Standards
Individuals, governments and businesses must analyze costs and benefits when making economic decisions. A cost-benefit analysis consists of determining the potential costs and benefits of an action and then balancing the costs against the benefits.
Generate resourceThe variability in the distribution of productive resources in the various regions of the world contributed to specialization, trade and interdependence.
Generate resourceThe growth of cities and empires fostered the growth of markets. Market exchanges encouraged specialization and the transition from barter to monetary economies.
Generate resourceMaps and other geographic representations can be used to trace the development of human settlement over time.
Generate resourceGeographic factors promote or impede the movement of people, products and ideas.
Generate resourceTrade routes connecting Africa, Europe and Asia helped foster the spread of ideas, technology, goods and major world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) that impacted the Eastern Hemisphere.
Generate resourceImprovements in transportation, communication and technology have facilitated cultural diffusion among peoples around the world.
Generate resourceAnalyzing individual and group perspectives is essential to understanding historic and contemporary issues. Opportunities for civic engagement exist for students to connect real-world issues and events to classroom learning.
Generate resourceGreek democracy and the Roman Republic were a radical departure from monarchy and theocracy, influencing the structure and function of modern democratic governments.
Generate resourceWith the decline of feudalism, consolidation of power resulted in the emergence of nation-states.
Generate resourceHistorians and archaeologists describe historical events and issues from the perspectives of people living at the time to avoid evaluating the past in terms of today's norms and values.
Generate resourceEuropean economic and cultural influence dramatically increased through explorations, conquests and colonization.
Generate resourceThe Columbian exchange (i.e., the exchange of fauna, flora and pathogens) among previously unconnected parts of the world reshaped societies in ways still evident today.
Generate resourceThe civilizations that developed in Greece and Rome had an enduring impact on later civilizations. This legacy includes governance and law, engineering and technology, art and architecture, as well as literature and history. The Roman Empire also played an instrumental role in the spread of Christianity.
Generate resourceThe Roman Empire collapsed due to various internal and external factors (political, social and economic) which led to the development of feudalism and the manorial system in the region. The fall of Rome and later invasions also allowed for the creation of new empires in the region.
Generate resourceThe Mongols conquered much of Asia which led to unified states in China and Korea. Mongol failure to conquer Japan allowed a feudal system to persist.
Generate resourceAchievements in medicine, science, mathematics and geography by the Islamic civilization dominated most of the Mediterranean after the decline of the Roman Empire. These achievements were introduced into Western Europe as a result of the Muslim conquests, Crusades and trade, influencing the European Renaissance.
Generate resourceThe decline of feudalism, the rise of nation-states and the Renaissance in Europe introduced revolutionary ideas, leading to cultural, scientific and social changes.
Generate resourceThe Reformation introduced changes in religion including the emergence of Protestant faiths and a decline in the political power and social influence of the Roman Catholic Church.
Generate resourceEmpires in Africa and Asia grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade routes.
Generate resourceThe advent of the trans-Saharan slave trade had profound effects on both West and Central Africa and the receiving societies.
Generate resourceHistorians and archaeologists describe historical events and issues from the perspectives of people living at the time to avoid evaluating the past in terms of today’s norms and values.
Generate resourceIdentify a person who studies the past, usually through written records, as a historian.
Generate resourceIdentify a person who studies past cultures through artifacts (items people have made, used, or modified) as an archaeologist.
Generate resourceIdentify that artifacts are examples of life during a given time-period.
Generate resourceIdentify that people throughout history have left evidence behind called artifacts.
Generate resourceAssociate history with the past and current event related to the present.
Generate resourceEngage with images of items from different periods that have been used for a common human need (e.g., cooking, clothing, gathering/hunting food)
Generate resourceEuropean economic and cultural influence dramatically increased through explorations, conquests and colonization.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that as people move from place to place they share cultural and economic practices.
Generate resourceIdentify environmental factors that might influence people to move (e.g., drought, flooding, pollution).
Generate resourceIdentify economic factors that might influence people to move (e.g., new opportunities for work, access to resources, etc.).
Generate resourceEngage with images and representations of colonization (e.g., paintings, journal entries, etc.).
Generate resourceEngage with individuals within school or community who have immigrated or migrated into the local community.
Generate resourceProvide two reasons why people would go to a new place (e.g., move to a new place, visit family, see new things, meet new people).
Generate resourceProvide one detail about visiting a new place (e.g., going to a new store, going on vacation, visiting a different city or state).
Generate resourceThe Columbian Exchange (e.g., the exchange of fauna, flora, and pathogens) among previously unconnected parts of the world reshaped societies in ways still evident today.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that the Columbian Exchange was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Generate resourceSort items of today based on country of origin (e.g., “made in” labels).
Generate resourceIdentify animals, plants, and other goods traded in the Columbian Exchange.
Generate resourceSimulate with manipulatives to represent the movement of goods in the Columbian Exchange.
Generate resourceEngage with maps that show the trans-Atlantic connections/routes between Europe, America, and Africa.
Generate resourceDescribe how flora, fauna, and pathogens reshaped societies (e.g., potatoes became a staple crop in Ireland; horses became an important tool of the plains-dwelling Native Americans).
Generate resourceMaps and other geographic representations can be used to trace the development of human settlement over time.
Generate resourceMatch map types with their intended purpose (e.g., architectural map/building or design, topographical/ landforms, physical maps with features, (bodies of water, forests, mountains) road maps/navigation, climate map/ weather, political maps/state and national boundaries, etc.).
Generate resourceIdentify the different features of maps that make them useful for different purposes (e.g., key, latitude/longitude lines, equator, topography, labels, etc.).
Generate resourceIdentify possible uses for maps or models (e.g., building exits, navigation, weather forecast).
Generate resourceMatch a map or model with a photo or other representation of a real place.
Generate resourceEngage with different representations of the same location (e.g., topographic map vs. municipal map).
Generate resourceRecognize that maps can change over time as a result of political, social, and environmental events.
Generate resourceRecognize that maps of the same location can look different depending on their purpose.
Generate resourceGeographic factors promote or impede the movement of people, products, and ideas.
Generate resourceIdentify that as people migrate to new lands they spread ideas (cultural, economic, political).
Generate resourceAcknowledge that the availability of natural resources offered economic opportunities and promoted migration.
Generate resourceIdentify ways that people use natural resources to make products to trade.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that natural disasters like drought cause people to migrate to more fertile lands.
Generate resourceIdentify environmental factors that might influence people to move (e.g., drought, flooding, pollution).
Generate resourceLocate different geographic features on a map (e.g., land, water, and mountains)
Generate resourceIdentify geographic factors that impact people. (e.g.,. natural resources, altitude, boundaries, terrain, etc.).
Generate resourceEngage with individuals within school or community who have immigrated or migrated into the local community.
Generate resourceIdentify an idea that has moved from one area to another (e.g., cultural foods).
Generate resourceTrade routes connecting Africa, Europe, and Asia helped foster the spread of ideas, technology, goods, and major world religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism) that impacted the Eastern Hemisphere.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that as people trade goods from place to place they spread ideas, technology, goods, and religion.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that people of different religions may have different beliefs.
Generate resourceIdentify the results of trade routes connecting Africa, Asia, and Europe (e.g., ideas, technology, goods, major world religions).
Generate resourceImprovements in transportation, communication, and technology have facilitated cultural diffusion among peoples around the world.
Generate resourceCreate a heat map to show the travel of innovations from their place of origin to other areas across the globe. Compare speed of diffusion from past to present.
Generate resourceArrange improvements that were made over time from one category (transportation, communication, or technology) onto a timeline from past to present.
Generate resourceIdentify the common practices and beliefs of a group of people as culture.
Generate resourceMatch images of current technology with their function (e.g., communication, transportation).
Generate resourceSort models or representations of forms of transportation and communication technologies into “today” and “long ago.”
Generate resourceEngage with models or representations of current forms of transportation (e.g., cars, school buses, airplanes).
Generate resourceEngage with a comparison of various communication technologies (e.g., old car phones, beepers, answering machines, rotary phones, old cell phones).
Generate resourceEngage in viewing or listening to media that addresses global issues/events.
Generate resourceExplain how current technologies have improved upon past technologies (e.g., transportation, communication).
Generate resourceIdentify transportation and communication technologies from the past (e.g., horses, stagecoach, Pony Express, telegraph).
Generate resourceIdentify current transportation and communication technologies (e.g., airplanes, cars, cellphones, email).
Generate resourceAnalyzing individual and group perspectives is essential to understanding historic and contemporary issues. Opportunities for civic engagement exist for students to connect real-world issues and events to classroom learning.
Generate resourceIdentify a belief based on experience and on certain facts but not amounting to sure knowledge as an opinion.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that opinions may differ from one person/ group to another.
Generate resourceDemonstrate the concept of “opinion” by sharing likes and dislikes for a given topic (e.g., colors, foods, games).
Generate resourceEngage with stories describing different perspectives related to a historic issue.
Generate resourceExplain how different people and groups can have different perspectives on an issue (e.g., transatlantic slave trade, colonialism).
Generate resourceDescribe a difference of opinion that can exist between individuals and within groups.
Generate resourceGreek democracy and the Roman Republic were radical departures from monarchy and theocracy, influencing the structure and function of modern democratic governments.
Generate resourceNote: In a direct democracy citizens participate in decision making. In the Roman Republic, citizens elected leaders and power was divided among leaders.
Generate resourceUnderstand that democracy and republic are not mutually exclusive forms of government. The U.S. is a democratic republic.
Generate resourceIdentify how leaders in a democracy gain their power (e.g., elected by citizens).
Generate resourceEngage with common images of elected officials (e.g., campaigning for office), and monarchs (e.g., wearing crown, with royal family).
Generate resourceWith the decline of feudalism, consolidation of power resulted in the emergence of nation-states.
Generate resourceIdentify a nation-state as a homogeneous group of people that come together to form their own social systems and governance.
Generate resourceIdentify a social system in which people worked and fought for nobles, or lords, who gave them protection and land in return as feudalism.
Generate resourceMatch roles and responsibilities of people within the levels of feudal systems.
Generate resourceIdentify hierarchical roles in the school (students, teachers, principal) or other system.
Generate resourceEngage with representations of people in different hierarchical roles within a school setting.
Generate resourceEngage with representations of people within the levels of feudal systems (e.g., serfs, lords and ladies, noblemen, knights, kings, etc.).
Generate resourceDescribe one way that roles within feudalism resulted in the emergence of nation-states (e.g., unhappy with their positions, frustrated by the hierarchy above them).
Generate resourceIdentify an example of a feudal society (e.g., has peasants, serf, or other unpaid workers, has a ruling class).
Generate resourceIndividuals, governments, and businesses must analyze costs and benefits when making economic decisions. A costbenefit analysis consists of determining the potential costs and benefits of an action and then balancing the costs against the benefits.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that costs must be subtracted from benefits in an economic decision.
Generate resourceIdentify a cost-benefit analysis as an example of a decision-making process.
Generate resourceIdentify a cost as something that is given up to obtain something else.
Generate resourceExplain possible gains and losses for a decision (e.g., perform a costbenefit analysis).
Generate resourceIdentify a possible gain or loss (good or bad consequence) for a decision (e.g., spend your money on candy, can’t buy lunch).
Generate resourceMatch a possible gain or loss to a decision (e.g., don’t return your library book, get a fine).
Generate resourceCompare a historical photograph with a current photograph taken at the same location.
Generate resourceMatch the professions of historian or archaeologist with examples of their work.
Generate resourceThe civilizations that developed in Greece and Rome had an enduring impact on later civilizations. This legacy includes governance and law, engineering and technology, art, and architecture, as well as literature and history. The Roman Empire also played an instrumental role in the spread of Christianity.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that ancient civilization refers specifically to the first settled and stable communities that became the basis for later states, nations, and empires.
Generate resourceIdentify physical characteristics of the local community using pictures or other representations (desert, mountains, bodies of water, forest).
Generate resourceIdentify human features as the way humans have changed the physical characteristics of their region.
Generate resourceIdentify examples of human features in the local community (buildings, roads, and parks).
Generate resourceIdentify a community as people living together peacefully as a civilization.
Generate resourceEngage with items/images from present day that have been shaped by Roman or Grecian civilizations. (e.g. senate, democracy, farming tools and methods - crop rotation, Olympic games, concrete, marble, columns, and arches in building design, art - sculptures of people, roads, sewer system, Bible, cross, architecture, such as the White House, etc.
Generate resourceEngage with representations of the physical environment, possibly through tactile interaction with water, soil, sand, and rocks, and hot and cold air temperature, to connect with the idea of different earth surfaces.
Generate resourceThe variability in the distribution of productive resources in the various regions of the world contributed to specialization, trade, and economic interdependence.
Generate resourceIdentify interdependence using the example of trade of scarce resources across the globe.
Generate resourceIdentify examples of products that originate in only one or two places on the globe.
Generate resourceIdentify the local resources that people in different regions have abundant access to.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that people use natural resources to make products that can be used, traded, or sold.
Generate resourceIdentify examples of natural resources (e.g., land, trees, minerals, oil, etc.).
Generate resourceEngage with manipulatives to map the origin and distribution of resources from around the world.
Generate resourceSort various items using the label to identify the origin of the product.
Generate resourceDetermine the natural resource used in the production of a given product (e.g., trees used to produce a house).
Generate resourceProvide examples of production and producers (e.g., farmers produce food, miners mine ore used to produce metal).
Generate resourceThe growth of cities and empires fostered the growth of markets. Market exchanges encouraged specialization and the transition from barter to monetary economies.
Generate resourceIdentify that bartering was used more in our past historically and that today we primarily use a monetary exchange for goods and services. Identify that paper and coin money were not as readily available in our past history, but people had individual goods and services that could be used in trade within a barter economy.
Generate resourceCompare a local map of bank locations today with a map containing the bank locations in the same area in the 1800s or earlier.
Generate resourceSort images/locations of local banks vs. other markets (stores/businesses) where money might be exchanged.
Generate resourceIdentify a system of exchanging goods and services for other goods and services as a bartering economy.
Generate resourceEngage with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk (or other example) as an example of bartering.
Generate resourceDescribe the impact that Ancient Greece and Rome have had on later civilizations.
Generate resourceIdentify key physical and human features of societies (e.g., houses, geography, laws, technology, buildings).
Generate resourceThe Roman Empire collapsed due to various internal and external factors (political, social, and economic) which led to the development of feudalism and the manorial system in the region. The fall of Rome and later invasions also allowed for the creation of new empires in the region.
Generate resourceIdentify a social system in which people worked and fought for nobles, or lords, who gave them protection and land in return as feudalism.
Generate resourceIdentify roles in the school (students, teachers, principal) or other community systems.
Generate resourceEngage with representations of people within the feudal system (e.g., serfs, lords and ladies, etc.)
Generate resourceEngage with representations of people in different roles within the community, including the school.
Generate resourceDescribe the relationships between various social classes and the roles of the people within a feudal system (e.g., serfs, lords and ladies).
Generate resourceIdentify the various social roles of people within the feudal system (e.g., serfs, lords and ladies, etc.).
Generate resourceThe Mongols conquered much of Asia, which led to unified states in China and Korea. Mongol failure to conquer Japan allowed a feudal system to persist there.
Generate resourceIdentify the group of people who lived in the Asian region of Mongolia and were mostly nomadic as the Mongols.
Generate resourceVisually show that the Mongols were united and created a large empire in Asia.
Generate resourceIdentify that groups of people fight to gain land occupied by other groups/cultures.
Generate resourceIdentify that groups of people have cultural practices and lifestyles unique to their group.
Generate resourceIdentify that locations where groups of people live are named (e.g., Mongols/Mongolia, Chinese/China, Japanese/ Japan, etc.).
Generate resourceEngage with representations of artifacts from the feudal era in Asia (e.g., scrolls, vases, tools, weaponry).
Generate resourceUse a map to identify the parts of Asia that were conquered by the Mongols and those that were not.
Generate resourceIdentify locations within Asia on a map (e.g., Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan).
Generate resourceAchievements in medicine, science, Mathematics, and geography by the Islamic civilization dominated most of the Mediterranean after the decline of the Roman Empire. These achievements were introduced into Western Europe as a result of the Muslim conquests, Crusades and trade, influencing the European Renaissance.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that Islam refers to both a civilization and religion that emerged in the Middle East.
Generate resourceUnderstand that as different groups, including the Islamic and Europeans, began to trade goods, ideas were also shared between the different cultures.
Generate resourceUse a map to show a timeline of how the Islamic civilization spread over time.
Generate resourceIdentify one or more areas on a map occupied by Islamic civilization over time.
Generate resourceExplain how Islamic innovations in mathematics, science, or medicine have changed over time.
Generate resourceThe decline of feudalism, the rise of nationstates, and the Renaissance in Europe introduced revolutionary ideas, leading to cultural, scientific, and social changes.
Generate resourceIdentify a renewed interest in Europe of the arts, literature, and politics as the Renaissance.
Generate resourceIdentify the common practices and beliefs of a group of people as culture.
Generate resourceShow on a timeline that new inventions/technology led to new scientific discoveries over time after the decline of Feudalism.
Generate resourceEngage with images of art or listen to music from the Renaissance period.
Generate resourceList multiple examples of cultural, scientific, or social changes over time.
Generate resourceIdentify cultural or social commonalities in a group of people or nation-states (e.g., language, religion, education, profession, political beliefs, interests, etc.).
Generate resourceThe Reformation introduced changes in religion, including the emergence of Protestant faiths and a decline in the political power and social influence of the Roman Catholic Church.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that leaders of the Reformation disagreed with the Roman Catholic Church on certain religious ideas/ practices.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that leaders of the Reformation criticized the wealth and power of the Roman Catholic Church.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that people of different religions may have different beliefs.
Generate resourceIdentify the Roman Catholic Church as a political power during the Reformation.
Generate resourceIdentify the emergence of Protestant faiths as an important event in the Reformation.
Generate resourceEngage with images of symbols representative of major religions in Europe and the Middle East.
Generate resourceExplain how a change in ideas led to a split in religion (e.g., Protestant Church from the Roman Catholic Church).
Generate resourceIdentify one difference between Protestant faiths and the Roman Catholic faith.
Generate resourceEmpires in Africa and Asia grew as commercial and cultural centers along trade routes.
Generate resourceUsing a map, trace or point at possible trade routes connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Generate resourceList items traded among empires in Asia, Africa, and Europe (e.g., silk, spices, salt, tools, cloth, teas, sugar).
Generate resourceExplain how trade may lead to growth (e.g., growth in African and Asian empires).
Generate resourceIdentify an example of simple trade (e.g., trading chocolate milk for white milk).
Generate resourceThe advent of the trans-Saharan slave trade had profound effects on both West and Central Africa and the receiving societies.
Generate resourceIdentify an economic impact of slavery (e.g., rulers who sold slaves became wealthy).
Generate resourceIdentify a social cause of slavery (e.g., debtors and prisoners of war often became slaves).
Generate resourceAcknowledge that many slaves died on their trip across the Sahara desert.
Generate resourceIdentify the movement of slaves across the Sahara desert as the trans-Saharan slave trade.
Generate resourceAcknowledge that slaves were denied their freedom and were often treated poorly by their owners.
Generate resourceEngage with appropriate images of slavery from the trans- Saharan slave trade.
Generate resourceExplain the negative effects of slavery for societies (e.g., West and Central Africa).
Generate resourceIdentify two characteristics of slavery (e.g., slaves were owned by people, loss of freedom, separated from family, harsh punishment, unfair treatment).
Generate resourceWriting Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Generate resourceCite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Generate resourceBy the end of grade 8, read, comprehend, and respond to history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Generate resourceDetermine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.
Generate resourceProvide an accurate summary that includes the central ideas of the source.
Generate resourceIdentify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Generate resourceDetermine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Generate resourceDescribe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
Generate resourceIdentify aspects of a text that reveal an author's perspective or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Generate resourceIntegrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Generate resourceAnalyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Generate resourceCite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
Generate resourceBy the end of grade 8, read, comprehend, and respond to science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Generate resourceProvide an accurate and objective summary that includes the central ideas or conclusions of the text.
Generate resourceFollow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Generate resourceDetermine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.
Generate resourceAnalyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
Generate resourceAnalyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.
Generate resourceIntegrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
Generate resourceDistinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
Generate resourceCompare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
Generate resourceIntroduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
Generate resourceSupport claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.
Generate resourceUse words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Generate resourceProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
Generate resourceWrite routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Generate resourceWrite informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
Generate resourceIntroduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
Generate resourceDevelop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
Generate resourceUse appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
Generate resourceUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
Generate resourceProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
Generate resourceProduce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Generate resourceWith some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
Generate resourceUse technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
Generate resourceConduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Generate resourceGather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others, while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Generate resourceDraw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
Generate resource