American History: Grades 9, 10, 11, 12

Inquiry

Behavioral Sciences

Civics and Government

Economics

Geography

History

Apply the inquiry models to analyze and evaluate social studies topics and issues in order to communicate conclusions and take informed actions.

Evaluate American identity in terms of perspective, change, and continuity.

Analyze the relationship of tradition and progress in terms of scientific, technological, intellectual and cultural development.

Evaluate the relationship between the American people and the government in terms of freedom, equality, and power.

Analyze the American political system in terms of conflict, compromise, and consequence.

Analyze the American economic system in terms of affluence, poverty, and mobility.

Understand how movement, settlement, and expansion influenced American development.

Understand the reasons for American involvement in conflicts and the domestic and foreign impacts.

Evaluate the relationship between America and other nations in terms of national interests and global interdependence.

Analyze various turning points in American history in terms of perspective, causation, and change.

Identify issues and problems in social studies.

Formulate questions based upon disciplinary concepts.

Identify related issues and problems related to the compelling question.

Formulate supporting questions.

Locate credible primary and secondary sources.

Identify a variety of primary and secondary sources in support of compelling and supporting questions.

Summarize the central ideas and meaning of primary and secondary sources through the use of literacy strategies.

Determine the origin, context, and bias of primary and secondary sources.

Differentiate between facts and interpretation of sources.

Evaluate competing historical narratives and debates among historians.

Analyze data from charts, graphs, timelines, and maps.

Analyze visual, literary, and musical sources.

Examine change and continuity over time.

Analyze causes, effects, and correlations.

Determine the relevance of a source in relation to the compelling and supporting questions.

Construct written, oral, and multimedia arguments.

Support arguments with evidence and reasoning while considering counterclaims.

Use proper formatting in citing sources for arguments.

Develop new understandings of complex historical and current issues through rigorous academic discussions.

Participate in rigorous academic discussions emphasizing multiple viewpoints in which claims and evidence are acknowledged, critiqued, and built upon in order to create new understandings of complex historical or current issues.

Generate ideas through which the inquiry facilitates change.

Devise a plan to enact change based on the results of the inquiry.

Organize and take individual or collaborative action in order to effect change and inform others.

Critique multiple perspectives of American identity in terms of American exceptionalism.

Critique multiple perspectives of American identity in terms of opportunity, prosperity, and crisis.

Critique multiple perspectives of American identity in terms of oppression, stereotypes, diversity, inclusion, and exclusion.

Critique multiple perspectives of American identity in terms of individualism and conformity.

Explain how various immigrant experiences have influenced American identity.

Explain how the experiences and achievements of minorities and marginalized peoples have contributed to American identity over time in terms of the struggle against bias, racism, oppression, and discrimination.

Explain how slavery, xenophobia, disenfranchisement, and intolerance have affected individual and group perspectives of themselves as Americans.

Differentiate among scientific and technological innovations in terms of how they have reinforced and redefined American values and beliefs.

Distinguish religious beliefs and human reasoning in terms of their influence on American society and culture.

Explain how various views on freedom and equality contributed to the development of American political thought and system of government.

Critique the extent to which various levels of government used power to expand or restrict the freedom and equality of American people.

Explain how various individuals and groups strategized, organized, advocated and protested to expand or restrict freedom and equality.

Explain how racism, oppression, and discrimination of indigenous peoples, racial minorities, and other marginalized groups have impacted equality and power in America.

Distinguish decisions by executive, legislative, and judicial leaders in terms of resolving conflict and establishing compromise.

Explain the development and realignment of political parties as reflected in key elections.

Deconstruct changes in balance of power between local, state, and federal government in terms of conflict and compromise.

Deconstruct multiple perspectives of American capitalism in terms of affluence, poverty, and mobility.

Explain how the relationships between entrepreneurship, management, labor, and consumers have impacted the quality of life in American society.

Explain the causes of economic expansion and retraction and the impacts on the American people.

Compare how some groups in American society have benefited from economic policies while other groups have been systemically denied the same benefits.

Distinguish the role women and racial minorities have played in contributing to the economic prosperity of American society in terms of equity, equality, and mobility.

Explain how environmental, technological, cultural, and economic factors influenced population distribution and patterns of migration and immigration.

Explain how geographic conditions and expansion have presented both opportunities and challenges in the development of America .

Explain the reasons for and effects of forced and voluntary migration on societies, individuals and groups over time.

Explain how slavery, forced migration, immigration, reconcentration and other discriminatory practices have changed population distributions and regional culture.

Explain the causes and effects of various domestic conflicts in terms of race, gender, and political, economic, and social factors.

Explain the causes and effects of various international conflicts/wars in terms of political, economic, and social factors.

Differentiate the experience of war on groups and individuals in terms of contribution, sacrifice, and opposition.

Explain how economic, social, and political interests have influenced the direction of American foreign policy.

Critique the extent to which American interaction with other nations has achieved national and global economic, social, and political goals.

Distinguish the extent to which American foreign policy has advanced the interests of historically privileged groups over the interests of historically marginalized groups.

Deconstruct various turning points in terms of multiple causation.

Use historical empathy and contextualization to deconstruct multiple perspectives of individuals and groups within various turning points.

Critique the extent to which economic, social, cultural, geographic, and political factors of various turning points changed the American historical narrative.

Compare how competing historical narratives of various turning points portray individuals and groups including marginalized people.