Uses knowledge of the past to construct meaningful understanding of our diverse cultural heritage and inform his/her civic judgments (Historical Perspective)
Uses knowledge of spatial patterns on earth to understand processes that shape both the natural environments and the diverse societies that inhabit them (Geographic Perspective)
Uses knowledge of American government and politics to make decisions about governing his/her community (Civic Perspective)
Uses knowledge of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services to make personal, career and societal decisions about the use of scarce resources (Economic Perspective)
Uses methods of social science investigation to answer questions about society (Inquiry)
Knows how, when, and where to construct and express reasoned positions on public issues (Public Discourse and Decision Making)
Acts constructively to further the public good (Citizen Involvement)
Big Ideas
Conflict and Change: The student will understand that when there is conflict between or within societies, change is the result.
Culture: The student will understand that the culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, and government of that society
Gain from Trade: The student will understand that parties trade voluntarily when they expect to gain.
Governance: The student will understand that as a society increases in complexity and interacts withother societies, the complexity of the government also increases.
Human Environmental Interaction: The student will understand that humans, their society, and the environment affect each other.
Location: The student will understand that location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development.
Movement/Migration: The student will understand that the movement or migration of people and ideas affects all societies involved
Production, Distribution, Consumption: The student will understand that the production, distribution, and consumption of goods/services produced by the society are affected by the location, customs, beliefs, and laws of the society.
Time, Change, Continuity: The student will understand that while change occurs over time, there is continuity to the basic structure of that society.
Scarcity: The student will understand that scarcity of all resources forces parties to make choices and that these choices always incur a cost.
Humans search for meaning. What is truth and how do you know? Is truth something objective and constant or subjective and based upon place, culture, and time?
Humans are social beings. What constitutes a social system? What is the difference between transformation and radical change? What factors lead to unity? What factors lead to disorder? How are the conclusions reached by social scientists affected by race, class, gender, and ethnicity? Who governs? How do societies resolve social conflicts?
The past affects humans; humans affect the future. What is the story of humankind? How does the past relate to the present? What makes an event or person important? Do the times shape the individual or the individual shape the times? To what extent do individuals shape their lives? What story is mine alone?
Humans act and react. Why do humans behave the way they do?
Humans’ relationship with the land affects their development. How has geography affected human, social, political, economic, and cultural development? o How have humans affected their physical environment?
Both continuity and change are aspects of human development. o What is progress? Have humans progressed? o How has technology affected human and cultural development? Humans have needs. o How do societies resolve the problem of scarcity? o Why do some nation-states have a high standard of living while others have a low standard of living?