Contemporary Issues: Grades 9, 10, 11, 12

Inquiry Skills

The Impact of Individuals, Groups, and Organizations on Contemporary Events

The Impact of History, Geography, Economics, and Politics on Contemporary Events

Understanding and Solving Issues of the Contemporary World

Analyze the use of persuasion, argument, and dispute when discussing current issues.

Compare reason versus rationalization.

Distinguish between facts and inferences, and evaluate the relevance of data.

Define deduction, induction, and fallacy and exhibit reasoning and comprehension of these terms.

Define amoral reasoning and immoral reasoning.

Identify and research, formulate a hypothesis, and propose solutions for a selected current event problem in an argumentative essay.

Examine how groups and individuals influence solutions to society's problems. (C, P)

Analyze the role of media in shaping world events and influencing public opinion. (C, P)

Analyze types, patterns, and attitudes regarding discrimination. (C)

Identify various contemporary religious perspectives on social issues. (C)

Identify and explain current crucial issues and the relevant groups and individuals involved in these issues in the United States and globally, including the creation of a media presentation that integrates multiple sources of information on one such issue. (C, E, G, H, P)

Distinguish between historical facts and historical interpretations. (H, P)

Trace and explain the historical development of a problem. (C, E, G, H, P)

Recognize the impact of traumatic effects of destructive events on human society. (C, G, H)

Describe the relationships between historical events and contemporary issues. (C, E, G, H, P)

Identify and explain the connection between geography and issues of culture, economics, and politics.(C, E, G, H, P)

Cite specific textual evidence to analyze the impact of cultural differences in seeking solutions to current event situations. (C, H)

Define sources of government revenues and types of expenditures. (E, P)

Identify popular perception of government revenues and expenditures. (E, P)

Compare and contrast the interests of investors versus corporate management. (E)

Assess the global impact of technology. (C, E, G)

Integrate information from diverse sources to write an expository piece that analyzes the rights and responsibilities of a citizen in the United States today. (C, P)

Analyze the roles of the individual and the government in promoting the general welfare of the community under the Constitution. (C, P)

Describe the protections offered by the First Amendment and define civil disobedience. (C, P)

Cite specific textual evidence to compare and contrast American civil liberties with those of citizens in other nations. (C, P)

Examine an election and analyze it's results. (P)

Evaluate the various factors that affect a nation's economy. (E, P)

Explain and analyze the major implications of local, national, and international events. (E, G, P)

Describe the current relationship the United States has with certain nations, notably Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Mexico. (C, E, G, H, P)

Evaluate the premises, claims, and evidence presented by various authors to compare and contrast points of view on a given current events situation. (C, E, G, H, P)

Propose solutions to critical problems and evaluate the impact of their proposed solutions by integrating multiple sources of information from diverse formats and media into a formal presentation that includes a short research paper. (C, E, G, H, P)