NHEON Curriculum Content - Social Studies

Social Studies Frameworks: Essential Skills for Social Studies 2.0
(Proposed)

Part 2: Essential Skills for Social Studies 2.0

The social studies incorporate skills drawn from the vocabulary and structure of its disciplines and foster critical thinking and decision making. These skills include:

• Differentiating past, present and future and change over time
• Detecting cause and effect, distinguishing fact from opinion, recognizing biases
• Evaluating and critiquing varied sources of information and the use of appropriate primary and secondary sources and technology to acquire information
• Creating and testing generalizations and theses
• Expressing clearly and concisely personal opinion supported by evidence
• Calculating effects of decisions and decision making
• Solving Individual and group problems

To fully participate in critical thinking and to practice the above skills, students must be able to draw upon the full array of past and present experience including information from world, national, and local issues.

Skill 2.1 - Acquiring information

Proficiency 2.1.1:

Students will be able to read and comprehend materials by using skills such as, but not limited to:

* Interpret what is read by drawing inferences
* Detect cause and effect relationships
* Distinguish between facts and opinions; recognizing propaganda
* Recognize author bias
* Read for a variety of purposes: critically, analytically, to predict outcomes, to answer a question, to form and opinion and to skim for facts
* Read various forms of printed material: books, magazines, newspapers, directories, schedules, journals

Proficiency 2.1.2:

Students will be able to read and understand the vocabulary of the Social Studies such as, but not limited to:

* Use appropriate sources to gain meaning of essential terms and vocabulary, glossary, dictionary, text, word lists
* Recognize and understand an increasing number of social studies terms

Proficiency 2.1.3:

Students will be able to find information such as, but not limited to:

* Use various parts of books (index, table of contents, etc.)
* Use key words, letters on volumes, index, and cross references to find information - print, visual and electronic

Proficiency 2.1.4:

Students will be able to arrange information in a usable form such as, but not limited to:

* Make a timeline
* Write reports and research papers
* Prepare a bibliography

Proficiency 2.1.5:

Students will be able to use appropriate resources available such as, but not limited to:

* Access materials in the library
* Use appropriate primary and secondary resources
* Use appropriate and relevant technology to acquire information

Skill 2.2 - Organizing and Using Information

Proficiency 2.2.1:

Students will be able to clarify information such as, but not limited to:

* Group data in categories according to appropriate criteria
* Place in proper sequence
-order of occurrence
-order of importance
* Place data in tabular form: charts, graphs, illustrations

Proficiency 2.2.2:

Students will be able to interpret information such as, but not limited to:

* Draw inferences from factual material
* Recognize instances in which more than one interpretation of factual material is valid

Proficiency 2.2.3:

Student will be able to analyze information such as, but not limited to:

* Detect bias in data presented in various forms: graphic, tabular, visual, print
* Compare and contrast credibility of differing accounts of the same event

Proficiency 2.2.4:

Student will be able to summarize information such as, but not limited to:

* Form opinion based on critical examination of relevant information
* State hypothesis for further study

Proficiency 2.2.5:

Student will be able to synthesize information such as, but not limited to:

* Reinterpret events in terms of what might have happened, and show the likely effects on subsequent events
* Present visually (chart, graph, diagram, model, etc.) information extracted from print
* Prepare a research paper that requires a creative solution to a problem
* Test the validity of the information, using such criteria as source, objectivity, technical correctness, currency

Proficiency 2.2.6:

Student will make decisions by examples such as, but not limited to:

* Secure needed factual information relevant to making the decision
* Identify alternative courses of action and predict likely consequences of each
* Make decisions based on the data obtained
* Take action to implement the decision

Skill 2.3 - Interpersonal Relationships and Social Participation of Informed Citizens

Proficiency 2.3.1:

Students will develop personal skills such as, but not limited to:

* Communicate ones own beliefs, feelings and convictions
* Adjust own behavior to fit the dynamics of various groups and situations
* Participate in persuading, compromising, debating and negotiating in the resolution of conflicts and differences

Proficiency 2.3.2:

Students will develop social and political participation skills such as, but not limited to:

* Keep informed on issues that affect society
* Identify situations in which social action is required
* Work individually or with others to decide on an appropriate course of action
* Work to influence those in positions of social power to strive for extensions of freedom, social justice and human rights
* Accept and fulfill social responsibilities associated with citizenship in a free society.