michigan curriculum · pdf filesi i i d ii t he michigan curriculum framework is a resource...

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The Michigan Curriculum Framework is a resource forhelping Michigan’s public and private schools design,implement, and assess their core content area curricula.

The content standards identified in this document arepresented as models for the development of local districtcurriculum by the Michigan State Board of Education and theMichigan Department of Education. They represent rigorousexpectations for student performance, and describe theknowledge and abilities needed to be successful in today’ssociety. When content, instruction, and local and stateassessments are aligned, they become powerful forces thatcontribute to the success of student achievement.

The framework presents a content and a process for developingcurriculum that enables schools to realize Michigan’s vision forK-12 education:

Michigan’s K-12 education will ensure that allstudents will develop their potential in order to leadproductive and satisfying lives. All students willengage in challenging and purposeful learning thatblends their experiences with content knowledgeand real-world applications in preparation for theiradult roles, which include becoming:

literate individuals

healthy and fit people

responsible family members

productive workers

involved citizens

self-directed, lifelong learners

The intent of this document is to provide useful resources todistricts as they strive to implement a program which ensuresthat all students reap the benefits of a quality education andachieve the adult roles described in Michigan’s vision forK-12 education. The content standards and benchmarks serveas worthy goals for all students as they develop the knowledgeand abilities inherent in their adult roles. They represent anessential component in the process of continuous schoolimprovement, which like professional development, should befocused on improving student achievement.

INTRODUCTION

We believe that efforts toset clear, common, stateand/or community-basedacademic standards forstudents in a given schooldistrict or state arenecessary to improvestudent performance.Academic standardsclearly define whatstudents should know andbe able to do at certainpoints in their schooling tobe considered proficient inspecific academic areas.We believe that states andcommunities can benefitfrom working together totap into the nation’s bestthinking on standards andassessments.

1996 National EducationSummit Policy Statement

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The framework emphasizes the importance of:

using continuous school improvement to align alldistrict initiatives for the purpose of increasingstudent achievement;

building a curriculum based on rigorous contentstandards and benchmarks;

using student achievement data to make decisionsabout continuous school improvement, curriculum,instruction, and professional development; and,

incorporating research-supported teaching andlearning standards into daily instructional practice.

BACKGROUND

In 1993, the Michigan Department of Education, incollaboration with representatives from five state universities,was awarded federal funding from the U.S. Department ofEducation to develop curriculum framework components forEnglish language arts, mathematics, science, and geography.In addition, the Michigan Council for the Social Studies offered,and was supported by the State Board of Education, to developa curriculum framework component for social studies whichwould include history, economics, and American government,and would be complementary to the geography framework.

The Michigan Curriculum Framework brings together the workof individual content area projects to present a unified view ofcurriculum, one which addresses the educational needs of thewhole learner. The goal of the curriculum framework is toimprove student achievement by aligning classroom instructionwith core curriculum content standards and national contentstandards. It is designed to be used as a process for thedecision-making that guides continuous school improvement.It describes curriculum, instruction, and assessment andfocuses on improving program quality by aligning all theprocesses that affect a student’s achievement of rigorouscontent standards.

Framework project co-directors, university representatives, andthe Michigan Department of Education content area consultantsmet regularly with members of their content area professionalorganizations to design the components of the curriculumframework. Committees of teachers and university personnelworked together to draft the content standards, benchmarks,and performance standards for their specific content areas.

Co-directors met on a monthly basis to coordinate the efforts ofthe various content area committees in developing K-12standards and benchmarks for their subject areas. Theirpurpose was to ensure that the framework represents aconsistent view of curriculum across content areas. Theywanted to facilitate continuous school improvement byemphasizing commonalities among the content areas withregard to professional development, assessment, andinstruction.

ÒSetting high standards forour children. It’s the sinequa non for any otherreforms anyone might wantto implement. We can’tjudge the efficacy of ideasbecause we have noyardsticks by which tomeasure success or failure.”

Louis V. GerstnerChairman and CEO, IBM

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The co-directors were guided by a Joint Steering Committeecomprised of representatives from the content areas, parents,business leaders, labor leaders, house and senate staff, andeducators. Joint Steering Committee members reviewed theframework projects at each phase of their development andmade recommendations for improving their quality. Theirinsight helped the co-directors incorporate the views of all ofMichigan’s interested parties into the final frameworkdocument.

WHAT IS IN THE FRAMEWORK?

The framework includes the resources needed to develop astandards-based curriculum. Standards and benchmarks forEnglish language arts, mathematics, science, and social studiesare included in this edition of the framework. Standards andbenchmarks for arts education, career and employability skills,health education, life management education, physicaleducation, technology education, and world languages will beadded to the next edition of the framework. The processdescribed in the framework will be expanded to incorporate theadditional core content areas when they are completed. Thechart on page vi provides a list of the materials that eventuallywill be included in the framework document.

Tier I

Content Standards and BenchmarksTier I begins with a complete list of core curriculum contentstandards and benchmarks for grades K-12 in the areas ofEnglish language arts, mathematics, science and social science.The standards describe what all students should know and beable to do in each of the subject areas. The benchmarksindicate what students should know and be able to do atvarious developmental levels (i.e., early elementary school,later elementary school, middle school, and high school).

PlanningThe framework includes a planning section. It provides amodel for using the standards and benchmarks to create a localdistrict curriculum as part of continuous school improvement.It discusses the importance of involving representatives fromall stakeholders in the curriculum development process. Inaddition, it emphasizes the need for alignment among all ofthe processes that comprise continuous school improvementand focuses attention on placing student achievement at thecenter of all decision-making. It emphasizes the need forcontinuity in a K-12 curriculum. Continuity is developed byclearly defining benchmarks that establish increasinglycomplex demonstrations of rigorous standards.

Teaching and LearningThe section on teaching and learning describes standards thatare the foundation to successful learning in all content areas.The standards include deep knowledge, higher-order thinking,substantive conversation, and connections to the world beyondthe classroom. It illustrates the standards through sample

iv Michigan Curriculum Framework

teaching vignettes in each of the content areas. It discussesthe importance of incorporating strategies for technology,connecting with the learner, interdisciplinary learning, andmaking school-to-work connections into the curriculum.

Assessment SystemThe framework contains a section on assessment whichdescribes the need for developing a local assessment systemto monitor student growth and program effectiveness. Thissection of the framework is divided into three parts. The firstpart provides a rationale for why an assessment system isneeded. The second part describes how teachers can developperformance assessments based on the content standards andbenchmarks. The third part discusses important issues relatedto building an assessment system that aligns local assessmentpractices with state assessment.

Professional DevelopmentThe section on professional development lists standards forthe context, content, and process of professional developmentexperiences. It includes a process for designing professionaldevelopment which aligns with school improvement,curriculum content, student learning, and assessment needs.A vignette of one teacher’s personal, professional developmentexperiences is provided to illustrate Michigan’s Standards forProfessional Development.

Executive Summaries and GlossaryThe appendices of the framework contain executivesummaries of important resources that will aid a district as itdevelops, implements, and monitors its local curriculum. Aglossary of framework terms is also provided.

Tier II

ToolkitsTier II contains a collection of toolkits designed to helpdistricts with specific tasks such as conducting discrepancyanalyses. There are additional toolkits to guide districts inincorporating principles associated with connecting with thelearner, technology, curriculum integration, and makingschool-to-work connections. There are toolkits on planningsubject area instructional units, designing classroomassessments, and planning a district assessment system.(Some of the above mentioned toolkits are still underdevelopment.)

Tier III

ResourcesTier III contains content-area specific resources that helpclarify the curriculum development process described in theframework. These include resources such as the ScienceEducation Guidebook, the Mathematics Teaching and LearningSample Activities, Guidelines for the Professional Developmentof Teachers of English Language Arts, and Powerful &Authentic Social Studies Standards for Teaching. It also

Section I • Introduction v

contains a guidebook written specifically for parents and thebusiness community explaining the elements of the framework.

HOW TO USE THE FRAMEWORK

District school improvement committees and curriculumdevelopment committees will find the framework and itstoolkits very useful as they begin the process of creating astandards-based curriculum. Reading and discussing thecontents of the framework will help school improvementcommittee members gain a clearer understanding of thecurriculum development process. The toolkits will helpsubcommittees develop techniques for creating and aligningcurriculum, assessment, and instruction. They will also helpdistricts make decisions about the professional developmentstrategies which will most effectively help their students reachtargeted achievement goals.

The first step in using the framework is to make sure that allinterested parties are familiar with its content. Then ananalysis to determine what needs to be done should becompleted. Once the district identifies the tasks that need tobe completed, a plan for structuring committees and a time-linefor completing the tasks should be designed.

The framework is intended for use by all districts. While thewriters used the structure of a middle-sized district as a frameof reference, the content and processes it describes are equallyimportant for large and small districts. Although privateschools are not bound by the core curriculum requirements ofthe Michigan School Code, they may find the framework usefulas a tool for curriculum development. Large districts, smalldistricts, private schools, and public school academies maychoose to modify the process to reflect their organizationalstructures. The number and size of committees needed toimplement the framework will vary from district to district, butthe task will remain the same: to align curriculum, instruction,assessment, and professional development for the purpose ofincreasing student achievement of rigorous content standards.

Assessment System

Introduction

• Guidelines for the Professional Development ofTeachers of English Language Arts

• Mathematics Professional Development Component• Powerful and Authentic Social Studies Professional

Development Package• Powerful and Authentic Social Studies Standards

for Teaching

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TIER I

These documents are toolkits designedto help districts achieve alignment whiledeveloping curriculum, instruction, andassessment consistent with their standardsand benchmarks. (For availability,see http://www.mde.state.mi.us)

These resources are specific to each content area andhelp clarify and strengthen the curriculumdevelopment processes described in the first two tiers.(For availability, see http:/www.mde.state.mi.us)

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TIER II TIER III

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This document introduces the frameworkstandards and describes the componentsand processes needed to develop K-12curricula.

Discrepancy Analysis1. Analysis of Curriculum2. Analysis of Instruction3. Analysis of Assessment4. Analysis of Professional Development5. Analysis of School Operations

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• Michigan Geography Framework Poster• Analysis of Mathematics Instructional and

Assessment Materials• Mathematics Research Component• Social Studies Curriculum Planning Guide

Connecting with the LearnerTechnologyCurriculum IntegrationConnecting School-To-Work

Local Assessment System

Parent and Business LeaderGuides (under development)

Professional Development

Planning

Standards & Benchmarks

Teaching and Learning

Michigan Curriculum Framework

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Executive Summaries ofToolkits and Other Resources

• Science Education Guidebook• New Directions Science Teaching Units• Profiles of Early Literacy Instruction in Primary

Classrooms• A Collection of English Language Arts Vignettes• Readings from the Demonstration Projects• Mathematics Teaching and Learning Sample

Activities• Standards Based Geography Units• Powerful & Authentic Social Studies: Standards

for Teaching and Learning

• Mathematics Assessment Framework• The Model Assessment Items Resource Book

(Science)• Michigan Assessment Prototypes for Geography• Plan for Statewide Assessment of Social Studies• Social Studies Assessment Guide

Section II:

Content Standards& Draft Benchmarks

A t its July 19, 1995, meeting, the Michigan State Board ofEducation unanimously adopted the model contentstandards for curriculum. The content standards provide

descriptions of what students should know and be able to do inthe subject areas of English language arts, social studies,mathematics and science. In addition, benchmarks in each ofthe content areas were drafted to further clarify the contentstandards. The standards and benchmarks are not a statecurriculum, but are specifically designed to be used by localdistricts as they develop their curricula.

The model content standards for curriculum and accompanyingdraft benchmarks will assist in the development of qualitycomprehensive local curricula, foster local diversity inestablishing high quality learning expectations, and giveparents, as customers within an education marketplace, anaccountability tool. In addition, they will serve as a basis forrevisions and new test development for the MEAP and HighSchool Proficiency Tests. They will provide a commondenominator to determine how well students are performingand will assure that all students are measured on the sameknowledge and skills using the same method of assessment.

Model Content Standards for CurriculumThe model content standards for curriculum were revised, basedupon public input, by writing teams in each of thecontent areas. The Curriculum Framework Joint SteeringCommittee which includes representatives from business,education, government, professional organizations, and laborwas extensively consulted in the development and revision ofthe standards. The State Board also made revisions to thestandards during its July 19, 1995, meeting.

BenchmarksThe draft benchmarks provide indicators of studentexpectations at various developmental levels includingelementary, middle school, and high school. The working draftbenchmarks are the most current versions and represent theefforts made by teams of subject area specialists with inputfrom over 2,000 Michigan citizens.

Field reviews on the benchmarks were held to gather commentsfrom teachers, parents, administrators, and communitymembers. Additionally, the benchmarks have been reviewed forconsistency with the model content standards for curriculum.The department continues the process of field testing thebenchmarks at the Curriculum Framework projects’ schooldemonstration sites.

DRAFT BENCHMARKSONTENT STANDARDS &C

Because the benchmarks are continuously being revised tofurther clarify the standards and reflect the learning needs ofMichigan’s students, districts should consult electronic versionsin order to ensure that they are working with the most currentrevisions. The model content standards for curriculum and theworking draft benchmarks are available through the Internet onthe Department of Education’s gopher server (gopher://gopher.mde.state.mi.us), and through the World Wide Web(http://cdp.mde.state.mi.us).

Please note: The standards and benchmarks have been codedso that districts can more easily refer to them in theircurriculum, instruction, assessment, and professionaldevelopment activities. The numbering system will be usefulas districts conduct discrepancy analyses as part of thecontinuous school improvement decision-making process. Onesystem for numbering has been applied to all of the contentstandards and benchmarks in an attempt to provideconsistency and facilitate curriculum alignment.

The numbering system begins with the subject area. Englishlanguage arts is assigned the code of ELA; Mathematics, MAT;Social Studies, SOC; and Science, SCI. The first numeral in thecode is a Roman numeral; it identifies the content area strand.The second numeral is an Arabic numeral; it identifies acontent standard. The letters that follow the content standardsignify cluster levels such as: E (elementary), EE (earlyelementary), LE (later elementary), MS (middle school), and HS(high school). The third numeral is another Arabicnumeral; it identifies a benchmark.

The coding system has been used to identify standards andbenchmarks in the sections on assessment and teaching andlearning. Please note that although one coding system is used,each set of content areas and benchmarks has some uniquecharacteristics. For instance, the English language artsstandards and benchmarks do not identify strands. It is veryimportant to study the standards and benchmarks carefully sothey can be used to their full advantage.

SOC.II.1.LE.1

SOC. Social Studies(Subject Area)

II. Geographic Perspective(Content Strand)

1. All students willdescribe, compare, andexplain the locations andcharacteristics of places,cultures, and settlements.(People, Places andCultures) (ContentStandard)

LE. Later Elementary

1. Locate and describecultures and compare thesimilarities and differencesamong the roles of women,men and families. (LaterElementary Benchmark)

Social Studies

VisionStatement

Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences toprepare young people to become responsible citizens.Responsible citizens display social understanding and civicefficacy. Social understanding is knowledge of social aspects ofthe human condition, how they have evolved over time, thevariations that occur in differing physical environments andcultural settings, and the emerging trends that appear likely toshape the future. Civic efficacy is the readiness andwillingness to assume citizenship responsibilities and to makeinformed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizensof a pluralistic, democratic society in an interdependent world.

A responsible citizen:

J uses knowledge of the past to construct meaningfulunderstanding of our diverse cultural heritage andinform her civic judgments (Historical Perspective);

J uses knowledge of spatial patterns on earth tounderstand processes that shape human environmentto make decisions about society (GeographicPerspective);

J uses knowledge of American government and politicsto make decisions about governing his community(Civic Perspective);

J use knowledge of the production, distribution andconsumption of goods and services to make personal,career and societal decisions about the use of scarceresources (Economic Perspective);

J uses methods of social science investigation to answerquestions about society (Inquiry);

J constructs and expresses thoughtful positions onpublic issues (Public Discourse and Decision Making);and,

J acts constructively to further the public good (CitizenInvolvement).

The Purpose of Social StudiesTo develop social understanding and civic efficacy, the socialstudies curriculum builds four capacities in young people:disciplinary knowledge, thinking skills, commitment todemocratic values, and citizen participation. Each capacitycontributes uniquely to responsible citizenship.

Disciplinary knowledge is used by students to constructmeaning through understanding of powerful ideas drawnprimarily from the disciplines of history, geography, Americangovernment, and economics. The meaning students constructshapes their perspective for understanding society and informstheir judgments as citizens.

Thinking skills necessary for effective involvement in public lifeare practiced and improved within the social studies curriculum.Students use the methods of social science, aided byappropriate technologies, to gather, interpret, and analyzeinformation. Their ability to engage in civic discourse isimproved by using the skills of oral and written expression.They also learn to evaluate alternative views when makingdecisions, both individually and collectively, about matters ofpublic concern.

Respect for the underlying values of a democratic society isdeveloped through effective social studies education. As aresult, students comprehend the ideals of democracy, cherishthem, and strive to live their lives in accordance with them. Areasoned commitment to democratic values motivates citizensto safeguard their rights, to fulfill their responsibilities ascitizens, and to honor the dignity of all people.

Citizen participation experiences stimulate interest in publicaffairs and strengthen competencies for self-government.Students are encouraged to inform themselves about publicaffairs and to become active participants in civic life rather thanpassive bystanders. They are urged to uphold the rule of law intheir personal and social lives and to challenge wrongdoing.Efforts to advance their views about local, national, andinternational policy through political action are supported bythe curriculum. Through service learning, the social studiescurriculum equips students to improve their communities andto realize the civic virtue of serving.

Social studies education for responsible citizenship is acompelling priority if we expect to sustain our constitutionaldemocracy. Young people must be educated to understand thecomplexities of human society and to govern themselvescompetently. It is upon these pillars that responsiblecitizenship rests.

Overview of the Social Studies Content StrandsThe social studies curriculum should be designed so thatstudents meet 25 standards that are indicators of responsiblecitizenship. These standards, expressed as attributes weenvision for our graduates, are the intended results of students’experience with the curriculum. Students make continuousprogress toward meeting the standards at each level ofschooling. All of the standards are pursued at every grade levelof the curriculum from kindergarten to graduation. Althoughthe standards refer to areas of knowledge and skill that no oneever masters completely in a total sense, benchmarks areestablished for each to designate clearly what students areexpected to know and be able to do by the end of the primarygrades, the upper elementary grades, middle school, and highschool. This part of the framework introduces the standards.The social studies standards are grouped into seven broadcategories called strands.

Strand I. Historical PerspectiveStudents use knowledge of the past to construct meaningfulunderstanding of our diverse cultural heritage and to informtheir civic judgments.

A rich historical perspective begins with knowledge ofsignificant events, ideas, and actors from the past. Thatknowledge encompasses both our commonalities and ourdiversity exemplified by race, ethnicity, social and economicstatus, gender, region, politics, and religion. Meaningfulunderstanding of the past involves the integration of historicalknowledge and thinking skills. Neither historical knowledgenor thinking develops independently of the other. If ourdecisions in contemporary life are to be guided by knowledgeof the past, we must learn to engage in historical reasoning, tothink through cause-effect relationships, to reach soundhistorical interpretations, and to conduct historical inquiries.Over time and in varying contexts, students develop anincreasingly sophisticated historical perspective by drawingupon the following fields of historical thinking:

Standard I.I Time and ChronologyAll students will sequence chronologically the following eras ofAmerican History and key events within these eras in order toexamine relationships and to explain cause and effect: TheMeeting of Three Worlds (beginnings to 1620); Colonizationand Settlement (1585-1763); Revolution and the New Nation(1754-1815); Expansion and Reform (1801-1861); and CivilWar and Reconstruction (1850-1877); The Development of theIndustrial United States (1870-1900); The Emergence ofModern America (1890-1930); The Great Depression and WorldWar II (1929-1945); Post War United States (1945-1970); andContemporary United States (1968-present).

Chronological thinking is at the very heart of historicalreasoning. Without a clear sense of historical time we arebound to see events as one great tangled mess. Events mustbe sequenced in time in order to examine relationships amongthem or to explain cause and effect.

Standard I.2 Comprehending the PastAll students will understand narratives about major eras ofAmerican and world history by identifying the people involved,describing the setting, and sequencing the events.

Reading accounts of human events with understandingrequires recognition of chronological sequence—the beginning,middle, and end of a story. Comprehension also requiresidentification of the characters involved, the situation orsetting in which the narrative takes place, and the sequence ofevents through which the story unfolds, including the initiatingevent(s) and the results.

Standard I.3 Analyzing and Interpreting the PastAll students will reconstruct the past by comparinginterpretations written by others from a variety of perspectivesand creating narratives from evidence.

History is not a succession of facts marching to a settledconclusion. Written history is a human construction andconclusions about the past are tentative and arguable.Documents, eyewitness accounts, letters, diaries, artifacts,photos, historical sites, and other fragments of the past aresubject to analysis and interpretation. Credible reconstruction

of the past draws upon a variety of records and comparesinterpretations that reveal more than one perspective onevents. One can engage in “doing history” by assessinghistorical narratives written by others or by creating anarrative from evidence that has been compiled, analyzed, andinterpreted.

Standard I.4 Judging Decisions from the PastAll students will evaluate key decisions made at critical turningpoints in history by assessing their implications and long-termconsequences.

At critical turning points in history, we sometimes encounterkey decisions that were made at the time. By enteringpersonally into such moments, we can confront importantissues of an era. When revisiting these issues, we can analyzethe interests and values held by those caught up in thesituation, consider alternative choices and their consequences,assess the ethical implications of possible decisions, andevaluate the decision made in light of its long-termconsequences revealed in the historical record.

Strand II. Geographic PerspectiveStudents will use knowledge of spatial patterns on earth tounderstand processes that shape human environments and tomake decisions about society.

Knowledge of geography enables us to analyze both thephysical features and the cultural aspects of our world. Byhelping us understand relationships within and between places,a geographic perspective brings an understanding ofinterdependence within local, national, and globalcommunities. Over time and in varying contexts, studentsconstruct an increasingly sophisticated geographic perspectiveorganized by the following themes:

Standard II.I Diversity of People, Places, and CulturesAll students will describe, compare, and explain the locationsand characteristics of places, cultures, and settlements.

The mosaic of people, places, and cultures expresses the richvariety of the earth. Natural and human characteristics meldto form expressions of cultural uniqueness, as well assimilarities among peoples. Culture is the way of life of agroup of people including language, religion, traditions, familystructure, institutions, and economic activities.

Standard II.2 Human/Environment InteractionAll students will describe, compare, and explain the locationsand characteristics of ecosystems, resources, humanadaptation, environmental impact, and the interrelationshipsamong them.

Understanding human/environment interaction enables one toconsider how people rely on the environment, how they alter it,how it may limit what they are able to do, and theconsequences of actions for both people and the naturalenvironment.

Standard II.3 Location, Movement, and ConnectionsAll students will describe, compare, and explain the locationsand characteristics of economic activities, trade, politicalactivities, migration, information flow, and theinterrelationships among them.

Locations are connected by different transportation andcommunication networks that channel the movement of people,goods, and information. Location of places along the networksis important in analyzing why some places are different in sizeand complexity from other places, what connections havedeveloped, why movement occurs, and the consequences ofdifferent types of movement.

Standard II.4 Regions, Patterns, and ProcessesAll students will describe and compare characteristics ofecosystems, states, regions, countries, major world regions,and patterns and explain the processes that created them.

The world can be viewed systematically or regionally. Climatic,economic, political, and cultural patterns are created byprocesses such as climatic systems, communication networks,international trade, political systems, and population changes.A region is an area with unifying characteristics. By definingregions, we are able to divide the world into parts in order tostudy their uniqueness and relationships.

Standard II.5 Global Issues and EventsAll students will describe and explain the causes,consequences, and geographic context of major global issuesand events.

Places are interconnected by global processes. Throughout theworld, people are increasingly linked by physical and humansystems. Interdependence can be understood through thestudy of events that have significance beyond regional ornational boundaries.

Strand III. Civic PerspectiveStudents will use knowledge of American government andpolitics to make informed decisions about governing theircommunities.

Knowledge of government enables individuals to define theroles of citizens within a constitutional democracy and tocompare the American system of government with othersystems. Civic knowledge builds understanding about theexercise of power. With knowledge of government and politics,citizens are equipped to evaluate domestic and internationalpolicy and to exert influence in public affairs. Over time and invarying contexts, students construct an increasinglysophisticated civic perspective organized by the followingthemes:

Standard III.I Purposes of GovernmentAll students will identify the purposes of national, state, andlocal governments in the United States, describe how citizensorganize government to accomplish their purposes and assesstheir effectiveness.

All societies establish governments to serve intended purposes.The purposes served by a government and the priorities sethave significant consequences for the individual and society. Inorder to accomplish their purposes, governments organizethemselves in different ways.

Standard III.2 Ideals of American DemocracyAll students will explain the meaning and origin of the ideas,including the core democratic values expressed in theDeclaration of Independence, the Constitution, and otherfoundational documents of the United States.

American constitutional democracy is founded on a core set ofvalues expressed in the nation’s foundational documents. Ashared commitment to these values bonds Americans with acommon identity and provides social cohesion. Political andlegal processes are created to clarify the meaning of values inthe American creed and to resolve conflicts among thosevalues.

Standard III.3 Democracy in ActionAll students will describe the political and legal processescreated to make decisions, seek consensus, and resolveconflicts in a free society.

In a free society, there are inevitable conflicts that arise fromthe clash of various interests, perceptions, and beliefs.Responsible citizens learn to confront these conflicts and towork toward resolving them within the boundaries ofdemocratic procedures.

Standard III.4 American Government and PoliticsAll students will explain how American governmentalinstitutions at the local, state, and federal levels provide for thelimitation and sharing of power and how the nation’s politicalsystem provides for the exercise of power.

The American system of government is based on shared power.Citizens who operate effectively within the federal systemunderstand its institutions and how to work within them.

Standard III.5 American Government and World AffairsAll students will understand how the world is organizedpolitically, the formation of American foreign policy, and theroles the United States plays in the international arena.

The United States is part of an interconnected world whichrequires citizens to understand how the world is organizedpolitically, the process by which foreign policy is formulated,and the roles that our nation plays in the international arena.

Strand IV. Economic PerspectiveStudents will use knowledge of the production, distribution,and consumption of goods and services to make personal andsocietal decisions about the use of scarce resources.

Knowledge of economics enables us to understand and considerpotential implications of the basic scarcity problem faced by allsocieties: unlimited wants in pursuit of limited resources. Thisproblem requires economic decisions on matters ranging from

personal finance to international trade. Each decision involvesboth short- and long-term benefits as well as costs. When weact upon our choice, the loss of the next best alternative is ouropportunity cost. Individuals, households, businesses, andgovernments all face choices in attempting to satisfy unlimitedwants from scarce resources. Successful economic decisionsrequire a thorough examination of alternative choices and theanticipation of both intended and unintended consequences.

Standard IV.I Individual and Household ChoicesAll students will describe and demonstrate how the economicforces of scarcity and choice affect the management of personalfinancial resources, shape consumer decisions regarding thepurchase, use, and disposal of goods and services, and affectthe economic well-being of individuals and society.

The quality of individual decision-making is crucial to theeffective operation of the economic system and to the personalwell-being of its members. Consumer decisions regarding thepurchase, use, and disposal of goods and services are shaped byeconomic forces. As workers, consumers, savers, and investors,individuals confront scarcity and the opportunity costs (loss ofthe next best alternative) of their choices.

Standard IV.2 Business ChoicesAll students will explain and demonstrate how businessesconfront scarcity and choice when organizing, producing, andusing resources, and when supplying the marketplace.

Businesses confront both scarcity and opportunity costs. Theymake decisions in organizing production, using resources, andsupplying the marketplace that have individual and societalconsequences. Their choices are affected by the incentives theyface and the conditions in which they operate.

Standard IV.3 Role of GovernmentAll students will describe how government decisions ontaxation, spending, public goods, and regulation impact what isproduced, how it is produced, and who receives the benefits ofproduction.

Government decisions on taxation, spending, public goods, andregulation all impact what is produced, how it is produced, andwho receives the benefits of production. Governments alsomake efforts to resolve economic disputes and problems.

Standard IV.4 Economic systemsAll students will explain how a free market economic systemworks, as well as other economic systems, to coordinate andfacilitate the exchange, production, distribution, andconsumption of goods and services.

Individuals, businesses, and governments construct systems forproducing, distributing, and consuming goods and services.These systems coordinate economic decisions, facilitateexchange, and encourage specialization in the marketplace.They are constantly evolving as we continue to confront scarcity.

Standard IV.5 TradeAll students will describe how trade generates economicdevelopment and interdependence and analyze the resulting

challenges and benefits for individuals, producers, andgovernment.

The voluntary exchange of goods, services, and paymentsbetween individuals, regions, and nations is the basis foreconomic development. The resulting interdependence createsboth benefits and challenges for individuals, producers, andgovernments.

Strand V. InquiryStudents will use methods of social science investigation toanswer questions about society.

Inquiry, an essential component of effective decision-making,is the process of investigating problems of significance tosociety. Some problems can be sufficiently examined throughthe lens of a single discipline. Other problems, by their verynature, encompass more than one discipline. If citizens are tomake sound decisions in efforts to solve social problems, theymust learn how to pursue data, think critically, andcommunicate their findings effectively. Over time and invarying contexts, students will improve their ability to use thefollowing procedures:

Standard V.I Information ProcessingAll students will acquire information from books, maps,newspapers, data sets, and other sources, organize andpresent the information in maps, graphs, charts, and timelines, interpret the meaning and significance of information,and use a variety of electronic technologies to assist inaccessing and managing information.

The ability to acquire information from books, maps,newspapers, data sets, and other sources, skill in organizingand presenting information in maps, graphs, charts, timelines, and the ability to interpret the meaning and significanceof data all continue to be vital skills. In addition, technologyhas become a critical part of the information age. Studentsmust have experiences in using computers, media, andtelecommunication technology to access and processinformation.

Standard V.2 Conducting InvestigationsAll students will conduct investigations by formulating a clearstatement of a question, gathering and organizing informationfrom a variety of sources, analyzing and interpretinginformation, formulating and testing hypotheses, reportingresults both orally and in writing, and making use ofappropriate technology.

Social science investigations usually begin with the clearstatement of a question meaningful to the investigator.Gathering and organizing information from a variety ofsources, interpreting and analyzing information, formulatingand testing of hypotheses, and reporting of results aresubsequent steps of the inquiry process. Computers and otherelectronic technology may be used to access and manageinformation during an investigation and to report results.Investigations can be carried out by individuals or groups.

Strand VI. Public Discourse and Decision MakingStudents will analyze public issues and construct and expressthoughtful positions on these issues.

Public issues are unresolved questions of policy that requireresolution if people are to govern themselves coherently. Theyarise in all communities where members make decisionscollectively. In order to foster informed consent of thegoverned, the social studies curriculum engages students inefforts to deliberate local, national, and international publicpolicy issues of enduring importance. Over time and invarying contexts, students improve their ability to produce thefollowing kinds of discourse:

Standard VI.I Identifying and Analyzing IssuesAll students will state an issue clearly as a question of publicpolicy, trace the origins of the issue, analyze variousperspectives people bring to the issue, and evaluate possibleways to resolve the issue.

Whether a public issue is local or global in scope, the processof resolution begins by stating the issue clearly as a questionof policy. The origins of the issue are then traced: How did itbecome a matter of disagreement or dispute? In tracing theorigins of the issue, various perspectives that people bring to itare acknowledged. Analysis then moves to identifyingsubordinate ethical, factual, and definitional issues that mustbe settled in order to resolve the policy issue.

Standard VI.2 Group DiscussionAll students will engage their peers in constructiveconversation about matters of public concern by clarifyingissues, considering opposing views, applying democraticvalues, anticipating consequences, and working toward makingdecisions.

In a democratic society, citizens engage one another in face-to-face conversation about matters of public concern stemmingfrom significant past and current events. Through such publictalk they clarify issues and work to resolve them by carefullyconsidering opposing views, applying democratic values, andanticipating consequences.

Standard VI.3 Persuasive WritingAll students will compose coherent written essays that expressa position on a public issue and justify the position withreasoned arguments.

Coherently composing thoughts about civic issues requiresclarification and refinement of thinking. To be persuasive,writing must reflect consideration of alternative perspectiveson an issue and express a decision justified with reasonedarguments.

Strand VII. Citizen InvolvementStudents will act constructively to further the public good.

To sustain a democratic society, we must produce citizens whoare actively involved in public affairs and who regulate theirown conduct virtuously. The social studies curriculum

prepares students to participate in political activities, to servetheir communities, and to regulate themselves responsibly.Over time and in varying contexts, students will demonstratethe following:

Standard VII.I Responsible Personal ConductAll students will consider the effects of an individual’s actionson other people, how one acts in accordance with the rule oflaw, and how one acts in a virtuous and ethically responsibleway as a member of society.

Responsible citizens address social problems by participatingconstructively in their communities. They also consider theeffects of their actions on other people and they act inaccordance with the rule of law to meet their ethicalobligations.

32 Section II • Michigan Content Standards and Draft Benchmarks

SOCIAL STUDIESCONTENT STANDARDS AND WORKING DRAFT BENCHMARKS

I. Historical Perspective

Content Standard 1: All students will sequence chronologically the following eras of Americanhistory and key events within these eras in order to examine relationships and to explain causeand effect: The Meeting of Three Worlds (beginnings to 1620); Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763); Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1815); Expansion and Reform (1801-1861); and CivilWar and Reconstruction (1850-1877); The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900);The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930); The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945); Post War United States (1945-1970); and Contemporary United States (1968-present). (Timeand Chronology).

Early Elementary Later Elementary Middle School High School

1. Use analog and digitalclocks to tell time.

2. Use weeks, monthsand years as intervalsof time.

3. Distinguish among thepast, the present andthe future.

4. Place events of theirlives and the lives ofothers in chronologicalorder.

1. Measure chronologicaltime by decades andcenturies.

2. Place major events inthe development oftheir local communityand the state ofMichigan inchronological order.

3. Place major events inthe early history of theUnited States inchronological order.

1. Construct andinterpret timelines ofpeople and eventsfrom the history ofMichigan and theUnited States throughthe era ofReconstruction andfrom the history ofother regions of theworld.

2. Describe majorfactors thatcharacterize thefollowing eras inUnited States history:The Meeting of ThreeWorlds (beginnings to1620), Colonizationand Settlement (1585-1763), Revolution andthe New Nation (1754-1815), Expansion andReform (1801-1861)and Civil War andReconstruction (1850-1877).

3. Select a contemporarycondition in Africa,Asia, Canada, Europeand Latin America andtrace some of themajor historicalorigins of each.

1. Construct andinterpret timelines ofpeople and events inthe history of Michiganand the United Statessince the era ofReconstruction.

2. Describe majorfactors thatcharacterize thefollowing eras inUnited States history:The Development ofthe Industrial UnitedStates (1870-1900),The Emergence ofModern America(1890-1930), The GreatDepression and WorldWar II (1929-1945),Post War United States(1945-1970) andContemporary UnitedStates (1968-present).

3. Identify some of themajor eras in worldhistory and describetheir definingcharacteristics.

Section II • Michigan Content Standards and Draft Benchmarks 33

Content Standard 2: All students will understand narratives about major eras of American and worldhistory by identifying the people involved, describing the setting, and sequencing the events.(Comprehending the Past)


1. Identify who wasinvolved, whathappened and where ithappened in storiesabout the past.

2. Describe the pastthrough the eyes andexperiencesof those who werethere as revealedthrough their records.

3. Recount events fromsimple biographies ofwomen and menrepresenting avariety of societiesfrom the past.

4. Identify and explainhow individuals inhistory demonstratedgood character andpersonal virtue.

1. Summarize thesequence of keyevents in storiesdescribing life fromthe past in their localcommunity, the stateof Michigan and otherparts of the UnitedStates.

2. Use narratives andgraphic data tocompare the past oftheir local community,the state of Michiganand other parts of theUnited States withpresent day life inthose places.

3. Recount the lives andcharacters of a varietyof individuals from thepast representing theirlocal community, thestate of Michigan andother parts of theUnited States.


1. Use narratives andgraphic data todescribe the settingsof significant eventsthat shaped thedevelopment ofMichigan as a stateand the United Statesas a nation during theeras prior toReconstruction.


3. Select conditions invarious parts of theworld and describehow they have beenshaped by events fromthe past.

4. Use historicalbiographies to explainhow events from thepast affected the livesof individuals and howsome individualsinfluenced the courseof history.

1. Draw upon narrativesand graphic data toexplain significantevents that shaped thedevelopment ofMichigan as a stateand the United Statesas a nation during theeras sinceReconstruction.


3. Select events andindividuals from thepast that have hadglobal impact on themodern world anddescribe their impact.

Content Standard 3: All students will reconstruct the past by comparing interpretations written byothers from a variety of perspectives and creating narratives from evidence. (Analyzing and Interpretingthe Past)


1. Use a variety ofrecords to construct anarrative about theirpersonal or familyhistories.

2. Differentiate betweenhistorical facts andhistoricalinterpretations.

3. Explain why accountsof the same eventdiffer.

1. Use primary sourcesto reconstruct pastevents in their localcommunity.

2. Interpret conflictingaccounts of events inboth Michigan andUnited States historyand analyze theviewpoints of theauthors.

3. Compose simplenarratives of eventsfrom the history of thestate of Michigan andthe United States.

1. Use primary andsecondary records toanalyze significantevents that shaped thedevelopment ofMichigan as a stateand the United Statesas a nation prior to theend of the era ofReconstruction.

2. Analyzeinterpretations ofmajor events selectedfrom African, Asian,Canadian, Europeanand Latin Americanhistory to reveal theperspectives of theauthors.

1. Use primary andsecondary records toanalyze significantevents that shaped thedevelopment ofMichigan as a stateand the United Statesas a nation since theera of Reconstruction.

2. Challenge argumentsof historicalinevitability byformulating examplesof how differentchoices could have ledto differentconsequences.


3. Show that historicalknowledge is tentativeand subject to changeby describinginterpretations of thepast that have beenrevised when newinformation wasuncovered.

4. Compose narratives ofevents from thehistory of Michiganand of the UnitedStates prior to the eraof Reconstruction.

3. Select contemporaryproblems in the worldand compose historicalnarratives that explaintheir antecedents.

Content Standard 4: All students will evaluate key decisions made at critical turning points in history byassessing their implications and long-term consequences. (Judging Decisions from the Past)


1. Recall situations intheir lives thatrequired decisions andevaluate the decisionsmade in light of theirconsequences.

2. Evaluate decisionsmade by others asreported in storiesabout the past.

1. Identify problems fromthe past that dividedtheir local community,the state of Michigan,and the United Statesand analyze theInterests and valuesof those involved.

2. Select decisions madeto solve past problemsand evaluate thosedecisions in terms ofethical considerations,the interests of thoseaffected by thedecisions, and theshort- and long-termconsequences in thosedecisions.

1. Identify majordecisions in Michiganand the United Stateshistory prior to theend of the era ofReconstruction,analyze contemporaryfactors contributing tothe decisions andconsider alternativecourses of action.

2. Identify majordecisions in the historyof Africa, Asia,Canada, Europe andLatin America, analyzecontemporary factorscontributing to thedecisions and consideralternative courses ofaction.

3. Identify the responsesof individuals tohistoric violations ofhuman dignityinvolvingdiscrimination,persecution andcrimes againsthumanity.

4. Select historicdecisions and evaluatethem in light of coredemocratic values andresulting costs andbenefits as viewedfrom a variety ofperspectives.

1. Identify majordecisions in the historyof Michigan and theUnited States since theera of Reconstruction,analyze contemporaryfactors contributing tothe decisions andconsider alternativecourses of action.

2. Evaluate the responsesof individuals tohistoric violations ofhuman dignityinvolvingdiscrimination,persecution andcrimes againsthumanity.

3. Analyze key decisionsby drawingappropriate historicalanalogies.

4. Select pivotaldecisions in UnitedStates history andevaluate them in lightof core democraticvalues and resultingcosts and benefits asviewed from a varietyof perspectives.


II. Geographic Perspective

Content Standard 1: All students will describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics ofplaces, cultures, and settlements. (People, Places and Cultures)


1. Describe the humancharacteristics ofplaces and explainsome basic causes forthose characteristics.

2. Describe the naturalcharacteristics ofplaces and explainsome basic causes forthose characteristics.

1. Locate and describecultures and comparethe similarities anddifferences among theroles of women, men,and families.

2. Locate and describediverse kinds ofcommunities andexplain the reasons fortheir characteristicsand locations.

3. Locate and describethe major places,cultures, andcommunities of thenation and comparetheir characteristics.

1. Locate and describethe diverse places,cultures, andcommunities of majorworld regions.

2. Describe and comparecharacteristics ofmajor world culturesincluding language,religion, beliefsystems, gender roles,and traditions.

3. Explain why peoplelive and work as theydo in different regions.

1. Describe how majorworld issues andevents affect variouspeople, societies,places, and cultures indifferent ways.

2. Explain how culturemight affect women’sand men's perceptions.

Content Standard 2: All students will describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics ofecosystems, resources, human adaptation, environmental impact, and the interrelationships among them.(Human/Environment Interaction)


1. Describe how peopleuse the environment tomeet human needs andwants.

2. Describe the ways inwhich theirenvironment has beenchanged by people,and the ways theirlives are affected bythe environment.

3. Suggest ways thepeople can helpimprove theirenvironment.

1. Explain basicecosystem conceptsand processes.

2. Describe the location,use, and importance ofdifferent kinds ofresources andexplain how they arecreated and theconsequences of theiruse.

3. Describe the majorphysical patterns,ecosystems,resources, and landuses of the state,region, and countryand explain theprocesses that createdthem.

4. Explain how variouspeople and cultureshave adapted to andmodified theenvironment.

1. Locate, describe, andcompare theecosystems,resources, and humanenvironmentinteractions of majorworld regions.

2. Locate majorecosystems, describetheir characteristics,and explain theprocess that createdthem.

3. Explain the importanceof different kinds ofecosystems to people.

4. Explain how humansmodify theenvironment anddescribe some of thepossible consequencesof those modifications.

5. Describe theconsequences ofhuman/environmentinteractions in severaldifferent types ofenvironment.

1. Describe theenvironmentalconsequences of majorworld processes andevents.

2. Assess the relationshipbetween propertyownership and themanagement ofnatural resources.


Content Standard 3: All students will describe, compare, and explain the locations and characteristics ofeconomic activities, trade, political activities, migration, information flow, and the interrelationshipsamong them. (Location, Movement and Connections)


1. Identify locations ofsignificance in theirimmediateenvironment andexplain reasons fortheir location.

2. Identify people andplaces in otherlocations andexplain theirimportance to thecommunity.

3. Identify people, goods,services and ideas intheir local communitywhich have come fromother places anddescribe why theymoved.

1. Describe major kindsof economic activityand explain the factorsinfluencing theirlocation.

2. Describe the causes,consequences, routesand movement ofmajor migration to theUnited States.

3. Explain howtransportation andcommunication linkpeople andcommunities.

4. Describe some of themajor movements ofgoods, people, jobs andinformation withinMichigan and theUnited States andexplain the reasons forthe movements.

1. Locate and describemajor economicactivities andoccupations of majorworld regions andexplain the reasons fortheir locations.

2. Explain howgovernments havedivided land and seaareas into differentregions.

3. Describe how and whypeople, goods andservices, andinformation movewithin world regionsand between regions.

4. Describe the majoreconomic and politicalconnections betweenthe United States anddifferent worldregions and explaintheir causes andconsequences.

1. Describe major worldpatterns of economicactivity and explainthe reasons for thepatterns.

2. Explain how eventshave causes andconsequences indifferent parts of theworld.

Content Standard 4: All students will describe and compare characteristics of ecosystems, states,regions, countries, major world regions, and patterns and explain the processes that created them.(Regions, Patterns and Processes)


1. Identify regions intheir immediateenvironment anddescribe theircharacteristics andboundaries.

2. Compare theircommunity and regionwith others.

3. Describe changes inthe region over timeas well as presently.

1. Draw sketch maps ofthe community,region, and nation.

2. Describe places,cultures, andcommunities in theUnited States andcompare them withthose in otherregions andcountries.

3. Describe thegeography ofMichigan at majortimes in its historyand explain thereasons for itschange.

1. Draw a sketch map ofthe world frommemory.

2. Locate and describemajor cultural,economic, political andenvironmental featuresof Africa, Europe, Asia,Australia and North andSouth America and theprocesses that createdthem.

3. Describe majorpatterns of worldpopulation, physicalfeatures, ecosystems,cultures and explainsome of the factorscausing the patterns.

1. Explain how majorworld processes affectdifferent world regions.

2. Explain how majorworld regions arechanging.

3. Explain how processeslike population growth,economic development,urbanization resourceuse, internationaltrade, globalcommunication, andenvironmental impactare affecting differentworld regions.


4. Describe thephysical, economic,and culturalgeography ofcontemporaryMichigan and itscauses, advantages,and disadvantages.

5. Describe the GreatLakes ecosystem,and explain physicaland human pro-cesses that act uponthem.

6. Describe thegeography of majorUnited Statesregions, compare theregions, and explainthe processes thatcreated them.

4. Compare major worldregions with respect tocultures, economy,governmental systems,environment, andcommunications.

4. Describe majorpatterns of economicdevelopment andpolitical systems andexplain some of thefactors causing them.

Content Standard 5: All students will describe and explain the causes, consequences, and geographiccontext of major global issues and events. (Global Issues and Events)


1. Locate and describemajor world eventsthat are having animpact on theircommunity and explainwhy they areimportant to thecommunity.

1. Locate major worldevents and explainhow they impactpeople and theenvironment.

1. Describe how socialand scientific changesin regions may haveglobal consequences.

2. Describe thegeographic aspects ofevents taking place indifferent worldregions.

3. Explain how elementsof the physicalgeography, culture,and history of theregion may beinfluencing currentevents.

1. Explain howgeography and majorworld processesinfluence major worldevents.

2. Explain the causes andimportance of globalissues involvingcultural stability andchange, economicdevelopment andinternational trade,resource use,environmental impact,conflict andcooperation, andexplain how they mayaffect the future.


III. Civic Perspective

Content Standard 1: All students will identify the purposes of national, state, and localgovernments in the United States, describe how citizens organize government to accomplish theirpurposes, and assess their effectiveness. (Purposes of Government)


1. Cite examples ofgovernment carryingout its legal authorityin their localcommunity.

2. Describeconsequences of nothaving rules.

1. Distinguish amonglocal, state, andnational government inthe United States anddescribe the roles ofgovernmentinstitutions at all threelevels.

2. Give examples ofauthority and the useof power withoutauthority.

3. Give reasons forlimiting the power ofgovernment.

1. Describe how thefederal government inthe United Statesserves the purposesset forth in thePreambleto the Constitution.

2. Distinguish betweenrepresentativedemocracy in theUnited States andother forms ofgovernment.

3. Explain how the rule oflaw protects individualrights and serves thecommon good.

4. Explain the importanceof limited governmentto protect political andeconomic freedom.

1. Explain the advantagesand disadvantages of afederal system ofgovernment.

2. Evaluate howeffectively the federalgovernment is servingthe purposes for whichit was created.

3. Evaluate the relativemerits of the Americanpresidential systemand parliamentarysystems.

Content Standard 2: All students will explain the meaning and origin of the ideas, including thecore democratic values expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and otherfoundational documents of the United States. (Ideals of American Democracy)


1. Identify aspects of lifeat school and in thelocal community thatillustrate justice andfreedom.

1. Interpret thedevelopment andsummarize the mainpoints in theDeclaration ofIndependence.

2. Interpret the meaningof specific rightsguaranteedby the Constitutionincluding religiousliberty, freeexpression, privacy,property, due processof law and equalprotection of the law.

3. Explain responsibilitiescitizens have to upholdconstitutional rights.

1. Identify the essentialideas expressed in theDeclaration ofIndependence and theorigins of those ideas,and explain how theyset the foundation forcivic life, politics andgovernment in theUnited States.

2. Describe provisions ofthe U.S. Constitutionwhich delegate togovernment thepowers necessary tofulfill the purposes forwhich it wasestablished.

3. Explain means forlimiting the powers ofgovernmentestablished by the U.S.Constitution.

1. Identify benefits andchallenges of diversityin American life.

2. Use the ideas in theDeclaration ofIndependence toevaluate the conductof citizens, politicalbehavior, and thepractices ofgovernment.


Content Standard 3: All students will describe the political and legal processes created to makedecisions, seek consensus and resolve conflicts in a free society. (Democracy in Action)


1. Explain how conflictsat school or in thelocal community mightbe resolved in waysthat are consistentwith core democraticvalues.

1. Describe what stateand federal courts areexpected to do.

2. Describe issues thatarise overconstitutional rights.

1. Distinguish betweencivil and criminalprocedure.

2. Identify disparitiesbetween Americanideals and realities andpropose ways toreduce them.

1. Using actual cases,evaluate theeffectiveness of civiland criminal courts inthe United States.

2. Explain why peoplemay agree ondemocratic values inthe abstract butdisagree when theyare applied to specificsituations.

3. Evaluate possibleamendments to theConstitution.

Content Standard 4: All students will explain how American governmental institutions, at the local,state, and federal levels, provide for the limitation and sharing of power and how the nation’s politicalsystem provides for the exercise of power. (American Government and Politics)


1. Identify rules at schooland in the localcommunity andconsiderconsequences forbreaking rules.

2. Describe fair ways forgroups to makedecisions.

3. Describe ways thatindividuals influenceeach other.

1. Distinguish amongmaking, enforcing, andinterpreting laws.

2. Explain how law isused to manageconflict in Americansociety.

3. Explain the basicorganization of thelocal, state, andfederal governments.

4. Describe how citizensparticipate in electioncampaigns.

1. Evaluate informationand arguments fromvarious sources inorder to evaluatecandidates for publicoffice.

2. Explain how theConstitution ismaintained as thesupreme law of theland.

1. Evaluate proposals forreform of the politicalsystem.

2. Analyze causes oftension between thebranches ofgovernment.

Content Standard 5: All students will understand how the world is organized politically, the formationof American foreign policy and the roles the United States plays in the international arena. (AmericanGovernment and World Affairs)


1. Distinguish betweenevents in this countryand events abroad.

2. Recognize that eventsin other countries canaffect Americans.

1. Explain various waysthat nations of theworld interact witheach other.

2. Describe events inother countries thathave affectedAmericans and,conversely, eventswithin

1. Describe the purposesand functions of majorinternational,governmentalorganizations.

2. Describe means usedby the United States toresolve internationalconflicts.

1. Describe the influenceof the Americanconcept of democracyand individual rights inthe world.

2. Evaluate foreign policypositions in light ofnational interests andAmerican values.


the United States thathave affected othercountries.

3. Decide what therelationship should bebetween the UnitedStates andinternationalorganizations.

IV. Economic Perspective

Content Standard 1: All students will describe and demonstrate how the economic forces of scarcity andchoice affect the management of personal financial resources, shape consumer decisions regarding thepurchase, use, and disposal of goods and services and affect the economic well-being of individuals andsociety. (Individual and Household Choices)


1. Identify ways familiesproduce and consumegoods and services.

2. List ways thatindividuals canconserve limitedresources.

1. Explain why peoplemust face scarcitywhen makingeconomic decisions.

2. Identify theopportunity costs inpersonal decisionmaking situations.

3. Use a decision makingmodel to explain apersonal choice.

4. Analyze the costs,benefits, andalternatives to usingconsumer credit.

1. Use economicreasoning whencomparing price,quality and features ofgoods and services.

2. Evaluate employmentand careeropportunities in lightof economic trends.

3. Analyze the reliabilityof information whenmaking economicdecisions.

1. Design a strategy forearning, spending,saving, and investingtheir resources.

2. Evaluate the impact onhouseholds ofalternative solutions tosocietal problems suchas health care,housing, or energyuse.

3. Analyze waysindividuals can selectsuppliers of goods andservices and protectthemselves fromdeception in themarketplace.

Content Standard 2: All students will explain and demonstrate how businesses confront scarcityand choice when organizing, producing, and using resources, and when supplying the marketplace.(Business Choices)


1. Connect economicneeds with businessesthat meet them.

2. Select a particulargood or service anddescribe the types ofresources necessaryto produce anddistribute it.

1. Distinguish betweennatural resources,human capital, andcapital equipment inthe production of agood or service.

2. Distinguish amongindividual ownership,partnership, andcorporation.

1. Using a real example,describe how businesspractices, profit, and awillingness to takerisks, enabled anentrepreneur tooperate.

2. Compare variousmethods for theproduction anddistribution of goodsand services.

1. Outline the decisionmaking process abusiness goes throughwhen decidingwhether to export to aforeign market.

2. Evaluate ways toresolve conflictsresulting fromdifferences betweenbusiness interests andcommunity values.

3. Describe the effects ofa current public policyon businesses.


3. Examine the historicaland contemporary rolea major industry hasplayed in the state ofMichigan and theUnited States.

4. Examine the historicaland contemporary rolean industry has playedand continues to playin a community.

Content Standard 3: All students will describe how government decisions on taxation, spending, publicgoods, and regulation impact what is produced, how it is produced, and who receives the benefits ofproduction. (Role of Government)


1. Describe a good orservice provided bythe local governmentand the method ofpayment.

2. Identify the goods andservices their schoolprovides and thepeople who providethem.

3. Identify an unmet localeconomic need andpropose a plan to meetit.

1. Use a decision makingmodel to explain achoice involving apublic good or service.

2. Distinguish betweenthe economic roles oflocal, state, andfederal governmentsand cite examples ofeach.

3. Use a local example toassess theeffectiveness of thegovernment atproviding public goodsor resolving aneconomic dispute.

1. Distinguish betweenpublic and privategoods usingcontemporaryexamples.

2. Identify and describedifferent forms ofeconomicmeasurement.

3. Use case studies toassess the role ofgovernment in theeconomy.

4. Distinguish differentforms of taxation anddescribe their effects.

1. Describe the use ofeconomic indicatorsand assess theiraccuracy.

2. Distinguish betweenmonetary and fiscalpolicy and explain howeach might be appliedto problems such asunemployment andinflation.

3. Comparegovernmentalapproaches toeconomic growth indeveloping countries.

4. Evaluate a governmentspending program onthe basis of itsintended andunintended results.

5. Select criteria to usein evaluating taxpolicy.

Content Standard 4: All students will explain how a free market economic system works, as well asother economic systems, to coordinate and facilitate the exchange, production, distribution, andconsumption of goods and services. (Economic Systems)


1. Identify examples ofmarkets theyexperience in theirdaily life.

2. Distinguish betweenproducers andconsumers in a marketeconomy.

1. Explain how prices aredetermined in amarket economy andhow they serve as ameans of allocatingresources.

1. Compare the historicalrecord of marketeconomies in solvingthe problem ofscarcity.

1. Use case studies toexemplify how supplyand demand, prices,incentives, and profitsdetermine what isproduced anddistributed in acompetitive worldmarket.


3. Describe how thechoices they makeimpact businessdecisions.

2. Describe how they actas a producer and aconsumer.

3. Analyze howMichigan’s location hasimpacted its economicdevelopment.

2. Describe the roles ofthe various economicinstitutions whichcomprise theAmerican economicsystem such asgovernments, businessfirms, labor unions,banks, and households.

3. Use case studies toexemplify how supplyand demand, prices,incentives, and profitsdetermine what isproduced anddistributed in theAmerican economy.

4. Analyze howpurchasers obtaininformation aboutgoods and servicesfrom advertising andother sources.

2. Describe relationshipsbetween a domesticeconomy and theinternational economicsystem.

3. Evaluate the UnitedStates and othereconomic systems ontheir ability to achievebroad social goalssuch as freedom,efficiency, equity,security, development,and stability.

4. Describe relationshipsamong the variouseconomic institutionsthat compriseeconomic systemssuch as households,business firms, banks,government agencies,and labor unions.

5. Compare and contrasta free marketeconomic system withother economicsystems.

Content Standard 5: All students will describe how trade generates economic development andinterdependence and analyze the resulting challenges and benefits for individuals, producers, andgovernment. (Trade)


1. Recognize economicexchanges in whichthey participate.

2. Identify United Statescoin and currencydenominations anddescribe the role ofcash in the exchangeof goods and services.

1. Trace the nationalorigin of commonhousehold items andthe trade flows whichbrought them to theUnited States.

2. Describe benefits ofinternational trade toconsumers andproducers.

3. Describe howbusinesses areinvolved in trade asproducers,distributors,importers, andexporters.

1. Identify the currentand potentialcontributions ofnational and worldregions to trade.

2. Examine the role ofthe United Statesgovernment inregulating commerceas stated in the UnitedStates Constitution.

3. Describe the historicaldevelopment of thedifferent means ofpayment such asbarter, preciousmetals, or currency tofacilitate exchange.

1. Evaluate the benefitsand problems of aneconomic system builton voluntaryexchange.

2. Trace the historicaldevelopment ofinternational tradingties.

3. Explain howspecialization,interdependence andeconomic developmentare related.

4. Describe the effect ofcurrency exchange,tariffs, quotas, andproduct standards onworld trade anddomestic economicactivity.


V. Inquiry

Content Standard 1: All students will acquire information from books, maps, newspapers, data setsand other sources, organize and present the information in maps, graphs, charts and timelines,interpret the meaning and significance of information, and use a variety of electronic technologiesto assist in accessing and managing information. (Information Processing)


1. Locate informationusing people, books,audio/videorecordings, photos,simple maps, graphsand tables.

2. Acquire informationfrom observation ofthe localenvironment.

3. Organize informationto make and interpretsimple maps of theirlocal surroundings andsimple graphs andtables of social datadrawn from theirexperience.

1. Locate informationabout local, state andnational communitiesusing a variety oftraditional sources,electronictechnologies, anddirect observations.

2. Organize socialscience information tomake maps, graphsand tables.

3. Interpret socialscience informationabout local, state, andnational communitiesfrom maps, graphs,and charts.

1. Locate and interpretinformation about thenatural environmentsand cultures ofcountries using avariety of primary andsecondary sources andelectronictechnologies, includingcomputers andtelecommunicationswhere appropriate.

2. Use traditional andelectronic means toorganize socialscience informationand to make maps,graphs, and tables.

3. Interpret socialscience informationabout the naturalenvironment andcultures of countriesfrom a variety ofprimary andsecondary sources.

1. Locate informationpertaining to a specificsocial science topicin-depth using avariety of sources andelectronictechnologies.

2. Use traditional andelectronic means toorganize and interpretinformation pertainingto a specific socialscience topic andprepare it for in-depthpresentation.

3. Developgeneralizationspertaining to a specificsocial science topic byinterpretinginformation from avariety of sources.

Content Standard 2: All students will conduct investigations by formulating a clear statement of aquestion, gathering and organizing information from a variety of sources, analyzing andinterpreting information, formulating and testing hypotheses, reporting results both orally and inwriting, and making use of appropriate technology. (Conducting Investigations)


1. Pose a question aboutlife in their school orlocal community.

2. Gather and analyzeinformation in order toanswer the questionposed.

3. Construct an answerto the question posedand support theiranswer with evidence.

4. Report the results oftheir investigation.

1. Pose a social sciencequestion aboutMichigan or the UnitedStates.

2. Gather and analyzeinformation usingappropriateinformationtechnologies toanswer the questionposed.


1. Pose a social sciencequestion about aculture, world region,or internationalproblem.

2. Gather and analyzeinformation usingappropriateinformationtechnologies toanswer the questionposed.


1. Conduct aninvestigation promptedby a social sciencequestion and comparealternativeinterpretations of theirfindings.

2. Report the results oftheir investigationincluding proceduresfollowed and arationale for theirconclusions.


4. Report the result oftheir investigationincluding theprocedures followed.

4. Report the results oftheir investigationincluding proceduresfollowed and possiblealternativeconclusions.

VI. Public Discourse and Decision Making

Content Standard 1: All students will state an issue clearly as a question of public policy, trace theorigins of the issue, analyze various perspectives people bring to the issue and evaluate possibleways to resolve the issue. (Identifying and Analyzing Issues)


1. Pose a question aboutmatters of publicconcern that theyhave encountered inschool or in the localcommunity.

2. Compare their ownviewpoint about thematter raised withthat of anotherindividual.

1. Pose local, state, andnational policy issuesas questions.

2. Explain how aparticular public issuebecame a problem andwhy people disagreeabout it.

3. Evaluate possibleresolutions of a publicissue.

1. State public policyissues and theirrelated ethical,definitional, andfactual issues asquestions.

2. Trace the origins of apublic issue.

3. Explain how cultureand experiences shapepositions that peopletake on an issue.

1. Generate possiblealternative resolutionsto public issues andevaluate them usingcriteria that have beenidentified.

Content Standard 2: All students will engage their peers in constructive conversation aboutmatters of public concern by clarifying issues, considering opposing views, applying democraticvalues, anticipating consequences, and working toward making decisions. (Group Discussion)


1. Engage each other inconversations aboutissues pertaining togoverning their school.

1. Engage each other inconversations whichattempt to clarify andresolve issuespertaining to local,state, and nationalpolicy.

1. Engage each other inconversations whichattempt to clarify andresolve national andinternational policyissues.

1. Engage each other inelaboratedconversations thatdeeply examine publicpolicy issues and helpmake reasoned andinformed decisions.

Content Standard 3: All students will compose coherent written essays that express a position ona public issue and justify the position with reasoned arguments. (Persuasive Writing)


1. Compose briefstatements expressinga decision on an issuein the school or localcommunity.

1. Compose a short essayexpressing a decisionon a local, state, ornational policy issue.

1. Compose essaysexpressing decisionson national andinternational policyissues.

1. Compose extensivelyelaborated essaysexpressing andjustifying decisions onpublic policy issues.


VII. Citizen Involvement

Content Standard 1: All students will consider the effects of an individual’s actions on otherpeople, how one acts in accordance with the rule of law, and how one acts in a virtuous andethically responsible way as a member of society. (Responsible Personal Conduct)


1. Help to determine,interpret and enforceschool rules.

2. Participate in projectsdesigned to helpothers in their localcommunity.

1. Report how theirbehavior has beenguided by concern forthe law.

2. Engage in activitiesintended to contributeto solving a local, stateor national problemthey have studied.

1. Use laws and otherethical rules toevaluate their ownconduct and theconduct of others.

2. Engage in activitiesintended to contributeto solving a national orinternational problemthey have studied.

1. Act out of respect forthe rule of law andhold othersaccountable to thesame standard.

2. Plan and conductactivities intended toadvance their viewson matters of publicpolicy, report theresults of their effortsand evaluate theireffectiveness.