Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
National Council for the Social Studies
Theme I: Culture
- Standard B - The student explains how information and experiences may be interpreted by people from diverse cultural perspectives and frames of reference.
- Standard D - The student explains why individuals and groups respond differently to their physical and social environments and/or changes to them on the basis of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs.
- Standard E - The student articulates the implications of cultural diversity, as well as cohesion, within and across groups.
Theme II: Time, Continuity and Change
- Standard B - The student identifies and uses key concepts such as chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of historical change and continuity.
- Standard E - The student develops critical sensitivities such as empathy and skepticism regarding attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in different historical contexts.
- Standard F - The student uses knowledge of facts and concepts drawn from history, along with methods of historical inquiry, to inform decision-making about and action-taking on public issues.
Theme III: People, Places and Environments
- Standard A - The student elaborates mental maps of locales, regions, and the world that demonstrate understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape.
Theme V: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- Standard A - The student demonstrates an understanding of concepts such as role, status, and social class in describing the interactions of individuals and social groups.
- Standard B - The student analyzes group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture.
- Standard C - The student describes the various forms institutions take and the interactions of people with institutions.
- Standard D - The student identifies and analyzes examples of tensions between
expressions of individuality and group or institutional efforts to promote social conformity.
- Standard E - The student identifies and describes examples of tensions between belief systems and government policies and laws.
- Standard F - The student describes the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change.
- Standard G - The student applies knowledge of how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good.
- Standard H - The student explains and applies concepts such as power, role, status, justice and influence to the examination of persistent issues and social problems.
Theme VI: Power, Authority and Governance
- Standard A - The student examines issues involving the rights, roles and status of the individual in relation to the general welfare.
Standard B - The student describes the purpose of the government and how it's powers are acquired.
- Standard F - The student explains, actions and motivations that contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among organizations.
- Standard G - The student describes and analyzes the role of technology in communications, transportation, information-processing, weapons development, and other areas as it contributes to or helps resolves issues.
- Standard H - The student explains and applies concepts such as power, role, status, justice, and influence to the examnation of persitent issues and social problems.
Theme VII: Production, Distribution and Consumption
- Standard A - The student gives and explain examples of ways that economic systems structure choices about how goods and services are to be produced and distributed.
- Standard B - The student describes the role that supply and demand, prices, incentives, and profits play in determining what is produced and distributed in a competitive market system.
- Standard D - The student describes a range of examples of the various institutions that make up economic systems such as households, business firms, banks, government agencies, labor unions, and corporations.
- Standard E - The student describes the role of specialization and exchange in the economic process.
- Standard H - The student compares basic economic systems according to who determines what is produced, distributed, and consumed.
- Standard I - The student uses economic concepts to help explain historical and current developments and issues in local, national, or global contexts
- Standard J - The student uses economic reasoning to compare different proposals for dealing with a contemporary social issue such as unemployment, acid rain, or high quality education.