K-12 Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks - Muscatine ...

K - 12 

Social Studies 

Standards and Benchmarks 

Muscatine Community 

School District

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM COMMITTEE MEMBERS ……………………………………….....i 

SOCIAL STUDIES PHILOSOPHY …………………………………………………………………………..…ii 

MUSCATINE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICTCURRICLUM MAP ……………………………....iii 

STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS 

KINDERGARTEN…………………………………………………………………………………………………...1 

FIRST GRADE………………………………………………………………………………………………..……15 

SECOND GRADE …………………………………………………………………………………………….…..28 

THIRD GRADE ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…..41 

FOURTH GRADE …………………………………………………………………………………………….…..57 

FIFTH GRADE ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…...74 

SIXTH GRADE ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…..90 

SEVENTH GRADE ……………………………………………………………………………………….…….114 

EIGHTH GRADE ………………………………………………………………………………………….…….137 

9 TH – 12 TH GRADES …………………………………………………………………….…………………….157

District Social Studies Curriculum Committee Members 

Rebecca Furlong, Assistant Superintendent 

Becky Wichers, Elementary Principal 

Mary Jane Maher, Middle School Assistant Principal 

Bob Weaton, High School Principal 

Rudy Calderon, Parent 

Janell Hahn, Parent 

Clyde Evans, School Board Member 

Jill Goldsberry, Stanley Foundation – community member 

Elementary School Middle School High School 

Lou Heiman, Kindergarten Sue Johannsen, WMS Chris Foxen 

Katie Euken, Kindergarten Matt Rivera, WMS Andrea Wilford 

Jessica Freers, Grade 1 Amy Bertotti, WMS Megan Airing 

Jenna Kiddoo, Grade 1 Denise Hillman, CMS Andrew Prinsen 

Penny McGuinness, Grade 1 Elizabeth Negus, CMS 

Jeff Othmer, Grade 2 

Penny Burger, CMS 

Jeannette Thompson, 

Mike Shield, CMS 

Grade 2 

Marsha McGill, Grade 3 

Anne McNelly, Grade 3 

Monika Boyer, Grade 3 

Jan Fear, Grade 4 

Robin Griggs, Grade 4 

Dawn Rhodes, Grade 4 

Julie Cook, Grade 5 

Mary Curry, Grade 5 

Rhonda Franklin, Grade 5 

Dottie Lawrence, Special Ed. 

Rachelle Schneider, ESL 

Beth Elshoff, Teacher/Librarian 

i

Muscatine Community School District 

Social Studies Philosophy 

Iowa Core Curriculum 

Muscatine Community School District believes that social studies will provide interactive learning 

opportunities consistent with the State of Iowa’s educational framework, the Iowa Core, which will 

result in informed, rational, humane and contributing members of a diverse community, democratic 

society, and global culture. 

Students will be learning about the social studies strands of behavioral science, economics, geography, 

history, political science and citizenship. 

Facilitated instruction will develop knowledge and literacy through reading, writing, and the analysis, 

synthesis, and evaluation of ideas. Many resources will be incorporated, including technology. 

Learning will be measured using projects, activities and tests. 

Implications: 

Based on the Iowa Core Curriculum, the philosophy breaks the department’s job into three parts: 

1. Content 

2. Instruction 

3. Assessment 

Content is based on the Iowa Core’s Essential Concepts & Skills for Social Studies and should be reflected 

in each course’s Guaranteed Viable Curriculum Essential Learnings. Each course in the department 

satisfies several Essential Concepts & Skills and fits into one of the following social studies disciplines: 

Behavioral Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Argumentation 

Economics: Economics (taught by the Business Department) 

Geography: Geography 

History: U.S. History*, Modern U.S. History, World History 

Political Science & Civic Literacy: U.S. Government*, International Relations** 

Notes: * U.S. History and U.S. Government are required by state legislation and thus 

serve every student. These courses include Essential Concepts & Skills from each 

discipline except Economics, which is also a required course. 

** International Relations satisfies Essential Concepts & Skills from Geography, 

History, and Political Science & Civic Literacy. 

Specific Essential Concepts & Skills for each course are outlined in the pages of this document. 

Instruction and Assessment are based on the Rigor & Relevance Framework. 

ii

THEME Kindergarten 1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th H.S. 

Behavioral 

-Impact of -Impact of -Impact of 

Science 

leaders 

leaders leaders 

Economics 

Geography 

History 

U.S. 

World 

Political 

Science / 

Civic 

Literacy 

-Char. Ed 

-Families\Holiday 

Traditions 

-Rules/Conseq. 

-Production 

-Farming 

-Fall Harvest 

-Technology 

- Current Events 

-Map skills 

-Environment 

-Past/Present 

Historical 

Figures 

-Holidays* 

-Farms 

-Rights 

-Responsibilities 

-Current Events 

- Define Character Ed. 

- Voting/Elections 

Muscatine Community School District Social Studies Curriculum Map 

-Char. Ed 

-Community 

-Holidays** 

-Rules/ 

Conseq. 

-Wants/needs 

-Money 

-Map skills 

-U.S. 

-Change – 

Historical 

Figures 

-Pilgrims 

-Holidays** 

-Voting 

-Current 

Events 

-Holidays** 

-Char. Ed 

-Individuals 


-Trade 

-Wants/Needs 

-Goods 

-Services 

-Map skills 

-World 

-Risk Taking 

-Pioneers 

-Historical 

Figures 

-Local 


-Char. Ed 

-Cultures 


-Natural 

resources 

-Goods/services 

-Map skills 

-Characteristics 

-Regions 

-Native 

Americans -Ex: 

Iroquois, 

Sioux, Hopi 

-Communities 


-Bill of Rights 

-Muscatine Gov. 

-Char. Ed 

-Rules/cons. 

-Conflict reso. 

-Muscatine 

-Iowa 

-Midwest 

-INDUSTRY 

-Map skills 

-Midwest region 

(states/capitals) 

-Iowa project 

-Muscatine/Iowa 

–Immigration 

-Industry 

-Individuals 

-Latino 

Immigration 

-Current events 

-Constitution 

-Char. Ed 

-Social issues 


-Conflict reso. 

-Supply 

-Demand 

-Production 

-Consumption 

-States 

-Capitals 

-U.S. Natural 

-U.S.: Growing 

Nation 

-Branches 

-Constitution 


*Holidays: Lincoln’s & Washington’s Birthdays, Johnny Appleseed, Martin Luther King, Columbus Day. 

**Holidays will be taught as one unit. 

-Ancient Cultural 

Trade 

-World 

Geography 

- Geography 

Skills 

-Ancient 

Cultures 

-Structure of 

Society 


-Mercantilism 

-Globalization 

-Triangular 

Trade 

-Western 

Hemisphere 

-Geography 

Skills 

-Early History 

of US 

1492-1763 

-Exploration 

-Colonization 

-Americas 

-Comparative 

Government 

during Early 

History of US 

-Current 

Events 

-Government’s 

role in early 

US Economics 

-U.S. 

-Geography 

Skills 

-U.S. 1763 to 

1877 

-Political 

Foundations 

of US 

Government 

-Current 

Events 

-Psych 

-Socio 

-Argue 

-Econ 

-Finance 

-World Geo 

-U.S. since 

1877 

-Modern U.S. 

-AP U.S. 

-World A 

-World B 

-AP Euro 

-Gov 

-AP Gov 

-International 

Relations 

-Current 

Events 

iii

Social Studies Kindergarten 

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 

Standard 1: Understand the changing nature of society. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Vocabulary and/or 

Strategy 

Information 

a. Identify and ●Self and Family ● Students will be 

describes people who 

able to identify family 

make up the society 

and extended family 

in which they live. 

members. 

b. Explain that as 

people change, the 

society they live in 

also changes. 

c. Explain that as the 

world changes, 

people also change. 

Standard 2: Understand all people have individual traits. 

Grade Level Vocabulary and/or Information 

Benchmark 

a. Identify and 

understands various 

individual traits. 

b. Explain that traits 

combine to form an 

individual’s 

personality. 

c. Identify individuals 

who have various 

interests, challenges 

and talents. 

Strategy 

● Character 

Education 

● Character 

Education 

● Character 

Education 

● Discussion and 

role-playing of 

individuality 



individuality 



individuality 

Expectations 

●Students will be able 

to create and label a 

basic family tree 

●Taught in 1 st and 

2 nd grade 

● Taught in 1 st and 

2 nd grade 

Expectations 

●Students will 

complete a class 

graph of individual 

characteristics. 

● Students will 

choose a pillar of 

character education 

and illustrate how the 

trait shows their 

personality. 

●Students will share 

their illustrations 

about their personality 

traits. 

Standard 3: Understand interactions between self and the peer group. 

Grade Level Vocabulary and/or Information Expectations 

Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Recognizes that 

people have a 

responsibility to their 

group/society. 

●Character Education 

●Trait of 

Responsibility 

●Students have 

responsibilities in a 

group/classroom 

●Students compile a 

list of responsibilities 

in the classroom 

b. Understands that a 

peer group is 

composed of those 

with whom a person 

lives, works or plays. 

●Family and School 

Community 



understand the 

concept of a peer 

group. 

● Students define 

what a peer group is 

and make a list of 

possible peer groups. 

Kindergarten Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks 1

c. Explains how an 

individual’s actions 

will affect a group. 

d. Gives examples of 

how working 

collectively is more 

powerful than working 

individually and allows 

a group’s strengths to 

overcome challenges. 


(Teamwork) 

●Students will work 

cooperatively in the 

classroom 

●Read the book 

Swimmy 

●Taught in 2 nd 

grade 

Students will generate 

list of activities which 

are done more 

efficiently and 

effectively with 

teamwork. 

Standard 4: Understand the relationship of the individual to the components of society 

and culture. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information Expectations 

a. Compare how 

families, 

neighborhoods, and 

communities vary 

both locally and 

around the world. 

b. Identify specific 

characteristics of 

various families, 


communities. 

c. Describe how an 

individual makes 

choices based on 

individual, family, 

neighborhood, and 

community 

perspectives. 

●Family and School 

Communities 

●Holidays 

● Family and School 

Communities 

●Holidays 

●Identify how families 

are different/same 


around the world 

celebrate holidays 

● Identify how families 

are different/same 




●Students will draw a 

picture of their family. 

●Students will share a 

family tradition. 


pictures of their 

families. 


family tradition and 

discuss local 

community holiday 

celebrations. 


grade 



ECONOMICS 

Standard 1: Understand the role of scarcity and economic trade-offs and how 

economic conditions impact people’s lives. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


describe types of 

resources and that 

they are limited. 

●Farming (resources) ●Students will be able 

to discuss resources 

produced on a farm 

and limitations of 


to identify and label 

various resources 

produced on a farm. 

producers 

b. Identify the 


economic trade-offs 

that individuals and 

households weigh 

when making 

decisions involving 

the use of limited 

resources. 

2 nd grade 

Standard 2: Understand that the basic nature of economics is an exchange of 

resources. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 


a. Understand that 

fulfilling needs and 

wants requires 

economic resources. 


2 nd grade 

b. Describe how 

people exchange 

money for the 

resources they need. 

c. Explain why an 

individual may 

exchange goods for 

other goods rather 

than exchanging 

money for goods. 

●Farming 

●Fall Harvest 

●Understand why 

farmers exchange 

their products for 

money and how that 

money is used to 

purchase necessary 

resources 

●Have each student 

illustrate a farm or fall 

harvest product and 

construct a store 

where students 

purchase each other’s 

products. 

● Students would 

have to earn or sell 

products to obtain 

money. 


2 nd grade 


Standard 3: Understand how governments throughout the world influence 

economic behavior. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explore how 

government provides 

relief in emergencies. 

●Current Events ●Discussion of 

current events and 

natural disasters. 


to discuss 

government aid in 

natural disasters. 

b. Describe the 

purpose of taxes 


grade. 

Standard 4: Understand people in all parts of the world trade with one another. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Understand why 

industries which 

produce goods and 

services vary from 

place to place. 


grade. 

b. Explain how and 

why people trade with 

others in various 

places for many 

reasons, including a 

lack of local resources 

and price differences. 

c. Explain how goods 

are transported 

locally, regionally, 

nationally and 

globally. 

●Farming 


●Farming 


● Understand why 

farmers exchange 

their products for 

money and how that 

money is used to 

purchase other 

necessary resources 

including lacks of 

regional resources. 


to sequence a story 

about milk production 

and shipping 

● Have each student 

illustrate a farm or fall 

harvest product and 

construct a store 

where students 

purchase each other’s 

products. 

●Students would have 

to earn or sell 

products to obtain 

money. 

●Students will color, 

cut and sequence the 

milk production work 

sheet. 

Standard 5: Understand that changes in technology impact individuals and 

society. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Understand the 

concept of technology 

as the tools that we 

create and use to 

fulfill our needs and 

wants. 


technology individuals 

use in their daily lives 

●Farming 

●Current Events 

●Understanding of 

farm machinery and 

technology used in 

the farming 

community 

●Discussion of 


technologies in daily 

lives 

Expectations 

●Students will choose 

and illustrate an 

article of farm 

machinery and write 

about how the 

machine is used. 


an instrument of 

technology and 

discuss ways they 

use it in their daily 

lives. 


c. Explore how 

technology impacts 

the economy and 

society. 

●Farming 


● Understanding of 

basic farm machinery 

and technology used 

in the farming 

community 

●Understand how 

technology is used to 

enhance quality of 

life. 


choose and illustrate 

an article of farm 

machinery and write 

about how the 

machine is used. 


an instrument of 

technology and 

discuss ways they 

use it in their daily 

lives. 

Standard 6: Understand the universal economic concept of needs and wants. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Define the 

concepts of wants 

and needs 

●Taught in1st and 

2 nd grade 

b. Identify universal 

human needs. 

c. Explain how needs 

and wants impact the 

quality of an 

individual’s life. 

●Families 

●Basic understanding 

of wants and needs. 

●Compare and 

contrast wants and 

needs of other 

peoples. 

● The teacher defines 

“needs” and “wants.” 

●Students brainstorm 

a list of needs and 

wants 

● Taught in1st and 

2 nd grade. 




GEOGRAPHY 

Standard 1: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze 

information about people, places, and environments. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Distinguish 

between the different 

types of maps. 

●Globe/Flat map of 

the World 

●Understand the 

concept of the globe 

and the flat map as 

●Students use a flat 

map, cut and tape to 

create a globe. 

b. Label the basic 

parts of a map. 

c. Understand that a 

globe represents the 

world. 

d. Recognize the 

United States and 

Iowa on a map. 

● Globe/Flat map of 

the World 

● Globe/Flat map of 

the World 

the same picture 

●Distinguish and 

locate the bodies of 

water and land 

masses. 


differences between a 

globe and a flat map 

and recognize the 

different perspective 

of each. 

●Student will color 

bodies of water blue 

and land masses 

green 

●Create a map. 


2 nd grade. 

Standard 2: Understand how geographic and human characteristics create 

culture and define regions. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Classify the various 

kinds of regions. 

●Farming 

●Distinguish between 

city and farm living 

●City Mouse and 

Country Mouse 

b. Identify where Iowa 

●Taught in 1 st grade. 

is located in the 

United States. 

c. Compare and 

contrast Iowa’s 


grade. 

characteristics to 

other places in the 


d. Compare and 



grade. 


other regions in the 

world. 

Standard 3: Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources 

affect the development of communities and the movement of populations. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Explain the reasons 

people choose for 

living where they do. 

b. Compare and 

contrast the 


neighborhood, town, 

city, state and 

country. 


Strategy 

●Farm 

●C. Columbus 

(Historical Figures) 

●Families 

Information 


contrast city and farm 

living. 

●Discuss why 

Christopher 

Columbus made his 

journey to America. 

Analyze why families 

choose to live in 

different communities. 

Expectations 

●Create class web of 

where students in the 

class live. Could also 

be a graph or t-chart. 


2 nd grade. 

Standard 4: Understand how geographic processes and human actions modify 

the environment and how the environment affects humans. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explain how people 

interact with the 

environment and how 

those interactions 

have consequences. 

●Weather 

Wood/Paper 

(Science) 

●Analyze how 

weather affects the 

environment and the 

people living there. 

• Recycling 

●Science Journals 

●Clean up litter on the 

playground. 

b. Explain ways in 

which people care for 

the environment. 

c. Describe how 

weather impacts an 

environment. 


(citizenship, 

responsibility, 

respect) 

●Earth Day Activities 

●Farming 

●Weather 

●Actively participate 

in activity which cares 

for the environment 

(planting, litter 

removal, recycling) 

●Plant seeds for 

Mother’s Day, study 

plant parts 


weather and its 

environmental effects. 

●Earth Day Activities 

●Science Journals 



HISTORY 

Standard 1: Understand people construct knowledge of the past from multiple 

and various types of sources. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Read and interpret 

historical narratives – 

fiction and non-fiction. 

●Shared Reading 

b. Study and analyze 

primary sources (such 

as letters, 

newspapers, diaries, 

physical artifacts, 

video and 

photographs). 

c. Combine various 

sources into a 

narrative 

understanding of past 

events and topics. 

●Historical Figures 

●Venn Diagrams 

●Writing experience 

●Teacher will read 

and discuss with 

students historical 

fiction and non-fiction 

●Students will be 

shown and discuss 

letters, diaries, 

artifacts, video and 

photographs of 

historical figures. 


construct a Venn 

diagram comparing 

and contrasting 

historical events and 

write a sentence 

describing a 

conclusion of the 

information. 


illustrate an event in 

the story and write a 

sentence to describe 

his picture. 

●PWIM 

Standard 2: Understand how and why people create and participate in 

governance. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Explore change 

over time through the 

lens of evolving 

government services, 

such as the postal 

service and 

community 

infrastructure such as 

sewer systems, 

roads, water systems, 

schools, etc.). 

b. Explore how 

government has 

reacted to problems in 

the past, such as 

social, environmental, 

political and/or 


Columbus 

Abraham Lincoln 

Martin Luther King 

●Read and discuss 

influences on 

historical figures and 

the role government 

played in their lives. 

●Students will write a 

sentence describing a 

conclusion of the 

information. 

Expectations 


grade. 

●Students will discuss 


how they affect their 

lives in Muscatine. 


economic issues and 

how the government’s 

actions affected 

individuals. 


individuals influenced 

government actions in 

past events. 

●Current events 


Columbus 

Abraham Lincoln 


● Students will read 

and discuss 

influences on 

government and the 

role historical figures 

played in government 

actions. 

●Create a mobile 

using MLK ideals and 

dreams. 

Standard 3: Understand culture and cultural diffusion affects the development 

and maintenance of societies. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 




culture, such as 

religious practices, 

literature, food, 

dance, music, and art. 

●Art and Music 

Education 

• Holidays 

●Examination and 

discussion of various 

art/music artifacts and 

how these items have 

affected changing 

culture. 

●Students will learn a 

song focusing on 

cultural interests. 

(Cinco de Mayo, 

Veteran’s Day, Flag 

Day) 


methods by which a 

society transmits 

culture across time, 

such as storytelling, 

songs, religious 

services, food, 

clothing, holiday 

customs, etc. 


contrasts the culture 

of the politically and 

economically 

dominant groups with 

the culture of minority 

groups. 

●Music Education 

• Holidays 

●Discuss cultural 

practices and their 

association with 

holidays celebrated 

by different cultures 

and religions. 

● Examination and 

discussion of various 

art artifacts and how 

these items have 

affected changing 

culture. 

●Discuss cultural 

practices and their 

association with 

holidays celebrated 

by different cultures 

and religions. 

●Venn diagram of 

past vs. Present 

holiday customs 

●Invite Betty Collins 

to tell a story to the 

class. 

●Taught in1st grade. 


d. Survey the ways in 

which a society dealt 

with the introduction 

or influence of 

another society’s 

culture. 


2 nd grade. 

Standard 4: Understand individuals and groups within a society may promote 

change or the status quo. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Identify specific 

individuals who 

affected historical 

development in 

positive or negative 

ways. 

●Historical Figures ●Read and discuss 

various historical 

biographies. 

●Venn diagram 

illustrating positive vs. 

negative influences of 

a historical event. 

b. Explore how the 

actions and 

motivations of 

individuals and 

groups affected the 

development of an 

historical event. 

● Historical Figures 

(Johnny Appleseed) 


illustrate how actions 

of individuals/groups 

have affected a 


●After hearing a story 

about a historical 

figure, students will 

illustrate the event 

and write a short 

sentence to describe 

their picture. 

• View a video of a 


(Ruby Bridges) 

Standard 5: Understand economic needs and wants affect individual and group 

decisions. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. View change over 

time through the lens 

of major technological 

developments. 


nature of work has 

changed over time. 


Strategy 

●Families 

●Farms 


●Farms 

Information 

●Students will discuss 

with an elder relative 

a major change in 

their life because of 

technology influences. 


compare and contrast 

farming methods of 

past and present. 

●Students will listen 

to stories of historical 

figures and discuss 

how the nature of 

work has changed 

over time. 



farming methods of 


Expectations 


their interviews with 

the class. 


a farm machine and 

illustrate the 

difference between 




methods of work and 

farming after listening 

to stories of past and 

present. 


c. Explain the ways in 

which economic 

factors influence the 

movement of people. 


grade. 

Standard 6: Understand relationships between geography and historical events. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


societies throughout 

time have evolved in 

or migrated into 

specific places, and 

have both affected 

and been affected by 

those places 


(Martin Luther King) 


the motivations for 


and how his actions 

and those of his 

movement have 

affected others. 

●Illustrate and write 

about MLK. 


throughout time 

industries such as 

mining, agriculture 

and logging have 

affected and been 

affected by the places 

in which they occur. 

●Farms 

●Discuss how 

agriculture has 

affected the Midwest 

culture and how 

farming is a way of life 

in the state of Iowa. 

●Visit a farm. 

Standard 7: Understand cause and effect relationships and other historical 

thinking skills in order to interpret events and issues. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Use writings, 

images, artifacts and 

other records to 

describe life in the 

past. 

●Historical Figures ●Students will be 

shown pictures and 

artifacts that will help 

them to understand 

life in the past. 

●PWIM 

b. Determine cause 

and effect in historic 

events. 


contrast different 

experiences, beliefs, 

motives, traditions, 

hopes, and fears of 

people from various 

groups and 

backgrounds and at 

various times to 

analyze how these 

factors influenced 

behaviors. 




complete a 

cause/effect chart 

about historical 

figures and their 

impact on events 

● After being read a 

historical biography, 

students will complete 

a cause/effect chart 


figure and their impact 

on behaviors 

●Students will write a 

sentence reflecting 

the conclusion of the 

cause and effect chart 

● Students will write a 




Kindergarten Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks 12

d. Generate questions 


document, artifact, 

photo and historical 

site, to acquire 

information 

concerning it. 

e. Brainstorm 

alternative proposals 

for dealing with 

historic problems and 

analyzes the 

decisions. 



●Complete a KWL 

chart using various 

media pertaining to a 


●As a class write a 

different ending to a 

historical story and 

discuss the outcomes 

brainstormed. 

● Students will write a 





illustrate the ending to 

the story. 




POLITICAL SCIENCE 

Standard 1: Understand the basic concepts of government and democracy and 

that the U.S. Constitution defines the rights and responsibilities of citizens. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Provide examples 

of how each person in 

a democracy can 

contribute to the 

decisions that affect 

the whole group. 

●Classroom voting 

activities 


participate in various 

activities involving 

graphing class 

choices/votes 

●Graphing and voting 

activities. 

b. Understand that the 

Constitution provides 

the rules for the 


define the rights and 

responsibilities of U.S. 

citizens. 

c. Describe the 

relationship between 

rights and 

responsibilities. 

d. Explore ways 

people contribute to 

their communities. 

●Classroom rules and 

rights 



develop classroom 

rules and compare 

and contrast these 

rules to other rules 

and rights of U.S. 

citizens. 





responsibilities 



rules and compare 

and contrast these 

rules to other rules 

and rights of U.S. 

citizens. 

● Graphing and voting 

activities. 


2 nd grade. 

Standard 2: Understand how government affects citizens and how citizens affect 

government. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 


a. Explore ways 


individuals influence 

government action. 


2 nd grade. 

b. Explore ways 

government affects 

the lives of citizens. 


2 nd grade. 

c. Analyze the 

election process and 

how it affects 

individuals’ lives. 

●Classroom voting 

activities 





choices/votes 

● Graphing and voting 

activities. 


Standard 3: Understand the United States has a role in current world affairs. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explore ways the 

United States 

interacts with other 

nations in the world. 


● Current Events 


become aware of the 

connection of the U.S. 

and other nations of 

●Study of current 

events. 

b. Know examples of 

world conflict and/or 

cooperation. 



the world. 


become aware of the 

connection of the U.S. 

and other nations of 

the world. 

● Study of current 

events. 


Social Studies First Grade 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Identify and ●Community 

●Identify community 

describe people who 

helpers 

make up the society 

in which they live. 




also changes. 

c. Explain that as the 

world changes, 

people also change. 

●Pilgrims 

●Pilgrims 



contrast past and 

present societies 

● Compare and 


present societies 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Identify and ●Character Education ●Discussion and roleplaying 

understand various 

of individuality 

individual traits. 




personality. 


●Discussion and roleplaying 


Expectations 


interview and write a 

paragraph about a 

community helper. 


complete a Venn 

diagram of Pilgrim 

children’s daily life 

compared to 

children’s life today. 


complete a Venn 

diagram of Pilgrim 

children’s daily life 

compared to 

children’s life today. 

Expectations 


complete a class 

graph about how they 

come to school, 

school lunch/home 

lunch, etc. 

●Students will make 

an autobiography to 

learn about 

themselves at the 

beginning of the year. 

c. Identify individuals 

who have various 

interests, challenges 

and talents. 


●Discussion and roleplaying 


●Students share their 

autobiographies. 



Benchmark 

Strategy 


people have a 

responsibility to their 


●Community 

Character Education- 

Responsibility 

●Understand that 

work is a commitment 

-Understand personal 

responsibilities to a 

●Students compile a 

list of responsibilities 

in the classroom 

Grade 1 Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks 17

. Understands that a 

peer group is 


with whom a person 

lives, works or plays. 




d. Gives examples of 

how working 


powerful than working 

individually and allows 

a group’s strengths to 

overcome challenges. 


●Peer Group 

group (school, 

classroom) 

● Understand the 

concept of a peer 

group 

-List responsibilities of 

community helpers 

● Students define 

what a peer group is 

and make a list of 

possible peer groups. 

●Taught in 2 nd Grade 

●Character 

Education-Teamwork 

●Pilgrims 


cooperatively in the 

classroom 

●Students choose 

from or generate a list 

of activities which 

could be achieved 

alone and which 

would require 

teamwork. 

Standard 4: Understand the relationship of the individual to the components of society 

and culture. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


families, 









communities. 






community 

perspectives. 


Strategy 

●Community 

●Holidays 

●Community 

●Holidays 

Information 

● Identify community 

helpers 

-Identify how families 



● Identify how families 


celebrate holidays. 

Expectations 


interview and write a 


community helper. 


family tradition. 


family tradition and 

discuss the local 

community’s holiday 

celebrations. 

●Taught in 2 nd Grade 



ECONOMICS/FINANCIAL LITERACY 




Benchmark 

Strategy 





●Pilgrims 

●Resource 

●Describe how 

pilgrims used the 

resources they had 

●Create a class 

poster of the Pilgrim’s 

resources when they 

arrived at Plymouth 

and a poster of the 

Pilgrim’s resources 





when making 



resources. 

●Pilgrims 

●Economic Trade-Off 

● Describe how 

pilgrims used the 

resources they had 

after the first harvest. 

● Create a class 

poster of the Pilgrim’s 

resources when they 

arrived at Plymouth 

and a poster of the 

Pilgrim’s resources 

after the first harvest. 


resources. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 





economic resources. 



money for the 

resources they need. 


individual may 





●Wants and Needs 


●Math Money 

Chapter 


●Pilgrims 

●Understands the 

difference between a 

want and a need 

●Apply concept of 

money exchange in 

math money chapter 


pilgrims traded goods 

for other goods rather 

than money 

●Students will make a 

list of their needs and 

their wants 

●Math Assessment 


Ox Cart Man 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 



relief in emergencies. 




natural disasters 

Expectations 

●Make a class list of 

resources the 


in emergencies. 


. Describe the 

purpose of taxes. 

● Taught in 2 nd 

Grade 

Standard 4: Understand people in all parts of the world trade with one another. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


●Taught in 2 nd grade 






why people trade with 

others in various 

places for many 

reasons, including a 

lack of local resources 

and price differences. 

●Community 

-Pilgrims 



money for products 

●Understand reasons 

for purchasing needs 

outside of the local 

community 

●Students make a 

poster of resources 

that are manufactured 

in Muscatine 

c. Explain how goods 

are transported 

locally, regionally, 


globally. 

●Taught in 

Kindergarten 


society. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


concept of technology 

as the tools that we 

create and use to 

fulfill our needs and 

wants. 


technology 

individuals’ use in 

their daily lives. 




society. 


● Community 


● Discussion of 


technology 

● Identify various 

technologies that help 

community members 

in their everyday jobs 

Expectations 

●Taught in 

Kindergarten 


a form of technology 

and write about how 

they use it in their 

daily lives. 


interview parents 

about how technology 

has changed in their 

lifetimes. 


choose a form of 

technology and write 

about how they use it 

in their daily lives. 


Standard 6: Understand the universal economic concept of needs and wants. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Define the 


and needs. 

●Wants and needs ● Understands the 


want and a need 

● Students will make 

a list of their needs 

and their wants 


human needs. 

c. Explain how needs 

and wants impact the 

quality of an 

individual’s life. 

●Wants and needs 

-Community 

-Pilgrims 


-Historical 

Biographies 

●List the basic human 

needs and 

compare/contrast with 

other communities 

●Examine motivations 

and inspirations of 

individuals both past 

and present 

●Compare/Contrast 

on a Venn diagram 

pilgrim’s needs with 

our current needs 

● The teacher shows 

students cards that 

have pictures of 

everyday objects (e.g. 

food, TV, car, etc.) As 

a class the students 

identify the objects as 

wants or needs. Then 

students look at 

pictures of people 

living in various 

cultures and time 

periods. They analyze 

the picture to 

determine the 

associated needs and 

wants of those 

persons pictured. 




GEOGRAPHY 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


between the different 


●Specific types of 

maps (neighborhood, 

state, U.S., world) 

● Distinguish between 

and compare/contrast 

various maps 

●Look at various 

types of maps 





world. 




●Legend (simple 

symbols), perspective 

●Map Skills 

●Identify use of 

symbols on maps 

●Locate Iowa on a 

U.S. map 

●Find the U.S. on 

various maps 

●Create a classroom 

map. 

●Taught in 

Kindergarten 

●Color the state of 

Iowa on a U.S. map 




Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Classify the various 

kinds of regions. 

●Taught in 

Kindergarten and 2 nd 

b. Identify where Iowa 

is located in the 











world. 

● Map Skills 

● Locate Iowa on a 

U.S. map 

grade 

●Color the state of 

Iowa on a U.S. map 




affect the development of communities and the movement of populations. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explain the reasons 

people choose for 

living where they do. 

●Community 

●Pilgrims 



●Analyze people’s 

rationale for living in 

different communities 

both past and present 

●Create a class web 

about why we like 

Muscatine. 

●Create a class web 

about why the 


pilgrims chose where 

they settled. 


contrast the 



city, state and 

country. 

●Community 

●Map Skills 

●Analyze differences 

between a 


city, state and country 

●Recognize and 

locate Muscatine, 

Iowa, and U.S. on a 

map. 

●Create a fictional 

town, state, and 

country and create a 

map. 

Standard 4: Understand how geographic processes and human actions modify 

the environment and how the environment affects humans. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explain how people 


environment and how 

those interactions 

have consequences. 

● Plants (Science) 

●Pebbles, Sand, and 

Silt (Science) 


●Pilgrims 

●Analyze people’s 

impact on the 

environment 

●Science Unit 

Journals 

●Earth Day activities 


which people care for 

the environment. 



environment. 


(Citizenship, 


respect) 


● Analyze people’s 

impact on the 

environment 

●Actively participate 

in activity which cares 

for the environment 

● Science Unit 

Journals 


●Taught in 


grade 



HISTORY 

Standard 1: Understand people construct knowledge of the past from multiple 

and various types of sources. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Read and interpret 

historical narratives – 


●Shared reading ● Students will read 

and discuss historical 


●Students will write 

and illustrate a 

narrative about a 

b. Study and analyze 

primary sources (such 

as letters, 

newspapers, diaries, 

physical artifacts, 

video and 

photographs). 



narrative 

understanding of past 

events and topics. 

●Pilgrims 

●Historical figures 

●Venn Diagrams 

●Writing experience 


and discuss other 

sources of information 


people and events. 

● Compare/contrast 

past historical people 

and events. 

●Write a summary of 

the information 

historical figure 

●PWIM 


governance. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 




government services, 

such as the postal 

service and 

community 

infrastructure such as 

sewer systems, 

roads, water systems, 

schools, etc.). 



reacted to problems in 

the past, such as 

social, environmental, 


economic issues and 

how the government’s 


individuals. 


●Pilgrims 

●Students will read 


influences on 

historical figures and 

the role government 

played in their lives 





● Students will write 




Expectations 


●Current and 

historical event 

articles to share 



individuals influenced 

government actions in 

past events. 


●Pilgrims 



influences on 


role historical figures 

played in government 

actions 

● Current and 


articles to share 

Standard 3: Understand culture and cultural diffusion affects the development 



Benchmark 

Strategy 






literature, food, 

dance, music, and art. 

●Pilgrims 

●Holidays 


Education 

●Examine and 

discuss various 

cultural practices both 

past and present 

●Create a timeline of 

a historical event 

●Examine past and 

present musical 

instruments 









customs, etc. 




economically 

dominant groups with 

the culture of minority 

groups. 

d. Survey the ways a 

society dealt with the 

introduction or 

influence of another 

society’s culture. 

●Pilgrims 

●Holidays 

●Music Education 

●Pilgrims 


●Pilgrims 

● Examine and 




●Compare/contrast 

the lifestyles between 

the Pilgrims and 

Indians. 


the civil rights 

movement 




Indians. 

●Venn diagram of 


holiday customs 

●Venn diagram of the 

lifestyles of Pilgrims 

and Native Americans 

●Venn diagram of the 



Standard 4: Understand individuals and groups within a society may promote 

change or the status quo. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 






ways. 

●Historical Figures ●Read and discuss 

various historical 

biographies 




historical figure. 

●Come dressed as 

your favorite historical 

figure day. 


. Explore how the 









complete a 









●Come dressed as 

your favorite historical 

figure day. 

Standard 5: Understand economic needs and wants affect individual and group 

decisions. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


time through the lens 

of major technological 

developments. 




c. Explain the ways in 

which economic 




Strategy 

●Pilgrims 

●Community 


●Pilgrims 

Information 


cooking of food, 

constructing buildings, 

etc. between 

past/present 

technologies 


occupations between 

past/present 

technologies 

Expectations 

● Make (or have 

students bring) 

various dishes from 

long ago. 

●Have 

demonstrations of 

past cooking 

practices. 

●Interview an older 

person on how 

technologies have 

changed. 


Standard 6: Understand relationships between geography and historical events. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 







and been affected by 

those places. 


●Pilgrims 


the motivation for the 

Pilgrims migrating and 

how they affected the 

New World 

● Venn diagram of the 







and logging have both 

affected and been 

affected by the places 

in which they occur. 

●Taught in 


grade 




Grade Level 

Benchmark 


images, artifacts and 

other records to 


past. 



events. 



experiences, beliefs, 

motives, traditions, 

hopes, and fears of 

people from various 


backgrounds and at 

various times to 

analyze how these 

factors influenced 

behaviors. 

d. Generate questions 


document, artifact, 

photo and historical 

site, to acquire 

information 


e. Brainstorm 

alternative proposals 

for dealing with 

historic problems and 

analyzes the 

decisions. 


Strategy 


●Pilgrims 


●Pilgrims 


●Pilgrims 


●Pilgrims 


●Pilgrims 

Information 


exposed to various 

sources of historical 

information to write 

about life in the past 


complete a 








Indians. 

● Examine and 




●Complete a KWL 

chart using various 

media pertaining to a 


●Analyze the Pilgrim’s 

migration and 

settlement and 

discuss alternative 

options/solutions 

Expectations 





●Cause/Effect Chart 

● Venn diagram of the 



●KWL chart 

●Role Play 




Standard 1: Understand the basic concepts of government and democracy and 

that the U.S. Constitution defines the rights and responsibilities of citizens. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


of how each person in 

a democracy can 



the whole group. 

● Classroom voting 

activities 





choices 

●Graphing/voting 

activities 

b. Understand that the 

Constitution provides 

the rules for the 


define the rights and 

responsibilities of U.S. 

citizens. 








● Classroom 

rules/rights 


●Community 



rules and 

compare/contrast 

classroom rules to 

other rules and rights 

of U.S. citizens 



right and a 

responsibility 

●Identify the 

contributions of 

community helpers 

and volunteers 

●Create classroom 

rules poster while 

discussing rules and 

rights. 

●Compare/Contrast 

classroom rules with 

the constitution. 

● Graphing/voting 

activities 

●Interview and write a 


community helper 

Standard 2: Understand how government affects citizens and how citizens affect 

government. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 









●Pilgrims 


●Pilgrims 

●Community 


motivation behind the 

Pilgrim settlement and 

the Mayflower 

Compact as well as 

other individual 

influences on 

government actions 

● Understand the role 

government has in 

daily life 

●Cause/Effect chart 

(before the influence 

and after) 

●As part of the 

community helper 

interview, students 

should learn how that 

job affects our daily 

lives. 







activities 





choices 

● Graphing/voting 

activities 

Standard 3: Understand the United States has a role in current world affairs. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


United States 





● Students become 

aware of the 

interconnection of 

U.S. and other 

nations 

●Study of current 

events 

b. Know examples of 

world conflict and/or 

cooperation. 



● Students become 

aware of the 

interconnection of 

U.S. and other 

nations 

● Study of current 

events 


Social Studies Second Grade 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Identify and ●Taught in 

describes people Kindergarten and 

who make up the 1 st grade 

society in which 

they live. 




also changes. 

●Pioneers 


able to understand 

why people move 

to new places due 

to societal changes. 

c. Explain that as 

the world changes, 

people also 

change. 

●Pioneers 



the differences 

between pioneer 

life and their own 

life. 


Grade Level Vocabulary and/or Information 

Benchmark 


understands 

various individual 

traits. 




personality. 

c. Identify 


have various 

interests, 

challenges and 

talents. 

Strategy 

●Individuals (me unit) 

and character 

education 



education 



education 



that each person is 

unique and 

different. 



each person has a 

unique personality. 


understand people 

have unique talents 

and interests. 

Expectations 

●Trace the 

movement of 

pioneers from the 

east coast to west 

coast. 

●Map Columbus’s 

voyage from 

Europe to the New 

World. 

●Venn diagrams 

comparing pioneer 

life to their own life. 

Expectations 

●Share student 

information through 

charts, worksheets, 

posters, etc. 

●Character 

education material, 

such as role 

playing. 

●Share 

interest/talent 

surveys. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 




people have a 

responsibility to 

their group/society. 

b. Understands that 

a peer group is 


with whom a 

person lives, works 

or plays. 




d. Gives examples 

of how working 


powerful than 

working individually 

and allows a 

group’s strengths to 

overcome 

challenges. 

●Character education 

(trait of responsibility) 

●Rules and 

consequences 

●Taught in 

Kindergarten and 

1 st grade. 



education 

●Character education 

(teamwork) 


understand their 

role in a 


●Classroom rules 

and consequences. 



role in any group 

activity. 


understand it is 

more efficient to 

work as a group as 

opposed to doing 

everything on their 

own. 

●This can be done 

through daily jobs 

in the classroom or 

jigsaw activities. 

●Daily classroom 

interactions with 

others affect how 

things flow. 

●Junior 

Achievement 

lesson on making 

doughnuts. 

Standard 4: Understand the relationship of the individual to the 

components of society and culture. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


families, 





●Individuals (me 

unit),community, 


understand different 

types of family, 


community. 


compare and 


families, 


communities. 





communities. 






community 

perspectives. 

●Individuals (me 

unit), community 

●Individuals, 

community 


understand there 

are different types 

of families, 


communities. 


understand people 

make choices 

based on where 

they live. 

●Reading stories 

about kids from 

other countries, 

communities, etc. 

●Stories from basal 

or other books. 



ECONOMICS 

Standard 1: Understand the role of scarcity and economic trade-offs and 

how economic conditions impact people’s lives. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 




they are limited 

● Pioneers 


understand types of 

resources and how 



contrast pioneer 

resources to 

today’s resources. 





when making 



resources. 

●Pioneers 


understand how 

pioneers made 

different decisions 

based on their 

available resources. 


contrast pioneer 

tradeoffs to today. 


resources. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 





economic 

resources. 



money for the 

resources they 

need. 


individual may in 

some situations 





● Science habitat 

unit (basic needs 

versus wants) 

● Science habitat 

unit (basic needs vs. 

wants) 

● Wants and needs 



the difference 

between wants and 

needs. 

● Students will be 


the difference 

between wants and 

needs and how 

money determines 

what they purchase. 



that money is not 

always exchanged 

in trade. 

● Make a collage of 

student’s needs vs. 

wants. 

● Make a collage of 

student’s needs vs. 

wants 

● Tie to allowances 

or budget 

● Pioneer stories of 

how pioneers 

traded with the 

Native Americans 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 



government 

● Current events 



●Newspapers and 

current events 


provides relief in 

emergencies. 



● Communities 

natural disasters 

can affect a 

community 




●Time for Kids 

●JA unit/lesson on 

taxes 

Standard 4: Understand people in all parts of the world trade with one 

another. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 






● Map skills ● Students will 


good move from 


● Natural resources 

maps and 

transportation maps 


why people trade 

with others in 

various places for 

many reasons, 

including a lack of 

local resources and 

price differences 

c. Explain how 

goods are 

transported locally, 

regionally, 


globally. 

● Map skills – 


● Taught in 

Kindergarten 



trade and how it 

affects resources 

and prices. 

● Current events – 

maps of natural 

resources – weather 

effects 


society. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 



concept of 

technology as the 

tools that we create 

and use to fulfill our 

needs and wants. 


technology 

individuals use in 

their daily lives. 




society. 

● Taught in 

Kindergarten 

farming unit 

● Current events – 

pioneer unit – no 

technology = what 

did they use 

● Pioneers – current 

events 


able to identify all 

the different types 

of technology they 

use every day. 



every changing 

world of technology 

and how that affects 

society. 

●Collage of different 

types of technology 

and how it has 

changed. 

● Good invention 

books - pony 

express and 

telephones (how we 

communicate) 


Standard 6: Understand the universal economic concept of needs and 

wants. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Define the 


and needs. 


Science habitat kit 


able to distinguish 

between needs and 

wants. 


able to list basic 

needs vs. wants 


human needs. 




able to identify basic 

needs to survive. 

● Know the basic 

needs to survive 

c. Explain how 

needs and wants 

impact the quality of 

an individual’s life. 




able to distinguish 

between needs and 

wants and how that 

impacts their daily 

life. 

●Same as above 



GEOGRAPHY 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


between the 

different types of 

maps. 

●Map perspectives 

over time (pioneer 

maps) 


understand how to 

read and interpret 



create different 






world. 




●Legends/symbols/ 

keys on maps 

●Taught in 

Kindergarten 

●Look at map of 

Iowa/United States 

maps. 



use legends, 

symbols, and keys 

on a map. 


understand where 

Iowa is located on 

the U.S. map. 

●Mapping activities 





Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Classify the 

various kinds of 

regions. 

●Science habitats 

●Science units 

(habitats)/ mapping 

b. Identify where 

Iowa is located in the 







●Look at 

Iowa/United States 

map 

●Look at maps 

when doing habitat 

units compared to 

Iowa’s habitats 



are different regions 

which have unique 



understand where 

Iowa is located on 

the U.S. map. 



are different parts of 

the United States 

which have unique 



●Science units 

(habitats)/ mapping 






world. 

●Maps and 

habitats 



are different parts of 

the world which 

have unique 



and habitat units 

Standard 3: Understand how human factors and the distribution of 

resources affect the development of communities and the movement of 

populations. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Explain the 

reasons people 

choose for living 

where they do. 


contrast the 

differences between 

a neighborhood, 

town, city, state and 

country. 


Strategy 

●Pioneers/Wants 

and needs 

●Map skills and 

community 

Information 


understand why 

people choose to 

live where they do. 




neighborhoods, 

towns, cities, states, 

and countries. 

Expectations 

●Historical fiction, 

biographies, 

Oregon Trail 

●Mapping activities, 

Venn diagrams, 

reading books, etc. 

Standard 4: Understand how geographic processes and human actions 

modify the environment and how the environment affects humans. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explain how 

people interact with 

the environment 

and how those 

interactions have 

consequences. 

●Air/Weather, 

habitats, pioneers 



interactions with 

themselves and the 

environment. 

●Air/Weather kit, 

pioneers, habitats 


which people care 

for the environment. 



environment. 

●Character 

education, Earth 

Day 

●Air/Weather kit 



care for the 

environment. 



weather impacts 

their life. 

●Earth Day 

activities, Character 

Education 

(citizenship, 


respect). 

●Air/Weather kit 



HISTORY 

Standard 1: Understand how people construct knowledge of the past from 

multiple and various types of sources. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Read and 

interpret historical 

narratives – fiction 

and non-fiction. 

●Shared reading ●Students will 



fiction and nonfiction 

through their 

●Reading 

b. Study and 

analyze primary 

sources (such as 

letters, newspapers, 

diaries, physical 

artifacts, video and 

photographs). 



narrative 

understanding of 

past events and 

topics. 

●Pioneers, 

Historical Figures, 

Community 

●Pioneers, current 

events, science 

reading. 


understand what a 

primary source is. 



combine sources 

into a presentation 

on a topic. 

●Look at various 

types of primary 

sources, interview a 

parent and/or 

grandparent. 

●Venn diagram, 

reports 


governance. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


over time through 

the lens of evolving 

government 

services, such as 

the postal service 

and community 

infrastructure such 

as sewer systems, 

roads, water 

systems, schools, 

etc.). 



reacted to problems 

in the past, such as 

social, 

environmental, 

●Pioneers, Pony 

Express, 

Community 

●Historical Figures, 

Community, Habitat 

units 



government 

services and the 

community change 

over time. 




made decisions that 

affect us today. 

Expectations 

●Trace the mail 

system beginning 

with the Pony 

Express through 

present. 




economic issues 

and how the 

government’s 


individuals. 


individuals 

influenced 


in past events. 

●Historical Figures- 

Lincoln and 

Washington, Martin 

Luther King 



famous historical 

figures influenced 

how the world 

changed. 

●President’s Day 

activities, Martin 

Luther King Day 

Standard 3: Understand culture and cultural diffusion affects the 

development and maintenance of societies. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


over time through 

the lens of evolving 



literature, food, art, 

dance, and music. 


Education, Pioneers 



culture has changed 

over time. 



present (food, 

literature, dance, 

music, etc.) 









customs, etc. 




economically 

dominant groups 

with the culture of 

minority groups. 

d. Survey the ways 

in which a society 

dealt with the 

introduction or 

influence of another 

society’s culture. 


Education, Pioneers 

●Covered in 1 st 

grade with Pilgrims, 


●Pioneers, 

community 



culture has changed 

over time. 



communities are 

influenced by 

different cultures. 



present (food, 

literature, dance, 

music, etc.) 

●Make a poster 

about their family 

customs. 

●Cause/effect 

relationships 

between Native 

Americans and 

Pioneers, discuss 

different cultures in 



Standard 4: Understand individuals and groups within a society may 

promote change or the status quo. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 






ways. 


(K-2) 


recognize how 

historical people 

changed history. 

●Lincoln, 


Luther King, 

Jefferson, 









(K-2) 


recognize how 

historical people 


● Lincoln, 


Luther King, 

Jefferson, 

Standard 5: Understand economic needs and wants affect individual and 

group decisions. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 



time through the 

lens of major 

technological 

developments. 




c. Explain the ways 

in which economic 


movement of 

people. 

●Pioneers 

●Pioneers, 



●Pioneers, current 

events 



technology has 


●Students will learn 

how work has 




economic factors 

influence the 

decisions people 

make. 

●Collage of different 

types of technology 

and how it has 

changed. 


contrast jobs from 

the past to jobs in 

the present/future. 

●Needs and Wants, 

discussion 

Standard 6: Understand relationships between geography and historical 

events. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 








and been affected 

by those places. 

●Pioneers 


understand why 

certain groups of 

people migrate to a 

particular place. 

●Pioneer activities 


. Explore how 




and logging have 

both affected and 

been affected by the 

places in which they 

occur. 

●Pioneers, Habitats 

●Students will see 

how some 

industries have 

affected the land. 

●Discuss 

cause/effect 

relationships 

between logging, 

mining, etc. and the 

earth. 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


images, artifacts 

and other records to 


past. 

●Pioneers, 

Historical Figures 


understand a 

biography is used to 

record someone’s 

life. 

●Biographies 



events. 



experiences, 

beliefs, motives, 

traditions, hopes, 

and fears of people 

from various groups 

and backgrounds 

and at various times 

to analyze how 

these factors 

influenced 

behaviors. 

d. Generate 

questions about a 

historical document, 

artifact, photo and 

historical site, to 

acquire information 


e. Brainstorm 

alternative 

proposals for 

dealing with historic 

problems and 

analyzes the 

decisions. 

●Pioneers, 


Explorers 

●Pioneers, 

Community 

●Constitution Day, 

Pioneers 

●Pioneers, 

Historical Fiction 

reading (Magic Tree 

House) 


understand cause/ 

effect of exploring 

and settling new 

lands. 


understand different 

groups have 

different beliefs. 


analyze a historical 

document. 


generate a new 

ending to a 


●Fill out 

cause/effect graphic 

organizer about 

certain 

event/person. 

●Make a list of 

different cultures in 

their community and 


contrast them. 

●PWIM from a 

pioneer picture, 

Constitution Day 

activities 

●Predict and/or 

write an alternate 

ending to a historical 

event 




Standard 1: Understand the basic concepts of government and democracy 

and that the U.S. Constitution defines the rights and responsibilities of 

citizens. 


Benchmark 


of how each person 

in a democracy can 



the whole group 

b. Understand that 

the Constitution 

provides the rules 

for the United States 

and define the rights 

and responsibilities 

of U.S. citizens. 





Strategy 


activities – math 

graphing 

● Historical figures 

and famous 

Americans (i.e.: 

Thomas Jefferson) 

● Character Ed and 

Community unit 

●Students have an 


their right to state 

their opinion even 

when it is not the 

majority opinion. 



historical figures 

developed laws and 

rules for the good of 

society. 


able to know the 





able to show ways 

people make 

contributions to a 

community. 

●Classroom 

decisions and 

voting for various 

things 

● Reading about 


such as Thomas 

Jefferson or Ben 

Franklin 

● Character 

education lessons – 

community lessons 




●Community unit 

Character 

Education 


●JA lessons on jobs 

in community 

●Stories about 


who made 

significant 

contributions 

●Career day – or 

speakers from the 

community 

Standard 2: Understand how government affects citizens and how citizens 

affect government. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 








Strategy 

● Pioneers and 




●Community 

Information 



people have 

influenced 


over the years. 


understand how the 

Expectations 

● Stories about 

Historical Figures = 

Current events 

about government 

changes 

● Tie to student 

lives in areas like 







● Local voting 

activities (esp. in 

election year) 


affected their lives 

with the decisions 

they made/make. 



their vote can make 

a difference in their 

lives. 

schooling, public 

services, etc. 

●Student council 

voting 

●Classroom and 

school voting 

●Local and state 

elections 

Standard 3: Understand the United States has a role in current world 

affairs. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


United States 



b. Know examples 

of world conflict 

and/or cooperation. 


Current Events 



Guidance lessons 

on conflict 

resolution 


understand how the 

United States has to 

work with the other 

countries in the 

world. 

● Students will see 

the relationships 

between the United 

States and the rest 

of the world 

Expectations 

● Time for Kids 

●Trade policies 

●Limited resources 

●Biographies of 

world leaders 


●Guidance lessons 

on conflict 

resolution 


Social Studies Third Grade 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


“acceptable” human 

behavior varies from 

one culture to 

another over time. 

b. Explain why some ● Character 

behaviors are Education 

“unacceptable” in 

almost all cultures. 


impact of new 

technologies on 

society. 

d. Describe how 

change affects 

people’s perceptions 

and interactions 

Expectations 

●Taught in 4 th and 

5 th grade 

● Taught in 4 th and 

5 th grade. 

●Taught in 5 th 

grade. 

Standard 2: Understand the influences on individual and group behavior 

and group decision making. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Describe, 


contrast various 

types of societies 

and cultural groups. 

● Native American ● Students will 


contrast three Native 

American Tribes and 

how they formed 


why the expression 

of differing points of 

view can lead to 

compromise. 

c. Demonstrate that 

one person’s 

exercise of freedom 

may conflict with the 

freedom of others. 

d. Show how rules 

can help resolve 

conflict. 

e. Summarize how 

individuals impact 

● Character 

Education 

● Native Americans 

White settlers 

● Character 

Education 

Guidance Classes 

family groups. 

● Conflict Resolution 

done through every 

day classroom 

interactions 

●How did the 

settlers needs 

conflict with the 

Native American 

freedoms 


grade. 


groups and groups 

impact individuals. 

Standard 3: Understand how personality and socialization impact the 

individual. 


Benchmark 

a. Present examples 

of how internalizing 

culture begins at 

birth and is a 

complex lifelong 

process. 


language, stories, 

folktales, music and 

artistic creations are 

expressions of 

culture. 

c. Compare different 

types of 

personalities. 

d. Demonstrate how 

various factors 


shaping of a 

person’s identity. 

Strategy 

● Traditions and 

Customs 

● Native Americans 

● In My Family by 

Carmen Lomas 

Garza 

●Make a class book 

on family traditions. 

● Read Native 

American folk tales 

and discuss the 

differences 

● Art Kachina or 

Dream Catchers 

● Taught in 5 th 

grade. 


grade. 

Standard 4: Understand the process of how humans develop, learn, adapt 

to the environment, and internalize their culture. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


perspective reflects 

personal beliefs, 

experiences, and 

attitudes. 

● Native Americans ● How did settlers 

beliefs effect their 

interactions with the 


b. Illustrate/ 

demonstrate how 

human beings tend 

to repeat behaviors 

that feel good or 

have pleasant 

consequences and 

avoid behaviors that 

feel bad or have 

unpleasant 

consequences. 

● Character 

Education 

● Friendship 

●Make a list of 

behaviors that make 

you want to be 

someone’s friend 

and a list that make 

you not want to be 

someone’s friend. 

●Good choice bad 

choice 

●Desired Classroom 

behaviors vs. 

Negative Classroom 

behaviors 



people adopt and 

learn about culture. 

● Native Americans ● How did Native 

American children 

learn how to live in 

their culture 

How do we learn 

how to live in our 

culture 

Standard 5: Understand current social issues to determine how the 

individual formulates opinions and responds to issues. 


Benchmark 

a. Identify current 

social issues and 

formulates a 

personal position. 

b. Compare the 

social and historical 

context of specific 

issues. 


global issues affect 

the United States. 

d. Recognize how 

historical events 

impact personal 

development and 

belief systems. 

Strategy 



● Debate a current 

issue. 


grade. 


grade. 

Standard 6: Understand how to evaluate social research and information. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Apply appropriate 

research procedures 

and skills to 

investigate an issue. 

● Native American 

research project 

b. Identify primary 

and secondary 

sources. 

c. Evaluate the 

power of utilizing 


including the 

Internet. 

● Students will use 

sources such as 

diaries, newspapers, 

nonfiction, 

encyclopedias to get 

information. 

● Covered in 5 th 

grade 




ECONOMICS 




Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Explain that 

choices usually 

involve tradeoffs: 

people can give up 

buying or doing one 

thing in order to buy 

or do something 

else. 


grade. 

b. Summarize the 

wide disparities 

between the “haves” 

and “have-nots” of 

the world in terms of 

economic well being. 


• Basic Needs: 

Food Water 

Shelter 

● Make a list of 

basic needs 

●Discuss what 

would happen if 

basic needs are not 

meet. 

c. Identify the goods • Goods (products) • T-chart showing 

and services that the • Services (actions) goods/services 

local school and • Careers 

• Draw an example 

community provide • Consumers/produc of a career 

and the people who ers 

demonstrating 

provide them. 

goods/services 

Standard 2: Understand the functions of economic institutions. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Identify the 

economic roles of 

various institutions, 

including 

households, 

businesses, and 

government. 


various ways money 

is exchanged in the 

economy. 

c. Describe and 

explain the role of 

money, banking, and 

savings in everyday 

life. 


Strategy 

Information 

Expectations 


grade. 


grade. 


grade. 





Benchmark 

Strategy 


purpose of taxes 

● Tax 

● Citizen 

b. Understand the 

concept of 

capitalism. 

c. Identify goods and 

services provided by 

the government. 

• Goods 

(products) 

• Services 

(actions) 

• Careers 

• Consumers/ 

producers 


community places in 


●Circle the things 

that are paid for by 

taxes. 


goods and services 

provide by 

government…i.e. 

police, fire, teacher, 

road crews 


grade. 

Standard 4: Understand factors that create patterns of interdependence in the 

world economy. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 


a. Understand how 

the exchange of 


by individuals, 

groups and nations 

create economic 

interdependence 

and change. 

b. Explain and 

illustrate how values 

and beliefs influence 

various economic 

decisions. 

c. Explain the 

concept of interstate 

commerce 

• Goods 

• Services 

• Consumer 

• Producers 

• Money 


services provide by 

government…i.e. 

police, fire, teacher, 

road crews 


grade 


5 th grade 

d. Describe the 

concept of resource 

wealth and resource 

scarcity. 

●Natural 

Resources 

●Discuss how Sioux 

tribe had to move to 

follow the buffalo in 

order to survive. 

Standard 5: Understand that advancing technologies impact the global 

economy. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Describe changes 

in local, regional and 


Strategy 

Information 

Expectations 


grade 


world economies 

that have resulted 

from the use of new 

technology. 


personal decisions 

regarding the 

economy can affect 

people’s lives 

locally, nationally 

and internationally. 


issues associated 

with global climate 

change and Iowa’s 

role in both the 

problems and the 

solutions. 


grade 


5 th grade 

Standard 6: Understand that all economies throughout the world rely upon 

universal concepts. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 



concepts of supply 

and demand 


contrast needs and 

wants in various 

types of economies 

c. Identify local 


that are part of the 

global economy. 

●Goods 

●Services 

● Discuss how local 

products are 

distributed to world 

●Watermelons, Hon 

furniture, Monsanto 

GPC 


grade 


5 th grade 




GEOGRAPHY 



Grade Level Vocabulary Information Expectations 

Benchmark and/or Strategy 


describe the detailed 

elements of a map 

b. Use atlases, 

databases, grid 

systems, charts, 

graphs, and/or maps 

to gather information 

about the local 

community, Iowa, 

the United States, 

and the world. 

c. Construct maps, 

showing the location 

of major land 

masses, bodies of 

water, and/or 

mountain regions. 

●Bodies of water 

●Map elements 

(cardinal, border, 

directions, 

compass rose, key 

/legend, symbols 

● Globe 

● Map 

● Equator 

●Landforms 

(mountains, hills 

plateau, plain, 

valley, peninsula, 

island) 

●Bodies of waterocean, 

lake, river 

● Students will use 

these skills within 

various map 

activities 

●Students will use a 

map to locate 

Muscatine, Iowa 

●Student will write 

their global address 

●Students construct 

a landform book 




Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Describe ways in 

which people 


physical 

environment, 

including use of 

land, locations of 

communities, 

methods of 

construction, and 

design of shelters. 

● Pueblo 

●Long house 

●Teepee (tipi) 

●Adobe 

● Wigwam 



homes made by 


●Discuss how 

homes were made 

using the natural 

resources available 

b. Compare 

political, economic, 

and social 

differences among 

regions. 


grade 


c. Use selected 

criteria to identify 

geographic regions 

on maps 

d. Explain how the 

local physical 

environment has 

affected the way 

people live in the 

community. 

●Northeast 

●Midwest 

●Southwest 

●Mountain 

communities 

●River Communities 

●Ocean 

Communities 

●Desert 

Communities 

● Identify the regions 

where the tribes 

lived on a blank map 

of North America 

●In groups, each 

group reports out 

ideas for recreation, 

employment, 

housing, climate, 

foods, clothing 


resources affect the development society and the movement of 

populations. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Give examples of 

how the location of 

an area has 

affected the culture 

of the people. 

b. Identify examples 

of physical and 

cultural barriers to 

population 

movement and 

migration. 

c. Locate specific 

human features 

such as cities, 

capitals, and roads 

on a map of North 

America. 

d. Examine the 

interaction of 

human beings and 

their physical 

environment such 

as their use of land, 

building of cities, 

and their impact on 

ecosystems. 


Strategy 

●Mountain 

communities 

●River Communities 

●Ocean 

Communities 

●Desert 

Communities 

●Cities 

●Capitals 

●Highway 

●Interstate 

●Adapt 

●Man-made 

characteristics 

●Natural physical 


Information 

● In groups, each 

group reports out 

ideas for recreation, 

employment, 

housing, climate, 

culture for 

community project 

●During community 

project, students will 

locate their chosen 

community on a U.S. 

map 

●T-chart of manmade 

vs. natural 


Expectations 


5 th grade 

Standard 4: Understand how physical processes and human actions 



Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Describe the 

social and economic 

●Natural disasters 

(flood, tornado, 


(TFK, Scholastic 


effects of 

environmental 

changes as well as 

crises arising from 

phenomena such as 

floods, storms and 

droughts. 

b. Give examples of 

human alterations of 

the physical 

environment that 

have produced 

positive and 

negative 

consequences. 

c. Analyze how 

changes in the 

weather affect 

people 

drought, hurricane, 

tsunami, volcanic 

eruptions 

●Global warming 

News) 


(TFK, Scholastic 

News) 


grade 




HISTORY 

Standard1: Understand historical patterns, periods of time, and the 

relationships among these elements. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Compare and 


civilizations within a 

time period. 

●Northeast 

●Plains 

●Southwest 


contrast three 

tribes. 

b. Explain the idea 

of cause and effect 

of events and 

actions within a 

period. 


5 th grade 


historical 

development of a 

region. 

●Development ● What did 

Muscatine look like 

at the time of Native 

Americans 

●How is it the 

same/how is it 

different 

Standard 2: Understand how and why people create, maintain, or change 

systems of power, authority, and governance. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Analyze how 

structures of power 

affect various 

groups in different 

ways. 

b. Examine why 

governments 

change, how they 

change and the role 

individuals play in 

bringing about 

change. 


contrast the 

development of 

various 

governmental 

●City council 

●Mayor 

●City hall 

●Aldermen 

●Election 

●Introduce the local 

government and 

compare to Native 

American 

Government 

Expectations 


grade 


grade 

systems. 

Standard 3: Understand the role of culture and cultural diffusion on the 




Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Describe and 

analyze the 

influence of culture 

on the interactions 

of various groups 

● Treaty 

● Traditions 

● Customs 

●What changes did 

the Native 

Americans make in 

order to co-exist 

with the settlers 

over time. 

b. Analyze the 



●Story telling 

●Music 

●Dance 

● Share various 

Native American Art 

forms and literature. 

culture across time. ●Food 

c. Assess the effect 

of culture on the 


grade 

decisions of a 

society, group, or 

individual. 

Standard 4: Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society 

as promoters of change or the status quo. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 


evaluate the 


leaders in various 

eras and locations. 

●Historical figures 

(i.e. Ben Franklin, 

John Adams, Thomas 

Jefferson 

● Many Lives of 

Benjamin Franklin 

(Aliki) 

● Make a time line 

of Be Franklin’s life 

b. Identify 

significant 


have impacted 

history in a positive 

or negative way 

and analyze how 

their contributions 

impacted the 

world. 

●B. Franklin 

inventions 

●Discuss the impact 

of Franklin’s 

ideas/inventions on 

today’s world 

Standard 5: Understand the effect of economic needs and wants on 

individual and group decisions. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Examine the 

ways various 

societies meet their 

economic needs 

and wants. 

● Natural Resources ● How did the 


provide for their 

basic needs. 

b. Analyze the role 

of economic 

factors in conflicts 

and in decisions to 

use military force. 


and 5 th grade 




influence the 

movement of 

people. 


movement of 

economic goods 

and the trade 

networks that 

connect suppliers 

and consumers. 




grade 

Standard 6: Understand the effects of geographic factors on historical 

events. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


impact of 

geographic 

systems (physical 

and human) on 

historical events. 

b. Trace the major 

land and water 

routes of explorers 

throughout the 

world. 

c. Identify the role 

that geography has 

played during 


Expectations 




grade 


grade 

d. Explain how and 

why a region was 

settled and 

developed and 

compare this early 

development to the 

region today 

●Communities 

●Native Americans 

●Explain how 

Native Americans or 

communities 

decided to settle in 

various areas. 

●What were the 

natural resources 

available to the 

settlers 

Standard 7: Understand the role of innovation on the development and 

interaction of societies. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Identify major 

technological 

advancements and 

evaluates their 

impact on social, 

political, and 


Strategy 

Information 

Expectations 


grade 



b. Analyze why 

some technologies 

have been adopted 

while others have 

not. 


grade 




Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Identify important 

events and 

movements that 

changed life in 

various regions of 

the world in the 

past. 


grade 

b. Determine the 

validity and 

accuracy of primary 

sources and 

secondary sources 

and evaluates them 

for bias. 

c. Use historical 

events to explain 

and understand 

contemporary 

issues. 

● Primary sources 

●Secondary 

sources 

bias 

● Prejudices 

● Show examples 

of Primary sources 


sources. 

●Discuss whether 

they have accurate 

information, facts 

and opinions. 

● How are the 

prejudices the 

Native American 

faces similar to 

today’s prejudices 



POLITICAL SCIENCE/CIVIC LITERACY 

Standard 1: Understand the rights and responsibilities of each citizen and 

demonstrate the value of lifelong civic action. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Identify examples 

of citizens’ rights 

and responsibilities. 

● Rights 

● Responsibilities 

● Citizen 

b. Examine social 

contexts and 

identifies appropriate 

and effective civic 

action. 

c. Define and 

provide examples of 

civic virtues. 

d. Participate in civic 

life in ways 

appropriate for 

young people at 

local, state, national 

and global levels. 

● Character 

education 

●Character Counts 

● Community 

improvement 

● Discuss the rights 

and responsibilities 

of a Muscatine 

Citizen. 

●Write a paragraph 

describing what you 

can do to be a good 

citizen. 


grade 


grade 

Standard 2: Understand how the government established by the 

Constitution embodies the enduring values and principles of democracy 

and republicanism. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


origins and explore 

the continuing 

influence of key 

ideals of the 

democratic 

republican form of 

government, such 

as individual human 

dignity, liberty, 

justice, equality, 

and the rule of law 


Strategy 

● Mayor 

● Local government 

● City Hall 

● City Administrator 

Information 

● Read aloud Out 

and About at City 

Hall by Nancy 

Attebury 

● Students may 

take a field trip to 

City Hall. 

Expectations 


at local, state, 

national and global 

levels. 

b. Know the role the 

U.S. Constitution 

plays in governance 

of the United States 

and stay informed 

about how it 

impacts day-to-day 

life. 

c. Obligations of 

citizenship for 

young people at a 


and global level. 

d. Are informed 

about and explore 

life in a democracy 

compared with life 

under other forms 

of government. 

● Bill of Rights 

● Justice 

● Fairness 

●Authority 

/Leadership 

● Privacy 

● Responsibilities 

and Rights of Others. 

● Local Volunteer 

● Patriotism 

● Classroom 

discussions 

concerning taking 

care of public 

property such as 

classroom, bus, 

graffiti 


grade 

Standard 3: Understand the purpose and function of each of the three 

branches of government established by the U.S. Constitution. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Identify basic 

principles and 


associated with 

each branch of 


explores how 

citizens become 

involved in each. 



b. Explore historical 

and contemporary 

examples of how 

the branches of 

government have 

checked each other 

and the impact of 

those examples. 


grade 

Standard 4: Understand the differences among local, state, and national 

government. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 



a. Describe various 

kinds and levels of 

elections. 


major roles of 

government at the 


and international 

levels. 

● Election 

● Candidate 

● Vote 

● Local 

● Mayor 

● City Council 

● City Hall 

● During election 

years, students will 

read about 

candidates, and 

participate in a 

mock election. 

● Discuss city 


how the decisions 

made affect 


Standard 5: Understand the role of the United States in current world 

affairs. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


U.S. economic aid 

affects other 

nations’ views of 


and actions of its 

government. 


value of acting 

individually (as a 

nation) vs. acting 

collectively (groups 

of nations) to solve 

problems. 

c. Recognize that 

international factors 

such as exchange 

rates and child 

labor affect 

relations between 

and among nations. 

d. Compare 

realities of life in the 

United States with 

perceptions held by 

people from other 

countries. 

Expectations 


5 th grade 


grade 


grade 


grade 



Social Studies Fourth Grade 


Standard 1: Understand the changing nature of society 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Explain how ● Era 


“acceptable” human ● Culture 

compare/ contrast 

behavior varies from ● Behaviors behaviors from 

one culture to ●Personality various cultures. 

another over time. ● Individuals 

● Social change 

Shared Reading 

b. Explain why some 

behaviors are 




impact of new 

technologies on 

society. 



people’s 

perceptions and 

interactions. 

Venn Diagram 

● Character (pillars) 

● Citizenship 

● Social 


● Adapt 

● Technology 

● Society 

● Communication 

● Mechanism 

● Industrialize 

● Mass production 

● Discuss and list 

basic poor manners. 

● In pairs make 

picture puzzles of 

unacceptable 

behaviors. 

● Class discussion 

on how new 


changed local 

industries. 

Expectations 

● Students will list 

or write a 

paragraph 

comparing the 

behaviors of two 

different cultures. 


recognize the 

differences 

between right and 

wrong behavior. 


recognize changes 

in industry that 

have improved 

production. 


grade. 


and group decision making 


Benchmark 

Strategy 

a. Describe, 






in cooperative 

groups to research 

various cultures in 

Iowa. 

●Make a whole 

class grid chart 

comparing the 

various aspects of 

each culture. 


why the expression 

of differing points of 

view can lead to 

compromise. 

●Conflict 

●Migration 

●Society 

●Culture 

●Hispanic 

Compare/ 

Contrast Chart 

Venn Diagram 

●Differ 

●Compromise 

●Conflicts 

●Resolution 



whole class 

discussion. 


able to discuss how 

to resolve conflict 

and respect 

different opinions. 


c. Demonstrate that 

one person’s 

exercise of freedom 

may conflict with the 

freedom of others. 

d. Show how rules 

can help resolve 

conflict. 





●Resolve / 

resolution 

●Impact 

●Conflict 

●Citizenship 



create a classroom 

set of rules. 

●Taught in 3 rd and 

5 th grade. 


able to discuss how 

to resolve conflict 

and respect 

different opinions. 


grade. 


individual 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Present examples 

of how internalizing 




process. 





expressions of 

culture 


types of 

personalities. 

●Generations 

●Expression 

●Folk tale 

●American folklore 

●Tall tales 

●Moral 





Iowa. 

Expectations 

●Taught in 3 rd 

grade. 


include a subtopic 

of art, music, and 

literature in their 

culture research 

project. 


grade. 




shaping of a 


●Beliefs 

●Peer pressure 

●Heritage 

●Culture 





Iowa. 






project. 

Standard 4: Understand the process of how humans develop, learn, adapt 

to the environment, and internalize their culture. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

a. Explain how ●Accomplishments ●Students will work 

perspective reflects ●Ethnic 


personal beliefs, cultures/Hispanic groups to research 

experiences, and ●Opinions 


attitudes. 

Iowa. 

Expectations 






project. 


. Illustrate/ 

demonstrate how 

human beings tend 

to repeat behaviors 

that feel good or 

have pleasant 




unpleasant 

consequences. 


people adopt and 

learn about culture. 

●Motivation 

●Capabilities 

●Contributions 

●Consequences 

●Adaptation 

●Immigrant 

●Migrant 


participate in 

classroom rule 

making and 

consequences. 





Iowa. 



concept that every 

action has a 

consequence. 






project. 


individual formulates opinions and responds to issues. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 



formulates a 


●Social problems 

●Beliefs 

●Evidence 

●Patterns 

Fact / Opinion 

●Reading material 

on current events. 


●Use current event 

materials to read 

and relate to 

personal 

experiences. 


social and historical 


issues. 


global issues affect 

the United States. 



impact personal 


belief systems. 

●Global 

●World citizens 

●Interrelationships 

●Environmental 

impact 

●Reading material 

on current events. 



grade. 

●Describe the 

global issues that 

affect us. 


grade. 

Standard 6: Understand how to evaluate social research and information. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 



and skills to 

investigate an issue. 

●Electronic 

●Accurate 

●Fact / fiction 

●Critical (important) 



Muscatine’s past 

and present using 


create an artifact to 

be included in their 

Iowa state project. 

b. Identify primary 


●Electronic mail 

●Interactive video 

various resources. 

●Students will make 

a T-chart listing 


differences 


sources. 

c. Evaluate the 

power of utilizing 


including the 

Internet. 

●Network 

●Authentic sources 

●Primary sources 

●Secondary 

sources 

●Internet 

●Global society 

●Technology 

examples of primary 


sources. 

●Class discussion 

on differences in the 

types of sources 

used for research. 

between the two 


sources. 

●Students will use 

three different 

sources for Iowa 

research. 

EX: Internet, 

encyclopedias, 

nonfiction books 

and interviews. 



ECONOMICS 




Benchmark 

Strategy 







or do something 

else. 


grade. 




and “have-nots” of 

the world in terms of 


c. Identify the goods 

and services that the 

local school and 

community provide 

and the people who 

provide them. 

●Limited resources 

●Opportunity cost 

●Resources 

●Suffering 

●Ghetto 

●Relief 

Venn Diagram 

●Capital resources 

●Public goods and 

resources 

●Human resources 

●Natural resources 



guided reading 

activity on migrant 

workers. 


a business letter to 

local industries 

requesting 

information about 

their products. 




the land owner and 

farm worker. 


able to name the 

products produced 

locally. 



Benchmark 

Strategy 




including 

households, 


government. 

●Economy 

●Value 



their parents’ jobs 

affect their daily 

lives. 


various ways in 

which money is 

exchanged in the 

economy. 






classroom 

discussion about 

the Muscatine 

community and 

how business and 

individuals affect 

each other. 


grade. 


grade. 



life. 




Benchmark 




concept of 

capitalism. 




Strategy 

●Income taxes 

●Taxes 



classroom 

discussion about 

taxes. 





grade. 

●Product 

●Government 

owned 


research goods 

and services 

provided by the 

Iowa government. 


able to list the 



Iowa government 

within their state 

project. 

Standard 4: Understand factors that create patterns of interdependence in 

the world economy. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 




by individuals, 

groups and nations 

create economic 

interdependence 

and change. 





decisions. 

c. Explain the 

concept of interstate 

commerce 


concept of resource, 


scarcity. 


Strategy 

●Consumers 

●Demand 

●Economic growth 

●Interdependence 

●Trade 

●Scarcity 

Information 



shared reading 

activity on the 


provided by states 

of the Midwest 

region and discuss 

how they interact. 



classroom 

discussion on 

environmental 

impacts on the 

state and local 

economies. 

Expectations 


able to identify the 



various Midwest 

states and how they 

interact. 


grade. 


grade. 



impacts of how 

flooding and overusage 

of natural 

resources affects 

our economy. 


Standard 5: Understand that advancing technologies impact the global 

economy 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 




world economies 

that have resulted 

from the use of new 

technology. 



regarding the 


people’s lives 

locally, nationally 

and internationally. 


issues associated 

with global climate 

change and Iowa’s 

role in both the 


solutions. 

●Global warming 

●Specialized work 

Guided reading 



guided reading 

lesson. 


grade. 


grade. 


able to identify 

Iowa’s role in 

contributing to the 

creation of 

alternative fuels. 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 




and demand. 


contrast need and 

wants in various 

types of economies. 

c. Identify local 


that are part of the 


●Goods 

●Services 


a business letter to 

local industries 

requesting 


their products. 


grade. 


grade. 


able to name the 

products produced 

locally. 




GEOGRAPHY 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


describe the 

detailed elements 

of a map. 


able to identify a 

given location on a 

map. 

b. Use atlases, grid 


graphs, and/or 

maps to gather 


the local 

community, Iowa 

and the Midwest 

Region. 


showing the 

location of major 

land masses, 

bodies of water, 

and/or mountain 

regions. 

●Geographic 



●Map (types and 

parts of) 

●Longitude 

●Latitude 

●Hemispheres 

Hands on map 

identification activity 

●Types of graphs 

(bar, circle, line) 

●Atlas 

●Grids 

Hands on map 

scavenger hunt 

activity 

●Bodies of water 

●Physical features 


Hands on island 

creation 


create a map of the 

world illustrating 

lines of latitude and 

longitude, 

hemispheres and 

continents. 


complete a 


using an atlas, 

chart, graph and/or 

map. 


create an original 

design of an island 

and other major 


forms. 


able to identify or 

locate specific 

points of interest 

when given atlases, 

charts, maps and 

graphs. 


able to name and 

label land masses 

and bodies of water. 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


which people 


physical 

environment, 

including use of 

land, locations of 

communities, 

methods of 



●Transportation 

(river/rail) 

●Natural Resources 

●Migration 

●Population 

distribution 

●Interact 

Shared reading 

KWL 

●(Mississippi River) 

● (Clams) 


produce an Iowa 

state project. 


. Compare 

political, economic, 



regions. 



geographic regions 

on maps. 






community. 

●Environment 


concerns/issues 

●Population growth 


network 

●(Mississippi River) 

●(Clams) 

●(Corn) 

●(Hogs) 


grade. 

●Taught in 3 rd & 5 th 

grade. 






populations. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


how the location of 

an area has 

affected the culture 

of the people. 




population 

movement and 

migration. 


human features 

such as cities, 

capitals, and roads 

on a map of the 

Midwest Region. 



human beings and 

their physical 

environment such 

as their use of land, 

building of cities, 


ecosystems 


Strategy 

●Migrant 


●Immigration 

●Technology 

Sequencing 

●Settlement 



●Hispanic Culture 

Read aloud 

●Highways and 

interstates 

●Capital 

●City 

●Border 

●Compass rose 

●Legend/key 

●Ecosystem 

●Human - made 

●Monuments 

●Dams 

●Piers 

●Farm fields 

Guest Speaker 

Information 

●Discussion about 

migrant farming. 

●Discussion about 

migrant farming. 


complete a 


using an atlas, 

chart, graph and/or 

map. 

●Guest Speaker 

from fish hatchery 

and or Pearl Button 

Museum. 

Expectations 

●Create a timeline 

of migrant 

immigration in Iowa. 


able to discuss key 

concepts of migrant 

farming with 

accuracy. 





a thank you note to 

the guest 

speaker(s) 

including one thing 

they learned. 




Grade Level 

Benchmark 


social and 

economic effects of 

environmental 



phenomena such 

as floods, storms 

and droughts. 


human alterations 

of the physical 

environment that 

have produced 

positive and 

negative 

consequences. 



weather affect 

people. 


Strategy 

●Droughts 

●Floods 

●Difference between 

cyclone, tornado, 

hurricane, typhoon, 

etc. 

●Epidemic 

Read aloud 

●Pollution 


Impact 

●Sources of 

Electricity 


Graphic 

Organizer (web) 

●Natural 

environment 

●Unpredictable 

KWL 

Information 


a creative story of a 

natural disaster. 

●Class discussion 


a creative story of a 

natural disaster. 

Expectations 


correctly use terms 

relating to the 

natural disaster in 

their stories. 


able to properly 

name ways humans 

have altered the 

physical 

environment. 


include affects of 

weather changes in 

their stories. 




HISTORY 

Standard 1: Understand historical patterns, periods of time, and the 



Benchmark 

Strategy 




time period. 


grade. 

b. Explain the idea 

of cause and effect 

of events and 

actions within a 

period. 


historical 


region. 

●Cause/effect 

●Century 

●Period 

●Generation 

Think aloud 

Read aloud 

Drawing 

conclusions 

●Colony 

●Native societies 

●Settlement 

●Settler 


●Migrant 

●Migration 

Paired reading 



classroom 

discussion using a 

T-Chart. 


for information about 

the history of 

Muscatine from 

early settlers to the 

present. 


able to accurately 

draw conclusions 

about the effects of 

industry on 

Muscatine’s history. 


able to accurately 

identify the key 

individuals in 

Muscatine’s history 

through 1900. 




Benchmark 

Strategy 



affect various 

groups in different 

ways. 


grade. 


governments 


change and the role 

individuals play in 

bringing about 

change. 


contrast the 


various 

governmental 

systems. 

●Judicial 

●Legislative 

●Executive 

●Republican 

●Democrat 

Venn Diagram 


able to compare and 

contrast Iowa state 

and Muscatine local 

governments. 


grade. 

●Create a poster of 

how each 

government was 

developed. 





Benchmark 

Strategy 


analyze the 


on the interactions 


over time. 

●Social similarities 

●Culture 

●Hispanic 

●Adversity 

(immigrants face) 

Cooperative 





Iowa. 


present to the class 

a project of choice 

on the culture they 

have researched. 




culture across time. 

c. Assess the effect 


decisions of a 

society, group, or 

individual. 

groups 

●Society 

●Transmit 

●Immigrant 

●Migrant 

●Culture 





Iowa 


present to the class 

a project of choice 

on the culture they 

have researched. 


grade. 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


evaluate the 





various forms of 

media to research 

an important person 

from Iowa. 


a biography for their 


b. Identify 

significant 


have impacted 

history in a positive 

or negative way 

and analyze how 


impacted the world. 


●Era 

●Pearl Button 

Industry 

●Settler 

●Gristmill 

●Ambassador 

●Calliope 

(calliaphone) 

●Impacted 

●Herbert Hoover, 

John Boepple, 

Benjamin Nye, 

Laura Musser, Grant 

Wood, Norman 

Baker, Alexander 

Clark 


various forms of 

media to research 

an important person 

from Iowa. 


a biography for their 




Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 

Expectations 


a. Examine the 

ways in which 

various societies 

meet their 

economic needs 

and wants. 

b. Analyze the role 

of economic factors 

in conflicts and in 

decisions to use 

military force. 



influence the 

movement of 

people. 


movement of 

economic goods 

and the trade 

networks that 

connect suppliers 


●Labor 

●Taxation 

●Tariff 


●Migration 


of Amelia’s Road 

Venn Diagram 



classroom 

discussion on 

Amelia’s Road. 


grade. 


grade. 


inferencing to 

compare Amelia’s 

Road to the 

migration in 



grade. 


events. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 



impact of 

geographic systems 

(physical and 

human) on 




routes of explorers 


world. 

c. Identify the role 

that geography has 

played during 




settled and 

developed and 

●Mussels 

● “Clam rush” 

●Boomtown 

●Prairies 

●Mississippi River 

●Region 

●Migration 

●Settlement 

●Midwest 


analyze the 

reasoning for the 

movement of people 

into the Midwest 

Region. 


analyze the 

reasoning for the 

movement of people 




impact the 

movement of 

people into the 

Midwest region. 


grade. 


grade. 




impact the 


compare this early 

development to the 

region today. 

Venn Diagram 

into the Midwest 

Region. 

movement of 

people into the 

Midwest Region. 




Benchmark 


technological 






b. Analyze why 


have been adopted 

while others have 

not. 

Strategy 

●Internet 

●Intranet 

●Assembly line 

● (Methods of 

farming) 

●Mass production 


participate in a field 

trip to a local 

industry. 

EX: Hon, John 

Deere, Heinz, CDS, 

Button companies 


able to correctly 

evaluate how mass 

production affected 



grade. 




Benchmark 

Strategy 






the world in the 

past. 

●Technology 

●Midwest 

●Exploration 

● “Button Rush” 

Read for main 

ideas 


social studies text 

for main idea, 

supporting details 

and interpreting new 

information in 

context. 


able to pass the 

written assessment 

from text book with 

80% or higher. 


validity and 

accuracy of primary 




for bias. 


events to explain 

and understand 

contemporary 

issues. 

●Bias 

●Validity 

●Accurate/ 

inaccuracies 

●Secondary and 

Primary Sources 

●Historical 

●Contemporary 

●Migrant 

Venn Diagram 


primary and 


for their Iowa state 

projects. 



Muscatine’s past 

with Muscatine’s 

present using 

various sources. 


create an Iowa 

State Project. 


create an artifact to 

be included in their 

Iowa State Project. 



POLITICAL SCIENCE/CIVIC LITERACY 




Benchmark 

Strategy 


of citizens’ rights 

and responsibilities. 


contexts and 

identifies 

appropriate and 

effective civic action 

c. Define and 

provide examples 

of civic virtues. 

d. Participate in 

civic life in ways 

appropriate for 

young people at 



●Patriotism 

●Respect 


●Rights 

●Responsibilities 

●Freedoms 

●Liberties 

●Civic virtues 


●Responsibilities 



classroom 

discussion and 


Bill of Rights. 



classroom 

discussion and 






responsibilities as a 

classroom citizen. 


grade. 





classroom citizen. 


grade. 

Standard 2: Understand how the government established by the 

Constitution embodies the enduring values and principles of democracy 

and republicanism. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 




influence of key 

ideals of the 

democratic 


government, such 

as individual human 

dignity, liberty, 

justice, equality, 

and the rule of law 


Strategy 

●Liberty 

●Justice 

●Symbol 

●Freedoms 

●Rights 

●Democracy 


Information 

●Shared reading of 

Social Studies text 

over the branches of 

government, U.S. 

Constitution and the 


Expectations 


create a mini-book 

listing aspects of 



definition of a 

democracy. 


at local, state, 


levels. 






about how it 

impacts day-to-day 

life. 

c. Know the basic 

purposes of 

government in the 


demonstrate the 


obligations of 

citizenship for 



and global level. 

d. Are informed 

about and explore 

life in a democracy 

compared with life 

under other forms 


●U.S. Constitution 

●Amendments 

●Authority 

●Maintain order 

●Privacy 

●Civil rights 

●Obligations 

●Character 

education 

Forming 

classroom rules 

●Students will listen 

to and participate in 

a read aloud and 

shared reading on 

the U.S. Constitution 

and the Bill of 

Rights. 



character education, 

forming class rules 

and being involved 

in classroom and 

school voting 

activity. 


understand how our 

countries freedoms 

affect them 

personally 





citizen. 


grade. 

Standard 3: Understand the purpose and function of each of the three 

branches of government established by the U.S. Constitution. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 




associated with 



explores how 



●Legislative 

●Executive 

●Judicial 

●Citizen 

●Civic duty / 

participation 


independently from 

the Social Studies 

text. 


create a mini-book 

listing aspects of 



definition of a 

democracy. 



examples of how 

the branches of 






grade. 



government. 


Benchmark 

Strategy 



elections. 

●Local 

●State 

●Federal 

●Students will hold a 

mock election and 



able to identify 

ways to vote. 


major roles of 

government at the 


and international 

levels. 

●Community 

improvement 


classroom voting. 

●Shared reading 

from text and 

various Iowa 

resources. 


compare Iowa and 

Federal branches of 

government. 

Standard 5: Understand the role of the United States in current world 

affairs. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Strategy 

Information 


U.S. economic aid 

affects other 

nations’ views of 


and actions of its 

government. 


value of acting 

individually (as a 

nation) vs. acting 

collectively (groups 

of nations) to solve 

problems. 

c. Recognize that 

international factors 

such as exchange 

rates and child 

labor affect 

relations between 

and among nations. 

d. Compare 

realities of life in the 

United States with 



countries. 

●Economic aid 

●Disaster relief 

Partner reading 


●Child labor laws 


participate in whole 

group and partner 

reading of current 

events. 


participate in whole 

group and partner 

reading of current 

events while 

focusing on child 

labor laws in the 

U.S. and in Mexico 

for migrant workers. 

Expectations 

●Through current 

events, students 

will and discuss the 

role the United 

States plays in 

world events. 


grade. 



differences in child 

labor laws. 


grade. 



Social Studies Fifth Grade 

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE 


Grade Level Key Concepts Information Expectations 

Benchmark 


“acceptable” human 

behavior varies from 

one culture to another 

over time. 

●Taught in 3 rd and 4 th 

grade 

b. Explain why some 

behaviors are 



c. Describe the impact 

of new technologies on 

society. 



people’s perceptions 

and interactions. 

• Computer Age 

• Inventions 

• Revolution 

• Civil War 

• Colonial 

●What changes 

computers have 

made on society 

●War changes 

people’s lives – 

economically, 

emotionally, socially, 

mentally, physically 


grade 

●Identify changes 

computers/inventions 

have impacted society 

●Describe how war 

affects people’s 

perception and 

interactions 

Standard 2: Understand the influences on individuals and group behavior and 

group decision making. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Key Concepts Information Expectations 

a. Describe, compare, 

and contrast various 

types of society and 

cultural groups. 


why the expressions of 

differing points of view 

can lead to 

compromise. 

c. Demonstration that 

one person’s exercise 

of freedom may conflict 

with the freedom of 

others. 

d. Show how rules can 

help resolve conflict. 

●Colonial 

●Missouri 

Compromise 

●Kansas Nebraska 

Act 

●Civil War 

●Thomas Paine 

●Revolution 

●Forming own 


freedom from Britain 

(church vs. state) 

●Working together 

to come to common 

ground to avoid war 

●Common Sense 

●Create a comparisons 

chart describe, 

comparing, and 

contrasting society 

from Britain vs. New 

World 

●Identify various 

compromises created 

before the Civil War 

that helped maintain 

peace for many years 

●Describe the affects 

Common Sense (both 

positive and negative) 

had on others 

●Constitution ●Consequences ●Discuss the need for 

rules locally and 

nationally 






●Loyalists 

●Quakers 

●Rebels 

●People wanting 

war vs. those who 

wanted peace 

●Identify how various 

groups of people 

impacted each other 

during the 

Revolutionary War 

Standard 3: Understand how personality and socialization impact the individual. 


Benchmark 

a. Present examples of 

how internalizing 

culture begins at birth 

and is a complex 

lifelong process. 

●Taught in 3 rd grade 





expressions of culture. 


types of personalities. 




shaping of a person’s 

identity. 

●Revolutionary War 

leaders 

Suggestions 

●George 

Washington 

●Benedict Arnold 

●General Greene 

●Adams 

●Franklin 


grade 

●Identify the different 

personalities of various 

Revolutionary War 

leaders 

●Taught in 4 th grade 

Standard 4: Understand the process of how humans develop, learn, adapt to the 

environment, and internalize their culture. 


Benchmark 





attitudes. 


grade 

b. 

Illustrate/demonstrate 

how human beings 

tend to repeat 

behaviors that feel 

good or have pleasant 




unpleasant 

consequences. 

●Motivation 

●Capabilities 


●Consequences 



classroom rule 

making and 

consequences. 


grade 


c. Describe how people 


adopt and learn about 

culture. 

Standard 5: Understand current social issues to determine how the individual 

formulates opinions and responds to issue. 


Benchmark 



formulates a personal 

position. 

b. Compare the social 

and historical context 

of specific issues. 

c. Describe how global 

issues affect the United 

States. 


historical events impact 

personal development 

and belief systems. 


●Civil War 


●Events leading to 

the Civil War 

●Reading material on 



●Northern states vs. 

Southern states 

●Reading material on 


●Northern Industries 

impacting Southern 

lives 

●Using current event 

material, read and 

relate to personal 

opinion 


difference in the 

North and the South 

that led to war 

●Identify global 

issues that affect us 


differences of the 

North and the South 

development and how 

they effected each 

other 

Standard 6: Understand how to evaluate social research and Information. 


Benchmark 



and skills to investigate 

an issue. 

●Research paper ●Internet 

●Resource Materials 

●Create a research 

paper using multiple 

resources 

b. Identify primary and 

secondary sources. 

c. Evaluate the power 

of utilizing various 

resources including the 

Internet. 

●Research paper ●Reading materials ●Identify the 


two sources 

●Research paper 

●Internet 

●Reading materials 

●Be able to use all 

materials to create a 

research paper 




ECONOMICS 

Standard 1: Understand the role of scarcity and economic tradeoffs and how 



Benchmark 







or do something else. 

●Advances in 

business 

●Exchanges of goods 

●Industrial movement 

and/or westward 

movement 

(trade network) 

●Identify a trade-off 

and how it was 

important to society 




and “have-nots” of the 

world in terms of 


c. Identify the goods 

and services that the 

local school and 

community provide 

and the people who 

provide them. 


grade 


grade 



Benchmark 




including households, 


government. 


b. Identify the various 

ways in which money 

is exchanged in the 

economy. 





life. 

●Business 

●Math/business 

●Exchange of money 

in the economy 

●Money 

●Banking 

●Savings 

●Discuss the 

importance of money 

and economy 

●Activity that connects 

math and 

business/savings 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 






grade 


concept of capitalism. 

●Capitalism 

●JA 

●How capitalism 

effects economy 

●Know the meaning of 

capitalism 




grade 





Benchmark 





by individuals, groups 

and nations create 

economic 

interdependence and 

change. 





decisions. 

●JA 

●Values/beliefs 

●Economic decisions 

●JA Activity 

c. Explain the concept 

of interstate 

commerce. 


concept of resource 


scarcity. 

●Interstate 

Commerce 

●JA 

●Interstate 

Commerce 

●Identify meaning and 

connect to the 

business world 


grade 

Standard 5: Understand that advancing technologies impact the global economy. 


Benchmark 



world economies that 

have resulted from 

the use of new 

technology. 

●Industrial Expansion ●Autos, rockets 

(NASA), computers 

●Identify changes and 

advancement in use of 

technology 



regarding the 


people’s lives locally, 


internationally. 

c. Describe the issues 

associated with global 

●JA 

●Expansion of 

business affects many 

people 

●Activity: JA creating 

a business expansion 



climate change and 

Iowa’s role in both the 


solutions. 




Benchmark 



and demand. 

●JA 

●Connect needs and 

wants to supply and 

demands 

●Activity with needs/ 

wants and supply/ 

demand 


contrast needs and 

wants in various types 

of economies. 

●JA 

●Building on needs 

and wants with supply 

and demand 


needs and wants in 

different countries 


c. Identify local goods 

and services that are 

part of the global 

economy. 


grade 




GEOGRAPHY 


Information about people, places, and environments. 


Benchmark 


describe the detailed 

elements of a map. 


4 th grade. 

b. Use atlases, 

databases, grid 


graphs, and/or maps 

to gather Information 

about the local 

community, Iowa, the 

United States, and the 

world. 


showing the location 

of major land masses, 

bodies of water, 

and/or mountain 

regions. 

●States 

●Capitals 

●Identify the states 

and capitals of states 

within each region 

●Using maps, locate 

and identify cities, 

states, countries, 

continents 


4 th grade. 




Benchmark 


which people interact 

with the physical 

environment, 

including use of land, 

locations of 

communities, 

methods of 




4 th grade. 

b. Compare political, 

economic, and social 


regions. 



geographic regions on 

maps. 

●Civil War (North and 

South) 

●What differences in 

economy/industry led 

to Civil War 

●State the differences 

between 

Northern/Southern 

states economy and 

industry 

●Taught in 3 rd grade. 







community. 


4 th grade. 


affect the development society and the movement of populations. 


Benchmark 


how the location of an 

area has affected the 

culture of the people. 


4 th grade. 




population movement 

and migration. 


human features such 

as cities, capitals, and 

roads on a map of 

North America. 


interaction of human 

beings and their 

physical environment 

such as their use of 

land, building of cities, 


ecosystems. 

●Western Movement 

●States and Capitals 

●Rocky 

Mountains/pioneer 

●North 

America/pioneers 

●Know different 

regions of U.S. cities 

and capitals 

●Locate the physical 

and cultural barriers 

on a map 

●Recall the states 

and capitals of the 

U.S. regions 


4 th grade. 

Standard 4: Understand how physical processes and human actions modify the 

environment and how the environment affects humans. 


Benchmark 

a. Describe the social 

and economic effects 

of environmental 



phenomena such as 

floods, storms and 

droughts. 


●Current Reading 

Text 

●Floods in Muscatine 

●Big storms 


●Using various 

reading material, 

discuss the effects of 

environmental 

changes 


human alterations of 

the physical 

environment that have 

produced positive and 

negative 

●Golden Age of 

Industry 

●Rockets 

●Naval Weapons 

●Autos 

●Identify the positives 

of negatives of 

various inventions 

within the Age of 

Industry 


consequences. 



weather affect people. 

●Taught in 4 th grade. 




HISTORY 

Standard 1: Understand historical patterns, periods of time, and the relationships 

among these elements. 


Benchmark 




time period. 

●Colonial 

●Revolution 

●Changes in 

civilization from early 

1600 to late 1700 


changes that 

occurred within that 

100 years 

b. Explain the idea of 

cause and effect of 

events and actions 

within a period. 


historical 


region. 

●Nation begins 

●Westward 

Movement 

●Industrial Expansion 

●Development of the 

U.S. 

●Division from Britain 


country due to 

movement 

●Invents and industry 

(canals, R.R.) 

●13 original colonies 


Midwest 

●Development of 

Western 

●Explain cause and 

effect for each time 

period using various 

charts or activities 

●Create a timeline of 

development 




Benchmark 



affect various groups 

in different ways. 

●Branches of 

Government 

●Three branches 

keep a balance of 

power 

●Discuss how each 

branch affects other 

branches 


governments change, 

how they change and 

the role individuals 

play in bringing about 

change 


Government 

●Elections – 4 year 

term 

●Creation of 

Branches of 

Government 

●Elections and 

changes in 

government figures 

●Explain how and 

why there is the need 

for individual change 

in our government 


contrast the 


various governmental 

systems. 

●Revolution ●King vs. President ●Determine the pros 

and cons by 

comparing and 

contrasting different 

government systems 




Benchmark 


analyze the influence 


interactions of various 

groups over time. 


4 th grade. 


. Analyze the 




culture across time. 

c. Assess the effect of 

culture on the 

decisions of a society, 

group, or individual. 

●Colonial 

●Colonists new 

culture and society 


decisions colonists 

made in order to 

create a new society 

●Define the effects 

Standard 4: Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society as 

promoters of change or the status quo. 


Benchmark 


evaluate the 




●Revolution 

●Industrial Movement 

●Civil War 


heroes 

●Famous inventors 

(Eli Whitney, Thomas 

Edison, etc.) 

●Civil War heroes 

(Harriet Tubman) 


heroes (Franklin) 

●Famous Inventors 

●Civil War heroes 

●Identify and 

evaluate contributions 

of leaders through 

read alouds, projects, 

and/or research 

paper 

b. Identify significant 

individuals who have 

impacted history in a 


way and analyze how 


impacted the world. 

●Revolution 

●Industrial Movement 

●Civil War 

●Through research 

project and/or other 

activities identify 

evaluation a famous 

historical individual’s 

contribution to the 

world 

Standard 5: Understand the effect of economic needs and wants on individual 

and group decisions. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

a. Examine the ways 

in which various 

societies meet their 

economic needs and 

wants. 

b. Analyze the role of 

economic factors in 

conflicts and in 





influence the 



movement of 

economic goods and 


●War – 

Revolution/Civil War 

●Westward 

Movement 

●Westward 

Expansion 

●Protesting taxation 

during Revolution 

leads to military force 

by Britain 

●Economic factors 

leads to war 

(including slavery) 

●Moving for a better 

life due to better living 

conditions 

●R.R. systems 

●Canals 

●Steamboats 


grade. 

●Analyze how these 

factors lead to war for 

both major wars 

●Identify why people 

moved west to search 

of a better life 

●Describe how each 

contributed to the 

expansion of trade 


the trade networks 

that connect suppliers 


Standard 6: Understand the effects of geographic factors on historical events. 


Benchmark 

a. Identify the impact 

of geographic 

systems (physical and 

human) on historical 

events. 

●1600 to today ●Changes in our 

geography systems 

as we grow as a 

nation 

●Compare the impact 

of geography systems 

from 1600’s to today 


land and water routes 

of explorers 

throughout the world. 

c. Identify the role that 

geography has played 

during historical 

events. 



settled and developed 

and compare this 

early development to 

the region today. 

●Western Expansion ●Lewis and Clark ●Trace the routes of 

Lewis and Clark in 

the U.S. 

●Western Expansion 


●Louisiana Purchase 

●Doubled the size of 

U.S. 

●Louisiana Purchase 

●Explorers sent out to 

explorer new territory 

(Louisiana Purchase) 

Discover water routes 

for trade 

●Discussion how the 

Louisiana Purchase 

impacted the 

geographic size of the 

U.S. 

●Identify the impact 

of Louisiana 

Purchase and 

compare this to today 

(broke up into states 

vs. territory) 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 



technological 


evaluates their impact 

on social, political, 

and historical events. 

●Industrial Expansion 

●Inventions that 

changed society 

●Rockets 

●Identify major 

advances in 

technology that 

changed society 

●Create a project 

(build rockets, etc.) 

b. Analyze why some 


been adopted while 

others have not. 

●Computer Age ●Inventions ●Comparison of 


(inventions) 

●Some worked, 

others failed 



Grade Level 

Benchmark 







various regions of the 

world in the past. 



validity and accuracy 

of primary sources 



evaluates them for 

bias. 


events to explain and 

understand 

contemporary issues. 

●Research 

●Growing Nation 

●Books – primary 

source 

●Not writing first hand 

sometimes forms bias 

rather than accuracy 

●1600’s events to 

today 

●Use of a primary 

source in research 

●Comparison 

(primary vs. 

secondary) 

●Connect past events 

to present day 







Benchmark 


of citizens’ rights and 


●Constitution 

●Bill of Rights 

●Freedom of religion, 

speech, etc 

●Activity identifying 

our rights and 


according to 


contexts and identifies 

appropriate and 

effective civic action. 

c. Define and provide 

examples of civic 

virtues. 

d. Participate in civic 

life in ways 

appropriate for young 

people at local, state, 


levels. 

●Voting 

●Voting 

●Voting 

●Learn issues 

●Learn about 

candidates 

●Vote as final 

●Why it is important 

for everyone to vote 

●Talk about local, 

state, national issues 

and candidates 

Constitution 

●Mock election – 

local, national, 

classroom 

●Citizenship definition 

●Newspapers, 

magazines (Time for 

Kids) and discuss 

current issues 

Standard 2: Understand how the government established by the Constitution 

embodies the enduring values and principles of democracy and republicanism. 


Benchmark 




influence of key ideals 

of the democratic 


government, such as 

individual human 

dignity, liberty, justice, 

equality, and the rule 

of law at local, state, 


levels. 


Government 

●Executive, 

Legislative, and 

Judicial Branches 

●Different jobs of 

each 

●Requirements of 

each and length of 

term for each 

●Carries out laws 

●Write laws 

●Settles differences 






about how it impacts 

day-to-day life. 


●Amendments to 

constitution and the 

impacts on 

Americans’ lives 

●Laws – What if no 

laws 

●Civil Rights – How 

lives of black people 

changed and 

improved. 


c. Know the basic 

purposes of 

government in the 


demonstrate the 

rights and obligations 

of citizenship for 



and global level 

d. Are informed about 

and explore life in a 

democracy compared 

with life under other 

forms of government. 

●Voting 

●Who can vote 

●Why should we 

vote 

●Possible 

consequences of not 

voting 

●Women’s rights to 

vote (example - ask 

class to vote on issue 

with only boys voting) 

●Revolution 

●King vs. Freedom 

before Revolution 

●Religious Freedom 

●Debate positive and 

negative of each 

●Positive and 

negative moving to 

America 

Standard 3: Understand the purpose and function of each of the three branches 

of government established by the U.S. Constitution. 


Benchmark 




associated with each 

branch of government 

and explores how 




Government 

●Executive, 



●How each branch 

can affect lives of 

Americans 



examples of how the 

branches of 






Government 

●Executive, 



●How each branch 

can affect lives of 

Americans 

●Voting for executive 

(Executive Branch) 

●Vote for senators 

who vote/confirm 

Judicial (Judicial 

Branch) 

●Vote for House of 

Representatives and 

Senators 

●Learn issues 

(national and local) 

association with each 

●Look back at times 

in history when 

braches in history 

when branches 

conflicted 

●Example – 

Watergate or when 

President vetoed bills, 

etc. 

●To see how those 

incidents might have 


Example – Clinton 

impeachment 


government. 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 





elections. 

b. Analyze the major 

roles of government 

at the local, state, 

national and 

international levels. 

●Voting 


Government 

●Local, state, and 

national elections 

●How decisions made 

by each branch affect 

world around them 

●Electoral College vs. 

majority vote 

●What are differences 

between local and 

national elections 


(newspapers and 

magazine to explore 

issues) 

Standard 5: Understand the role of the United States in current world affairs. 


Benchmark 

a. Analyze how U.S. 

economic aid affects 

other nations’ views of 

the United States and 

actions of its 

government. 

●Current Events ●Gulf War 

●Middle East 

●Cuba 

●Discover ways the 

U.S. helps other 

countries (foreign aid) 

b. Compare the value 

of acting individually 

(as a nation) vs. 

acting collectively 

(groups of nations) to 

solve problems. 

d. Compare realities 

of life in the United 

States with 



countries. 



●Wars 

North Korea 

China 

Britain 

●U.S. leaders in the 

world 

●Changes since 

Obama 

●U.N. (How does this 

entity help maintain 

peace) 

●Who are U.S. Allies 

in world and how do 

we work with them 

●Technology: Look 

up foreign 

newspapers – read 

about their news 

reports on America. 

●How is America 

covered abroad by 

our “friends” vs. our 

“enemies” 



SOCIAL STUDIES SIXTH GRADE 



Society is dynamic. It evolves in response to changes in attitudes, perceptions, values, 

etc. Attempts to understand cultural factors within a changing society led to the 

development of sociology as a distinct field of study. Many attempts to understand and 

predict human behavior occurred prior to our modern day study of psychology. Including 

but not limited to: 

Grade Level Unit Essential Content Topics GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze the impact of 

economic, historical 

and political forces on 

society and social 

behavior. 

Benchmark B: 

Describe how world 

cultures impact local 

cultures. 

Benchmark C: 

Explain how humans 

behave in various 

social events. 

Benchmark D: 

Describe the impact 

of changing 

technology on 

society. 

Learnings 

●Fall of Roman 

Empire 

●China/Japan 

beginning of trade with 

the West 

●Confucius, Gandhi I 

& II, Caesar. 

●Greek culture basis 

of Western civilization 

●Rise of 

Christianity(Constantin 

e) 

●Trade exposure to 

the East. 

●Cultural 

traditions/celebrations/ 

religious 

●Greek’s Scientific 

Method/Architecture/C 

ity engineering and 

planning 

●Chinese innovations 

●Bronze age and 

Mesopotamia 

●Important influences 

on society and 

citizen’s behavior, 

including women. 

●Global influences on 

the exchange of ideas 

with ancient 

civilizations. 

●The norms and 

mores of a culture. 

●Technologies role in 

civilization 

development. 

●Technologies part in 

demise of civilizations. 


Personality is an individual's broad, long-lasting pattern of behavior. This pattern is 

partially influenced by components of a person’s culture. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Present examples of 





Learnings 

●Cultural impact on 

the development of 

personality. 

●Religion and 

ethnicity 

Political, economic, 

and educational 

systems 


Benchmark B: 

Describe major 

agents of 

socialization and the 

role each plays in 

development of self, 

social norms, values, 

and beliefs. (Agents 

of socialization 

include people or 

institutions that 

socialize or teach 

members of society 

the values, norms 


expectations.) 

Benchmark C: 

Compare different 

types of personalities 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze various 

factors that contribute 

to the shaping of a 


●Norms and mores 

which include: 

Greeks 

Romans 

Chinese 

Egyptians 

Mesopotamians 

●Ghandi, Alexander 

the Great, and 

Confucius, 

●Caste System in 

India and our social 

classes of today 

●Religion and 

ethnicity 

●Political, economic 

and educational roles 

and expectations 

●Religious and 

political leaders 

●Social Classes in 

society 

Standard 3: Understand the influences on individual and group behavior and 


Components of culture such as religion, media and language impact and help shape 

individuals, group behavior and decisions regarding society. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Describe how 




Benchmark B: 

Describe, compare 


types of societies and 


Unit Essential 

Learnings 

●Taught in 7 th and 8 th 

grade 

●Comparing the Caste 

System of India with 

our social classes of 

today 

Content Topics 

●Cultural 

investigations of 

ancient civilizations 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark C: 

Examine the role of 

values and beliefs in 

establishing the 

norms of society. 

●The affect of 

Christianity on the 

change in ancient 

Rome’s expansion. 

●Confucius’ ideas and 

how they helped 

shape Chinese 

society. 

●Political, religious 

and geographical 

influences 




Learning and adaptation are continuous throughout life. These processes are central to 

understanding human development. As humans develop, learn and adapt to their 

environment, they absorb cultural aspects. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Explain how 




attitudes. 

Benchmark B: 

Describe how people 


culture. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze how 

socialization is 

initiated by and 

continued through 

agents of 

socialization (Agents 






the values, norms, 



Learnings 

●Ancient Greece’s 

affect on the western 

law and government. 

●Greece’s impact on 

the growth of Ancient 

Rome. 

●Imperialism and its 

affect on China 


Confucius’ influence 

on the culture with the 

Chinese. 

●Investigate how 

immigrants infusion 

into society affects 

their own culture as 

well as their new 

culture. 

●Assimilation, 

acculturation etc. 

●Cultural/political 

influences and their 

changes on society 

●Family, government, 

education religious, 

and society 

●Forced/unforced 

●Family, government, 

education religious, 

and society 

●Forced/unforced 

Standard 5: Understand current social issues to determine how the individual is 

able to formulate opinions and respond to those issues. 

Social issues are matters which directly or indirectly affect many or all members of a 

society and are viewed as problems. They tend to be controversial and are typically 

related to moral values. Each person, as a member of a community needs to understand 

the context in which a social problem develops and how it is experienced on an 

individual basis. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify current social 

issues and formulate 

a personal position. 


Learnings 


grade 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark B: 

Analyze the social 

and historical context 

of specific issues. 

Benchmark C: 

Recognize the 

interplay between 

politics, economics, 

history and social 

issues on a national 

and an international 

level. 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze the role of 



social issues. 

Benchmark E: 

Understand that 

historical events can 

impact an individual’s 

personality 


grade 


grade 


grade 


grade 

development 

Standard 6: Understand how to evaluate social research and information 

Social scientists study how people behave, interact and experience their social 

environment. They use specific research processes and tools to address research 

questions. Studies attempt to provide accurate information rather than to establish what 

is “right” or “wrong.” Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: Use 

appropriate research 

procedures and skills 

to investigate an 

issue 

Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the pros and 

cons of various 

research strategies 

Benchmark C: 

Identify and utilize 

primary resources 

Benchmark D: 

Evaluate internet 

sources for quality, 

reliability, and validity 


Learnings 


grade 

●Wikipedia: good or 

bad 

●Primary and 

secondary source 

verification. 

●Checking publishing 

dates 


grade 


grade 


●Compare valid and 

invalid resources 

(internet and books, 

and research journals) 

GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark E: 

Identify and evaluate 

the ethical issues in 

conducting research 

with humans and 

animals 




ECONOMICS 



Scarcity and economic trade-offs are essential to all economic activity. They affect 

resources, spending, prices, income, and production decisions made by households, 

businesses, and countries in today’s global economy. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Compare the wide 

disparities that exist 

across the globe in 

terms of economic 

assets and choices. 

Benchmark B: 

Justify good judgment 

in making personal 

choices related to 

spending and saving. 

Benchmark C: 

Predicts short-term 

and long-term 

financial 

consequences based 

on current choices. 

Benchmark D: 

Identify and explain 

examples of ways 


are produced and 

distributed. 

Benchmark E: 

Identify the 


producers and 

consumers in a 

market economy. 

Learnings 

●Describe the major 

obstacles to economic 

development in many 

nations 

●End of Roman 

Republic and 

beginning of Roman 

Empire 

●East Asia’s trade with 

the West. 

●Development of road 

system and trade 

routes 

●The rivers 

●Evolution of ship 

building 

●The Forum 


producers and 

consumers. 

●Linguistic, Tribal, 

Religion, 

Government, 

Education, Political 

Stability. 

●Civilization’s 

economic growth and 

development. 


contrast the evolution 

of the infrastructure 

for trade for the seven 


●Economic Vocab. 

and definitions. 

Standard 2: Understands the functions of economic institutions. 

Institutions evolve in economies to help individuals and groups accomplish their goals. 

Banks, labor unions, corporations, individual entrepreneurs, legal systems, and not-forprofit 

organizations are examples of important institutions. Understanding economic 

institutions and the purposes they serve will help students use institutions more 

effectively and help them evaluate change. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 

Distinguish between 

for-profit corporations 

and not-for-profit 

organizations. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine the impact 

labor unions have had 

on working conditions 

over time. 

Benchmark C: 


banks and other 

financial institutions in 

channeling funds from 

saver to borrowers 

and investors. 



Government policies influence the economy. Citizens evaluate the economic trade-offs of 

policies and how they affect the economy at the individual, local, state, national, and 

international levels. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Distinguish between a 

free market and a 


Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the use of 

taxes at the local, 

state and national 

levels. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze how 

government 

institutions regulate 

the economy. 

Benchmark D: 

Propose alternatives 

or modifications to the 

way government 

currently collects 

revenue. 



The increasing importance of the global economy on America’s economy makes it 

essential for students to be well versed in the factors that influence global trade. These 

can include exports and imports, balance of trade, exchange rates, tariffs, other trade 

barriers, and free-trade agreements. Including but not limited to: 



Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Identify the 

geographic origins of 

the raw materials that 

go into everyday 

items. 

Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the merits of 

common currencies 

across national 

borders. 

Benchmark C: 

Evaluate existing 

barriers to trade that 

impact global markets. 

Benchmark D: 

Explore how global 

economic actions 

affect regional, 

national, and global 

markets. 

Standard 5: Understand the impact of advancing technologies on the global 

economy. 

Modern technologies are transforming the speed and scope of business in the world 

today. It is imperative that students understand and have the ability to use technology for 

success in the global economy. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze how 

technology evolved 

over time. 

Benchmark B: 

Describe how 


regarding the 

economy and natural 

resources can affect 




Benchmark C: 

Describe the 

development of green 

technologies. 

Standard 6: Understand how universal economic concepts present themselves in 

various types of economies throughout the world. 

Grade 6 Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks 112

Understanding how economic concepts function within different economies is essential 

to understanding and participating in today’s global market. Economic concepts and 

systems develop to determine what goods and services will be produced, how they will 

be produced, for whom they will be produced, and at what price they will be sold. 

Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze cost of living 

and wage data across 

geographic regions. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze the impact 

of printing more or 

less money on an 

economy. 

Benchmark C: 

Evaluate how 

economic concepts 

are expressed in 


world. 

Standard 7: Understand the function of common financial instruments. 

Financial success in today’s world requires a competency with the tools that are used 

such as bank accounts, loans, mortgages, credit cards, insurance, stock markets, and 

tax forms. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Evaluate various 

investment strategies. 

Benchmark B: 

Understand the 

benefits of incentives 

to spend and 

incentives to save. 

Benchmark C: 

Describe the 


traditional command 

market, and mixed 

economies. 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 



GEOGRAPHY 

Standard 1/UEL: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze 


Some of the tools geographers use to make sense of the world include maps, globes, 

photographs, and geospatial technologies. These tools are essential to portraying, 

analyzing, evaluating and predicting human as well as physical patterns and processes 

on the Earth’s surface. These tools also play a critical role in helping people make sense 

of a complex world from a spatial perspective. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Use a variety of print, 

geospatial 

technologies and 

other geographic tools 

to create and interpret 

information from 

charts, graphs, and 

maps. 

Benchmark B: 

Demonstrate an 


longitude and latitude. 

Benchmark C: 

Investigate how 

various landforms and 

geographic features 

determine different 

ecosystems and land 

usage. 

Learnings 

●Compare current 

and ancient maps 

●Comparison of 

Maps to show how 

map layouts don’t 

affect latitude and 

longitude. 

●Geographic 

information and skills 

development. 

●Exp. Topographic, 

landform, climate, 

political, and physical 

●Population, 

ethnicity, religious, 

and other information 

that applies to the five 

themes of geography 

●Absolute and 

relative location, 

Hemispheres 

●Atlas Study 

●Google Earth 

●Landform and 


investigation: Rome 

Greece India Japan 

China Egypt 

Mesopotamia 

●Rome built around 

the seven hills 

●Impact of 

Mediterranean, 

Adriatic, and Aegean 

Sea on Roman and 

Greek development 

●Mesopotamian 

beginning near water 

source 

●The seclusion of the 

East from the rest of 

the world. 


Benchmark D: 

Construct maps that 

demonstrate an 


location, direction, 

size and shape of 

local, regional or 

global areas. 

Benchmark E: 

Analyze areas of 

population density and 

scarcity to determine 

factors that influence 

●Map the expansion 

and demise of ancient 


●Compare historic 

and current shifts 

●Global, national, 

state, city, city block 

●Geographical and 

political influences 

where people live. 



The basic unit of geographic study is the region, an area that displays common 

characteristics. Regions may be defined by criteria such as language, culture, and other 

geographic characteristics. They provide a context for studying current events and for 

seeing the earth as an integrated system of regions. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Examine how human 

and environmental 

interactions influence 

events in local, 

regional and global 

settings. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze how cultural 

beliefs and 

experiences define a 

region and influence 

perceptions of a 

region. 

Benchmark C: 

Summarize how 

regions define both 

convenient and 

manageable units 

upon which to build 

knowledge of the 

world. 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze how regions 

provide a context for 

studying current 

events and for seeing 

the earth as an 


Learnings 

●Explain how 

broad/vague regions 

●Define both physical 

and human regions. 

●Show how events 

around the world do 

have an effect on our 

student’s lives. 

●Finding connections 

(small world 


●They provide a 

framework for 

classifying parts of 

the world 

●Political propaganda 

●CNN Student News 

(current events) 

●Student genealogy 

●Six degrees of Kevin 

Bacon. 

GVC Unit Name 


integrated system of 

regions. 

phenomenon) 



Characteristics of places provide keys to identifying and interpreting interactions 

between people and their environment. Some characteristics include population 

distribution, economic resources and the movement among them. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze how natural 

resources impact 

where people choose 

to live. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine how 

economic resources 

impact where people 

choose to live and 

work. 

Benchmark C: 

Identify economic 

resources including 

capital, power 

supplies, labor, 

information, air quality, 

water and land and 

analyzes the criteria 

that make them 

resources. 

Benchmark D: 

Demonstrate how 

rivers contribute to the 


societies. 


Learnings 


●Rome 

●Greece 

●India 

●Japan 

●China 

●Egypt 

●Mesopotamia 

●Birth of civilizations 

success and failures. 

●The role of the 

Tigress and the 

Euphrates in 

Mesopotamia’s 

success 

●Tiber River 

●(Greek Rivers) 

●Nile River 

●Ganges River 

●Yangzi River 

●Haung River 

●Transportation, 

trading, exchange of 

ideas. 

GVC Unit Name 


●Local connections 

(Mississippi 

comparisons) 



It is essential to know that places may be distinguished by their physical and human 

characteristics. Physical processes create natural landscapes and environments. 

Examples of natural physical features include landforms, soils, water bodies, vegetation, 

animal life, seasons, weather and climate. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Illustrate how the 

physical features of a 

location impact 

population density. 

Benchmark B: 

Compare the weather, 

climate, natural 

landscapes, and types 

of vegetation and 

animals between two 

diverse locations. 

Benchmark C: 

Compare and 

contrasts the basic 

needs of people living 

in two or more diverse 

environments. 

Learnings 

●Discover how 

human and 

environmental 




settings. 

●Iowa Vs. (insert 

country here) 

●Compare within a 

specific civilization: 

(Exp: Eastern Vs 

Western Roman 

Empire) 

●Iowa Vs. (insert 

country here) 

●Compare within a 

specific civilization: 

(Exp: Eastern Vs 

Western Roman 

Empire) 

●Rome 

●Athens 

●Cairo 


●Mumbai 

●Beijing 

●New Deli 

●Rome 

●Athens 

●Cairo 


●Mumbai 

●Beijing 

●New Deli 

●Rome 

●Athens 

●Cairo 


●Mumbai 

●Beijing 

●New Deli 



HISTORY 



Historians use periodization and pattern to describe the narrative of human experience. 

Students will be able to explain why historical periodization was created and describe the 

historical events that define a period. In exploring change over time, students will 

evaluate how a society or culture evolves. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify similarities 

within and among 

periods of time. 

Benchmark B: 

Compare and contrast 

various civilizations 

within a time period. 

Benchmark C: 

Use cause and effect; 

evaluate why a period 

begins and why a 

period ends. 

Learnings 

●Seven cultural 

comparisons at a set 

period of time (ex. 

1000 years ago 

today) 

●Timeline 

development, where 

cultures appear in 

relation to one 

another. 

●Education then and 

now 

●Pompeii eruption 

Cultural expansion 

due to military 

aggression 

●Roman implosion 

due to overextension 

●Civilization 

comparisons: 

Government, 

Religious, city 

planning, education, 

family dichotomy. 

●Civilization 

comparisons: 

Government, 

Religious, city 

planning, education, 

family dichotomy. 

●Influences by man 

and nature 

●Political and natural 

disasters 

Benchmark D: 

Explain how periods 

can be used to 

understand historical 

patterns. 

Benchmark E: 

Describe and interpret 

the major events that 

occurred during a time 

period. 

Standard 2: Understand how and why people create, maintain, or change systems 

of power, authority, and governance. 

Government, power and authority are fundamental to the successful advancement of 

societies and cultures. These systems begin with the family unit and expand through 

local, national and international organizations and institutions. Every group creates 

governing systems to meet the needs of society. Students will understand the process of 

political change and how the transfer of power may occur. Including but not limited to: 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Evaluate how 




Benchmark B: 

Define and analyze 

systems of justice 


Benchmark C: 

Analyze why 



the roles individuals 

play in causing a 

change. 


Learnings 

●Seven cultures and 

the religious and 

political structures 

●Roman law: 

defendants face 

accusers 

●Hammurabi’s Code 

●Roman respect for 

defeated peoples 

established customs. 

●Uniformed law 

●Coliseums 

●Enigmatic leaders 

(Caesar, Gandhi, 

Hadrian, Hammurabi, 

Siddhartha) 

resources, and 

opinions 


●Corrupt rulers, 

unreliable 

mercenaries, vast size 

of the empire, and 

invaders 

●Ancient civilizations 

form of justice and 

punishment. 

●Government and 

societal changes 

throughout the seven 


GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark D: 

Explore the 

development of major 

political systems in the 

world. 



Culture plays a crucial role in the development of societies across time. Just as culture 

influences the interactions of various social groups, it also affects individual and 

institutional economic and political decisions. Culture provides the means for 

expressing individual or collective beliefs which can include religious practices, 

literature, music, and art. Therefore any assessment or evaluation of historical change 

must consider the influence of culture. 

In addition, examination of cultural diffusion can demonstrate the ways in which 

societies interact through adopting, adapting, modifying, or resisting cultural aspects of 

another society. This process of negotiating the “middle ground” between two or more 

societies has greatly influenced historical development. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Examine and evaluate 

the influence of culture 

on the interactions of 

various groups. 

Learnings 

●Greeks infusion into 

Roman society 

●How Trade, and the 

interaction amongst 

different cultures, 

influenced the 

evolution of different 

cultures. 

●As applicable to the 

seven cultures 


Benchmark B: 

Assess the effect of 

culture on a society 

group or individuals’ 

decisions and actions. 

Benchmark C: 


the culture of majority 

groups with the culture 

of minority groups. 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze the methods 

by which culture is 

spread from one 

society to another. 

●Religion’s role in 

reshaping cultural 

norms and practices. 

(Constantine, 

Confucius, Socrates) 

●How war, migration, 

trade, and 

exploration changed 

cultures 





●Fluidity between 

different groups of the 

Caste System 

●The plight of slaves 

in Egypt (very 

dispensable) 





History is often shaped by highly visible movements, large-scale processes, major 

events or tensions among various groups. However, the actions of a group or even one 

individual can change the course of history. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze the actions of 

individuals and groups 

and the development 

of historical events. 

Benchmark B: 

Identify significant 




way and analyze how 


impacted world 

events. 


Learnings 

●Explain how the 

following characters 

played a role in 

changing history: 

Caesar 

Kahn 

Hannibal 

Cleopatra 

Confucius 

Buddha 

Homer 


●Influential characters 

of ancient societies 

(good and bad) 

GVC Unit Name 



Economic needs and wants have influenced political, social, and cultural structures 

throughout time. As human societies have become more complex, the need or desire of 

individuals or groups to control economic resources has played an enormous role in the 

decisions and actions of various societies. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 

Grade 6 Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks 120

Benchmark A: 

Evaluate the ability of 


systems to meet the 

needs and wants of 

various groups in a 

given society over 

time. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze the 


economic institutions. 

Benchmark C: 






Benchmark D: 

Compare the power of 

various groups within 

a given economic 

system. 

●Isolationist cultures 

and “enlightened” 

cultures 

●Divide and conquer 

●Kahn, Hannibal, 

Caesar 

●Japan’s imperialism 

●Drought, natural 

disasters, greed 

●Caste system 

●Religious 

establishments 

●Social classes 

Grecian artisans and 

merchants (growth of 

●Differentiating 

between different 

economic systems in 

history 

●Ancient civilizations 

and their different 

military conquests 

●Composition of 

power within ancient 

cultures 

the middle class) 


Throughout time, history and geography have been inter-twined. To fully understand 

one, there must be a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the other. Students need 

to be able to understand how geography has provided the context in which history has 

occurred over time, and therefore has impacted historical events. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark A: 



(physical and human) 

on historical events. 

Benchmark B: 

Identify and analyze 

the role geography 

●Compare location of 

Rome in relation to 

sea with Mumbai’s 

(current event 

terrorist attack) 

●Explore the 

Far East’s seclusion 

from the West and 

how trade and 

imperialism changed 

this. 

●Mountain people of 

China 

●The Spartans 

versus the Persians 

(movie 300 tie-in) 

●Role of geography in 

history 

●Role of Geography in 

Historical Events 


has played during 


●The great sea battle 

between the 

Roman’s and the 

Carthaginians 

Benchmark C: 

Predict the role of 

geography on current 

social, political, and 


Standard 7: Understand the role of innovation on the development and interaction 

of societies. 

Innovations range from the development and application of new technologies to the 

establishment of new social, political or economic structures. These elements 

influenced the way societies developed and interacted throughout history. Including but 

not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify major 

technological 


evaluates their impact 

on social, political, and 


Benchmark B: 

Analyze why some 





Learnings 

●The role that 

specific inventions 

such as; fire, wheels, 

bronze, roads, 

arches, cement, gun 

powder, paper, 

fireworks, aqueducts 

and spices impacted 

ancient societies. 


●Humans 

manipulating their 

environment and 

making their lives’ 

easier through 

technology. 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark C: 

Predict the impact of 

new technologies on 

contemporary 

societies. 



Some of the historical thinking skills include consideration of multiple perspectives, 

analysis of historical narrative, and construction of historical hypotheses. By interpreting 

and analyzing the decisions of past societies, students gain the ability to evaluate 

current events, issues, and decisions. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Interpret, analyze, 

and evaluate historical 

issues. 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark B: 

Determine the validity 

and accuracy of 

primary sources and 



for bias. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze cause and 

effect to explain why 

events occurred and 

the impact on future 

events. 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze changes over 

time. 

●Identify what are 

valid and invalid 

resources (internet, 

books, and research 

journals) 

●Compare the facts 

and details that are 

provided from various 

sources. 

●How wars lead to 

the dissipation of 

civilizations 



geography and 

cultures 

●The changes in 

education and politics 

for women in ancient 

cultures. 

●How to use and 

identify proper 

resources 

●Historic events and 

how they have 

impacted current 

history 

●The plight and 

advancement of 

women in ancient 

cultures. 



POLITICAL SCIENCE /CIVIC LITERACY 




Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Establish a link 

between enumerated 

constitutional rights 

and civic 

responsibilities at 



●Where/are there 

voting rights 

●Conscription 

Voluntary Etc. 

●Rights: Women, 

various ethnicities 

●Slaves and their 

role 

●Legal system 

●Military service 

●Land ownership 

●Voting 

Benchmark B: 

Grade 6-7-8 Establish 

a pathway for political 

action on an issue of 

personal importance. 

●Progression of 

governments 

Child labor issues: 

compare with Iowa. 

Educational 

opportunities or lack 

thereof. Compare & 

contrast with U.S. 

Population control 

(exp. One child perfamily) 

by 

government, and the 

penalties for “going 

over.” 

●China and India 


embodies the principles of democracy... 

The opening statement of the United States Constitution, “We the people,” embodies the 

enduring values and principles of democracy on which our republic was established. 

This statement puts the citizen at the forefront of our government which honors 

individual rights and responsibilities, appropriate ways to exercise those rights and 

respect for others’ rights. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Compare the 

purposes of the 

Declaration of 

Independence with the 


Constitution and 

understand how civic 

actions exemplify 

ideas imbedded in 


Learnings 



GVC Unit Name 


each document. 

Benchmark B: 

Grade 7-8 Analyze 

founding documents 

of other nations to 

determine the 

principles in those 

systems. 

Benchmark C: 


and differences 

between the founding 

documents of other 

nations and the 

founding documents 

of the United States. 

●Law of Twelve 

Tables 

●Code of Hammurabi 

●Compare our 

Constitution/laws with 

other ancient 

civilizations 

●Birth of democracy 

with Roman and 

Greeks 


●The role of laws in 

civilization 

development. 

Standard 3: Understand the purposes and function of each of the three branches 


The three branches of government each have a defined function as provided by the 

Constitution. These functions are limited by a system of checks and balances. The 

relationship between these branches is dynamic, changing over time. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze past abuses 

of power when 

branches exceeded or 

did not meet their 

constitutional 

functions and how it 

impacted citizens. 


Learnings 



GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark B: 

Develop and 


structure for 

school/classroom 

governance that 

maintains separation 

of powers and checks 

and balances. 



Standard 4: Understand the similarities and differences among the complex 

levels of local, state, and national government. 

The American government is a complex institution, organized at the local, state and 

national levels. Each level of government has inherent, implied and expressed powers 

that are used to define their roles. However, the ultimate power resides with the people 

through Constitutional authority. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: ●Taught in 8 th grade 

Explore how citizens 

participate in each 

level of government as 

young people and as 

adults. 

Benchmark B: ●Taught in 8 th grade 

Examine candidates’ 

promises and how 

they align with the 

office they seek. 

Standard 5: Understand strategies for effective political action that impacts local, 

state and national governance. 

Within the federalist model of American government, effective political action needs to 

be targeted at the appropriate level of authority. Citizens should be aware of the 

jurisdiction of each level of government and how these levels function interdependently. 



Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: ●Taught in 8 th grade 

Describe and critique 

strategies of groups 

who are seeking 

action on an issue. 

Benchmark B: 

Develop and carry out 

an action plan for 

political action at the 

appropriate level. 

Standard 6: Understand how laws are established at the local, state, and national 

levels. 

To protect the rights of individuals, the path from concept to policy or law is a 

necessarily complex process. Few proposed pieces of legislation actually end up as law. 

Many internal and external factors influence the fate of proposed legislation. In most 

cases, significant compromises are necessary in order for proposals to be approved and 

enacted. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Identify a proposal 

and simulate the 



process of moving it 

through the legislative 

process at each level. 

Benchmark B: 

Explore the various 

ways citizens stay 

informed and debate 

the influence of media 

and interest groups on 

proposed legislation. 


Standard 7: Understand how various political systems throughout the world 

define the rights and responsibilities of the individual. 

Governments exist throughout the world to organize humans and human behavior. 

These governments view and treat members of society in various ways by protecting 

and/or restricting individual rights. The relationship between government and the 

individual is based on rights designated in statues or deemed inherent. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Compare national and 

international human 

rights documents and 

evaluate how the 

differences have 

impacted relations 

between two nations. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine how events 

and individuals from 

the past have 

influenced various 

nations’ contemporary 

views of human rights. 


Learnings 




GVC Unit Name 


The United States’ role in world affairs is complex and impacted by historical, economic, 

political and social factors. Studying the interactions of the United States with other 

nations and international and nongovernmental organizations aids in understanding 

world affairs. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Develop and express 

an informed opinion 

about America’s 

involvement in a 

global issue. 


Learnings 



GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark B: 

Analyze how the 

United States’ role in 

world affairs has 

changed over time in 

various areas of the 

world. 




SOCIAL STUDIES SEVENTH GRADE 



Society is dynamic. It evolves in response to changes in attitudes, perceptions, values, 

etc. Attempts to understand cultural factors within a changing society led to the 

development of sociology as a distinct field of study. Many attempts to understand and 

predict human behavior occurred prior to our modern day study of psychology. Including 

but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


economic, historical 

and political forces on 


behavior. 

Benchmark B: 



cultures. 

Benchmark C: 




Benchmark D: 

Describe the impact of 

changing technology 

on society. 

Learnings 

●Colonization allowed 

for mercantilism. 

●Trade routes 

changed the 

economic condition of 

the society. 

●War changes 

people’s lives. 

●Colonization 

●Mercantilism 

●Trade routes 

●Cultural diffusion 

●Churches, pew 

assignments, 

segregation of men, 

women and children. 


Personality is an individual's broad, long-lasting pattern of behavior. This pattern is 

partially influenced by components of a person’s culture. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 






Benchmark B: 

Describe major agents 

of socialization and 

the role each plays in 




of socialization include 


Learnings 


●Religious Culture 

Quakers 

Puritans 

●Economic classes 

●Slavery 

●Colonial Schools 

●Puritan Ethic/work 

ethic 

●Skilled trades and 

apprenticeship 

GVC Unit Name 


people or institutions 

that socialize or teach 


the values, norms and 

social expectations.) 

Benchmark C: 


types of personalities 

Benchmark D: 


factors that contribute 

to the shaping of a 

●Founding Fathers 

●Rebels 

●Education 

●Economic class 

●Religion 


Standard 3: Understand the influences on individual and group behavior and 


Components of culture such as religion, media and language impact and help shape 

individuals, group behavior and decisions regarding society. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Describe how 




Benchmark B: 



types of societies and 


Benchmark C: 



establishing the norms 

of society. 


Learnings 


●Religion 

●Nationalism 


and European 

explorers/colonists 

●Religion - 

●Nationalism – laws 

●Family values 

GVC Unit Name 



Learning and adaptation are continuous throughout life. These processes are central to 

understanding human development. As humans develop, learn and adapt to their 

environment, they absorb cultural aspects. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Explain how 




attitudes. 


Learnings 


●Pilgrims and 

●Mayflower Compact 

GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark B: 



culture. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze how 




agents of socialization 

(Agents of 

socialization include 

people or institutions 

that socialize or teach 




●Immersion 

●Colonists and 


●Church/religion 

●Early Colonial 

●Schools 

●Family 

●Skilled trades 


Standard 5: Understand current social issues to determine how the individual is 

able to formulate opinions and respond to those issues. 

Social issues are matters which directly or indirectly affect many or all members of a 

society and are viewed as problems. They tend to be controversial and are typically 

related to moral values. Each person, as a member of a community needs to understand 

the context in which a social problem develops and how it is experienced on an 

individual basis. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify current social 

issues and formulate a 


Benchmark B: 

Analyze the social and 

historical context of 

specific issues. 

Benchmark C: 

Recognize the 






level. 


Learnings 


●Explorers and 

defenders of Native 

Americans: 

●De la Casas 

●Columbus 

●Cortez 

●Quakers 

●Payment for land 

●Human rights 

●Slavery and trade 

●Examine and 

analyze interactions 

among the explorers, 

colonists, and Native 

Americans 

GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark D: 





Benchmark E: 



impact an individual’s 

personality 

development. 

●Puritans 

●Quakers 

●Slavery 

●Freedom and the 

desire for 

representative 

government 

●Slavery 

●Old 

money/inheritance 

●Great Awakening 




questions. Studies attempt to provide accurate information rather than to establish what 

is “right” or “wrong.” Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 



procedures and skills 

to investigate an 

issue. 

Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the pros and 

cons of various 

research strategies. 

Benchmark C: 


primary resources. 

Benchmark D: 



reliability, and validity. 

Benchmark E: 





animals. 


Learnings 


●Use of Epsco 

●Skim 

●Scan 

●Read deeply 

●Note cards 

●Outlines 

●SQ3R 

●Quotes from 

textbook 

●Find information in 

multiple resources 

GVC Unit Name 



ECONOMICS 



Scarcity and economic trade-offs are essential to all economic activity. They affect 

resources, spending, prices, income, and production decisions made by households, 

businesses, and countries in today’s global economy. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 






Benchmark B: 

Justify good judgment 

in making personal 

choices related to 

spending and saving. 

Benchmark C: 



financial 

consequences based 

on current choices. 

Benchmark D: 





distributed. 

Benchmark E: 

Identify the differences 

between producers 

and consumers in a 


Learnings 

●Expansion shapes 

culture. 


economic needs and 

wants on individual 

and group decisions 

●Economic forces 

shape history. 

●Native American 

and European 

explorers/colonists 

●Exploration: obtain 

riches, land and 

spread religion 


●Trade 


●Early Colonial Life 


Institutions evolve in economies to help individuals and groups accomplish their goals. 

Banks, labor unions, corporations, individual entrepreneurs, legal systems, and not-forprofit 

organizations are examples of important institutions. Understanding economic 

institutions and the purposes they serve will help students use institutions more 

effectively and help them evaluate change. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 


for-profit corporations 

and not-for-profit 


Benchmark B: 


labor unions have had 

on working conditions 

over time. 

Benchmark C: 



financial institutions in 

channeling funds from 

saver to borrowers 

and investors. 

●Joint stock 

companies 

●Virginia Company of 

London 

●Massachusetts Bay 

Company 


Plymouth 

●Apprentices/Child 

labor 


companies 


London 


Company 


Plymouth 



Government policies influence the economy. Citizens evaluate the economic trade-offs of 

policies and how they affect the economy at the individual, local, state, national, and 

international levels. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Distinguish between a 

free market and a 


Benchmark B: 




levels. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze how 

government 


the economy. 


Learnings 



●Smugglers 

●Tea Act 

●Stamp Act 

●Charters from the 

Crown and 

Parliament 

●Joint Stock 

Companies 

GVC Unit Name 

Early Colonial Life 

Benchmark D: 


or modifications to the 

way government 


revenue. 

●Taxation without 

representation 

●Representative 

government 





essential for students to be well versed in the factors that influence global trade. These 

can include exports and imports, balance of trade, exchange rates, tariffs, other trade 

barriers, and free-trade agreements. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify the 


the raw materials that 

go into everyday 

items. 

Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the merits of 

common currencies 

across national 

borders. 

Benchmark C: 



impact global markets. 


Learnings 



●Fur trade: Native 

Americans, French, 

English and Dutch 


●Declaratory Act 

●Navigation Act 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark D: 





markets. 

Standard 5: Understand the impact of advancing technologies on the global 

economy. 

Modern technologies are transforming the speed and scope of business in the world 

today. It is imperative that students understand and have the ability to use technology for 

success in the global economy. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze how 


over time. 


Learnings 


●Agriculture/Farming 

methods 

●Ship building 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark B: 

Describe how 


regarding the 

economy and natural 

resources can affect 




●Pilgrims 

●Puritans 

●Colonists in search 

of land 


Benchmark C: 

Describe the 

development of green 

technologies. 


culture 

Standard 6: Understand how universal economic concepts present themselves in 

various types of economies throughout the world. 

Understanding how economic concepts function within different economies is essential 

to understanding and participating in today’s global market. Economic concepts and 

systems develop to determine what goods and services will be produced, how they will 

be produced, for whom they will be produced, and at what price they will be sold. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze cost of living 

and wage data across 

geographic regions. 

Benchmark B: 


printing more or less 

money on an 

economy. 

Benchmark C: 

Evaluate how 





Learnings 


●Skilled trades and 

apprentices 

●New 

England/Middle/ 

Southern Colonies 

●Second Continental 

Congress 

●Monetary system 

●Barter system 

●Free enterprise 

GVC Unit Name 

world. 


Financial success in today’s world requires a competency with the tools that are used 

such as bank accounts, loans, mortgages, credit cards, insurance, stock markets, and 

tax forms. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


investment strategies. 

Benchmark B: 


benefits of incentives 

to spend and 

incentives to save. 


Learnings 


●Joint Stock 

Companies 


London 


Company 


Plymouth 

●Imperialism 


●Land ownership 

●Patron System 

●Indentured Servants 

GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark C: 

Describe the 




economies. 




GEOGRAPHY 



Some of the tools geographers use to make sense of the world include maps, globes, 

photographs, and geospatial technologies. These tools are essential to portraying, 

analyzing, evaluating and predicting human as well as physical patterns and processes 

on the Earth’s surface. These tools also play a critical role in helping people make sense 

of a complex world from a spatial perspective. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


geospatial 


other geographic tools 

to create and interpret 

information from 

charts, graphs, and 

maps. 

Benchmark B: 



longitude and latitude. 

Benchmark C: 


various landforms and 


determine different 

ecosystems and land 

usage. 

Benchmark D: 







global areas. 


Learnings 

●Locate coordinates 

on a map. 

●Identify physical 

features on a 

diagram. 

●Understanding a 

variety of types of 

maps. 


●Geography Terms 

notebook. 

●Geographers use 

many different types 

of maps with a variety 

of features. 

●Longitude and 

Latitude lines help 

pinpoint absolute 

location of cities and 

geographic features. 

●They show distance 

in degrees. 

●Latitude influences 

climate and land 

usage. Physical 

geography involves 

all the natural 

features on the earth. 

●Landforms and 


at different latitudes 

and elevations effect 

environment and land 

use. 

●Accuracy of size, 

location, and details. 

GVC Unit Name 

●GVC unit 

●Maps 

●Globes 

●Textbook 

●Computers/ 

Technology 

●Google Earth 


Benchmark E: 


population density and 

scarcity to determine 

factors that influence 

where people live. 

●Interpret a 

population map. 

●Figure out 


●Location determines 

population due to 

environmental 

factors. 

Standard 2: Understand how geographic and human characteristics create culture and 

define regions. 


characteristics. Regions may be defined by criteria such as language, culture, and other 

geographic characteristics. They provide a context for studying current events and for 

seeing the earth as an integrated system of regions. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 






settings. 

Benchmark B: 






region. 

Benchmark C: 

Summarize how 






world. 

Benchmark D: 




events and for seeing 

the earth as an 

integrated system of 

regions. 


Learnings 


●Town building and 

fur trapping. 

●Humans adapt to 

their environment. 

●Puritan work ethic. 

●Midwest living. 

●Regions have 

unifying 

characteristics such 

as climate, land, 

population or history. 

●Regions are used to 

make comparisons. 

●Haiti 


can create knowledge 

of regions. 

●Current events can 

connect regions of 

the world. 

GVC Unit Name 





distribution, economic resources and the movement among them. Including but not 

limited to: 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 



where people choose 

to live. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine how 




work. 

Benchmark C: 





information, air quality, 

water and land and 

analyzes the criteria 

that make them 

resources. 

Benchmark D: 


rivers contribute to the 


societies. 


Learnings 


●Early settlers live 

next to water. 

●Population density 

maps. 

●The natural 

resources of a place 

influence where 

people live. 

●Jobs pull people in 

and disasters, wars, 

and government push 

people out. 

●The use of natural 

resources contributes 

to economic 

resources. 

●The fur trade 

influenced the early 

explorers. 

●The New England, 

Middle and Southern 

colonies possessed 


unique to their region. 

●The natural 

resources found in an 

area and the ways in 

which people use 

them influences a 

community. 

●Muscatine, Iowa 

●St. Louis, Mo. 

●New York City, NY. 

●Civilizations have 

developed near or 

along rivers. 

●Rivers are used for 

travel and trade. 

GVC Unit Name 



It is essential to know that places may be distinguished by their physical and human 

characteristics. Physical processes create natural landscapes and environments. 

Examples of natural physical features include landforms, soils, water bodies, vegetation, 

animal life, seasons, weather and climate. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 





Benchmark B: 

Compare the weather, 

climate, natural 

landscapes, and types 

of vegetation and 



Benchmark C: 


the basic needs of 

people living in two or 

more diverse 

environments. 

●Harbors, climate, 

seasons, vegetation, 

animals, soil, and 

travel. 

●Population will settle 

in favorable 

geographic 

conditions. 

●Cities in diverse 

locations TBD. 

●Environment affects 

humans in clothing, 

jobs, vegetation, and 

housing. 

●Shelter, food, 

warmth, job, and 

water. 

●People tend to seek 

locations where they 

can meet their basic 

needs most easily. 



HISTORY 



Students describe the historical events that define a period in history. In exploring 

change over time, students explore and evaluate how a society or culture evolves. 



Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 




Benchmark B: 


various civilizations/ 

cultures within a time 

period. 

Benchmark C: 

Use cause and effect; 

evaluate why a period 

begins and why a 

period ends. 

Benchmark D: 




patterns. 

Benchmark E: 

Describe and interpret 

the major events that 

occurred during a time 

period. 

Learnings 

●Migration 


●Expansion 

●Colonization 

●Clash of 

civilizations/ cultures 

●Exploration into 

colonization of the 

Americas 

●Exploration and 

colonization of the 

Americas 

●Exploration and 

colonization, 

expanding European 

powers, decline of 

native populations 

●English, French, 

Dutch, Portuguese, 

and Spanish explore 

and colonize the 

Americas. 

●Clash exists 

between European 

and Native 

populations. 

●Clash between 

nations 

●Clash between 

religious groups 

●Revolution 

●Renaissance 

●Magna Carta 

●Expansion/ 

colonization 

●Columbus, Cartier, 

Cabot, Cortez, 

Pizarro 

●Defeat of Native 

populations 

Standard 2: Understand how and why people create, maintain, or change systems 

of power, authority, and governance. 

Government, power and authority are fundamental to the advancement of societies and 

cultures. These systems begin with the family unit and expand through local, national 

and international organizations and institutions. Most groups create governing systems 

to meet the needs of society. Students understand the process of political change and 

how transfer of power occurs. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 

Evaluate how 




Benchmark B: 




Benchmark C: 

Analyze why 



the roles individuals 

play in causing a 

change. 

Benchmark D: 

Explore the 

development of major 

political systems in the 

world. 

●European 

colonization and its 

impact on Native 

populations 

● Democracy, 

monarchies and 

theocracies 

●Pre-Revolutionary 

America and roots of 

representative 

government. 

●Monarchy to 

democracy 

●Democracy and 

monarchies 

●Columbus, Cartier 

and other explorers. 

●Jamestown and 

Roanoke 

●Early religious 

leaders: Roger 

Williams and William 

Penn 

●Catholicism and 

●Protestantism 

●Religious 

persecution 

●Monarchy to 

Democracy 

●Continental 

Congress 

●English Parliament 



●Kings and Queens 

●Fundamental Orders 

of Connecticut 


●Continental 

●Congress Monarchy 

to Democracy 



Culture plays a crucial role in the development of societies across time. Just as culture 

influences the interactions of various social groups, it also affects individual and 

institutional economic and political decisions. Culture provides the means for expressing 

individual or collective beliefs, which can include religious practices, literature, music, 

and art. Therefore any assessment or evaluation of historical change must consider the 

influence of culture. 


societies interact through adopting, adapting, modifying, or resisting cultural aspects of 

another society. This process of negotiating the “middle ground” between two or more 

societies has greatly influenced historical development. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark A: 

Understand the role of 

individuals and groups 

within a society as 

promoters of change 

or the status quo. 

●Philosophy 

●Monarchs 

●People bring their 

culture with them to 

new places. 

●John Locke 

●Ben Franklin 

●Puritans 

●Pilgrims and 



Benchmark B: 

Understand the effect 

of economic needs 

and wants on 

individual and group 

decisions. 

Benchmark C: 

Understand the effects 

of geographic factors 


Benchmark D: 


innovation on the 



societies. 

●Europeans search 

for new trade routes. 

● The creation of 

trade, towns for the 

good of European 

nations. 

●Southern colonies 

thrive on economies 

of warm weather 

crops. 

●Search for the 

Northwest Passage 

●The development of 

weapons. 

●The development of 

small and large 

farming. 

●The best ships 

claimed the seas. 




representation. 


culture 

●Plantations 

●Slavery 

●Explorers and 

expansion 

●Ship building 

●Steel 

●Agricultural 

innovations 

Benchmark E: 

Understand cause and 

effect relationships 

and other historical 

thinking skills in order 

to interpret events and 

issues. 



History is often shaped by highly visible movements, large-scale processes, major 

events or tensions among various groups. However, the actions of a group or even one 

individual can change the course of history. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Understand the effect 

of economic needs 

and wants on 

individual and group 

decisions. 

Benchmark B: 

Understand the effects 

of geographic factors 



Learnings 

●Explorers took risks 

to obtain wealth and 

fame. 


companies had 

investors who wanted 

to profit from 

colonization. 


transferred wealth 

from the colonies to 

England. 

●The search for the 

Northwest Passage 


●Columbus and 

Queen Isabella 

●Richard Hakluyt 


Plymouth 

●Cartier, Cabot, 

Hudson 

GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark C: 


innovation on the 



societies. 

Benchmark D: 

Understand cause and 

effect relationships 

and other historical 

thinking skills in order 

to interpret events and 

issues. 



Economic needs and wants have influenced political, social, and cultural structures 

throughout time. As human societies have become more complex, the need or desire of 

individuals or groups to control economic resources has played an enormous role in the 

decisions and actions of various societies. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Evaluate the ability of 






time. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze the 


economic institutions. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze and evaluate 

the role of economic 

factors in conflicts and 

in decisions to use 


Benchmark D: 

Compare the power of 

various groups within 

a given economic 

system. 

Learnings 



and Europeans had 

economics systems 

that worked 

collaboratively and 

clashed. 

●Slavery influenced 

the economics of the 

southern colonies. 

●Colonization brought 

wealth to European 

nations 

●The French and 

Indian War was a 

result of the conflict 

between England, 

France and the 


over fur trade. 

●Colonial social ranks 

resulted in colonial 

power structure. 

●Elected 

representatives were 

at odds with royal 

appointments, 

governors. 

●Imports, Exports 

Fur trade 

●France, England, 

Holland, 


alliances: Iroquois, 

Algonquin, Pontiac, 

●Those with voting 

power were white 

men who owned land. 

●Zenger Trial 



Throughout time, history and geography have been inter-twined. To fully understand 

one, there must be a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the other. Students need 

to be able to understand how geography has provided the context in which history has 

occurred over time, and therefore has impacted historical events. Including but not 

limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify the impact of 


(physical and human) 


Benchmark B: 





Benchmark C: 


geography on current 

social, political, and 


Learnings 

●Explorers searched 

in vain for the 

●Northwest Passage. 

●The Appalachian 

Mountains created a 

barrier between 

colonies and back 

country. 

●Explorers searched 

in vain for the 

Northwest Passage. 

●Geography includes 

climate which impacts 

current events. 

●Cabot, Cartier, 

Hudson 

●Settlers and small 

farmers wanted to 

expand into the Ohio 

River Valley. 

●North American was 

claimed by European 

nations. 

●The New England 

colonies were cold 

and had rocky soil. 

●The Middle colonies 

had good soil and a 

temperate climate. 

●The Southern 

colonies had a warm 

climate suitable for 

raising cotton and 

tobacco. 

Standard 7: Understand the role of innovation on the development and interaction 

of societies 

Innovations range from the development and application of new technologies to the 

establishment of new social, political or economic structures. These elements influenced 

the way societies developed and interacted throughout history. Including but not limited 

to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


technological 


evaluate their impact 

on social, political, and 


Learnings 

●New laws and new 

ways of thinking 

influenced the 

colonies. 

●John Locke 

●Treaty of Tordesillas 

●Navigation Act 


Benchmark B: 





Benchmark C: 



contemporary 

societies. 

●The needs of people 

and societies drive 

innovation. 

●Dissemination of 

information with 

technology. 

●Improved farming 

methods 

●Alternative energies 



Some of the historical thinking skills include consideration of multiple perspectives, 

analysis of historical narrative, and construction of historical hypotheses. By interpreting 

and analyzing the decisions of past societies, students gain the ability to evaluate 

current events, issues, and decisions. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Interpret, analyze, and 

evaluate historical 

issues. 

Benchmark B: 

Determine the validity 

and accuracy of 

primary sources and 



for bias. 

Benchmark C: 





events. 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze changes over 

time. 


Learnings 

●Rivalry between 

European nations led 

to war, exploration 

and colonization. 

●Identify the source 

of the information. 


biases of the times. 

Look for hidden 

agendas. 

●Historical events are 

linked together. 

●Historical patterns 

can be found to 

repeat themselves. 


●Exploration to find a 

route to Asia resulted 

in colonization of 

North America by 

European nations. 

●The English 

defeated the Spain 

Armada resulting in 

England commanding 

the seas. 

●Roanoke 

●Jamestown 

●Money and 

resources influences 

nations. 

GVC Unit Name 



POLITICAL SCIENCE /CIVIC LITERACY 



Civic action is the responsibility of all. This responsibility permeates citizens at every 

age with appropriate levels of responsibility placed upon them. From childhood through 

adulthood, this responsibility is a realized choice based on experiences with other 

citizens which shape personal beliefs. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Establish a link 

between enumerated 

constitutional rights 

and civic 

responsibilities at 



Benchmark B: Grade 

6-7-8 Establish a 

pathway for political 

action on an issue of 

personal importance. 

Learnings 

●In a democratic 

society people have 



●Individuals can 

engage in the political 

system. 

●Voting, following 

and constructing 

laws, and serving on 

juries. 

●Letter writing. 

●Debate and 

discussion. 


embodies the principles of democracy… 

The opening statement of the United States Constitution, “We the people,” embodies the 

enduring values and principles of democracy on which our republic was established. 

This statement puts the citizen at the forefront of our government which honors 

individual rights and responsibilities, appropriate ways to exercise those rights and 

respect for others’ rights. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Compare the 


Declaration of 

Independence with the 


Constitution and 

understand how civic 

actions exemplify 

ideas imbedded in 

each document. 


Learnings 

●The Declaration of 

Independence 

severed relations with 

England and the 

Constitution created 

self government. 


●Declaration of 

Independence 


GVC Unit Name 

Standard 3: Understand the purposes and function of each of the three branches 



The three branches of government each have a defined function as provided by the 

Constitution. These functions are limited by a system of checks and balances. The 

relationship between these branches is dynamic, changing over time. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze past abuses 

of power when 

branches exceeded or 

did not meet their 

constitutional 

functions and how it 

impacted citizens. 

Benchmark B: 

Develop and 


structure for 

school/classroom 

governance that 

maintains separation 

of powers and checks 



Learnings 




representation. 

●Quartering Act 

●Tea Act 

●Townsend Act 

●Stamp Act 

GVC Unit Name 

Standard 4: Understand the similarities and differences among the complex 

levels of local, state, and national government. 

The American government is a complex institution, organized at the local, state and 

national levels. Each level of government has inherent, implied and expressed powers 

that are used to define their roles. However, the ultimate power resides with the people 

through Constitutional authority. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Explore how citizens 

participate in each 

level of government as 

young people and as 

adults. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine candidates’ 

promises and how 

they align with the 

office they seek. 


Learnings 

●Participation is a 

right and a 

responsibility. 


●Current events local, 

state, and national. 

GVC Unit Name 

Standard 5: Understand strategies for effective political action that impacts local, 

state and national governance. 

Within the federalist model of American government, effective political action needs to 

be targeted at the appropriate level of authority. Citizens should be aware of the 

jurisdiction of each level of government and how these levels function interdependently. 




Benchmark 

Learnings 

Benchmark A: 

Describe and critique 

●Political action can 

take violent and nonviolent 


●Tar and Feather 

strategies of groups 

who are seeking 

action on an issue. 

approaches. 

Benchmark B: 

Develop and carry out 

an action plan for 

●Individuals can take 

political action. 

●Write letter to 

governmental official. 

●Student council 

political action at the 

appropriate level. 

Standard 6: Understand how laws are established at the local, state, and national 

levels. 

To protect the rights of individuals, the path from concept to policy or law is a 

necessarily complex process. Few proposed pieces of legislation actually end up as law. 

Many internal and external factors influence the fate of proposed legislation. In most 

cases, significant compromises are necessary in order for proposals to be approved and 

enacted. Including but not limited to: 


Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify a proposal 

and simulate the 

process of moving it 

through the legislative 

process at each level. 

Benchmark B: 

Explore the various 

ways citizens stay 

informed and debate 

the influence of media 

and interest groups on 

proposed legislation. 

Learnings 


●People have always 

communicated 

through various 

means. 


●Committees of 

correspondence 

Standard 7: Understand how various political systems throughout the world 

define the rights and responsibilities of the individual. 

Governments exist throughout the world to organize humans and human behavior. 

These governments view and treat members of society in various ways by protecting 

and/or restricting individual rights. The relationship between government and the 

individual is based on rights designated in statues or deemed inherent. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Compare national and 

international human 

rights documents and 

evaluate how the 

differences have 

impacted relations 


Learnings 

●People around the 

world have written 

documents that 

uphold human rights. 


●United Nations 

●Geneva Convention 

●U.S. Bill of Rights 

GVC Unit Name 


etween two nations. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine how events 

and individuals from 

the past have 

influenced various 

nations’ contemporary 

views of human rights. 

●History influences 

today. 

●People and events 

of the past influence 

contemporary views 

of human rights. 

●Zenger Trial 

●Martin Luther King 

Jr. 

●Gandhi 


The United States’ role in world affairs is complex and impacted by historical, economic, 

political and social factors. Studying the interactions of the United States with other 

nations and international and nongovernmental organizations aids in understanding 

world affairs. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Develop and express 

an informed opinion 

about America’s 

involvement in a 

global issue. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze how the 

United States’ role in 

world affairs has 

changed over time in 

various areas of the 

world. 


Learnings 

●Through research 

students can form 

opinions. 

●Current Events. 


●Current World 

Affairs 

●Analyze current 

Middle East war. 

GVC Unit Name 


SOCIAL STUDIES EIGHTH GRADE 



Society is dynamic. It evolves in response to changes in attitudes, perceptions, 

values, etc. Attempts to understand cultural factors within a changing society led 

to the development of sociology as a distinct field of study. Many attempts to 

understand and predict human behavior occurred prior to our modern day study 

of psychology. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


of economic, 

historical and 

political forces on 


behavior. 

Benchmark B: 



cultures. 

Benchmark C: 




Benchmark D: 

Describe the impact 

of changing 

technology on 

society. 


Learnings 


●American 

●Revolution 

●Banking System- 

●Hamilton 

●Political Parties 

●Civil War 

●British 

●French 

●Spanish 

●African 

●Slavery and 

hierarchy 

●Slave owners 

●Cotton gin 

●Civil War weaponry 

●Telegraph 

GVC Unit Name 


individual. 

Personality is an individual's broad, long-lasting pattern of behavior. This pattern 

is partially influenced by components of a person’s culture. Including but not 

limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 






process. 

Benchmark B: 

Describe major 

agents of 


Learnings 


●Slavery 

●Roles for boys and 

girls 


culture 

●Slavery 

●Roles for boys and 

girls 

GVC Unit Name 


socialization and the 

role each plays in 









the values, norms 



Benchmark C: 


types of 

personalities 

Benchmark D: 


factors that 


shaping of a 


●Lincoln 

●Jackson 

●Washington 

●Jefferson 

●Adams 

●Family 

Backgrounds 


and group decision making. 

Components of culture such as religion, media and language impact and help 

shape individuals, group behavior and decisions regarding society. Including but 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Describe how 




Benchmark B: 






Learnings 


●Patriots/Loyalists 

●Jackson and Native 

●Americans 

●Lincoln and slavery 



●Slaves 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark C: 



establishing the 

norms of society. 

●Use of slaves 

●Ideas of Native 

Americans 



Standard 4: Standard 4: Understand the process of how humans develop, 

learn, adapt to the environment, and internalize their culture. 

Learning and adaptation are continuous throughout life. These processes are 

central to understanding human development. As humans develop, learn and 

adapt to their environment, they absorb cultural aspects. Including but not limited 

to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Explain how 




attitudes. 

Benchmark B: 


adopt and learn 

about culture. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze how 




agents of 

socialization (Agents 










Learnings 



●Slavery 


●Slave culture 


●European 

immigrant 

●Booker T. 

Washington 

●Reconstruction Era 

GVC Unit Name 


individual is able to formulate opinions and respond to those issues. 

Social issues are matters which directly or indirectly affect many or all members 

of a society and are viewed as problems. They tend to be controversial and are 

typically related to moral values. Each person, as a member of a community needs 

to understand the context in which a social problem develops and how it is 

experienced on an individual basis. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify current 


formulate a personal 

position. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze the social 


Learnings 


●Letter to 

Congressman 

●Mock Congress 

●Slavery and current 

race relations 

GVC Unit Name 


and historical 


issues. 

●Regional 

differences 

(north/south) 

●Manifest Destiny 

Benchmark C: 

Recognize the 






level. 

Benchmark D: 





Benchmark E: 



impact an 


personality 

development 




questions. Studies attempt to provide accurate information rather than to 

establish what is “right” or “wrong.” Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 



procedures and 

skills to investigate 

an issue. 


Learnings 


●Letter to 

Congressman 


GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the pros 

and cons of various 

research strategies 

Benchmark C: 


primary resources 

●Letter to 

Congressman 


● “Common Sense” 

●Dec. of 

Independence 


●Emancipation 

Proclamation 

●Jackson’s Letter to 

Congress(removal of 

NAs) 


Benchmark D: 



reliability, and 

validity 

Benchmark E: 





animals. 

●Research projects 

●Info. Lit. Unit 




ECONOMICS 



Scarcity and economic trade-offs are essential to all economic activity. They 

affect resources, spending, prices, income and production decisions made by 

households, businesses, and countries in today’s global economy. Including but 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 






Benchmark B: 

Justify good 

judgment in making 

personal choices 

related to spending 

and saving. 

Benchmark C: 



financial 

consequences 

based on current 

choices. 

Benchmark D: 





distributed. 


Learnings 


●Slavery/ 

Reservation system 

for Native Americans 

●Panic of 1836-37 

●Pet Banks/Jackson 

Speculators 

●Westward 

Movement 

●Industrial 

Revolution 


Revolution 

●American system: 

building up roads, 

canals and railroads 

tracks in 1830’s 

GVC Unit Name 


Institutions evolve in economies to help individuals and groups accomplish their 

goals. Banks, labor unions, corporations, individual entrepreneurs, legal systems, 

and not-for-profit organizations are examples of important institutions. 

Understanding economic institutions and the purposes they serve will help 

students use institutions more effectively and help them evaluate change. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 


for-profit 

corporations and 

not-for-profit 


Benchmark B: 


labor unions have 

had on working 

conditions over time. 

Benchmark C: 



financial institutions 

in channeling funds 

from saver to 

borrowers and 

●Knights of Labor 

1869 

●Pet Banks 

●Independent 

Treasury 

●Panic of 1836-37 

investors. 



Government policies influence the economy. Citizens evaluate the economic 

trade-offs of policies and how they affect the economy at the individual, local, 

state, national, and international levels. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


a free market and a 


Benchmark B: 




levels. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze how 

government 


the economy. 


Learnings 


●Colonialism 

●Jacksonian 

Democracy 

●1828 Tariff of 

Abominations 

●Civil War/First 

National income tax 

imposed 

●Jacksonian Era/ 

Est. of the National 

Bank 

●James K. 

Polk/treasury 

chartered 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark D: 


or modifications to 

the way government 


revenue. 

●Articles of 

Confederation/ 

Whiskey Barrel 

Rebellion/ 

Tariffs/ Era of God 

Feelings/ Tariff of 


Abominations 

Standard 4: Understand factors that create patterns of interdependence in 

the world economy. 


essential for students to be well versed in the factors that influence global trade. 

These can include exports and imports, balance of trade, exchange rates, tariffs, 

other trade barriers, and free-trade agreements. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Identify the 


the raw materials 

that go into everyday 

items. 

Benchmark B: 

Evaluate the merits 

of common 

currencies across 

national borders. 

Benchmark C: 



impact global 

markets. 

Benchmark D: 





markets. 


Learnings 


●Fur trade in the 

North 

●West 

●South’s King Cotton 

●Tariff Issue 

●Northern Blockade 

of Southern coast in 

Civil War 

●Sugar tariffleads 

to US Businessmen 

overthrowing Queen 

of Hawaii. 

GVC Unit Name 

Standard 5: Understand the impact of advancing technologies on the 


Modern technologies are transforming the speed and scope of business in the 

world today. It is imperative that students understand and have the ability to use 

technology for success in the global economy. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze how 


over time. 

●Weaponry 

●Impact of 

technology on 

human populations 

●Cotton gin leads 

to expansion and 

establishment of 

widespread slavery in 

south. 

●Sewing machine 

●Mechanical reaper/ 

John Deere steel 

plow-aids moment to 

West. 

●Goodyear rubber— 


Benchmark B: 

Describe how 


regarding the 

economy and 

natural resources 

can affect people’s 

lives locally, 



Benchmark C: 

Describe the 


green technologies. 

tents/raincoats and 

shoes in civil war. 

●Canned food 

●Telegraph 

●Trains/steamboats/ 

steam power 

●Sectionalism 

●Removal of the 5 

Southeastern tribes 

over gold and land 

●Westward 

Movement /Donner 

party 

●Plains Indian Wars/ 

●Demise of Buffalo 

Standard 6: Understand how universal economic concepts present 

themselves in various types of economies throughout the world. 

Understanding how economic concepts function within different economies is 

essential to understanding and participating in today’s global market. Economic 

concepts and systems develop to determine what goods and services will be 

produced, how they will be produced, for whom they will be produced, and at 

what price they will be sold. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Analyze cost of 

living and wage data 

across geographic 

regions. 


Learnings 


●Sectionalism unit on 

economic divisions 

between North, south 

and West 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark B: 


of printing more or 

less money on an 

economy. 

Benchmark C: 

Evaluate how 




the world. 

●Rev. War and 

soldier salaries 

●Different state 

currencies 

●Confederate dollars 

●Barter system 

among natives 



Financial success in today’s world requires a competency with the tools that are 

used such as bank accounts, loans, mortgages, credit cards, insurance, stock 

markets, and tax forms. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


investment 

strategies. 

Benchmark B: 


benefits of 

incentives to spend 

and incentives to 

save. 

Benchmark C: 

Describe the 




economies. 


Learnings 


●Pet State Banks vs. 

National Bank 

GVC Unit Name 




GEOGRAPHY 

Standard 1/UEL: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and 

analyze information about people, places, and environments. 

Some of the tools geographers use to make sense of the world include maps, 

globes, photographs, and geospatial technologies. These tools are essential to 

portraying, analyzing, evaluating and predicting human as well as physical 

patterns and processes on the Earth’s surface. These tools also play a critical role 

in helping people make sense of a complex world from a spatial perspective. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


geospatial 


other geographic 

tools to create and 

interpret information 

from charts, graphs, 

and maps. 

Benchmark B: 



longitude and 

latitude. 

Benchmark C: 


various landforms 

and geographic 

features determine 

different ecosystems 

and land usage. 

Benchmark D: 







global areas. 

Benchmark E: 


population density 

and scarcity to 

determine factors 

that influence where 


Learnings 


●Land Ordinance 

1785 

●Northwest 

Ordinance 

1754/1763 

N.American Maps 

●Google Earth tours 

●Fur trade, Ohio 

River Valley 

●1754/1763 N. 

American Maps 

●North/South Civil 

War Maps (Mason- 

Dixon Line) 


●North vs. South 

GVC Unit Name 


people live. 




characteristics. Regions may be defined by criteria such as language, culture, and 

other geographic characteristics. They provide a context for studying current 

events and for seeing the earth as an integrated system of regions. Including but 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 






settings. 

Benchmark B: 






region. 

Benchmark C: 

Summarize how 






world. 

Benchmark D: 




events and for 

seeing the earth as 

an integrated system 

of regions. 


Learnings 


●Slave trade 

●North vs. South 

ideals, work force 

●North and South 

●Oklahoma 

Reservation 

GVC Unit Name 



populations. 



distribution, economic resources and the movement among them. Including but 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 



where people 

choose to live. 

Benchmark B: 

Examine how 




work. 

Benchmark C: 





information, air 

quality, water and 

land and analyzes 

the criteria that make 

them resources. 

Benchmark D: 


rivers contribute to 


societies. 



●Fur Trade 



It is essential to know that places may be distinguished by their physical and 

human characteristics. Physical processes create natural landscapes and 

environments. Examples of natural physical features include landforms, soils, 

water bodies, vegetation, animal life, seasons, weather and climate. Including but 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 





Benchmark B: 

Compare the 

weather, climate, 

natural landscapes, 

and types of 

vegetation and 




Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark C: 


contrasts the basic 

needs of people 

living in two or more 

diverse 

environments. 



HISTORY 

Standard 1: Understand historical patterns, periods of time, and the 


Historians use periodization and pattern to describe the narrative of human 

experience. Students will be able to explain why historical periodization was 

created and describe the historical events that define a period. In exploring 

change over time, students will evaluate how a society or culture evolves. 



Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 




Benchmark B: 




time period. 

Benchmark C: 

Use cause and 

effect; evaluate why 

a period begins and 

why a period ends. 

Benchmark D: 




patterns. 

Benchmark E: 

Describe and 

interpret the major 

events that occurred 

during a time period. 

Learnings 

●Wars have unique 

causes and effects 

●Colonial people vs. 


●Each civilization 

has its own culture 

●Time changes 

●History repeats 

itself 

●Significant events 

influence different 

time periods 


●Civil War 

●Jackson Era 

●Wars and 

Presidents 

●Wars and 

Presidents 

●Revolution and 

●Civil War Era 

●Textbook 

●GVC 

●Textbook 

●GVC 

●Textbook 

●GVC 

●Textbook 

●GVC 

●Textbook 

●GVC 



Government, power and authority are fundamental to the successful advancement 

of societies and cultures. These systems begin with the family unit and expand 

through local, national and international organizations and institutions. Every 

group creates governing systems to meet the needs of society. Students will 

understand the process of political change and how the transfer of power may 

occur. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 


Benchmark A: 

Evaluate how 




Benchmark B: 




world. 

Benchmark C: 

Analyze why 

governments 


change and the 

roles individuals play 

in causing a change. 

Benchmark D: 

Explore the 


major political 

systems in the 

world. 

●Revolutions have 

unique causes and 

effects. 

●Pre-Rev. America 

●Parliament (no col. 

Rep) 

●Slavery 

●Revolution 

●Sons of Liberty 


●Ben Franklin 

●Post-Revolution 


●Federalists/Democ 

rats/Republicans 

●Changes in pol. 

parties 



Culture plays a crucial role in the development of societies across time. Just as 

culture influences the interactions of various social groups, it also affects 

individual and institutional economic and political decisions. Culture provides the 

means for expressing individual or collective beliefs which can include religious 

practices, literature, music, and art. Therefore any assessment or evaluation of 

historical change must consider the influence of culture. 


societies interact through adopting, adapting, modifying, or resisting cultural 

aspects of another society. This process of negotiating the “middle ground” 

between two or more societies has greatly influenced historical development. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Bench Mark A: 

Examine and 

evaluate the 


on the interactions of 

various groups. 

Bench Mark B: 

Assess the effect of 

culture on a society 

group or individuals’ 

decisions and 


Learnings 


●African culture 

●European 

immigration 

●African culture 

●European 

immigration 

●US Regional 

differences 

GVC Unit Name 


actions. 

Bench Mark C: 


contrast the culture 

of majority groups 

with the culture of 

minority groups. 

Bench Mark D: 

Analyze the 

methods by which 

culture is spread 

from one society to 

●Slavery 

●European 

immigration 

●Slave music, 

literature, art, foods 

another. 



History is often shaped by highly visible movements, large-scale processes, 

major events or tensions among various groups. However, the actions of a group 

or even one individual can change the course of history. Including but not limited 

to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Bench Mark A: 

Analyze the actions 

of individuals and 

groups and the 



Bench Mark B: 

Identify significant 




way and analyze 

how their 

contributions 

impacted world 

events. 


Learnings 


●Sons of Liberty 


●Harriet Tubman 

●Alexander Clark 

Jackson 


●Harriet Tubman 

●Alexander Clark 

Jackson 

GVC Unit Name 



Economic needs and wants have influenced political, social, and cultural 

structures throughout time. As human societies have become more complex, the 

need or desire of individuals or groups to control economic resources has played 

an enormous role in the decisions and actions of various societies. Including but 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 

Evaluate the ability 

of various economic 



Learnings 


●Plantation system 

GVC Unit Name 





time. 

Benchmark B: 

Analyze the 


economic 

institutions. 

Benchmark C: 






Benchmark D: 

Compare the power 


within a given 

economic system. 

●Economic forces 

shape history 

●Plantation system 

●Banking 


●War of 1812 

●Civil war 

●Plantation 

hierarchy 

●Industrial 

●Revolution 

(laborers vs. 

owners) 


events. 

Throughout time, history and geography have been inter-twined. To fully 

understand one, there must be a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the 

other. Students need to be able to understand how geography has provided the 

context in which history has occurred over time, and therefore has impacted 

historical events. Including but not limited to: 

Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


of geographic 

systems (physical 

and human) on 



Learnings 


●Land ordinances 

GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark B: 





Benchmark C: 


geography on 

current social, 



●Land forms impact 

on battle/war 

outcomes 

●Western 

exploration and 

expansion 




Innovations range from the development and application of new technologies to 

the establishment of new social, political or economic structures. These elements 

influenced the way societies developed and interacted throughout history. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 

Benchmark A: 


technological 






Benchmark B: 





Benchmark C: 



contemporary 

societies. 


Learnings 

●Current 

issues/events 


●Cotton Gin 

●Weapons 

●Communications 

GVC Unit Name 



Some of the historical thinking skills include consideration of multiple 

perspectives, analysis of historical narrative, and construction of historical 

hypotheses. By interpreting and analyzing the decisions of past societies, 

students gain the ability to evaluate current events, issues, and decisions. 


Grade Level 

Benchmark 


Learnings 


GVC Unit Name 

Benchmark A: 

Interpret, analyze, 

and evaluate 

historical issues. 

Benchmark B: 

Determine the 

validity and accuracy 

of primary sources 



evaluates them for 

bias. 

●Slavery 

●Westward 

expansion/NA’s 

●New identity of 

United States 

War/conflict 


●Declaration of 

Independence 


●Monroe Doctrine 

●Textbook 

●Articles 


Benchmark C: 





events. 

Benchmark D: 

Analyze changes 

over time. 

●French and Indian 

War 


●War of 1812 

●Civil War 

●Westward 

Expansion 


Slavery 

●Slavery/abolition of 

slavery/race 

●Assimilation of 

Native Americans to 

containment 


SOCIAL STUDIES 9 th – 12 th GRADE 

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 


Standard 1: Understand the historical development of the behavioral sciences and the 

changing nature of society. 

Benchmark 5: Summarize and analyzes early attempts to understand human 

behavior. 

Standard 2: Understand the influences on individual and group behavior and group 

decision making. 

Benchmark 1: Describe how individuals participate in groups and analyzes how 

individuals can be impacted by the group and vice versa. 

Benchmark 4: Understand the various theories of the development of the self 

and personality and the interplay between society and individual. 

Standard 3: Understand the appropriate research procedures and skills of the 

behavioral scientist. 

Benchmark 1: Align the best research method available to the research question 

or social issue under investigation. 

Benchmark 3: Understand and applies the ethical issues in conducting research 

with humans and animals. 


formulates opinions and responds to those issues. 

Benchmark 5: Analyze how historical events can impact an individual’s 

personality development. 

Standard 5: Understand how social status, social groups, social change, and social 

institutions influence individual and group behaviors. 

Benchmark 1: Describe how one’s social status impacts his/her relationships 

with others and how the bonds one creates influence his/her behaviors. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze the factors that can influence an individual’s life chances. 

Standard 6: Understand the process of how humans develop, learn, adapt to their 


Benchmark 1: Analyze the stages of human development. 

Benchmark 2: Understand that we develop in physical, moral and intellectual 

areas in a sequential fashion and provides examples that illustrate this. 

Standard 7: Understand how personality and agents of socialization impact the 

individual. 

Benchmark 1: Articulate the nature/nurture debate with pros and cons of each 

position. 

Benchmark 3: Understand that socialization is initiated by and continued 

through agents of socialization. 

Benchmark 5: Analyze various factors that contribute to the shaping of a 


Grades 9-12 Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks 176



INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 




Benchmark 2: Analyze how the growth of cities creates social problems. 

• Industrial Revolution as it relates to the creation of Sociology as a 

separate field of study 

Benchmark 3: Analyze ideas about democracy and political rights and how these 

impacted the development of the study of society. 

• Varying political and economic systems and the ways in which these 

systems influence human behavior (Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, 

Democracy) 

Benchmark 4: Summarize as well as compares and contrasts the major 

frameworks or approaches used to study and understand people and society. 

• 3 Sociological Perspectives: Functionalist, Conflict, Interactionist 

Benchmark 5: Summarize and analyzes early attempts to understand human 

behavior. 

• Early Sociologists: Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile 

Durkheim, Max Weber 



Benchmark 2: Describe, compare and contrast the various types of societies and 


• Varying political and economic systems and the ways in which these 

systems influence human behavior (Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, 

Democracy) 

Benchmark 3: Examine the role of values and beliefs in establishing the norms of 

a society. 

• Components of Culture 

Benchmark 4: Understand the various theories of the development of the self 

and personality and the interplay between society and individual. 

• Theories of Self and Personality Development (Herbert Mead, John Locke, 

Charles Cooley) 





• Research and Data Collection (Experimentation, Surveying, Observation) 

Benchmark 3: Understand and applies the ethical issues in conducting research 

with humans and animals. 

• Research and Data Collection (Experimentation, Surveying, Observation) 




Benchmark 2: Understand the social and historical context of specific social 

issues. 

• Cultural Change: Gender Roles and Race Issues in the United States and 

Elsewhere 

Benchmark 3: Illustrate the interplay between politics, economics, history and 

social issues on a national and international level. 


Elsewhere 

Benchmark 4: Analyze the role of values and beliefs in the developments of 



Elsewhere 

Benchmark 5: Analyze how historical events can impact an individual’s 

personality development. 


Elsewhere 



Benchmark 3: Explore how every individual in society participates in groups and 

therefore society. 


Benchmark 4: Identify and analyzes the major features of social groups. 




Benchmark 3: Analyze the process of internalizing culture as is begins at birth 

and continues through a complex lifelong process. 


Elsewhere 


individual. 

Benchmark 1: Articulate the nature/nurture debate with pros and cons of each 

position. 



Benchmark 2: Analyze the process of internalizing culture as it begins at birth 

and continues through a complex lifelong process. 








Benchmark 4: Analyze major agents of socialization and the role each plays in 

development of self, social norms, values, and beliefs. 



Benchmark 5: Analyze various factors that contribute to the shaping of a 







CONTEMPORARY U.S. ISSUES 




Benchmark 4: Summarize as well as compares and contrasts the major 

frameworks or approaches used to study and understand people and society. 





Benchmark 2: Identify, utilizes and evaluates a variety of sources for quality, 

reliability and validity. 

Benchmark 4: Evaluate the pros and cons of various research strategies. 



Benchmark 1: Identify current social issues as well as arguments from both sides 

and formulates a personal opinion or position regarding those issues. 




GEOGRAPHY 

GEOGRAPHY 

Standard 1: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze information 

about people, places, and environments. 

Benchmark 1: Select appropriate maps, map projections, and other graphic 

representations to analyze geographic problems. 

Benchmark 2: Construct a map of locales, regions, or the world that 

demonstrates an understanding of relative location, direction, sizes and shapes, 

and draws a map that shows major physical and human features. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze factors that influence people’s preferences about where 

to live. 

Standard 2: Understand how physical and human characteristics create and define 

regions. 

Benchmark 1: Analyze the concept of region, the process of regionalization and 

how and why people define regions. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze how cultural beliefs and experiences shape the character 

of a region and influence perceptions of places and regions. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze the ways in which places and regions reflect cultural 

change. 

Standard 3: Understand how human factors and the distribution of resources affect the 

development of society and the movement of populations. 

Benchmark 1: Analyze the physical and cultural impact of human migration. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze patterns of economic resource distribution and the 

arrangement of settlements. 

Benchmark 3: Develop maps to illustrate how population density varies in 

relation to resources such as water and types of land use. 

Benchmark 5: Analyze world population trends and patterns. 

Standard 4: Understand how physical and human processes shape the Earth’s surface 

and major ecosystems. 

Benchmark 1: Analyze the attributes of the importance of ecosystems in 

understanding the environment. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze how extreme physical conditions such as floods and 

droughts affect human settlements and animal populations in different regions. 

Standard 5: Understand how human actions modify the environment and how the 

environment affects humans. 

Benchmark 1: Explain how human settlements and structures become part of 

the Earth’s surface, and evaluates the positive and negative effects of such 

changes. 

Benchmark 2: Evaluate how competition for control of the Earth’s surface can 

have a positive and negative effect on the planet and its inhabitants. 


Benchmark 3: Evaluate how different environments have forced humans to 

adapt to unique physical conditions. 

Standard 6: Understand how culture affects the interaction of human populations 

through time and space. 

Benchmark 1: Illustrate how technology and human mobility have changed 

various cultural landscapes. 

Benchmark 2: Understand how physical geography affects the routes, flows and 

destinations of migration. 

Benchmark 3: Identify the push-pull factors that resulted in the migration of 

human population over time and examines and evaluates the impact of changes 

in these factors. 

Standard 7: Understand how cultural factors influence the design of human 

communities. 

Benchmark 1: Develop and defend hypotheses about how the spatial 

distribution of a population may change in response to environmental changes. 

Benchmark 4: Describe some major environmental changes taking place. 

Benchmark 5: Analyze competition for and conflict over natural resources. 



U.S. HISTORY (SINCE 1877) 




Benchmark 1: Understand the impact of economic, historic and political forces 

on society and social behavior. 



Benchmark 2: Describe, compare and contrast the various types of societies and 




Benchmark 2: Identify, utilizes and evaluates a variety of sources for quality, 

reliability and validity. 



Benchmark 2: Understand the social and historical context of specific social 

issues. 



Benchmark 6: Analyze and predicts how institutions shift and adapt to a 

changing society and global world. 






individual. 



GEOGRAPHY 



Benchmark 1: Select appropriate maps, map projections, and other graphic 

representations to analyze geographic problems. 


regions. 













Benchmark 3: Evaluate how different environments have forced humans to 

adapt to unique physical conditions. 






communities. 

Benchmark 3: Use primary sources, historical records, and literature to describe 

and chart land-use changes over time. 

HISTORY 



Benchmark 2: Understand why historians create periodization. 

Benchmark 4: Identify and interpret the major events that occurred during a 

time period. 

Standard 2: Understand how and why people create, maintain, or change systems of 

power, authority, and governance. 

Benchmark 2: Explore how government has reacted to problems in the past, 

such as social, environmental, political and/or economic issues and how the 

government’s actions affected individuals. 

Benchmark 3: Evaluate how individuals influenced government actions in past 

events. 

Standard 3: Understand the role of culture and cultural diffusion on the development 


Benchmark 2: Compare and contrast the culture of the politically and 

economically dominant groups with the culture of minority groups. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze and evaluate the ways in which a society deals with the 

introduction or influence of another society’s culture. 

Standard 4: Understand the role of individuals and groups within a society as promoters 

of change or the status quo. 

Benchmark 1: Analyze the actions of individuals and groups in the development 


Benchmark 2: Identify significant individuals who have affected historical 

development in positive or negative ways. 


Standard 5: Understand the effect of economic needs and wants on individual and 


Benchmark 2: Assess and analyze the development of various economic systems. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze the role of economic factors in conflicts and in decisions 

to use military force. 

Benchmark 4: Explain the ways in which economic factors have influenced the 



Benchmark 2: Identify and analyze the role geography has played during 


Standard 7: Understand the role of innovation on the development and interaction of 

societies. 

Benchmark 1: Identify major technological advancements and evaluates their 

impact on social, political, and historical events. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze why some technologies have been adopted while others 

have not. 

Standard 8: Understand cause and effect relationships and other historical thinking skills 

in order to interpret events and issues. 

Benchmark 1: Interpret actions taken, analyze impact experienced, and evaluate 

decisions made in history in the context in which they occurred. 

Benchmark 2: Determine the validity and accuracy of primary sources and 

secondary sources and evaluate them for bias. 




MODERN U.S. HISTORY 

HISTORY 



Benchmark 2: Understand why historians create periodization. 

Benchmark 4: Identify and interpret the major events that occurred during a 

time period. 



Benchmark 2: Explore how government has reacted to problems in the past, 

such as social, environmental, political and/or economic issues and how the 

government’s actions affected individuals. 

Benchmark 3: Evaluate how individuals influenced government actions in past 

events. 













societies. 

Benchmark 3: Evaluate the impact of new technologies on societies. 








WORLD HISTORY 

HISTORY 



Benchmark 1: Identify similarities and differences within and among time 

periods that are used to create periodization. 

• i.e., Units: Mediterranean Age, East vs. West, European Age, American 

Age 



Benchmark 1: Explore change over time through the lens of evolving 

government services, such as the postal service and community infrastructure 

such as sewer systems, roads, water systems, schools, etc. 

• i.e., Government of Persia, Roman Republic/Empire, Feudalism, 

Absolutism, Superpowers 



Benchmark 1: Analyze the methods by which a society transmits culture across 

time. 

• i.e., Culture of India, Hellenism, Islam, Renaissance & Reformation, 

Americanism 





• i.e., Alexander the Great, Mohammad, King Richard “Lionheart”, Galileo, 

Catherine the Great 



• i.e., Caesar, Christians, Samurai, Columbus, French Revolutionaries, Mao 



Benchmark 1: Analyze the ways various societies have met their economic needs 

and wants over time. 

• i.e., Greek colonies, Islamic trade, Colonization, U.S. “frontier economics” 


• i.e., Feudalism, Mercantilism, Colonization, Socialism/Communism, 

Capitalism 




• i.e., Peloponnesian War, Islamic Empire, Crusades, Conquistadors, U.S. 

interventionism 



• i.e., Greek expansion, Islamic empire, populating the Americas, 

Immigration 


Benchmark 1: Analyze the impact of geographic systems (physical and human) 


• i.e., Ancient river societies, Silk Road, North Atlantic current, trans-Pacific 

trade 

Benchmark 3: Predict and analyze the role of geography on current social, 

political, and historical events. 

• i.e., Roman control of Mediterranean, Byzantium, Northern European 

Plain, U.S. manifest destiny 


societies. 

Benchmark 3: Evaluate the impact of new technologies on societies. 

• i.e., Flood control in China, Roman roads, Crusade warfare, printing press, 

industrialization 





• i.e., Hellenistic historians, Japanese poetry, Martin Luther, Columbian 

journals, our textbook 

Benchmark 3: Predict how different decisions might have impacted the outcome 

of an event. 

• i.e., Kublai Kahn’s conquests, 9/11 retaliation, Queen Isabella’s funding, 

American independence 



UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 




Benchmark 3: Analyze ideas about democracy and political rights and how these 

impacted the development of the study of society. 



Benchmark 1: Describe how individuals participate in groups and analyzes how 

individuals can be impacted by the group and vice versa. 



Benchmark 4: Evaluate the pros and cons of various research strategies. 



Benchmark 1: Identify current social issues as well as arguments from both sides 

and formulates a personal opinion or position regarding those issues. 



Benchmark 5: Identify major social institutions and evaluates their roles in 

society. 






individual. 



GEOGRAPHY 



Benchmark 3: Analyze factors that influence people’s preferences about where 

to live. 


regions. 


change. 




Benchmark 5: Analyze world population trends and patterns. 











Benchmark 3: Identify the push-pull factors that resulted in the migration of 

human population over time and examines and evaluates the impact of changes 

in these factors. 


communities. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze the impact of changing global patterns of trade and 

commerce on the local community, and predict the future impact of these 

patterns. 

POLITICAL SCIENCE & CIVIC LITERACY 

Standard 1: Understand the rights of responsibilities of each citizen and demonstrate 

the value of lifelong civic action. 

Benchmark 1: Understand and can name civic responsibilities. 

Benchmark 3: Examine social contexts and are able to identify appropriate and 

effective civic action. 

Benchmark 4: Understand the Bill of Rights and can create contexts to 

appropriately use each of the rights indentified in the Bill of Rights. 

Standard 2: Understand how the government established by the Constitution embodies 

the enduring values and principles of democracy and republicanism. 

Benchmark 1: Describe the origins and evaluates the continuing influence of key 

ideals of the democratic republican form of government, such as individual 

human dignity, liberty, justice, equality, and the rule of law at local, state, 

national and global levels. 

Benchmark 2: Know the role the U.S. Constitution plays in governance of the 

United States and stays informed about how it impacts day-to-day life. 

Standard 3: Understand the purpose and function of each of the three branches of 

government established by the Constitution. 

Benchmark 1: Identify basic principles and responsibilities associated with each 

branch of government and describe citizens’ involvement in each. 

Benchmark 2: Explore historical and contemporary examples of how the 

branches of government have checked each other and the impact of those 

examples. 

Benchmark 3: Predict how life might be different without the concept of checks 



Benchmark 4: Participate in civic life in appropriate ways. 

Standard 4: Understand the differences among the complex levels of local, state and 

national government and their inherent, expressed, and implied powers. 

Benchmark 1: Distinguish between implied and expressed powers and analyzes 

examples of each and their impact on citizens. 

Benchmark 2: Interpret charts and diagrams of the structures of various forms of 

government and explore ways that citizens participate in governments as young 

people and as adults. 

Benchmark 3: Explore and analyze various legal cases arising over issues of 

jurisdiction. 

Benchmark 4: Recognize that within each level of government complex layers 

exist, and that is the responsibility of citizens to keep informed about how to 

navigate the layers. 

Standard 5: Understands strategies for effective political action that impact local, state, 

and national governance. 

Benchmark 1: Understand jurisdiction among the local, state, and national levels 


Benchmark 2: Identify how and which levels of government overlap in order to 

provide public services (e.g., public safety, public works, and education). 

Benchmark 3: Illustrate viable pathways for individual and collective political 

action. 

Standard 6: Understand how law and public policy are established at the local, state, 

and national levels. 

Benchmark 1: Analyze the path a bill travels to become law and how the fate of 

a bill is influenced by party politics, House and Senate action, public opinion, 

individual citizens and lobbyists. 

Benchmark 2: Explore historical examples of compromise necessary to pass 

significant legislation and how citizens were impacted at the local, state, national 

and international levels. 

Benchmark 3: Explore the various ways citizens stay informed and debate the 

influence of media and interest groups on proposed legislation. 

Standard 7: Understand how various political systems throughout the world define the 

rights and responsibilities of the individual. 

Benchmark 1: Assess how the individual citizen is treated differently dependent 

upon the type of government. 

Benchmark 2: Survey the specific protection of civil liberties in various 

governments and evaluate how they influence the government’s treatment of its 

citizens. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze the roles of international institutions and how they 

protect or limit civil liberties in a nation. 

Benchmark 4: Analyze how governments’ taxing policies organize individuals 

into economic groups with inferred rights and responsibilities. 


Benchmark 5: Evaluate how a free media and press may affect how a 

government interacts with its citizens. 


Benchmark 1: Describe and evaluate the United States’ role in helping to solve 

geopolitical problems in various regions of the world. 

Benchmark 2: Describe and evaluate the roles for international organizations 

and how those organizations represent member nations’ views and affect the 

views and policies of members and nonmembers. 

Benchmark 3: Survey how international agreements affect current Unites States 

policies and how they might affect future policies. 

Benchmark 4: Examine and evaluate how international economic agreements 

affect relations between nations in economic and noneconomic areas. 



INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

GEOGRAPHY 



Benchmark 2: Construct a map of locales, regions, or the world that 

demonstrates an understanding of relative location, direction, sizes and shapes, 

and draws a map that shows major physical and human features. 


regions. 



Benchmark 2: Analyze how cultural beliefs and experiences shape the character 

of a region and influence perceptions of places and regions. 


change. 




Benchmark 2: Analyze patterns of economic resource distribution and the 

arrangement of settlements. 

Benchmark 4: Evaluate the physical and human factors that have led to famines 

and large-scale refugee movements. 



Benchmark 1: Analyze the attributes of the importance of ecosystems in 

understanding the environment. 










communities. 

Benchmark 2: Analyze the impact of changing global patterns of trade and 

commerce on the local community, and predict the future impact of these 

patterns. 

Benchmark 3: Use primary sources, historical records, and literature to describe 


and chart land-use changes over time. 

Benchmark 4: Describe some major environmental changes taking place. 

Benchmark 5: Analyze competition for and conflict over natural resources. 

HISTORY 



Benchmark 3: Analyze patterns historians use to create periodization. 



Benchmark 2: Compare and contrast the culture of the politically and 

economically dominant groups with the culture of minority groups. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze and evaluate the ways in which a society deals with the 

introduction or influence of another society’s culture. 









Benchmark 1: Analyze the ways various societies have met their economic needs 

and wants over time. 






societies. 

Benchmark 1: Identify major technological advancements and evaluates their 

impact on social, political, and historical events. 







Benchmark 3: Predict how different decisions might have impacted the outcome 

of an event. 

POLITICAL SCIENCE & CIVIC LITERACY 

Standard 1: Understand the rights of responsibilities of each citizen and demonstrate 

the value of lifelong civic action. 

Benchmark 2: Identify, analyze, interpret, and evaluate sources and examples of 


citizens’ rights and responsibilities. 

Standard 3: Understand the purpose and function of each of the three branches of 

government established by the Constitution. 

Benchmark 1: Identify basic principles and responsibilities associated with each 

branch of government and describe citizens’ involvement in each. 

Benchmark 2: Explore historical and contemporary examples of how the 

branches of government have checked each other and the impact of those 

examples. 

Benchmark 3: Predict how life might be different without the concept of checks 


Benchmark 4: Participate in civic life in appropriate ways. 

Standard 4: Understand the differences among the complex levels of local, state and 

national government and their inherent, expressed, and implied powers. 

Benchmark 4: Recognize that within each level of government complex layers 

exist, and that is the responsibility of citizens to keep informed about how to 

navigate the layers. 

Standard 6: Understand how law and public policy are established at the local, state, 

and national levels. 

Benchmark 3: Explore the various ways citizens stay informed and debate the 

influence of media and interest groups on proposed legislation. 

Standard 7: Understand how various political systems throughout the world define the 

rights and responsibilities of the individual. 

Benchmark 3: Analyze the roles of international institutions and how they 

protect or limit civil liberties in a nation. 

Benchmark 4: Analyze how governments’ taxing policies organize individuals 

into economic groups with inferred rights and responsibilities. 

Benchmark 5: Evaluate how a free media and press may affect how a 

government interacts with its citizens. 


Benchmark 1: Describe and evaluate the United States’ role in helping to solve 

geopolitical problems in various regions of the world. 

Benchmark 2: Describe and evaluate the roles for international organizations 

and how those organizations represent member nations’ views and affect the 

views and policies of members and nonmembers. 

Benchmark 3: Survey how international agreements affect current Unites States 

policies and how they might affect future policies. 

Benchmark 4: Examine and evaluate how international economic agreements 

affect relations between nations in economic and noneconomic areas.

K-12 Social Studies Standards and Benchmarks - Muscatine ...

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