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INTRODUCTION
St. Philomena School Model Content
Standards for History
Why Study History?
The study of history is essential
in developing citizens who understand contemporary
issues with a depth and wisdom drawn from the
experience of the past. Without history, a society
shares no common memory of where it has been,
of what its core values are, or of what decisions
of the past account for present circumstances.
Lacking a collective memory of important things,
people lapse into political amnesia, unable
to understand what newspapers are saying, to
hear what is in — or left out of —
a speech, or to talk to each other about public
questions. To quote the Bradley Commission on
History in Schools, the study of history ...
| "helps students to develop
a sense of 'shared humanity'; to understand
themselves and ... how they resemble and
how they differ from other people, over
time and space; to question stereotypes
of others, and of themselves; to discern
the difference between fact and conjecture;
to grasp the complexity of historical cause;
to distrust the simple answer and the dismissive
explanation; to respect particularity and
avoid false analogy; to recognize the abuse
of historical 'lessons' and to weigh the
possible consequences of such abuse; to
consider that ignorance of the past may
make us prisoners of it; to realize that
not all problems have solutions; to be prepared
for the irrational, the accidental, in human
affairs, and to grasp the power of ideas
and character in history." (Gagnon, 1988). |
Such a broad and deep understanding
of history enriches individual experiences as
students go on to take their place as stewards
of the principles of a democratic society, as
inheritors of many cultures, and as members
of an economically interdependent and culturally
diverse world.
Why History Standards?
A national debate is under way over
the structure of, and standards for, the social
studies curriculum in schools. Some contend
that standards should be written for the social
studies, not for individual disciplines within
that field. Others contend that each of the
disciplines, such as history, geography, and
civics, makes its own unique contribution to
the social studies and therefore requires separate
standards. House Bill 93-1313 specifically calls
for model content standards in history, geography,
and civics. Therefore, the Standards and Assessments
Development and Implementation Council, in articulating
a position that is consistent with that legal
obligation, has developed Model Content Standards
for History.
The Council adopted the position
that history and geography provide the frameworks
of time and place on which the concepts of the
other social studies disciplines can be organized.
The identification of separate standards for
history, geography, and civics is in no way
intended to specify that the content be taught
in that manner. Rather, history and geography
should be seen as broadly integrative subjects
that serve as the essential links among the
social studies. This perspective empowers educators
to make professional choices about when to address
the discrete pieces of individual disciplines
and when integration is most appropriate.
As the reader examines these six
standards, it may be useful to consider that
they fall into two categories. The first two
standards address the processes involved in
the study of history, chronological organization,
and historical inquiry. The remaining four standards
outline the areas of content to be studies,
that is, what students need to know. While there
is certainly overlap, this distinction may help
the reader better understand the structure of
the standards.
Model Content Standards
History
1. Students understand the
chronological organization of history and know
how to organize events and people into major
eras to identify and explain historical relationships.
2. Students know how to use
the processes and resources of historical inquiry.
3. Students understand that
societies are diverse and have changed over
time.
4. Students understand how
science, technology, and economic activity have
developed, changed, and affected societies throughout
history.
5. Students understand political
institutions and theories that have developed
and changed over time.
6. Students know that religious
and philosophical ideas have been powerful forces
throughout history.
STANDARD
1:
Students understand the chronological organization
of history and know how to organize events and
people into major eras to identify and explain
historical relationships.
RATIONALE:
Chronological thinking is at the very heart
of historical reasoning. It provides the framework
for organizing historical thought: for determining
the order in time of historical developments;
for determining how long they lasted; and for
examining the various relationships among historical
events. It also provides students with a sense
of their past, which is necessary for them to
understand the present and see possibilities
for the future.
1.1 Students know the general chronological
order of events and people in history.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Chronologically organizing significant events,
groups, and people in the history of Rhode
Island.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Chronologically organizing major events
and people which form the foundation of United
States history in the chronological context
of the history of the Americas and the world.
1.2 Students use chronology to organize
historical events and people.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Creating timelines that show people and
events in sequence using days, weeks, months,
years, decades, and centuries; and
- Creating a brief historical narrative that
chronologically organizes people and events
in the history of their family heritage.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Identifying examples of how various cultures
have used calendars to organize and measure
time;
- Constructing tiered timelines to show how
different series of events happened simultaneously;
and
- Illustrating the time structure of events
in historical narratives.
1.3 Students use chronology to examine and
explain historical relationships.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Identifying cause-and-effect relationships
in a sequence of events.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Interpreting historical data to determine
cause-effect and time-order relationships;
and
- Explaining patterns and identifying themes
in related events over time.
STANDARD
2:
Students know how to use the processes and
resources of historical inquiry.
RATIONALE:
The study of history requires obtaining
and deriving meaning from historical information.
It is essential that students of history be
able to use the processes of historical inquiry
to formulate historical questions, identify
patterns of events, analyze cause-and-effect
relationships, and evaluate historical arguments
in order to make usable conclusions. In addition,
the skills needed for evaluating historical
arguments are fundamental for understanding
current social issues and policy.
2.1 Students know how to formulate questions
and hypotheses regarding what happened in the
past and to obtain and analyze historical data
to answer questions and test hypotheses.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Posing and answering questions about the
past; and
- Gathering historical data from multiple
sources (for example, oral histories, interviews,
diaries, letters, newspapers, literature,
speeches, texts, maps, photographs, art works,
and available technology.)
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Distinguishing between primary and secondary
sources;
- Interpreting the data in historical maps,
photographs, art works, and other artifacts;
and
- Examining data for point of view, historical
context, bias, distortion, or propaganda.
2.2 Students apply knowledge of the past
to analyze present-day issues and events from
multiple, historically objective perspectives.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to includes
- Comparing past and present-day situations
and events.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Examining current concepts, issues, events,
and themes from multiple, historical perspectives.
STANDARD
3:
Students understand that societies are
diverse and have changed over time.
RATIONALE:
An understanding of the history of societies
is indispensable to an understanding of the
rest of history and to the understanding by
individual students of their roles in the societies
in which they live. Students need to understand
the interactions that led to the diversity of
societies and family and kinship groupings.
They need to understand how contacts and exchanges
between and among individuals, peoples, and
cultures since earliest times have affected
societies throughout history. They also need
to be able to identify and describe the cultural
heritage of the United States.
3.1 Students know how various societies
were affected by contacts and exchanges among
diverse peoples.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Recognizing how the presence, interactions,
and contributions of various groups and cultures
have affected the school, neighborhood, community,
and state; and
- Describing the history, interactions, and
contributions of the various peoples and cultures
that have lived in or migrated to the area
that is now Rhode Island (for example,
African-Americans, Asian Americans, European
Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing the common traits and characteristics
that unite the United States as a nation and
a society;
- Describing the history, interactions, and
contributions of the various peoples and cultures
that have lived in or migrated, immigrated,
or were brought to the Western Hemisphere;
- Describing the history, interaction, and
contributions of various groups of people
who make up the major culture regions of the
world; and
- Explaining how the cultures of the earliest
civilizations spread and interacted (for
example, the civilizations of the river valleys
of India, Africa, Mesopotamia and Native Americans).
3.2 Students understand the history of social
organization in various societies.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Identifying reasons for living in social
groups;
- Describing important components of the
cultural heritage of the United States; and
- Recognizing that there are families and
cultures around the world.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing and giving examples of basic
elements of culture and social organization;
- Explaining how forces of tradition have
acted to maintain elements of social organization
throughout history;
- Comparing how roles of people have differed
throughout history based on various factors
(for example, gender, age, caste, racial identity,
wealth, and/or social positions); and
- Describing how social roles and the characteristics
of social organization have both changed and
endured in the United States throughout its
history (for example, family structures,
community structures).
STANDARD
4:
Students understand how science, technology,
and economic activity have developed, changed,
and affected societies throughout history.
RATIONALE:
Major scientific, technological, and economic
developments have profoundly affected people's
lives and the social and political structures
under which they have lived. They appear first
in earliest prehistoric societies and continue
to today's highly technological and economically
interdependent societies. Students need to understand
the history of developments in science and technology
and of economic activity in order to participate
as informed citizens.
4.1 Students understand the impact of scientific
and technological developments on individuals
and societies.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Comparing the lives of hunters and gatherers
to the lives of people who cultivated plants
and raised domesticated animals for food;
- Describing the impact of various technological
developments on the local community and the
state (for example, irrigation, transportation,
communication); and
- Identifying individual achievements of
scientists and inventors from many cultures
and describing their achievements (for
example, the Persian scientist and mathematician
who invented equations and coined the term
"algebra"; Johann Gutenberg and the printing
press; Galileo and the telescope; Isaac Newton
and the theory of gravity; Eli Whitney and
the cotton gin; Marie Curie and radiation).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Explaining the significance of the achievements
of individual scientists and inventors from
many cultures (for example, the impact
of germ theory on medical practice and sanitation;
the impact of the steamship on transportation
and trade; the impact of the printing press
on who had access to books and knowledge).
- Describing and explaining how industrialization
influences the movement of people (for
example, to and from urban, suburban, and
rural areas);
- Identifying and explaining the consequences
of scientific and technological changes
(for example, navigation, transportation,
printing, weaponry, agriculture, communication,
and medicine); and
- Relating differences in technology to differences
in how people live in various regions of the
world.
4.2 Students understand how economic factors
have influenced historical events.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Describing the economic reasons why people
move to or from a location (for example,
explorers, nomadic people, miners, traders).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Explaining how the economy of the Western
United States has historically depended upon
natural resources and how this has affected
the region;
- Explaining how economic factors influenced
historical events in the United States and
in various regions of the world; and
- Explaining how societies are and have been
linked by economic factors.
4.3 Students understand the historical development
and know the characteristics of various economic
systems.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Describing different systems of exchange
that can be used (for example, barter, money).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing the general characteristics
of economic systems (for example, scarcity,
growth, distribution of goods and services,
production, and consumption); and
- Describing historical events and individuals
in the economic development of the United
States.
STANDARD
5:
Students understand political institutions
and theories that have developed and changed
over time.
RATIONALE:
People living together in societies address
the issues of cooperation and control through
their political systems and ideologies. All
societies endeavor to preserve law and security.
A theme central to this area is the evolution
of democratic forms of government and the long
struggle for liberty, equality, justice, and
dignity. The challenge for our nation, as a
constitutional republic, is to provide liberty
and justice for all citizens. To become effective
citizens in a democratic republic, students
must be able to deal with the inherent tensions
and inevitable conflicts caused by the pursuit
of both principles of liberty and equality,
and of individual rights and justice. Students
need to understand that none of these principles
can be sacrificed during difficult times if
democratic government is to endure.
5.1 Students understand how democratic ideas
and institutions in the United States have developed,
changed, and/or been maintained.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Identifying historical figures from diverse
backgrounds in the United States who have
advanced the rights of individuals and promoted
the common good;
- Explaining the importance of national celebrations,
symbols, and ideas in their historical context.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Explaining the historical development of
democratic governmental principles and institutions;
- Describing the basic ideas set forth in
the Declaration of Independence, Articles
of Confederation, Constitution , and Bill
of Rights; and
- Giving examples of extensions and restrictions
of political and civil rights in United States
history.
5.2 Students know how various systems of
government have developed and functioned throughout
history.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Explaining why rules and laws have been
established and enforced in schools, communities,
states, and nations; and
- Giving examples of different heads of government
(for example, presidents, kings, mayors,
governors).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Identifying the ancient and medieval roots
of governmental principles and institutions
(for example, Hammurabi's Code, Roman Republicanism,
Mosaic Law, Greek Democracy, Islamic Law,
Medieval England);
- Describing the basic forms of government,
and giving examples of societies that have
practiced them (for example, monarchy,
oligarchy, clan/tribal, autocracy, dynasties,
theocracy, republic, democracy); and
- Describing how various other nations have
pursued, established, and maintained democratic
forms of government.
5.3 Students know how political power has
been acquired, maintained, used, and/or lost
throughout history.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Giving examples of how individuals in various
groups have gained, lost, or maintained political
rights, freedoms, power, or cultural identity
in the history of the community, region, or
state.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing how attributes of various people
have affected their individual political rights
(for example, gender, racial identity, national
origin, property ownership, religion, legal
status);
- Describing how military and/or economic
expansion resulted in the assumption or seizure
of political power throughout history; and
- Describing how forms of involuntary servitude
have been used to maintain and expand political
power throughout history (for example,
slavery, serfdom, impressment).
5.4 Students know the history of relationships
among different political powers and the development
of international relations.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Giving examples of how members of families
and communities depend on each other; and
- Giving examples of how states and regions
have become interdependent.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing how the relationships between
the United States and external political powers
developed with the growth of the nation; and
- Identifying basic pattern of political
alliances in the modern world.
STANDARD
6:
Students know that religious and philosophical
ideas have been powerful forces throughout history.
RATIONALE:
From the great questions of human existence,
religious and philosophical answers have emerged
with power to move entire peoples to action.
Because religion plays a significant role in
history and society, study about religion is
essential to understanding both the nation and
the world. Omission of facts about religion
can give students the false impression that
the religious life of humankind is insignificant
or unimportant. Knowledge of the basic symbols
and practices of various religions and the concepts
of various philosophies help students understand
history, literature, art, and contemporary life.
6.1 Students know the historical development
of religions and philosophies.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Recognizing that people develop traditions
that transmit their beliefs and ideas (for
example, marriage ceremonies, feasts, naming
of infants).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing religious traditions of various
ethnic groups in the United States;
- Describing religious developments in United
States history (for example, the Puritans,
the Great Awakening, the Christian Abolitionists,
the Mission System, the Mormon Trek, the founding
of utopian religious communities); and
- Describing different religious concepts
that have developed throughout history
(for example, monotheism and polytheism).
6.2 Students know how societies have been
affected by religions and philosophies.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do include
- Giving examples of how the beliefs of people
are reflected in the celebrations and practices
of their community.
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Giving examples of how religious and philosophical
beliefs have defined standard of right and
wrong, good and evil, and justice and injustice;
and
- Giving and describing examples of individuals
who, throughout history, acted from their
religious or philosophical beliefs.
6.3 Students know how various forms of expression
reflect religious beliefs and philosophical
ideas.
GRADES K-4
In grades K-4, what students know and are able
to do includes
- Giving examples of forms of expression that
depict the history, daily life, and beliefs
of various peoples (for example, folk tales,
ballads, dance, and architecture).
GRADES 5-8
As students in grades 5-8 extend their knowledge,
what they know and are able to do includes
- Describing how societies have used various
forms of visual arts, dance, theater, and
music to express their religious beliefs and
philosophical ideas throughout history;
- Giving examples of the unique art forms
that characterize the various ethnic groups
in the United States and the religious or
philosophical ideas they express;
- Explaining how stories, myths, and other
forms of literature and oral traditions reflect
the beliefs of cultures and societies; and
- Explaining the religious or philosophical
significance of structures such as pyramids,
cathedrals, and burial mounds.
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