Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Virtual Museum Exhibit

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Mural, Frederick Douglass appealing to President Lincoln, 1943, LoC
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Opening this website, visitors are greeted with several pictures of Frederick Douglass throughout his lifespan, while a five-part historical overview of his life explains what the exhibit entails. Visitors can access more of the site's content through the three key feature links in the lower right corner of the home page: the "House Tour," "Lesson Plans," and "Portraits." The "House Tour" takes the user on a virtual room-by-room tour of Frederick Douglass's home, which is physically located in Washington, DC. This link may be useful for educators who would like their students to experience Douglass’s home but who cannot reach DC, offering a memorable classroom experience for any K–12 classroom studying the life of Frederick Douglass or of African Americans during the Antebellum and Reconstruction eras.

Additionally, educators could assign this website to students for research using primary source artifacts and documents. "Portraits" provides not only portraits with captions explaining their significance in Douglass's life, but of his children and close abolitionist friends, as well as personal items such as his Panama hat, eyeglasses, coffee pot and articles from his paper, the North Star. In total, the site offers more than 150 primary source documents and artifacts from the time period and Douglass's life. Clicking on the link for “All Image Galley” allows the viewer to step into Frederick Douglass’s world, viewing all of the primary sources in one exhibit gallery with nine subsections, including "Leisure Time" and "Presidential Appointments." This truly brings history to life!

One of the most useful links for educators is "Lesson Plans." This takes the user to a section of the National Park Service's website called Teaching with Museum Collections, where educators can download two lesson plans on Frederick Douglass, or download lesson plan templates to create their own artifact-based lessons. The lessons are clear and include state standards as well as differentiated instruction ideas. "Frederick Douglass's Hat" is appropriate for middle school students, but can be modified and integrated to the needs of all students. "Forced March," created by an 8th-grade middle school teacher, can also be modified or enhanced to meet the needs of a differentiated classroom.

Teachinghistory.org Teacher Representative Lynn Roach wrote this Website Review. Learn more about our Teacher Representatives.

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Michael Yell's Strategies for Using Primary Sources in Your Classroom

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Image from Michael Yell's classroom
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As you enter a classroom ask yourself this question: "If there were no students in the room, could I do what I am planning to do?" If your answer to the question is yes, don't do it. (
—General Ruben Cubero [1])

This quote says a lot about the types of teaching strategies that we should use as history teachers. A passive lecture can be given in an empty room, a PowerPoint explained, a worksheet passed out, or even a reading assigned; but you cannot engage with an empty room. An empty room cannot inquire into an historical event, idea, or person. Because interaction and engagement are the climate to set in a history class, the focus must be on more than teacher-led presentations. A lot more.

As history teachers, we know the importance of having our students wrestle intellectually with primary sources, i.e., learn to investigate history using the words and ideas of people of the past. However, it is essential that we keep in mind that the use of primary sources must be part of larger investigations in the history classroom, just as it is with historians. In an interview for Social Education, Professor Keith Barton told me “[primary sources] are not meaningful in their own right; they’re just a means to an end—they’re evidence in a broader investigation.” (2)

Using the Strategy

When you make the decision to use primary sources within a broader unit, how can they best be presented to students? Over the years, both as a secondary history teacher and now a middle school history teacher, I have found two strategies combined help students make the best use of primary sources in the context of the investigations we are conducting in class.

The first strategy that I combine to help my students understand and interact with primary sources is the DBQ strategy. DBQs, Document-Based Questions, have been long used in Advanced Placement exams. A DBQ asks students to analyze a series of six or so textual and visual primary sources in order to write an essay that addresses a historical question. (3) One adaptation that I make with DBQs in my teaching is that I do not use them as an assessment so much as a strategy for instruction with a unit.

To do this, I fold the ideas behind a particular DBQ together with the teaching strategy known as Response Groups. The Response Groups strategy was developed by the Teachers’ Curriculum Institute as a part of the History Alive! program. In this strategy students receive written and/or pictorial information and consider open-ended questions on that material. Presenters are then chosen to share their group’s ideas prior to opening the discussion to the entire class.

As an example of one of my uses of the strategy, I will site my lesson The Roman Antecedents of American Government. (4) In this lesson, my 7th graders, in groups of three or four, receive a folder with two papers with primary source quotations and visuals. The lesson has students examine the writing of a well-known Roman historian (Polybius) on the nature of government in the Roman Republic. The second paper contains quotations from the Federalist Papers. Both papers also contain visual elements (a picture of a statue of Polybius, a photocopy of a section of the Federalist Papers, and a painting of Alexander Hamilton).

In putting these two excellent strategies together, I make the following adaptations: (1) rather than use six or more documents in the DBQ, I use two or three, and (2) in addition to having written questions that I have developed to which the students respond after examining the sources, as done in both DBQs and Response Groups, I have students develop some questions as well that they wish to pursue prior to examining the sources.

On the face of it, developing questions prior to examining documents might appear difficult, but if you have heightened students’ interest in the historical period/question being studied, discussing what they wonder about out loud isn't problematic. Students developing their own questions is, of course, a basic premise of Donna Ogle’s KWL strategy—what students Know, what they Want to know, and what they have Learned.

Breaking the Strategy Down
  1. Collect materials for group activity
    Essential to the response group is to have primary source information for students to read and react to. It's not hard to find social studies and history curriculum materials ripe with these types of resources. In addition to the Internet and sites like Teachinghistory.org and the Stanford History Education Group, excellent commercial curricular materials are available from organizations such as Jackdaw, the National Center for History in the Schools, and the DBQ Project.

    In developing the sources for examining the connections between the governing system of the Roman Republic, I did an Internet search on Roman government until I found the writings of Polybius. Finding quotations from the Federalist Papers was, of course, no problem.
  2. In addition to the questions that are developed by the teacher, consider having students design group questions for the source material in order to guide their investigation
    As mentioned above, my preference has been to have my students develop some of the questions that they wish to explore (as is done in the KWL strategy). This way, the primary source materials become a part of the investigation. The development of questions by the groups for their own consideration is very important in this strategy, as it lays the groundwork for the subsequent work and discussion. The questions should be stated in an open-ended manner in order to invite discussion among the students in the group, and, later, within the entire class.

    As an example, an open-ended question that I have developed in the paper on Polybius is why do you feel that Polybius felt that the powers of the Roman government must be divided. This is the type of question that is referred to as “an author and me” (5) question in that the quotation that I have chosen does not specifically state the reason Polybius felt the powers of government must be divided.
  3. Ask groups to report to the class
    After the groups have had time to discuss the questions and write their answers, it is time for the whole class discussion to begin. There are a number of ways to facilitate this discussion, but my preference is to use a strategy such as Numbered Heads Together. (6)

    During the discussion, it is important to encourage groups, and the whole class, to respond to each others’ ideas. This can be done by asking the presenters from each group to begin with “We agree/disagree with your idea because…” or by asking presenters who have not yet spoken to consider the ideas already mentioned and respond to them.
  4. Individual response
    In concluding a lesson that utilizes this strategy, students should engage in individual writing about the ideas generated in the groups and the discussion.

    While students are working together with the primary sources, the key expectation of the teacher is the growth of each student. For this reason the cooperative learning principle of individual accountability should be incorporated in response to group work. An individual writing assignment can provide this element.
Final Thoughts

As a believer in using primary sources with my 7th-grade students, and as a practicing teacher I am in agreement with Professors Sam Wineburg and Daisy Martin when they write that we must strive to provide all students with access to the rich voices of the past. (7) This means judicious adaptation of those sources and quotations so that students have access to them while explaining what I have adapted and how I have done it. I also show them (via my Smartboard) the original source. Using primary sources is important in the teaching of history, not as an end in itself but as a means to involve students in investigation and inquiry into historical topics. Melding the basic ideas of DBQs and Response Groups and adapting them in your own classroom is a wonderful way to have your students grapple with the ideas provoked by what they study.

As classroom teachers, we often have a textbook we use in our curriculum. In my next blog, I will share a strategy that I have found most helpful in helping students think about, interact with, and get meaning from their text.

Bibliography

1 You will find General Ruben Cubero’s quote here.

2 Yell, Michael, History Teaching, Inquiry, and Citizenship: An Interview with Keith Barton. This interview will be published in an upcoming issue of Social Education (NCSS).

3 The finest source that I have found for the use of DBQ as a teaching strategy in middle and secondary classrooms is The DBQ Project.

4 Complete explanation of this strategy, as well as an earlier version of The Roman Antecedents of American Government Lesson, can be found in Yell and Scheurman, A Link to the Past: Engaging Students in the Study of History, NCSS, 2004.

5Buehl, Doug, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, International Reading Association, 2009. The “Author and Me” questions are those where the answer can be inferred from context clues and background knowledge and are a part of a strategy called “Question-Answer Relationships” (p. 133-140).

6 Morton, Tom, Cooperative Learning & Social Studies, Kagan Cooperative Learning, 1998.

7 Wineburg, Sam and Martin, Daisy, "Tampering with History: Adapting Primary Sources for Struggling Readers," Social Education, September 2009, Volume 73, Number 5, p. 212-21.

For more information

Explore our Teaching Guides for more teaching strategies. In what ways could different strategies augment and complement each other?

Ron Gorr on Go to the Source (GTTS) Activities

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lithograph, The scout Buffalo Bill. Hon. W.F. Cody, Paul Frenzeny, between 1872
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To teach history without primary sources is analogous to building a house without walls. Without the structure of authentic historical references, student understanding will collapse if it is confined to the subjectivity of teachers, texts, and the modern world around them. Albeit, most teachers and texts attempt to provide a balanced delivery of content, but nothing beats the analytical dissection of an actual primary document and the historical truth that can be garnered from it. As an added bonus, primary-source activities can augment the redevelopment of history curricula that are finally beginning to recognize the significance of these critical resources.

I think [my students] know what primary documents are, but I'm not sure they understand why they are important.

So who am I? Most likely, I am just like you! I have been teaching U.S. history (AP and regular) for 15 years and I have had some pretty nice successes. I've incorporated primary sources into my lectures, projects, and PowerPoints; I have asked students to periodically find their own content-related primary sources; I have used Document-Based Essay questions to help prepare kids for the AP exam; and recently, I even combined primary source research with a Wiki assignment (see my earlier blog entry). Overall, I feel like I have met or exceeded my district and state standards and my students are certainly exposed to a wide array of primary sources throughout the year. But, I still feel like there is a gap in my student's learning. I think they know what primary documents are, but I'm not sure they understand why they are important. For some, this might seem like a hair-splitting point, but for me, it is the difference between providing a busywork time-killer and demanding high-level critical analysis. It is at the core of historical thinking and a skill that I feel obligated to expose my students to before they go off to college. Luckily, I attended a seminar offered by the Teaching American History (TAH) Grant project "Ties That Bind" that provided an adaptable template for me to follow when I am attempting to evaluate and analyze primary sources with my students.

What are Go To The Source (GTTS) Activities?

Created by Professor William Virden, founder of the Colorado Institute for Historical Study and a professor at the University of Northern Colorado, and his partner Mary Borg in 2000, Go To The Source (GTTS) Activities are basically teacher-created questionnaires that are focused upon a single primary source or a small collection of primary sources. Since they are teacher generated, the documents and artifacts can be hand-selected for age-appropriateness, relevance, and wow factor. In addition, teachers can differentiate the process for all levels and abilities.

A Specific Example

In creating my "Go To The Source" activities, I started with a general topic like "The West" and worked with local college libraries and museum archives, to augment the internet resources that I found. I found that preparation was the key to getting the most from my research time. I contacted librarians and archivists ahead of time and they happily pulled resources before I arrived. They typically love their collections and are passionate about helping researchers, so utilize their expertise. Most of the information I used was from the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum and the Pikes Peak (Carnegie) Library.

One of my favorite pieces was a Poster from the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. Click the link and go to pages 8 and 9 to see the poster and my GTTS activity associated with it. Keep this activity open in another window for reference.

I chose the poster because I thought it addressed a number of the themes I was trying to elucidate to my students about the allure of the American West, specifically the romantic notions that were associated with it. My students seemed to agree when they took part in the GTTS activity associated with it. They really liked it and actually asked to do more of them.

Prior to the lesson, I tried to contextualize the poster, by teaching most of the traditional history associated with the West. In an attempt to dive a little deeper, I tried to help the kids understand that modern notions about the West are often glorified, embellished, and romanticized by movies, literature, and other forms of media. So much so that many of the stereotypes that we see as "western," have been transferred across the globe and have been woven into the histories of Australia, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, etc. The Buffalo Bill poster serves as a wonderful piece of evidence in this discussion.

My next step was to analyze the poster and deduce all of the components that I wanted the kids to draw from it. Once I knew what I wanted them to learn, I wrote questions to help them dissect the poster like a historian.

LOTS and HOTS Questions

In GTTS activities, these questions take two forms. The first questions establish who, what, why, when, and where. The answers to these Lower Order Thinking (LOTS) questions should be easily identifiable and relatively simplistic for students, but provide them with important information necessary to analyze and evaluate the document. (See questions 1-5 on the GTTS activity for examples of LOTS questions.)

Once the students get into the document, now it is time to help them see the real significance of it. This can be done by transitioning to Higher Order Thinking (HOTS) questions. These should challenge students to: explain, compare, contrast, predict, hypothesize, infer, value, judge, and justify. Often these questions begin with Why, How, In what ways, Imagine, Suppose, Predict, If…then, Defend, Justify, or Judge. Once students have completed these, they should have a grasp of not only the who, what, and where of the document, but of its historical relevance and significance. (See questions 6-9 on the GTTS activity for examples of HOTS questions.)

TIP: Do not neglect the LOTS questions! I have a tendency to jump right to the HOTS questions because I am much more interested in the deeper analysis of the source (especially with my AP classes); however, students often need the LOTS questions to build their deductive reasoning skills. Because we, as teachers, are more versed in looking at historical sources, we analyze the basics very quickly. Students usually don't. The LOTS questions will allow them to practice this fundamental component of historical thinking. Try to write questions that help them do this.

Once you have engaged your students with a compelling and relevant primary source, it might be fun to offer an extension exercise. These allow students to apply the information gathered from the GTTS exercise by asking them to create a tangible end product that demonstrates how effectively they conceptualized the significance of the sources they analyzed. Some potential lessons could include essays, graphs, charts, webbing, diagrams, historical fiction short stories, timelines, newspapers or magazines, predictions for the future, small group presentations or PowerPoints, maps, posters, games, dioramas, letters or telegrams, compare and contrast activities, and even the creation of document-based questions. Let your teacher magic flow through!

Lastly, I think it is important that I thank Professor Virden for his generosity and his undying passion in helping teachers realize the significance of primary sources in the classroom. His hard work, along with that of his assistant Tom Carson and all of the wonderful lecturers at the seminar, allowed me to grow as an educator and historian and for that I am sincerely grateful. I know Bill is fond of saying "nothing that can be memorized is history," and with these GTTS exercises, my students are beginning to see the truth in those words.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns about this process. I'd be happy to share my experiences with you.

Ron Gorr
Air Academy High School
Colorado Springs, Colorado
rmgorr@comcast.net

A Day On, Not a Day Off

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Logo, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
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Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Since 1994 and the signing into law of the King Holiday and Service Act, the holiday is a "day on, not a day off," a national day of service. According to the King Center, King's widow, Coretta Scott King, described the holiday this way:

Every King Holiday has been a national "teach-in" on the values of nonviolence, including unconditional love, tolerance, forgiveness and reconciliation, which are so desperately needed to unify America. It is a day of intensive education and training in Martin's philosophy and methods of nonviolent social change and conflict-reconciliation. The Holiday provides a unique opportunity to teach young people to fight evil, not people, to get in the habit of asking themselves, "what is the most loving way I can resolve this conflict?"

Maybe you've given your students background on the holiday and prepared them to get involved in the local community today. But Martin Luther King Jr. Day shouldn't be the only day your students are ready to serve—and King isn't the only topic that can connect service and history education.

More Than One Day of Service

President Barack Obama's United We Serve initiative calls on citizens to come together to improve their communities. The government Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service website reflects that call, and provides resources you can draw on throughout the year.

Helping to preserve history can be service, too!

Use this site to familiarize yourself (and your students, depending on their grade level and readiness to organize projects) with service opportunities in your area. Search by city, state, or zip code; register your own project; or read up on planning a project with the site's detailed Action Guides.

Now consider your curriculum and your local community. Don't limit yourself to Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, or to the third Monday of January. Think about the Great Depression, the New Deal, the Progressive Era, the women's rights movement, the victory gardens and scrap drives of the World War II homefront, the Berlin Airlift. What sorts of projects might you guide students in initiating (or at least considering) for any of these topics or time periods that would also help them learn—and feel connected to—historical content?

Serving to Preserve

Helping to preserve history can be service, too! Listen to teacher James Percoco speak on teaching with memorials and monuments and think about your local history. Are there places that need young volunteers? Locations that students could research and then prepare their own interpretive materials?

Use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a reminder not just to memorialize history, but to empower students to connect with, interpret, and preserve it in the service of the present!

Resources on Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sounds good, you say, but maybe you need resources for teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, before you head off onto wider projects. Last year, we recommended a variety of online resources in our Jan. 13 blog entry. Here are those recommendations again—and a few new ones! Remember to search our Website Reviews and try our Lesson Plan Gateway for even more links to great materials.

Elizabeth Schaefer on a New Approach to President Lincoln

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Photo, Wash_DC_20090206_005, mutantMandias, Flickr
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Summer is often a time for professional development. Have you had a chance to learn new content and strategies and visit new places? Or revisit familiar content and places? Here's some of what our teacher-writer Elizabeth Schaefer took away from a summer professional development experience in Washington, DC.

A New Angle on Lincoln and the Civil War

As you plan out your next Civil War unit, consider approaching it from a new angle, a different place. The place, Lincoln's Cottage, is tucked up on the edge of northwest Washington, DC, alongside the Soldiers' Home and is now part of the Armed Forces Retirement Home complex. It was Abraham Lincoln's summer retreat and where he spent a large portion of his presidency. Lincoln's Cottage was closed to the public until 2008 but has opened its doors to tell a fresh story about the humanity of one of the country's greatest presidents.

Lincoln's Cottage in the Classroom

The story of Lincoln's cottage is a human story—one that students can understand. It was a place of personal refuge, grief, and contemplation. Lincoln lived there for a large portion of his presidency and very likely drafted the Emancipation Proclamation in the cottage. Using the cottage as something tangible, here are three themes that you could study in your class:

Lincoln and His Family:
Lincoln's Cottage is an ideal channel to ease students' imaginations into the Civil War unit. The Lincoln family left the White House and moved all of their belongings to the cottage after the death of 11-year-old Willie Lincoln. Paint the picture for your students—a grieving mother, a 9-year-old son who just lost his brother and best friend, and a father who is leading the nation through a civil war. A range of primary sources documenting each of these individuals exists and can be used to personalize the experience and create a human president that is less out of reach. On the cottage tour, visitors are asked to consider the significance of the cottage to a grieving family and the importance of reflection to everyone. The family continued to spend half the year there for the remainder of Lincoln's presidency.

War History:
During the Civil War, although Lincoln's Cottage was a comfortable distance from the heat and bustle of the city, the house was surrounded by reminders of war. Soldiers lived and camped in the surrounding areas and interacted with the family regularly.

This can aid understanding of what a civil war entails and how the impact on everyday life differed from the concept of war as we understand it in America today.

On the tour, there are fun accounts of Lincoln's encounters with soldiers and Tad Lincoln's friendships with them that students will greatly enjoy. There is also a soldiers' graveyard on the grounds. It did not exist when the family arrived, but by the time Lincoln was assassinated it was rapidly filling up with deceased young men. The cottage offers another avenue to consider the lives and deaths of the soldiers during the war.

Another way to look at the Civil War is through the position of this "retreat." A church bell tower within feet of the cottage was used to communicate with the forts surrounding Washington, DC, to warn of oncoming attacks. I suggest having your students find the cottage and the White House in relation to these Civil War forts. You can find maps and primary source materials at http://www.nps.gov/cwdw. This can aid understanding of what a civil war entails and how the impact on everyday life differed from the concept of war as we understand it in America today.

Historic Changes:
Another theme to consider is how America has changed over time. This will have special impact if your students are in the Washington, DC, area, but the big ideas likely translate to any city. The Lincolns fled to the cottage largely because Mary Todd blamed the horrible conditions of DC for the death of her son. There was a canal flowing directly in front of the White House, and the conditions were unsanitary—hot, bug-ridden, and dirty. Willie is believed to have died from typhoid fever. Not only does this paint a clearer picture of what the cities, hospitals, and battlegrounds were like during the war, it also makes an excellent introduction to the Progressive era and its urban reform campaigns.

What do we not understand about each other? What can we never fully understand from our position in time?

The cottage provides a canvas to humanize the president, but it also provides an opportunity for historic perspective-taking. These figures were living in the 1800s and had things in common with us—grief, fear, the need for quiet time—but what do we not understand about each other? What can we never fully understand from our position in time? Lincoln is assassinated at Ford's Theatre with no real security there to stop Booth's shot. Before that, for six months out of the year, he commuted the three miles between the cottage and the White House on horseback, often alone. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss why this could not happen today. What has changed about technology and what lessons have we learned? How would our understanding of the world be different if a president had never been assassinated? Are there things in the world that we take for granted until something bad happens and everything changes (i.e. security regulations)?

Visiting Lincoln's Cottage

The cottage is a unique historic site because, as explained on the tour, the National Trust "chose to furnish the cottage with Lincoln's ideas rather than his things." Sure enough, as you walk through the space, the rooms are basically empty and, with the help of technology, the rooms are used as platforms for discussion. Within the education center, students can participate in a roleplaying activity to discuss Lincoln's cabinet and their role in emancipation. The site offers free buses for DCPS and DC charter schools. Directions and further information can be found at www.lincolncottage.org.

Acknowledgements

I was introduced to this site by the Civil War Washington Teaching Fellows, led by a collaboration of small historic sites within Washington, DC, including Lincoln's Cottage, Ford's Theatre, Frederick Douglass House, and Tudor Place. They provided a wealth of information and resources about the Civil War and each added something to this post.

Callie Hawkins represented Lincoln's Cottage and through her understanding of its importance to President Lincoln, breathed life into the site and demonstrated its endless educational possibility.

Bibliography

Bayne, Julia Taft. Tad Lincoln's Father. University of Nebraska, 2001. A memoir on the Lincolns' family life.

Pinsker, Matthew. Lincoln's Sanctuary: Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. This book captures the story of Lincoln's Cottage in detail.

For more information

Field trips may be out of the reach of many teachers, but historic sites can still offer rich teachable resources. Maybe you or your students can learn about opportunities to help preserve and pass on history in your area, or you might design an individualized field trip for students to pursue in their own time, at their own pace.

Reminding students that people in the past differed from us in as many ways as they resembled us can be difficult. A research brief on reading Abraham Lincoln shows how students (and teachers) use modern-day frameworks of thought to approach historical sources. How can you challenge students' assumptions about how people in the past thought, felt, reasoned, and expressed themselves?

Presidents in the Library

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Photo, US Flag, Kennedy Library, Boston, Feb. 16, 2009, Tony the Misfit, Flickr
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Happy (almost) Presidents Day! Have your ever thought about all of the papers a presidency must create? Emails, memoranda, schedules, notes, speeches, letters, drafts, on and on and on, an entire term (or terms) set down in a sea of potential primary sources. But how can educators access this wealth of materials?

In many cases, all you have to do is go online. Before the 20th century, presidents had ownership of their papers, and many were lost to time or split up in private collections. However, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided that his papers should become the property of the American people following his presidency. He donated both his papers and part of his Hyde Park estate to the government, and the first presidential library was born.

In 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act set rules for gifting the government with property and other resources to be used to establish the libraries, and in 1978, the Presidential Records Act made it official—presidential papers were government property.

Today, 13 presidential libraries house the papers of the last 13 presidents. The National Archives and Records Administration, which oversees the libraries, describes them as combination archive-museums, “bringing together in one place the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliation.”

Presidential Libraries Online

Each of the libraries maintains its own website. Though the resources available on each vary greatly, almost all provide biographical information on the president and first lady, student and educator sections, and a selection of digitized photographs and documents. Some have extensive searchable databases full of documents, photos, and other primary sources! Here's a list of the libraries:

  • Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, IA — features 13 simple online exhibits and Hoover Online! Digital Archives, a collection of suggested units and lesson plans for secondary students with primary sources.
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY — the first presidential library, completed in 1940. Offers five curriculum guides, an online exhibit on the art of the New Deal, and the Pare Lorentz Center, which encourages using multimedia to teach about FDR.
  • Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, Independence, MO — offers a searchable lesson plan database and digitized photographs, audio clips, and political cartoons, as well as documents divided up by topic (topics include such teachable subjects as the decision to drop the atom bomb and Japanese Americans during World War II).
  • Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, KS — features a selection of online documents, grouped by topics (topics include Brown vs. Board of Education, Hawaiian statehood, McCarthyism, and others), and transcripts of oral history interviews.
  • John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston, MA — provides six online exhibits (including exhibits on the space program, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and desegregating the University of Mississippi), a photo gallery, major speeches, and a searchable digital archive. It also houses the Ernest Hemingway Collection.
  • Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, Austin, TX — features a photo archive, the presidential daily diary, selected speeches, and the subsite LBJ for Kids!
  • Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Yorba Linda, CA — includes digitized documents, samples of the Nixon tapes, a photo gallery, video oral histories, four lesson plans, and online exhibits on Watergate, gifts to the head of state, and Nixon's meeting with Elvis.
  • Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Ann Arbor, MI — features 10 simple online exhibits, as well as digitized documents and photos.
  • Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Atlanta, GA — offers selected documents and photographs, including the diary of Robert C. Ode, hostage in the Iran Hostage Crisis.
  • Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA — includes an image archive arranged by topic, and the public papers of Reagan, arranged by month and year.
  • George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, College Station, TX — includes 12 lesson plans, a photo archive, and searchable public papers of his presidency.
  • William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Little Rock, AR — has both virtual exhibits and a digital library in development.
  • George W. Bush Presidential Library — the newest of the public libraries, it does not yet have a permanent building. Many papers from the Bush administration are not yet available to the public (papers become public five years after the end of a presidency, which can be extended up to 12 years).

Remember that many of the presidential libraries offer museum tours and activities for school groups! If your school is close to one, consider a field trip or participating in the professional development opportunities the library may offer.

Beyond the Libraries

Looking for resources on a pre-Hoover president? Several libraries exist outside of the official presidential library system, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center, William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum. Try the Library of Congress's American Memory collections, as well, for papers that belonged to Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

West Virginia: 7th-Grade Standards

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Seventh grade social studies examines geography through the six essential elements: The World in Spatial Terms, Places and Regions, Physical Systems, Human Systems, Environment and Society and Uses of Geography. Students will examine people, places and events of today and analyze the relationships between them (culture, history, environmental concerns, political and economic systems) and their impact on the future of our world. Students will use 21st century technology as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills to construct and interpret maps, graphs, charts, spreadsheets and other data to evaluate and synthesize global information from a geographical perspective. The West Virginia Standards for 21st Century Learning include the following components: 21st Century Content Standards and Objectives and 21st Century Learning Skills and Technology Tools. All West Virginia teachers are responsible for classroom instruction that integrates learning skills, technology tools and content standards and objectives.

Social Studies Standard 1: Citizenship

SS.S.07.01 / Students will:

  • characterize and model good citizenship by building social networks of reciprocity and trustworthiness (Civic Dispositions).
  • model a respect for symbols, ideas and concepts of the United States and analyze the roles of significant individuals (Respect For People, Events, and Symbols).
  • develop and employ the civic skills necessary for effective citizenship by using criteria to make judgments, arrive at and defend positions and evaluate the validity of the positions or data (Evaluation Skills).
  • develop the participatory skills of interacting, monitoring and influencing that are essential for informed, effective and responsible citizenship, including participation in civic life to shape public policy (Participatory Skills).
  • recognize and communicate the responsibilities, privileges and rights of United States citizens (Civic Life).

  • SS.PD.07.1 / Performance Descriptors

    • Novice:
      • recognize the laws of nations and differentiate define power and authority.
      • recognize the rights, responsibilities of citizens in world regions.
      • identify citizen actions that influence public policy decisions.
      • participate in civic discussion consistent with the ideals of a democratic republic.

    • Partial Mastery:
      • identify the differences in the laws of nations laws and describe differences between power and authority.
      • identify the rights, responsibilities, and participation of citizens in world regions.
      • describe citizen actions that influence public policy decisions.
      • practice civic discussion consistent with the ideals of a democratic republic.

    • Mastery:
      • compare and contrast nations laws and differentiate between power and authority.
      • compare and contrast the rights, responsibilities, and participation of citizens in world regions.
      • research, organize and model citizen actions that influence public policy decisions.
      • apply and practice civic discussion consistent with the ideals of a democratic republic.

    • Above Mastery:
      • assess how laws of other nations are influence by American democratic ideals and how other nations influence American politics and society and distinguish between power and authority.
      • communicate how the rights, responsibilities, and participation of citizens in world regions relates to the American democratic system.
      • research, organize and model citizen actions that influence public policy decisions to develop a solution for a real world political issue.
      • actively participate in formulating civic discussions on a variety of topics consistent with the ideals of a democratic republic.

    • Distinguished:
      • research and draw conclusions of how other nationsí laws are influenced by American democratic ideals and prove the influence of other nations on American politics and society and distinguish between power and authority.
      • debate and defend how the rights, responsibilities, and participation of citizens in world regions relates to the American democratic system.
      • draw conclusions about citizen actions that influence public policy decisions and develop original solutions for real world political issues at all levels.
      • formulate and lead civic discussions on a variety of topics consistent with the ideals of a democratic republic that demonstrate good communication skills.

  • Objectives / Students will:

    • SS.O.07.01.01: compare and contrast individual rights of citizens in a variety of world regions.
    • SS.O.07.01.02: model the actions citizens take to influence public policy decisions.
    • SS.O.07.01.03: compare and contrast nationsí laws that may or may not provide order, predictability and security.
    • SS.O.07.01.04: research and organize information about an issue of public concern from multiple points of view.
    • SS.O.07.01.05: apply and practice selective forms of civic discussion and participation consistent with the ideas of citizens in a democratic republic.
    • SS.O.07.01.06: recognize and differentiate between power and authority.

Social Studies Standard 2: Civics

SS.S.07.02 / Students will:

  • examine and analyze the purposes and basic principles of the United States government (Purposes of Government).
  • outline and evaluate and analyze the origins and meaning of the principles, ideals and core democratic values expressed in the foundational documents of the United States (Ideals of United States Democracy).
  • examine and distinguish the structure, function and responsibilities of governments and the allocation of power at the local, state and national levels (United States Government and Politics).
  • analyze how the world is organized politically and compare the role and relationship of the United States to other nations and to world affairs (United States Government and World Affairs).

  • SS.PD.07.2 / Performance Descriptors

    • Novice:
      • define different forms of government and different lawmaking processes.
      • recognize limited government and rule of law.
      • list ways nations interact with one another to solve problems.
      • give an example of the influence of the United States on other nations and an example of how other nations influence the United States.
      • list ways nations interact with one another to resolve problems and conflict.

    • Partial Mastery:
      • identify differences in forms of government and compare and contrast their lawmaking processes.
      • identify limited government and rule of law.
      • explain the ways nations provide order and protect justice.
      • describe the influence the United States has on other nations and how other nations influence the American political process and society.
      • describe the ways nations interact with one another to resolve problems and conflict.

    • Mastery:
      • examine differences in forms of government and compare and contrast their lawmaking processes.
      • debate the need for limited government and rule of law.
      • analyze the ways nations provide order and protect justice.
      • recognize and evaluate the influence the United States has on other nations and how other nations influence the American political process and society.
      • evaluate the methods nations use to interact with one another to resolve problems and conflict.

    • Above Mastery:
      • compare and contrast different forms of government and analyze their lawmaking processes to make comparisons.
      • debate the need for limited government and rule of law providing examples and evidence.
      • compare and contrast the ways nations provide order and protect justice through analysis of current topics.
      • summarize and discuss the influence the U.S. has on other nations and how other nations influence the U.S. political process and society.
      • apply the methods nations use to interact with one another to resolve problems and conflict.

    • Distinguished:
      • analyze different forms of government to make comparisons and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of lawmaking processes.
      • communicate effectively to argue the need for limited government and rule of law providing extensive examples and evidence.
      • analyze the ways nations provide order and protect justice through analysis of current topics and evaluate for effectiveness.
      • argue and compare the significance of the impact of U.S. influence on other nations and the influence of other nations on the U.S. political process and society.
      • apply the methods nations use to interact with one another to develop a solution to a real world issue of conflict.

  • Objectives / Students will:

    • SS.O.07.02.01: examine the different forms of government in various world regions.
    • SS.O.07.02.02: compare and contrast the lawmaking processes of world governments.
    • SS.O.07.02.03: analyze the different ways nations provide order and protect justice.
    • SS.O.07.02.04: debate the importance of limited government and the rule of law.
    • SS.O.07.02.05: evaluate various methods that nations use to interact with one another to resolve problems and conflicts.
    • SS.O.07.02.06: recognize and evaluate the influence of the United States on other nations and the influence of other nations on the American political process and society.

Social Studies Standard 3: Economics

SS.S.07.03 / Students will:

  • analyze the role of economic choices in scarcity, supply and demand, resource allocation, decision-making, voluntary exchange and trade-offs (Choices).
  • research, critique and evaluate the roles of private and public institutions in the economy (Institutions).
  • compare and contrast various economic systems and analyze their impact on individual citizens (Economic Systems).
  • illustrate how the factors of production impact the United States economic system (Factors of Production).
  • analyze the elements of competition and how they impact the economy (Competition).
  • examine and evaluate the interdependence of global economies (Global Economies).

  • SS.PD.07.3 / Performance Descriptors

    • Novice:
      • recognize that there are different economic systems and list some of the social services provided by governments using these systems;
      • define the terms supply, demand, price and recognize competition.
      • recall what the physical / human geography and technology influences are that affect economic, agricultural and industrial development.

    • Partial Mastery:
      • describe characteristics of economic systems, explain their interdependence, and identify social services provided by governments with these systems;
      • explain the connection between supply, demand and competition.
      • identify and describe the physical / human geography and technology that influences economic, agricultural and industrial development.

    • Mastery:
      • compare and contrast economic systems, explain their interdependence and the various social services provided by governments with these systems;
      • illustrate the relationship between supply, demand and price and examine their impact of competition.
      • analyze how physical /human geography and technology impacts worldwide economic, agricultural and industrial development.

    • Above Mastery:
      • analyze economic systems, explain the significance of their interdependence, and evaluate the various social services provided by different governments with these systems;
      • analyze the relationship between supply, demand and price and research the impact of these factors on competition.
      • evaluate how physical and human geography and technology impacts worldwide economic, agricultural and industrial development.

    • Distinguished:
      • critique economic systems, interpret the impact of interdependence on world economics, evaluate the social services provided by different governments and debate their effectiveness;
      • research the impact of competition to develop an economic plan for the future that shows relationships between supply, demand and price.
      • predict how physical/ human geography as well as future technological developments will impact worldwide economic, agricultural and industrial development.

  • Objectives / Students will:

    • SS.O.07.03.01: examine how competition among buyers of a product results in higher prices, and illustrate the relationship between supply, demand and the price of that product.
    • SS.O.07.03.02: analyze the physical and human geographic factors that influence the economy of a region.
    • SS.O.07.03.03: define basic economic terminology and apply it to economic development of world regions.
    • SS.O.07.03.04: compare and contrast various social services provided by world governments.
    • SS.O.07.03.05: classify and compare different types of economic systems.
    • SS.O.07.03.06: describe the impact of technology on agriculture and industry throughout the world.
    • SS.O.07.03.07: classify and evaluate the different types of world trade organizations (e.g., trade, military, health).
    • SS.O.07.03.08: assess the impact of natural and human events on industry worldwide (e.g., strikes, environmental disasters, war, terrorism).
    • SS.O.07.03.09: formulate an explanation as to how countries are economically interdependent.

Social Studies Standard 4: Geography

SS.S.07.04 / Students will:

  • interpret, and choose maps, globes and other geographic tools to categorize and organize information about personal directions, people, places and environments (The World in Spatial Terms).
  • examine the physical and human characteristics of place and explain how the lives of people are rooted in places and regions (Places and Regions).
  • analyze the physical processes that shape the earthís surface and create, sustain and modify the cultural and natural environment (Physical Systems).
  • analyze and illustrate how the earth is shaped by the movement of people and their activities (Human Systems).
  • analyze the interaction of society with the environment (Environment and Society).
  • point out geographic perspective and the tools and assess techniques available for geographic study (Uses of Geography).

  • SS.PD.07.4 / Performance Descriptors

    • Novice:
      • identify spatial data and define appropriate geographic terminology to find information.
      • locate the geographic regions and cultures of the world and define the physical and human processes that shape their environments.
      • name ways technology, communication and transportation affect the global society.

    • Partial Mastery:
      • use spatial data and appropriate geographic terminology and tools to find and describe information.
      • identify the geographic regions and cultures of the world and define how the physical and human processes interact to shape their environments.
      • identify the effects of technology, communication and transportation on the global society.

    • Mastery:
      • analyze spatial data to identify and locate relevant information to draw conclusions about geographic regions.
      • describe the geographic regions and cultures of the world and how the physical and human processes interact to shape their environments.
      • analyze the effects of technology, communication and transportation on the global society.

    • Above Mastery:
      • use spatial data, precise geographic terminology and best tools to draw conclusions about the future of geographic regions.
      • compare world geographic regions and explain the connections between cultural development and physical/ human processes that shape their environments.
      • draw conclusions about the effects of technology, communication and transportation on the global society.

    • Distinguished:
      • create accurate and relevant spatial data displays to predict the impact of future interactions between geographic regions.
      • research the cultures of the world in select geographic regions and summarize how the physical and human processes interact to shape their environments.
      • predict the effects of innovations in technology, communication and transportation on the global society.

  • Objectives / Students will:

    • SS.O.07.04.01: use correct geographic terminology to explain direction, location, time zones, physical features of the earth.
    • SS.O.07.04.02: draw conclusions about information presented on special purpose maps and be able to differentiate among map types.
    • SS.O.07.04.03: Identify and locate on a variety of maps and give examples of the following:
      • seven continents
      • bodies of water
      • landforms
      • countries
      • cities
      • climate regions
      • transportation routes
    • SS.O.07.04.04: describe and explain the advantages and disadvantages of different map projections and show examples of their uses (e.g., aerial photos, globes, charts, graphs, polar projection).
    • SS.O.07.04.05: evaluate the importance of mental maps (perceptions) and illustrate how they affect our judgments about people and places.
    • SS.O.07.04.06: analyze the patterns of immigration and examine its effects on the distribution of cultural patterns in a region (e.g., disease, language, religion, customs, diversity).
    • SS.O.07.04.07: analyze the growth of tourism and its impact on regional environments and culture.
    • SS.O.07.04.08: analyze and give examples of the ways in which these factors influence lifestyles and regional interconnections:
      • economic
      • geographic
      • cultural
      • religious
      • political
      • social
    • SS.O.07.04.09: evaluate the impact of human processes on the worldís physical environment (e.g., pollution, clear-cutting, strip mining).
    • SS.O.07.04.10: analyze the use and abuse of renewable and nonrenewable resources (e.g., hydroelectric power and fossil fuels), interpret how technology affects the ways in which culture groups perceive and use their resources, and give examples of ways to improve conservation of natural resources around the world.
    • SS.O.07.04.11: analyze the technological improvements in transportation and communication that have helped create a global society.
    • SS.O.07.04.12: explain the common geographic factors associated with the development of world urban centers.
    • SS.O.07.04.13: examine cooperation and conflict over control of the worldís resources.
    • SS.O.07.04.14: create population pyramids to show comparisons of the characteristics of demographic structure in selected regions of the world (e.g., total size, birth rates, age, distribution, doubling time).
    • SS.O.07.04.15: explain culture in a geographic context (e.g., isolation, core area, movement).
    • SS.O.07.04.16: investigate and research new geographic frontiers such as the oceans, Antarctica and airspace and describe explorations and discoveries in these realms.

Social Studies Standard 5: History

SS.S.07.05 / Students will:

  • organize, analyze and compare historical events, distinguish cause-effect relationships, theorize alternative actions and outcomes, and anticipate future application (Chronology).
  • use the processes and resources of historical inquiry to develop appropriate questions, gather and examine evidence, compare, analyze and interpret historical data (Skills and Application).
  • examine, analyze and synthesize historical knowledge of major events, individuals, cultures and the humanities in West Virginia, the United States and the world (Culture and Humanities).
  • use historical knowledge to analyze local, state, national and global interdependence (Interpretation and Evaluation).
  • examine political institutions and theories that have developed and changed over time; and research and cite reasons for development and change (Political Institutions).

  • SS.PD.07.5 / Performance Descriptors

    • Novice:
      • match significant people, places, documents, ideas and events with the correct periods and contexts of early civilization.
      • list effects of migration on religions, governments, societies and past and present cultures
      • identify cultural assimilation and describe how it effects political and social situations and decisions.

    • Partial Mastery:
      • list and label the significant people, places, documents, ideas and events in their correct periods and contexts of early civilization.
      • give examples of the effects of migration on religions, governments, societies and past and present cultures.
      • recognize the long-lasting effects of cultural assimilation on political and social situations and decisions.

    • Mastery:
      • identify significant people, places, documents, ideas and events and place them into the correct periods and contexts of early civilization.
      • trace and describe the effects of migration on religions, governments, societies and past and present cultures.
      • examine and explain the long-lasting effects of cultural assimilation on political and social situations and decisions.

    • Above Mastery:
      • explain the significance of people, places, documents, ideas and events within their correct periods and contexts of early civilization.
      • analyze and discuss the effects of migration on religions, governments, societies and past and present cultures.
      • analyze the long-lasting effects of cultural assimilation on political and social situations and decisions.
      • argue the importance of industry, labor, transportation and technology issues, and discuss the ramifications of these challenges.

    • Distinguished:
      • judge it the significance of the contributions of people, places, documents, ideas and events in their correct period and context would be the same if they occurred in other periods and contexts.
      • evaluate and summarize the effects of migration on religions, governments, societies and past and present cultures.
      • summarize and debate the long-lasting effects of cultural assimilation on political and social situations and decisions.

  • Objectives / Students will:

    • SS.O.07.05.01: analyze the development of early civilizations (e.g., Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, China, India).
    • SS.O.07.05.02: draw world history conclusions from maps, globes, charts, posters, graphs and timelines.
    • SS.O.07.05.03: characterize conditions that have influenced or altered the movement of people throughout the world and time.
    • SS.O.07.05.04: examine and chart religious and secular celebrations observed around the world.
    • SS.O.07.05.05: research and explain the role of racial and ethnic minorities, women and children in the advancement of civil rights.
    • SS.O.07.05.06: compare and contrast the beliefs, religion and mythology of native cultures throughout the world.
    • SS.O.07.05.07: anticipate what occurs when people from different regions interact.
    • SS.O.07.05.08: interpret the effect of the environment on native cultures (e.g., Native Americans, Australian Aborigines, African Berbers).
    • SS.O.07.05.09: use a variety of credible sources to research, reconstruct and interpret the past.
    • SS.O.07.05.10: describe the role geo-politics played in historic events.

Social Studies Standard 6: Reading

SS.S.07.06 / Students will:

  • use the dimensions of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, background knowledge/vocabulary, high frequency word/fluency, comprehension, and writing) in their acquisition of social studies knowledge, insuring a foundation of college readiness in this genre.
  • recognize main ideas and supporting details to locate basic facts (e.g. names, dates, events).
  • distinguish relationships among people, ideas, and events.
  • recognize cause-effect relationships in content passages.
  • outline sequences of events.
  • summarize events and ideas. Infer main idea or purpose of content.
  • draw generalizations and conclusions about people, ideas and events.
  • write and edit organized texts of various genres to insure that information is clearly understood.

(Refer to policy 2520.1 for specific grade level reading and writing objectives.)

DC: Seventh Grade Standards

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(Note: In 2011, DC public schools began transitioning to the Common Core State Standards.)

  • Era I: Early Humankind and the Development of Human Societies

    • 7.1. Broad Concept: Students describe current understanding of the origins of modern humans from the Paleolithic Age to the agricultural revolution.
      1. Trace the great climatic and environmental changes that shaped the earth and eventually permitted the growth of human life. (G)
      2. Locate human communities that populated the major regions of the world, and identify how humans adapted to a variety of environments. (G)
      3. Explain the evidence supporting hominid origin in East Africa. (G)
      4. Articulate the theoretical basis for modern human evolution that led to migration out of Africa, first to Europe and Asia, and later to the Americas and Australia. (G)
      5. Describe the characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies of the Paleolithic Age (e.g., use of tools and fire, hunting weapons, and typical division of labor by gender). (S, E)

      Examples

      • Students examine cave paintings and hypothesize what the drawings tell us about the cultures from which they originated (7.1.5).
    • 7.2. Broad Concept: Describe how the development of agriculture related to village settlement, popula- tion growth, and the emergence of civilization (e.g., prehistoric art of the cave of Lascaux, the megalithic ruin of Stonehenge, the Stone City of Great Zimbabwe). (G)

      Examples

      • Students simulate the transition from a hunter-gatherer society to an agricultural society. One group of students “hunts” for hidden objects in the classroom that provide their academic sustenance (e.g., pencils, notebook paper, or chalk). Students then brainstorm ways in which they can provide for their academic livelihood without having to hunt or move around the room, explaining that organization promotes growth and advancement (7.2).

  • Era II: Early River Civilizations to 1000B.C./B.C.E.

    • 7.3. Broad Concept: Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.

      Students:

      1. Locate and describe the major river systems and the physical settings that supported permanent settlement and early civilizations. (G)
      2. Trace the development of agricultural techniques (e.g., plant cultivation, domestication of animals) that permitted the production of economic surplus and the emergence of cities as centers of culture and power. (G, E)
      3. Identify the location of the Kush civilization and its political, commercial, and cultural relations with Egypt. (G, P, E)
      4. Understand the significance of Hammurabi’s Code and the basic principle of justice contained within the code. (P)
      5. Describe the relationship between religion (polytheism) and the social and political order in Mesopotamia and Egypt. (P, R, S)
      6. Understand the significance of Egyptian rulers Amenemhat, Queen Hatshepsut, and Ramses the Great. (P)
      7. Understand the contribution of Egyptian intellectual thought, including the moral teachings of Ptahotep (the Wisdom Texts), contributions in mathematics (Rhind Mathematical Papyrus), and religion (Pyramid texts). (I, R)
      8. Explain the relationship of pharaohs to peasants as a primary form of labor in Egypt. (S, E)
      9. Describe the main features of Egyptian art and monumental architecture, particularly sculptures, such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. (S, I)
      10. Trace the evolution of language, its written forms (for record keeping, tax collection, and more permanent preservation of ideas), and the invention of papyrus in the early river civilizations. (S, E, I)
      11. Describe the role of Egyptian trade in the eastern Mediterranean and Nile Valley. (E)

      Examples

      • On a blank map, students find and identify modern country boundaries and major natural landmarks in the fertile crescent (7.3.1).
      • Students answer the question “What are the most important rules that a society can have?” Students then compare their responses to actual rules of Hammurabi’s Code and list similarities and differences. Students hypothesize what these rules tell us about Hammurabi’s culture (7.3.4).
      • Students examine a map of the Nile region and brainstorm what the advantages and disadvantages would be of building an empire around the Nile (7.3.6).
      • After reading theories written by historians and engineers, students hypothesize how the Egyptians were able to build the pyramids. As follow-up, students write a brief essay explaining what the Egyptians’ dedication to building the pyramids says about their civilization (7.3.9).
  • 7.4. Broad Concept: Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures of the Indus Valley Civilization.

    Students:

    1. Locate the early civilization of the Indus Valley. (G)
    2. Identify the origins of Indus or Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley, and describe how the major river system and the physical setting supported the rise of the civilization. (G)
    3. Describe the Vedic hymns and the beginnings of what would later become Hinduism. (R)
    4. Describe the development of Sanskrit literature and its relationship to the development of the caste system. (R, I, S)
    5. Identify the causes of the decline and collapse of this civilization (the first successive waves of Aryans invade portions of the subcontinent). (G, P, M)

    Examples

      • On a blank map, students locate modern country boundaries and major physical and topographical features of the Indus Valley (7.4.1).
      • Students read Vedic hymns that describe creation and the beginning of the world, and they compare those to western creation stories (resource: The Holy Bible, revised standard version. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1952) (7.4.3).
      • Based on their reading, students create a reasonable hypothesis as to why the Harrappan civilization ended so suddenly, and they write a brief essay backing up their hypothesis (7.4.5).
    • 7.5. Broad Concept: Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures in Northern China.

      Students:

      1. Identify the location of the early Chinese agrarian societies that emerged. (G)
      2. Describe the importance of the fertile valleys of the Huang He River to the location of early Chinese agricultural societies. (G)
      3. Identify the uses and significance of bronze-making technology. (I, E)
      4. Describe the government in the Shang Dynasty, the development of social hierarchy and religious institutions, and Zhou political expansion. (P, S, R)
      5. Describe the development of a writing system based on ideographs of characters that symbolize conceptual ideas. (I)

      Examples

      • On a blank map, students identify modern China and its key natural and topographical features (7.5.1).
      • Students brainstorm all the ways they use metal today and compare those with the ways that bronze was used in ancient China. Students then explain why this would have given the Chinese civilization technological and military superiority over their rivals (7.5.3).
      • Students consider the Mandate from Heaven and hypothesize about how believing that one’s rule is ordained by heaven or God might affect how one rules (7.5.4).
      • Students read excerpts from The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, and explain what the text reveals about China during that period (7.5.4).
    • 7.6. Broad Concept: Discuss the origins and characteristics of the Olmecs, the Mother Culture of Mesoamerica.

      Students:

      1. Describe the Olmecs’ highly developed agricultural system. (G, E)
      2. Explain its complex society that is governed by kings and priests with impressive ceremonial centers and artworks. (P, I)
      3. Describe the creation of syllabic and hieroglyphic writing systems and an accurate calendar. (I)
      4. 4. Explain the religious traditions, including the worship of gods, goddesses, and Shamanistic rituals. (R)
      5. Describe characteristics of the Olmec architecture, sculpture, and stone carvings, such as the colossal heads. (I)

      Examples

      • Students write a journal entry on what it would be like to live a day in the life in the Olmec civilization (7.6.2).
      • After reviewing Olmec literature, art, and architecture, students hypothesize about what these artifacts tell us about the Olmec civilization (7.6.4 and 7.6.5).

    • Era III: Ancient and Classical Civilizations to 700 C.E.

      • 7.7. Broad Concept: Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures of the Ancient Hebrews.
        1. Identify the location of ancient Israel. (G)
        2. Describe the settlements and movements of Hebrew peoples, including the exodus and their movement to and from Egypt, and the significance of the exodus to the Jewish and other peoples. (G)
        3. Identify the sources of the ethical teachings and central beliefs of Judaism (the Hebrew Bible, the Commentaries): belief in God; emphasis on individual worth; personal responsibility; the rule of law; observance of law; practice of the concepts of righteousness and justice; and importance of study. (P, R)
        4. Describe how the ideas of the Hebrew traditions are reflected in the moral and ethical traditions of Western civilization. (P, S)
        5. Describe the origins and significance of Judaism as the first monotheistic religion based on the concept of one God who sets down moral laws for humanity. (R)
        6. Explain how Judaism survived and developed despite the continuing dispersion of much of the Jewish population from Jerusalem and the rest of Israel after the destruction of the second temple in A.D. 70. (G, R)

        Examples

        • On a blank map, students locate modern country boundaries, as well as key natural and topographical landmarks, of ancient Palestine (7.7.1).
        • Students divide into two groups: One group of students reads the biblical account of the Exodus, and the other reads archaeological accounts of the Exodus. Students compare and contrast the two accounts (7.7.2).
        • Students compare and contrast excerpts from the Code of Hammurabi and the Ten Commandments, and they identify commonalities and differences (7.7.3).
        • Students brainstorm all the ways that living in a monotheistic society would be different than living in a polytheistic society (7.7.3).
        • Students examine the Ten Commandments and identify ways that these concepts are still followed in American law and society (7.7.4).
      • 7.8. Broad Concept: Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures of the early civilization of Ancient Greece.
        1. Identify the location of Ancient Greece. (G)
        2. Describe the connections between geography and the development of city-states in the region of the Aegean Sea, including patterns of trade and commerce among Greek city-states and within the wider Mediterranean region. (G, E)
        3. Trace the transition from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and back to dictatorship in ancient Greece, including the significance of the invention of the idea of citizenship (e.g., from Pericles’ Funeral Oration). (P)
        4. Explain the democratic political concepts developed in ancient Greece (i.e., the polis, or city-state; civic participation and voting rights; legislative bodies; constitution writing; and rule of law). (P)
        5. State the key differences between Athenian, or direct democracy, and representative democracy. (P)
        6. Outline the founding, expansion, and political organization of the Persian Empire. (G, P)
        7. Explain the significance of Greek mythology to the everyday life of people in the region and how Greek literature continues to permeate our literature and language today, drawing from Greek mythology and epics, such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and from Aesop’s Fables. (S, I)
        8. Compare and contrast life in Athens to Sparta, with emphasis on the daily life of women and children, the games and sports of the Olympiad, the education of youths, the trial of Socrates, and their roles in the Persian and Peloponnesian wars. (S, M)
        9. Trace the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture eastward and into Egypt. (P, S)
        10. Identify key Greek figures in the arts and sciences (e.g., Hypatia, Hippocrates, Homer, Socrates, Sophocles, Plato, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Euclid, Euripedes, and Thucydides). (I)

        Examples

        • On a blank map, students identify modern country boundaries, ancient city-states, and natural and topographical landmarks (7.8.1).
        • Students plan a trip around the Mediterranean Sea, and they brainstorm what they would need and how they will travel from region to region (7.8.2).
        • Students read Pericles’ Funeral Oration and complete an observation, interpretation, and application chart (7.8.3).
        • Students read excerpts from The Iliad and The Odyssey, and they draw conclusions about Greek life and values from the text (7.8.7).
        • Working in two groups, half the class completes a diary entry of what it would be like to live a day in the life of a Spartan, while the other half completes a diary entry of what it would be like to live a day in the life of an Athenian. After writing, students pair up to compare their reflections (one Spartan and one Athenian) (7.8.8).
        • In small teams, students research one key Greek figure. They prepare for a debate competition about who they feel was the most influential Greek (7.8.10).
      • 7.9. Broad Concept: Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures during the development of Rome.
        1. Identify the location of Ancient Greece. (G)
        2. Locate and describe the major river system and the physical setting that supported the rise of this civilization and the expansion of its political power in the Mediterranean region and beyond through the use of currency and trade routes. (G, E)
        3. Explain the government of the Roman Republic and its significance (e.g., written constitution, separation of powers, rule of law, representative government, the notion of civic duty, and checks and balances) and why it was inadequate to administer Roman affairs by the end of the second century B.C. (B.C.E.). (P)
        4. Describe the influence of Julius Caesar and Augustus in Rome’s transition from republic to empire. (P)
        5. Trace the migration of Jews around the Mediterranean region and the effects of their conflict with the Romans, including the Romans’ restrictions on their right to live in Jerusalem. (G, P)
        6. Explain the origins of Christianity in the Jewish Messianic prophecies, the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament, and the contribution of St. Paul the Apostle to the definition and spread of Christian beliefs (e.g., belief in the Trinity, Resurrection, and Salvation). (R)
        7. Describe the circumstances that led to the spread of Christianity in Europe and other Roman territories. (G, R)
        8. Describe the legacies of Roman art and architecture, technology and science (e.g., roads, bridges, arenas, baths, aqueducts, central heating, plumbing, and sanitation), literature and poetry, language, and law. (I)
        9. Explain the spread and influence of the Roman alphabet and the Latin language, the use of Latin as the language of education for more than 1,000 years, and the role of Latin and Greek in scientific and academic vocabulary. (I)
        10. Describe how inner forces (including the rise of autonomous military powers, political corruption, unemployment, and economic and political instability) and external forces (shrinking trade, external attacks, and barbarian invasions) led to the disintegration of the Roman Empire. (P, E)

        Examples

        • Students describe and then draw their vision of a perfect city, including what the city needs in terms of resources, defenses, natural landmarks, etc. Students compare their maps/ideas with a map of Rome, identifying similarities and differences and the rationale for their choices (7.9.1).
        • Students plan a trip around the Mediterranean Sea, and they brainstorm what they would need and how they will travel from region to region (7.8.2).
        • Students match causes and effects to the following events: (1) reform of Gracchi brothers, (2) Sulla as dictator, (3) First Triumvirate, (4) Caesar crossing the Rubicon, and (5) Octavius becoming emperor (7.9.3).
        • Students read the Sermon on the Mount and write a brief essay on what it would be like to hear the sermon if you were a Palestinian, Jewish leader, or Roman citizen (7.9.6).
        • Students identify ways that Christianity would have been appealing to those living in the Roman Empire and ways that Christianity would not have been appealing, based on a list of core beliefs of the early Christian church (7.9.7).
        • Students write a brief essay defending a theory that they feel best explains the decline of Rome (7.9.10).
      • 7.10. Broad Concept: Explain the religious and cultural developments on the Indian Subcontinent during the Gangetic states and the Mauryan Dynasty.
        1. Identify the location of Ancient Greece. (G)
        2. Identify the major beliefs and practices of Brahmanism and how they evolved into early Hinduism. (G)
        3. Explain the growth of the Mauryan Empire in the context of rivalries among Indian states. (G, P)
        4. Describe the story and teachings of the Buddha.
        5. Describe the achievements of the emperor Ashoka and his contribution to the expansion of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent. (G, P, R)
        6. Describe the growth of trade and commerce in the ancient civilization. (G, E)

        Examples

        • Students brainstorm the characteristics of what makes a religion unique, such as its ethics and core beliefs. Students then research what Hinduism says about each of those factors (7.10.1).
        • Using a list of factors that make a religion unique (e.g., beliefs about God, ethics, beliefs about an afterlife), students fill out a chart for the tenets of Buddhism (7.10.3).
      • 7.11. Broad Concept: Summarize the development of Chinese cultural, economic, political, and social institutions and China’s influence on other developing civilizations.
        1. Explain China’s reunification under the Qin Dynasty after the disunification of the warring states period. (P, M)
        2. Detail the political contributions of the Han Dynasty to the development of the imperial bureaucratic state, internal political stability, and its influence outside of China. (P)
        3. Understand the life of Confucius; the fundamental teachings of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism; and how Confucius sought to solve the political and cultural problems prevalent in the time. (R, S, I)
        4. Explain the adoption of Buddhism and its diffusion northward to China during the Han Dynasty. (G, R)
        5. Describe the foreign trade through the Silk Roads and the sea. (G, E)

        Examples

        • Students read accounts of Qin Shi Huangdi written by Han historian Sima Qian, and they write the main aspects of Qin’s life and Sima Qian’s thoughts of Qin (7.11.1).
        • Students hypothesize why Emperor Qin would have buried himself alive with 6,000 terra cotta soldiers. Students then check their theories against those of other historians (7.11.1).
        • Using the list of factors that make religions and beliefs unique (e.g., beliefs about God, ethics, beliefs about an afterlife), students fill in a chart explaining the tenets of Confucianism (7.11.3).
        • Students write a brief essay about whether Confucianism is a religion or a philosophy (7.11.3).

    Texas: 7th-Grade Standards

    Article Body

    §113.19. Social Studies, Grade 7, Beginning with School Year 2011-2012.

    Introduction

    1. In Grade 7, students study the history of Texas from early times to the present. Content is presented with more depth and breadth than in Grade 4. Students examine the full scope of Texas history, including Natural Texas and its People; Age of Contact; Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early Statehood; Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads; Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression and World War II; Civil Rights and Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas eras. The focus in each era is on key individuals, events, and issues and their impact. Students identify regions of Texas and the distribution of population within and among the regions and explain the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society. Students describe the structure and functions of municipal, county, and state governments, explain the influence of the U.S. Constitution on the Texas Constitution, and examine the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens. Students use primary and secondary sources to examine the rich and diverse cultural background of Texas as they identify the different racial and ethnic groups that settled in Texas to build a republic and then a state. Students analyze the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of Texas in various industries such as agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and aerospace. Students use primary and secondary sources to acquire information about Texas.
    2. To support the teaching of the essential knowledge and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source material such as biographies, autobiographies, novels, speeches, letters, diaries, poetry, songs, and images is encouraged. Motivating resources are available from museums, historical sites, presidential libraries, and local and state preservation societies.
    3. The eight strands of the essential knowledge and skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for instructional purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in subsection (b) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth of understanding of complex content material can be attained when integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and critical-thinking skills are taught together. Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.
    4. Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise system within the parameters of this course and understand that this system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.
    5. Throughout social studies in Kindergarten-Grade 12, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics; government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society; and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade level or course, enables students to understand the importance of patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate the basic democratic values of our state and nation as referenced in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(h).
    6. Students understand that a constitutional republic is a representative form of government whose representatives derive their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.
    7. State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.
      • a. Each social studies class shall include, during Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §29.907, or during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants, the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women's suffrage movement.
      • b. Each school district shall require that, during Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study and recite the following text: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
    8. Students identify and discuss how the actions of U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have either met or failed to meet the ideals espoused in the founding documents.

    Knowledge and skills

    1. History:
      The student understands traditional historical points of reference in Texas history. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify the major eras in Texas history, describe their defining characteristics, and explain why historians divide the past into eras, including Natural Texas and its People; Age of Contact; Spanish Colonial; Mexican National; Revolution and Republic; Early Statehood; Texas in the Civil War and Reconstruction; Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads; Age of Oil; Texas in the Great Depression and World War II; Civil Rights and Conservatism; and Contemporary Texas;
      • b. apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods; and
      • c. explain the significance of the following dates: 1519, mapping of the Texas coast and first mainland Spanish settlement; 1718, founding of San Antonio; 1821, independence from Spain; 1836, Texas independence; 1845, annexation; 1861, Civil War begins; 1876, adoption of current state constitution; and 1901, discovery of oil at Spindletop.
    2. History:
      The student understands how individuals, events, and issues through the Mexican National Era shaped the history of Texas. The student is expected to:
      • a. compare the cultures of American Indians in Texas prior to European colonization such as Gulf, Plains, Puebloan, and Southeastern;
      • b. identify important individuals, events, and issues related to European exploration of Texas such as Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his writings, the search for gold, and the conflicting territorial claims between France and Spain;
      • c. identify important events and issues related to European colonization of Texas, including the establishment of Catholic missions, towns, and ranches, and individuals such as Fray Damián Massanet, José de Escandón, Antonio Margil de Jesús, and Francisco Hidalgo;
      • d. identify the individuals, issues, and events related to Mexico becoming an independent nation and its impact on Texas, including Texas involvement in the fight for independence, José Gutiérrez de Lara, the Battle of Medina, the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824, the merger of Texas and Coahuila as a state, the State Colonization Law of 1825, and slavery;
      • e. identify the contributions of significant individuals, including Moses Austin, Stephen F. Austin, Erasmo Seguín, Martín De León, and Green DeWitt, during the Mexican settlement of Texas; and
      • f. contrast Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo purposes for and methods of settlement in Texas.
    3. History:
      The student understands how individuals, events, and issues related to the Texas Revolution shaped the history of Texas. The student is expected to:
      • a. trace the development of events that led to the Texas Revolution, including the Fredonian Rebellion, the Mier y Terán Report, the Law of April 6, 1830, the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, and the arrest of Stephen F. Austin;
      • b. explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Texas Revolution, including George Childress, Lorenzo de Zavala, James Fannin, Sam Houston, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Juan N. Seguín, and William B. Travis;
      • c. explain the issues surrounding significant events of the Texas Revolution, including the Battle of Gonzales, William B. Travis's letter "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World," the siege of the Alamo and all the heroic defenders who gave their lives there, the Constitutional Convention of 1836, Fannin's surrender at Goliad, and the Battle of San Jacinto; and
      • d. explain how the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil, political, and religious freedom to Texas.
    4. History:
      The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of the Republic of Texas and early Texas statehood. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify individuals, events, and issues during the administrations of Republic of Texas Presidents Houston, Lamar, and Jones, including the Texas Navy, the Texas Rangers, Edwin W. Moore, Jack Coffee Hays, Chief Bowles, William Goyens, Mary Maverick, José Antonio Navarro, the Córdova Rebellion, the Council House Fight, the Santa Fe Expedition, public debt, and the roles of racial and ethnic groups;
      • b. analyze the causes of and events leading to Texas annexation; and
      • c. identify individuals, events, and issues during early Texas statehood, including the U.S.-Mexican War, the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, population growth, and the Compromise of 1850.
    5. History:
      The student understands how events and issues shaped the history of Texas during the Civil War and Reconstruction. The student is expected to:
      • a. explain reasons for the involvement of Texas in the Civil War such as states' rights, slavery, sectionalism, and tariffs;
      • b. analyze the political, economic, and social effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Texas; and
      • c. identify significant individuals and events concerning Texas and the Civil War such as John Bell Hood, John Reagan, Francis Lubbock, Thomas Green, John Magruder and the Battle of Galveston, the Battle of Sabine Pass, and the Battle of Palmito Ranch.
    6. History:
      The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century, including the factors leading to the expansion of the Texas frontier, the effects of westward expansion on American Indians, the buffalo soldiers, and Quanah Parker;
      • b. identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century, including the development of the cattle industry from its Spanish beginnings and the myths and realities of the cowboy way of life;
      • c. identify significant individuals, events, and issues from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century, including the effects of the growth of railroads and the contributions of James Hogg; and
      • d. explain the political, economic, and social impact of the agricultural industry and the development of West Texas resulting from the close of the frontier.
    7. History:
      The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas during the 20th and early 21st centuries. The student is expected to:
      • a. explain the political, economic, and social impact of the oil industry on the industrialization of Texas;
      • b. define and trace the impact of "boom-and-bust" cycles of leading Texas industries throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries such as farming, oil and gas production, cotton, ranching, real estate, banking, and computer technology;
      • c. describe and compare the impact of the Progressive and other reform movements in Texas in the 19th and 20th centuries such as the Populists, women's suffrage, agrarian groups, labor unions, and the evangelical movement of the late 20th century;
      • d. describe and compare the civil rights and equal rights movements of various groups in Texas in the 20th century and identify key leaders in these movements, including James L. Farmer Jr., Hector P. Garcia, Oveta Culp Hobby, Lyndon B. Johnson, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Jane McCallum, and Lulu Belle Madison White;
      • e. analyze the political, economic, and social impact of major events, including World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, on the history of Texas; and
      • f. analyze the political, economic, and social impact of major events in the latter half of the 20th and early 21st centuries such as major conflicts, the emergence of a two-party system, political and economic controversies, immigration, and migration.
    8. Geography:
      The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The student is expected to:
      • a. create and interpret thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases representing various aspects of Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries; and
      • b. analyze and interpret geographic distributions and patterns in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
    9. Geography:
      The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of Texas. The student is expected to:
      • a. locate the Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, North Central Plains, and Coastal Plains regions and places of importance in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries such as major cities, rivers, natural and historic landmarks, political and cultural regions, and local points of interest;
      • b. compare places and regions of Texas in terms of physical and human characteristics; and
      • c. analyze the effects of physical and human factors such as climate, weather, landforms, irrigation, transportation, and communication on major events in Texas.
    10. Geography:
      The student understands the effects of the interaction between humans and the environment in Texas during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify ways in which Texans have adapted to and modified the environment and analyze the positive and negative consequences of the modifications; and
      • b. explain ways in which geographic factors such as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the Dust Bowl, limited water resources, and alternative energy sources have affected the political, economic, and social development of Texas.
    11. Geography:
      The student understands the characteristics, distribution, and migration of population in Texas in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The student is expected to:
      • a. analyze why immigrant groups came to Texas and where they settled;
      • b. analyze how immigration and migration to Texas in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries have influenced Texas;
      • c. analyze the effects of the changing population distribution and growth in Texas during the 20th and 21st centuries and the additional need for education, health care, and transportation; and
      • d. describe the structure of the population of Texas using demographic concepts such as growth rate and age distribution.
    12. Economics:
      The student understands the factors that caused Texas to change from an agrarian to an urban society. The student is expected to:
      • a. explain economic factors that led to the urbanization of Texas;
      • b. trace the development of major industries that contributed to the urbanization of Texas such as transportation, oil and gas, and manufacturing; and
      • c. explain the changes in the types of jobs and occupations that have resulted from the urbanization of Texas.
    13. Economics:
      The student understands the interdependence of the Texas economy with the United States and the world. The student is expected to:
      • a. analyze the impact of national and international markets and events on the production of goods and services in Texas such as agriculture, oil and gas, and computer technology;
      • b. analyze the impact of economic concepts within the free enterprise system such as supply and demand, profit, government regulation, and world competition on the economy of Texas; and
      • c. analyze the impact of significant industries in Texas such as oil and gas, aerospace, medical, and computer technologies on local, national, and international markets.
    14. Government:
      The student understands the basic principles reflected in the Texas Constitution. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify how the Texas Constitution reflects the principles of limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights; and
      • b. compare the principles and concepts of the Texas Constitution to the U.S. Constitution, including the Texas and U.S. Bill of Rights.
    15. Government:
      The student understands the structure and functions of government created by the Texas Constitution. The student is expected to:
      • a. describe the structure and functions of government at municipal, county, and state levels;
      • b. identify major sources of revenue for state and local governments such as property tax, sales tax, and fees; and
      • c. describe the structure, funding, and governance of Texas public education, including local property taxes, bond issues, and state and federal funding supported by state and federal taxpayers.
    16. Citizenship:
      The student understands the rights and responsibilities of Texas citizens in a democratic society. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify rights of Texas citizens; and
      • b. explain and analyze civic responsibilities of Texas citizens and the importance of civic participation.
    17. Citizenship:
      The student understands the importance of the expression of different points of view in a democratic society. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify different points of view of political parties and interest groups on important Texas issues, past and present;
      • b. describe the importance of free speech and press in a democratic society; and
      • c. express and defend a point of view on an issue of historical or contemporary interest in Texas.
    18. Citizenship:
      The student understands the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society. The student is expected to:
      • a. identify the leadership qualities of elected and appointed leaders of Texas, past and present, including Texans who have been president of the United States; and
      • b. identify the contributions of Texas leaders, including Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross, John Nance Garner ("Cactus Jack"), James A. Baker III, Henry B. González, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Barbara Jordan, Raymond L. Telles, Sam Rayburn, and Raul A. Gonzalez Jr.
    19. Culture:
      The student understands the concept of diversity within unity in Texas. The student is expected to:
      • a. explain how the diversity of Texas is reflected in a variety of cultural activities, celebrations, and performances;
      • b. describe how people from various racial, ethnic, and religious groups attempt to maintain their cultural heritage while adapting to the larger Texas culture;
      • c. identify examples of Spanish influence and the influence of other cultures on Texas such as place names, vocabulary, religion, architecture, food, and the arts; and
      • d. identify contributions to the arts by Texans such as Roy Bedichek, Diane Gonzales Bertrand, J. Frank Dobie, Scott Joplin, Elisabet Ney, Amado Peña Jr., Walter Prescott Webb, and Horton Foote.
    20. Science, technology, and society:
      The student understands the impact of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the political, economic, and social development of Texas. The student is expected to:
      • a. compare types and uses of technology, past and present;
      • b. identify Texas leaders in science and technology such as Walter Cunningham, Michael DeBakey, Denton Cooley, Benjy Brooks, Michael Dell, and Howard Hughes Sr.;
      • c. analyze the effects of various scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the development of Texas such as advancements in the agricultural, energy, medical, computer, and aerospace industries;
      • d. evaluate the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations on the use of resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land; and
      • e. analyze how scientific discoveries and technological innovations have resulted in an interdependence among Texas, the United States, and the world.
    21. Social studies skills:
      The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired through established research methodologies from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
      • a. differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software, databases, media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to acquire information about Texas;
      • b. analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions;
      • c. organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps;
      • d. identify points of view from the historical context surrounding an event and the frame of reference that influenced the participants;
      • e. support a point of view on a social studies issue or event;
      • f. identify bias in written, oral, and visual material;
      • g. evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other sources, and information about the author; and
      • h. use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret social studies information such as maps and graphs.
    22. Social studies skills:
      The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
      • a. use social studies terminology correctly;
      • b. use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, and proper citation of sources;
      • c. transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate; and
      • d. create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.
    23. Social studies skills:
      The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:
      • a. use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution; and
      • b. use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.

    South Carolina's Seventh Grade Standards

    Article Body

  • SC.7-1. Standard / Course—Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present

    The student will demonstrate an understanding of the growth and impact of global trade on world civilizations after 1600.

    • 7-1.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Compare the colonial claims and the expansion of European powers through 1770.

    • 7-1.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Explain how technological and scientific advances contributed to the power of European nations.

    • 7-1.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Summarize the policy of mercantilism as a way of building a nation’s wealth, including government policies to control trade.

    • 7-1.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Analyze the beginnings of capitalism and the ways that it was affected by mercantilism, the developing market economy, international trade, and the rise of the middle class.

    • 7-1.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

      Compare the differing ways that European nations developed political and economic influences, including trade and settlement patterns, on the continents of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

    • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

      1. Identify and explain the relationships among multiple causes and multiple effects.
      2. Explain why trade occurs and how historical patterns of trade have contributed to global interdependence.
      3. Select or design appropriate forms of social studies resources(7-1) to organize and evaluate social studies information.
      4. Identify the location of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
      (7-1)Social studies resources include the following: texts, calendars, timelines, maps, mental maps, charts, tables, graphs, flow charts, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, paintings, cartoons, architectural drawings, documents, letters, censuses, artifacts, models, geographic models, aerial photographs, satellite-produced images, and geographic information systems.

    • SC.7-2. Standard / Course—Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present

      The student will demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of limited government and unlimited government as they functioned in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

      • 7-2.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Analyze the characteristics of limited government and unlimited government that evolved in Europe in the 1600s and 1700s.

      • 7-2.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain how the scientific revolution challenged authority and influenced Enlightenment philosophers, including the importance of the use of reason, the challenges to the Catholic Church, and the contributions of Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton.

      • 7-2.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Analyze the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire that challenged absolutism and influenced the development of limited government.

      • 7-2.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the effects of the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution on the power of the monarchy in England and on limited government.

      • 7-2.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain how the Enlightenment influenced the American and French revolutions leading to the formation of limited forms of government, including the relationship between people and their government, the role of constitutions, the characteristics of shared powers, the protection of individual rights, and the promotion of the common good.

      • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

        1. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
        2. Understand responsible citizenship in relation to the state, national, and international communities.
        3. Evaluate multiple points of view or biases and attribute the perspectives to the influences of individual experiences, societal values, and cultural traditions.

    • SC.7-3. Standard / Course—Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present

      The student will demonstrate an understanding of independence movements that occurred throughout the world from 1770 through 1900.

      • 7-3.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the causes, key events, and outcomes of the French Revolution, including the storming of the Bastille, the Reign of Terror, and Napoleon’s rise to power.

      • 7-3.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Analyze the effects of the Napoleonic Wars on the development and spread of nationalism in Europe, including the Congress of Vienna, the revolutionary movements of 1830 and 1848, and the unification of Germany and Italy.

      • 7-3.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain how the Haitian, Mexican, and South American revolutions were influenced by Enlightenment ideas as well as by the spread of nationalism and the revolutionary movements in the United States and Europe.

      • 7-3.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain how the Industrial Revolution caused economic, cultural, and political changes around the world.

      • 7-3.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Analyze the ways that industrialization contributed to imperialism in India, Japan, China, and African regions, including the need for new markets and raw materials, the Open Door Policy, and the Berlin Conference of 1884.

      • 7-3.6. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain reactions to imperialism that resulted from growing nationalism, including the Zulu wars, the Sepoy Rebellion, the Opium Wars, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Meiji Restoration.

      • 7-3.7. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the causes and effects of the Spanish-American War as a reflection of American imperialist interests, including acquisitions, military occupations, and status as an emerging world power.

      • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

        1. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
        2. Interpret parallel time lines from different places and cultures.
        3. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
        4. Evaluate multiple points of view or biases and attribute the perspectives to the influences of individual experiences, societal values, and cultural traditions.

    • SC.7-4. Standard / Course—Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present

      The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and effects of world conflicts in the first half of the twentieth century.

      • 7-4.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the causes and course of World War I, including militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the impact of Russia’s withdrawal from, and the United States entry into the war.

      • 7-4.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the outcomes of World War I, including the creation of President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, the Treaty of Versailles, the shifts in national borders, and the League of Nations.

      • 7-4.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Explain the causes and effects of the worldwide depression that took place in the 1930s, including the effects of the economic crash of 1929.

      • 7-4.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Compare the ideologies of socialism, communism, fascism, and Nazism and their influence on the rise of totalitarian governments after World War I in Italy, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union as a response to the worldwide depression.

      • 7-4.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Summarize the causes and course of World War II, including drives for empire, appeasement and isolationism, the invasion of Poland, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the “Final Solution,” the Lend-Lease program, Pearl Harbor, Stalingrad, the campaigns in North Africa and the Mediterranean, the D-Day invasion, the island-hopping campaigns, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

      • 7-4.6. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

        Analyze the Holocaust and its impact on European society and Jewish culture, including Nazi policies to eliminate the Jews and other minorities, the Nuremberg trials, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rise of nationalism in Southwest Asia (Middle East), the creation of the state of Israel, and the resultant conflicts in the region.

      • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

        1. Compare the locations of places, the conditions at places, and the connections between places.
        2. Select or design appropriate forms of social studies resources(7-4) to organize and evaluate social studies information.
        3. Identify and explain the relationships among multiple causes and multiple effects.
        (7-4)Social studies resources include the following: texts, calendars, timelines, maps, mental maps, charts, tables, graphs, flow charts, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, paintings, cartoons, architectural drawings, documents, letters, censuses, artifacts, models, geographic models, aerial photographs, satellite-produced images, and geographic information systems.

      • SC.7-5. Standard / Course—Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present

        The student will demonstrate an understanding of international developments during the Cold War era.

        • 7-5.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Compare the political and economic ideologies of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

        • 7-5.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Summarize the impact of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations, and the Warsaw Pact on the course of the Cold War.

        • 7-5.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Explain the spread of communism in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including the ideas of the satellite state containment, and the domino theory.

        • 7-5.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Analyze the political and technological competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for global influence, including the Korean Conflict, the Berlin Wall, the Vietnam War, the Cuban missile crisis, the “space race,” and the threat of nuclear annihilation.

        • 7-5.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Analyze the events that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and other communist governments in Europe, including the growth of resistance movements in Eastern Europe, the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan, and the failures of communist economic systems.

        • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

          1. Identify and explain the relationships among multiple causes and multiple effects.
          2. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
          3. Evaluate multiple points of view or biases and attribute the perspectives to the influences of individual experiences, societal values, and cultural traditions.
          4. Cite specific textual evidence to support the analysis of primary and secondary sources.

      • SC.7-6. Standard / Course—Contemporary Cultures: 1600 to the Present

        The student will demonstrate an understanding of the significant political, economic, geographic, scientific, technological, and cultural changes as well as the advancements that have taken place throughout the world from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 to the present day.

        • 7-6.1. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Summarize the political and social impact of the collapse/dissolution of the Soviet Union and subsequent changes to European borders, including those of Russia and the Independent Republics, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia; the breakup of Yugoslavia; the reunification of Germany; and the birth of the European Union (EU).

        • 7-6.2. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Compare features of nationalist and independence movements in different regions in the post–World War II period, including Mohandas Gandhi’s role in the non-violence movement for India’s independence, the emergence of nationalist movements in African and Asian countries, and the collapse of the apartheid system in South Africa.

        • 7-6.3. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Explain the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, including the Persian Gulf War, the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

        • 7-6.4. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Compare the social, economic, and political opportunities for women in various nations and societies around the world, including those in developing and industrialized nations and within societies dominated by religions.

        • 7-6.5. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Explain the significance and impact of the information, technological, and communications revolutions, including the role of television, satellites, computers, and the Internet.

        • 7-6.6. Knowledge And Skills / Essential Question:

          Summarize the dangers to the natural environment that are posed by population growth, urbanization, and industrialization, including global influences on the environment and the efforts by citizens and governments to protect the natural environment.

        • Social Studies Literacy Skills for the Twenty-First Century:

          1. Select or design appropriate forms of social studies resources(7-6) to organize and evaluate social studies information.
          2. Identify and explain the relationships among multiple causes and multiple effects.
          3. Integrate information from a variety of media sources with print or digital text in an appropriate manner.
          4. Explain change and continuity over time and across cultures.
          5. Evaluate multiple points of view or biases and attribute the perspectives to the influences of individual experiences, societal values, and cultural traditions.
          (7-6)Social studies resources include the following: texts, calendars, timelines, maps, mental maps, charts, tables, graphs, flow charts, diagrams, photographs, illustrations, paintings, cartoons, architectural drawings, documents, letters, censuses, artifacts, models, geographic models, aerial photographs, satellite-produced images, and geographic information systems.
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