Jaimee T. Mendillo
The teaching of Social Studies always happens in conjunction with the teaching of English Language Arts, which is why I am including standards from both disciplines.
Social Studies Standards are divided into four dimensions: History, Civics, Economics, and Geography. This unit addresses the following standards from the Connecticut State Department of Education’s “Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Frameworks,” published in February 2015. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/social-studies/ssframeworks.pdf:
- HIST 8.1
- Analyze connections among events and developments in historical contexts.
- HIST 8.2
- Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity.
- HIST 8.4
- Explain how and why perspectives of people have changed over time.
- HIST 8.8
- Evaluate the relevance and utility of a historical source based on information such as maker, date, place of origin, intended audience, and purpose.
- CIV 8.3
- Analyze the purposes, implementation, and consequences of public policies in multiple settings.
- CIV 8.4
- Compare historical and contemporary means of changing societies, and promoting the common good.
- GEO 8.3
- Explain how changes in transportation and communication technology influence the spatial connections among human settlements and affect the diffusion of ideas and cultural practices.
To reference English Language Arts standards for Connecticut, the Connecticut State Department of Education redirects to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website. I accessed two different areas of English Language Arts standards that my students will cover in this unit:
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“English Language Arts Standards in History/Social Studies, Grades 6-8,” https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RH/6-8/
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose.
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“English Language Arts Standards in Reading Informational Texts, Grade 8,” https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RI/8/
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.9Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
