Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Proposed Guiding Questions, Connecticut Social Studies FrameworkConnecticut State Department of Education - State Social Studies Framework Revision Committee (Working Draft)

May 2, 2005

Standard 1: Historical Thinking

Students will develop historical thinking, including chronological thinking and recognizing change over time; contextualizing, comprehending and analyzing historical literature; researching historical sources; understanding the concept of historical causation understanding competing narratives and interpretation; and constructing narratives and interpretations.

Guiding Question:

How does history affect our understanding of the past, present and future?

Standard 2: Local, State and United States History

Students will use historical thinking skills to develop an understanding of the major historical periods, issues and trends in United States, World, Connecticut and local history. Education experiences in Grades K-12 will assure that students use historical thinking skills to study important periods with escalating scales of breadth and depth.

Guiding Question:

How does study of historical periods, issues and trends affect our understanding of the past, present and future?

Standard 3: Historical Themes

Students will apply their understanding of historical periods, issues and trends to examine such historical themes as ideals, beliefs and institutions; conflict resolution; human movement and interaction; and science and technology in order to understand how the world came to be the way it is.

Guiding Question:

How does the study of historical themes help us to understand change over time and adapt and respond to new challenges?

Standard 4: United States Constitution and Government

Students will apply knowledge of the United States Constitution, how the system of government works and how the rule of law and the values of liberty and equality have an impact on individual, local, state and national decisions.

Guiding Question:

How do principles in the United States Constitution impact individual, local, state and national decisions?

Standard 5: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizens to participate in and shape public policy, and contribute to the maintenance of our democratic way of life.

Guiding Question:

How can citizens shape and influence democratic processes and government?

Standard 6: Political Systems

Students will explain that political systems emanate from the need of humans for order, leading to compromise and the establishment of authority.

Guiding Question:

Why do governments exist and how do they work?

Standard 7: International Relations

Students will demonstrate an understanding of how the major elements of international relations and world affairs affect their lives and the security and well- being of their community, state and nation.

Guiding Question:

How do global affairs impact the lives of all people?

Standard 8: Physical Systems

Students will use spatial perspective to explain the physical processes that shape the Earth’s surface and its ecosystems.

Guiding Question:

How do physical processes shape the Earth’s surface and its ecosystems?

Standard 9: Places and Regions

Students will use spatial perspective to identify and analyze the significance of physical and cultural characteristics of places and world regions.

Guiding Question:

How do physical and cultural characteristics of places and world regions affect people?

Standard 10: Human Systems

Students will interpret spatial patterns of human migration, economic activities and political units in Connecticut, the nation and the world.

Guiding Question:

How does human migration, economic activity and political units affect people and their way of life?

Standard 11: Human and Environmental Interaction

Students will use geographic tools and technology to explain the interactions of humans and the larger environment, and the evolving consequences of those interactions.

Guiding Question:

How does human and environment interaction change our lives?

Standard 12: Limited Resources

Students will demonstrate that because human, natural and capital resources are limited, individuals, households, businesses and governments must make choices.

Guiding Question:

How do limited resources affect choices by individuals, households, businesses and governments?

Standard 13: Economic Systems

Students will demonstrate that economic systems coexist, and that economic decisions are made by individuals and/or governments, influenced by markets, cultural traditions, individuals and governments in the allocation of goods and services.

Guiding Question:

How do different economic systems affect the allocation of goods and services?

Standard 14: Economic Interdependence

Students will demonstrate how the exchange of goods and services by individuals, groups and nations, creates economic interdependence and how trade results in change.

Guiding Question:

How does economic interdependence affect the economic lives of people?

Friday, April 08, 2005

Proposed Guiding Questions, Connecticut Social Studies Framework
Connecticut State Department of Education - State Social Studies Framework Revision Committee (Working Draft)


As of: Thursday, April 07, 2005

Standard 1: Historical Thinking

Students will develop historical thinking, including chronological thinking and recognizing change over time; contextualizing, comprehending and analyzing historical literature; researching historical sources; understanding the concept of historical causation understanding competing narratives and interpretation; and constructing narratives and interpretations.

Guiding Questions:
- How does history affect our understanding of the past, present and future?
- What recurrent themes and events do we see throughout history?
- How does context influence our perception of historical events?
- Why is it important to look at multiple perspectives in the study of history?
- How does historical thinking affect our understanding of the past, present and future?

Standard 2: Local, State and United States History

Students will use historical thinking skills to develop an understanding of the major historical periods, issues and trends in United States, World, Connecticut and local history. Education experiences in Grades K-12 will assure that students use historical thinking skills to study important periods with escalating scales of breadth and depth.

Guiding Questions:
- How does study of historical periods, issues and trends in United States, World, Connecticut and local history affect our understanding of the past, present and future.

Standard 3: Historical Themes

Students will apply their understanding of historical periods, issues and trends to examine such historical themes as ideals, beliefs and institutions; conflict resolution; human movement and interaction; and science and technology in order to understand how the world came to be the way it is.

Guiding Questions:
- How have ideals, beliefs and institutions changed over time to adapt to new challenges?
- What is conflict? How has it shaped our culture and the perceptions that others have of us and we have of other cultures?
- What are factors that can influence and change culture?
- What does it mean to be a global citizen?

Standard 4: United States Constitution and Government

Students will apply knowledge of the United States Constitution, how the system of government works and how the rule of law and the values of liberty and equality have an impact on individual, local, state and national decisions.

Guiding Questions:
- In what manner can people impact change within our government?
- What is our American government structured and organized? What is the “balance of power”?
- What are the strengths and weakness of our democracy?
- What does the term “government by consent” mean? How is our American democracy representative of this idea?
- How do principles in the United States Constitution impact individual, local, state and national decisions?

Standard 5: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

Students will demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizens to participate in and shape public policy, and contribute to the maintenance of our democratic way of life.

Guiding Questions:
- What is a “model citizen”? How has this notion changed over time?
- How does the Constitution shape American political governance?
- What should be the balance between collective interest, the interest of the government, and individual rights?
- How does being an American citizen carry a number of both rights and responsibilities?
- How does knowledge of our democratic principles shape public policy and our way of life?

Standard 6: Political Systems

Students will explain that political systems emanate from the need of humans for order, leading to compromise and the establishment of authority.

Guiding Questions:
- Why do humans have the innate need for order? How does this need transfer into the development of political systems?
- What is authority? How is authority legitimized?
- Is there such a thing as the tyranny of the majority?
- Who is in control, a government or its citizenship?
- Does the government exist to serve the people, or do the people exist to serve the government?
- Why do governments exist and how do they work?

Standard 7: International Relations

Students will demonstrate an understanding of how the major elements of international relations and world affairs affect their lives and the security and well- being of their community, state and nation.

Guiding Questions:
- How do global affairs impact the lives of all people? How do they affect our communities, our state and our nation?
- What do nations attempt to accomplish through foreign policy and international dialogue?
- What actors formulate foreign policy? What often divergent interests do these actors serve?
- How does international relations and world affairs impact the security and well-being of community, state and nation?

Standard 8: Physical Systems

Students will use spatial perspective to explain the physical processes that shape the Earth’s surface and its ecosystems.

Guiding Questions:
- What is an ecosystem? What factors associated with economic development affect the health and life of an ecosystem?
- How is the field of geography considered both a social science and a hard science?
- How do physical processes shape the Earth’s surface and its ecosystems?
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Standard 9: Places and Regions

Students will use spatial perspective to identify and analyze the significance of physical and cultural characteristics of places and world regions.

Guiding Questions:
- By what parameters are places and regions identified and delineated?
- Why do different groups in society view places and regions differently?
- How do physical and cultural characteristics of places and world regions affect people?

Standard 10: Human Systems

Students will interpret spatial patterns of human migration, economic activities and political units in Connecticut, the nation and the world.

Guiding Questions:
- Why do people migrate?
- What motivates people to engage in economic activity and political involvement?
- How does human migration, economic activity and political units affect people and their way of life?

Standard 11: Human and Environmental Interaction

Students will use geographic tools and technology to explain the interactions of humans and the larger environment, and the evolving consequences of those interactions.

Guiding Questions:
- How are human beings and the environment intrinsically linked?
- What are the purposes of maps, globes, charts and other geographic tools, and how do they lead to a greater understanding of the physical world?
- How does human and environment interaction change our lives?

Standard 12: Limited Resources

Students will demonstrate that because human, natural and capital resources are limited, individuals, households, businesses and governments must make choices.

Guiding Questions:
- Given the scarcity of human, natural and capital resources, what is the best way to determine how to develop these resources?
- How do market pressures and government relations impact the use of resources?
- How do limited resources affect choices by individuals, households, businesses and governments?

Standard 13: Economic Systems

Students will demonstrate that economic systems coexist, and that economic decisions are made by individuals and/or governments, influenced by markets, cultural traditions, individuals and governments in the allocation of goods and services.

Guiding Questions:
- What purpose does economic trade fulfill?
- What factors determine and cause changes with a market?
- How do different economic systems affect the allocation of goods and services?

Standard 14: Economic Interdependence

Students will demonstrate how the exchange of goods and services by individuals, groups and nations, creates economic interdependence and how trade results in change.

Guiding Questions:
- Does foreign trade restrict states from pursuing certain types of foreign policy and diplomacy?
- Why do different governments pursue different development strategies?
- How does economic interdependence affect the economic lives of people?

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Social Studies Framework Committee

Welcome to the Social Studies Framework Committee website. The first meeting will be held at the State Office Building, 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106 on Tuesday, February 1, 2005, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held in Room 121, the State Property Review Board Room.

Directions to the Department can be found by clicking on the following weblink:

http://www.state.ct.us/sde/Directions/index.htm

Daniel W. Gregg
Social Studies Consultant
Connecticut State Department of Education
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
860-713-6744
dan.gregg@po.state.ct.us