two historically diverse cultures within a given region, and explain the role of conflicting cultural values in the problems which developed among members of those cultures (e.g., what cultural values brought about warfare between Native Americans and the settlers of Massachusetts Bay Colony)
9. Demonstrate an understanding of how society changes as a consequence of concentrated settlement
á Analyze selected demographics (e.g., crime rate, population, per capita income, etc.) for selected political units in the United States
á Determine the relationship between quality of life and population density
CONTENT STANDARD: CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT
The study of civics and government provides students the opportunity to learn about the constitutional principles and the democratic foundations of local, state, and national systems and institutions, as well as the opportunity to learn how to exercise the rights and responsibilities of participation in civic life and how to analyze and evaluate public policies. Political relationships among the United States and other nations are included in this content area. All students are expected to understand (1) the rights and responsibilities of civic life and employ the skills of effective civic participation; (2) the types and purposes of governments, their evolution, and their relationships with the governed; (3) the constitutional principles and the democratic foundations of the political institutions of the United States; and (4) the political relationships among the United States and other nations.
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
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Grade 8 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Analyze the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights in terms of
á British and American heritage, including the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Articles of Confederation
á Philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence
á Powers granted to the Congress, the President, the Supreme Court, and the States
3. Identify and explain the civil rights, liberties, and responsibilities established by the United States Constitution
4. Identify and explain the meaning and importance of fundamental principles of American constitutional democracy (e.g., popular sovereignty, rule of law, three branches of government, representative institutions, shared powers, checks and balances, separation of church and state)
5. Identify key representatives in legislative branches and the heads of executive and judicial branches in state and national government
6. Describe and analyze the process by which a proposed law is adopted, including the role of governmental and non-governmental influences, by
á Explaining the process by which a bill becomes a law
á Identifying the people involved in the process of converting a bill to a law
7. Explain the differences among making laws, carrying out laws, and determining if the laws have been violated; and identify the government bodies that perform these functions at the local, state, and national levels
8. Explain the importance, in a pluralistic society, of having certain shared political values and principles by
á Analyzing the term American and debating what values and principles make one an American
á Identifying elements in American society which provide unifying cohesiveness and explaining their function
9. Identify ways in which citizens in a pluralistic society manage differences of opinion on public-policy issues
10. Identify individuals in United States history who have been agents of governmental change, analyze their actions, and identify the methods used to influence and gather support
11. Interpret patriotic slogans and excerpts from notable speeches and documents in United States history
12. Compare and contrast the structure and roles of local, state, and national governments by
á Comparing and contrasting levels of government
á School and local
á Local and state
á State and national
á National and international
á Investigating, evaluating, and debating a civic issue (e.g., the clear-cut ban of 1996)
13. Adopt, evaluate, and defend positions on issues involving the constitutional practice of individual rights by
á Identifying, investigating, and debating a civil-rights issue
á Discussing the separation of church and state in the United States
14. Explain the foreign-policy powers which the Constitution gives to the branches of government by
á Defining the term foreign policy and identifying the individuals within a nation who determine policy
á Explaining how treaties between nations are developed and ratified by the United States government
á Explaining how foreign policy decisions affect the economy
15. Assess the ways in which the United States government has attempted to resolve an international problem (e.g., explaining the position of the various factions in regards to United States involvement in the French Revolution)
CONTENT STANDARD: ECONOMICS
The study of economics includes understanding concepts of production, distribution, and consumption needed to make decisions as effective participants in an international economy. Students come to understand the development, principles, institutions, relationships to culture, and change over time of economic systems in the United States and elsewhere. Students also come to understand how these concepts apply to individuals, households, businesses, governments, and societies that make decisions based on the availability of resources, as well as on costs and benefits of choices. These concepts help to explain the patterns and results of trade, interdependence, and distribution of wealth in local, regional, national, and world economics. All students are expected to (1) understand that economic decisions are based on the availability of resources and the costs and benefits of choices; (2) understand the economic system of the United States, including principles, development, and institutions; (3) analyze how different economic systems function and change over time; and (4) understand the patterns and results of international trade.
Performance Indicators: The learner will·
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Grade 8 |
1. Review and extend prior learning
2. Analyze how scarcity affects individuals' decisions about production and consumption of goods and services
á Explain how scarcity of goods generates new industries (e.g., the oil embargo of the 1970's resulted in the investigation of alternative sources of energy)
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the economic concepts of supply, demand, price, the role of money, and profit and loss
á Describe how the boycotting of goods brings about economic changes (e.g., how the boycott of lettuce in the 1960's resulted in improved working conditions for migrant laborers)
4. Identify how the fundamental characteristics of the United States economic system (e.g., private property, profits, competition, and price system) influence economic decision making
á Explain and contrast the economies of the North and the South during the pre- and post-Civil War era
á Identify the major components of a market economy by comparing and contrasting the United States and another country with respect to the concepts of private property, profit, competition, and price
5. Demonstrate an initial understanding of the full costs, including external costs, of producing a product or a service (e.g., the impact of MBNA on the city of Belfast)
6. Explain the impact that major events and technological advancements have had on the economy and predict future economic trends and career opportunities
á Describe the increased use of technology in a United States industry and identify related economic, social, and environmental issues (e.g., the ban on clear cutting effort in 1996)
á Identify major historical trends in global economics from agrarian economies to industrial economies to today's post-industrial/technological economies
á Identify likely growth industries and industries likely to lose jobs
7. Describe the roles and contributions of the principal contributors to the economy (e.g., laborers, investors, entrepreneurs, managers)
á Identify several United States industries based on size (small, medium, large), and describe the role of laborers, investors, entrepreneurs, and managers in their development and success
8. Describe the characteristics of traditional, command, market, and mixed economic systems
á Compare the elements of a mercantile economy with the present economy of the United States
9. Demonstrate an initial understanding of how different economies meet basic wants and needs over time
á Compare how the basic needs of the people of the North and the South were met prior to and after the Civil War
á Describe the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized society
á Construct an economic continuum, showing where various countries lie on this continuum
10. Describe how changes in transportation and communication technologies have affected trade over time
á Explain the role of trade as a motivator for the development of transportation across the United States
11. Evaluate how world-trade issues can affect a nation's economy and how trade can influence and transform societies
á Evaluate how agriculture affected the economy of the South, both positively and negatively
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07/30/98 |
curr-social studies-scope-8.doc |