STANDARD 6.2: Social Studies

Standard 6: Social Studies

Mission: Social Studies education provides learners with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to be active, informed citizens and contributing members of local, state and world communities.

Standard 6.2 Civics

All students will know, understand and appreciate the values and principles of American democracy and the rights, responsibilities and roles of a citizen in the nation and the world.

Big Idea: An understanding of the historical foundations and underlying values and principles of American democracy prepares learners to make informed, responsible decisions as citizens and to value participation as citizens of the nation and the world.
6.2. A Civic Life, Politics and Government
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- What is government and what can it do? - Why do rules, laws and government not always preserve individual rights and the common good? What can be done about it?	- Societies require rules, laws and government. - Governments can change based on the needs of people, their society and their culture. -Citizens can influence government in many ways if they choose to participate.
Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
By the end of Grade 2:

1. Explain the need for rules, laws, and government.
2. Give examples of authority and recognize problems that might arise from lack of effective authority.
3. Describe how American citizens can participate in community and political life.
4. Explain that justice means fairness to all.
5. Explain that a responsibility means something you must or should do
6. Explore basic concepts of diversity, tolerance, fairness, and respect for others.
By the end of Grade 4:

1. Describe the characteristics of an effective rule or law (e.g., achieves purpose, clear, fair, protects rights and the common good).
2. Differentiate between power and authority.
3. Recognize that government exists at the community, county, state, and federal levels.
4 Recognize national, state, and local legislators and government officials and explain how to contact them for help or to express an opinion.
5. Describe the contributions of voluntary associations and organizations in helping government provide for its citizens.
By the end of Grade 8:

1. Discuss the sources, purposes, and functions of law and the importance of the rule of law for the preservation of individual rights and the common good.
2. Describe the underlying values and principles of democracy and distinguish these from authoritarian forms of government.
3. Discuss the major characteristics of democratic governments.
4. Describe the processes of local government.
5. Discuss examples of domestic policies and agencies that impact American lives, including the Environmental Protection Agency (e.g., clean air and water), the Department of Labor (e.g., minimum wage) and the Internal Revenue Service (e.g., Social Security, income tax).
6. Explain how non-governmental organizations influence legislation and policies at the federal, state, and local levels.
By the end of Grade 12:
1. Analyze how reserved and jointly held powers in the United States Constitution result in tensions among the three branches of government and how these tensions are resolved (e.g., Marbury v. Madison-1803; Federalist #78; United States v. Nixon-1974, claims of Executive Privilege by Presidents Nixon, Clinton, and Bush).
2. Apply the concept of the rule of law to contemporary issues (e.g., impeachment of President Clinton, use of Executive Privilege, recess appointments to federal courts, the Senate’s advise and consent process, and the use of litmus tests).
3. Analyze how individual responsibility and commitment to law are related to the stability of American society.
4. Evaluate competing ideas about the purpose of the national and state governments and how they have changed over time (e.g., the American version of federalism, the powers of the federal government and the states, differing interpretations of Article I, Sections 8-10).
5. Discuss how participation in civic and political life can contribute to the attainment of individual and public good.
6. Evaluate ways that national political parties influence the development of public policies and political platforms, including political action committees, McCain-Feingold Act, platform committees, and political campaigns.
7. Analyze how public opinion is measured and used in public debate (e.g., electronic polling, focus groups, Gallup polls, newspaper and television polls) and how public opinion can be influenced by the government and the media.

6.2. B American Values and Principles
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
-How have the basic values and principles of American democracy changed and in what ways have they been preserved?	- Our government was founded on the principles of fairness, equality and respect for diversity.
Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
By the end of Grade 2:

1. Identify symbols of American values and beliefs such as the American Flag and the Statue of Liberty
By the end of Grade 4:

1. Identify the fundamental values and principles of American democracy expressed in the Pledge of Allegiance, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the first New Jersey Constitution.
2. Explain the significance of symbols of American values and beliefs, including the Statue of Liberty, the Statue of Justice, the American Flag, and the national anthem.
3. Describe how American values and beliefs, such as equality of opportunity, fairness to all, equal justice, separation of church and state, and the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, contribute to the continuation and improvement of American democracy.
4. Evaluate the importance of traditions, values, and beliefs which form a common American heritage in an increasingly diverse American society.
By the end of Grade 8:

1. Analyze how certain values including individual rights, the common good, self-government, justice, equality and free inquiry are fundamental to American public life.
2. Describe representative government and explain how it works to protect the majority and the minority.
3. Describe the continuing struggle to bring all groups of Americans into the mainstream of society with the liberties and equality to which all are entitled, as exemplified by individuals such as Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner, Paul Robeson, and Cesar Chavez.
By the end of Grade 12:
1. Analyze major historical events and important ideas that led to and sustained the constitutional government of the United States, including the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Judiciary Act of 1789, the first Cabinet under George Washington, and Amendments 1-15.
2. Propose and justify new local, state, or federal governmental policies on a variety of contemporary issues (e.g., definition of marriage, voting systems and procedures, censorship, religion in public places).
3. Describe historic and contemporary efforts to reduce discrepancies between ideals and reality in American public life, including Amendments 13-15, the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1875, the Abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and the end of slavery in the United States.
4. Discuss how a common and shared American civic culture is based on commitment to central ideas in founding-era documents (e.g., United States Constitution) and in core documents of subsequent periods of United States history (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address; Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions-1848; The Gettysburg Address; President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech -1941; President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address-1961; the 17^th, 19^th, and 24^th Amendments; Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”).
5. Analyze the successes of American society and disparities between American ideals and reality in American political, social, and economic life and suggest ways to address them (e.g., rights of minorities, women, physically and mentally challenged individuals, foreign born individuals).
6. Explore the importance and presence of voluntarism and philanthropy in America and examine the role of local, state, national, and international organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and the Rotary.

6.2. C The Constitution and American Democracy
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How does the government established by the Constitution embody the purposes, values and principles of the American dream? - How can a government decision be based on a Constitution that does not explicitly state the answer? - Why have the roles and responsibilities of U.S. citizens changed?	- The Constitution is a living document that helps in defining the roles and responsibilities of government and of citizens.
Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
By the end of Grade 2:

1. Identify community and government leaders (e.g., mayor, town council, President of the United States)
By the end of Grade 4:

1. Discuss how the Constitution describes how the United States government is organized and how it defines and limits the power of government.
2. Discuss how governmental bodies make decisions and explain the impact of those decisions on school and community life.
3. Identify major services provided by state and local government.
4. Delineate the respective roles of the three branches of the federal and state governments.
By the end of Grade 8:

1. Discuss the major principles of the Constitution, including shared powers, checks and balances, separation of church and state, and federalism.
2. Compare and contrast the purposes, organization, functions, and interactions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of national, state, and local governments and independent regulatory agencies.
3. Discuss the role of political parties in the American democratic system including candidates, campaigns, financing, primary elections, and voting systems.
4. Discuss major historical and contemporary conflicts over United States constitutional principles, including judicial review in Marbury v. Madison, slavery in the Dred Scott Decision, separate but equal in Plessy v. Ferguson, and the rights of minorities in the Indian Removal Act.
5. Discuss major historical and contemporary conflicts over New Jersey constitutional principles (e.g., the impact of the New Jersey School Law of 1881 which required integration in the state’s public schools, Hedgepeth and Williams v. Trenton Board of Education, the Mount Laurel Decision, Jackman v. Bodine, Abbott v. Burke).
6. Research contemporary issues involving the constitutional rights of American citizens and other individuals residing in the United States, including voting rights, habeas corpus, rights of the accused, and the Patriot Act.
By the end of Grade 12:
1. Debate current issues and controversies involving the central ideas of the American constitutional system, including representative government (e.g., Electoral College and the popular vote), civic virtue (e.g., increasing voter turnout through registrations and campaigns), checks and balances, and limits on governmental power.
2. Analyze, through current and historical examples and Supreme Court cases, the scope of governmental power and how the constitutional distribution of responsibilities seeks to prevent the abuse of that power.
3. Compare the American system of representative government with systems in other democracies such as the parliamentary systems in England and France.
4. Compare and contrast the major constitutional and legal responsibilities of the federal government for domestic and foreign policy and describe how disagreements are resolved.
5. Describe the nature of political parties in America and how they reflect the spectrum of political views on current state and federal policy issues.
6. Explain the federal and state legislative process and analyze the influence of lobbying, advocacy groups, the media, and campaign finance on the development of laws and regulations.

6.2. D Citizenship
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- How can citizens and groups participate effectively in the democratic process? - Can the rights of American citizens ever cause conflict among them?	- Citizenship is a lifelong endeavor. - It is the responsibility of citizens to actively participate in government; otherwise, the country is run by a few for the few. - Protecting the common good may require sacrificing individual rights. Maintaining that fragile balance is the collective role of all citizens.
Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
By the end of Grade 2:

1. Identify examples of responsible citizenship in the school setting.
2. Recognize real people and fictional characters who have demonstrated responsible leadership and citizenship and identify the characteristics that have made them good examples.
By the end of Grade 4:

1. Explain that a citizen is a legally recognized member of the United States with rights and responsibilities, such as voting in elections and serving on juries.
2. Describe the significant characteristics of an effective citizen and discuss ways to influence public policy (e.g., serving in elected office, working on a campaign).
3. Describe the process by which immigrants can become United States citizens.
By the end of Grade 8:

1. Discuss the rights and responsibilities of American citizens, including obeying laws, paying taxes, serving on juries, and voting in local, state, and national elections.
2. Discuss how the rights of American citizens may be in conflict with each other (e.g., right to privacy vs. free press).
3. Describe major conflicts that have arisen from diversity (e.g., land and suffrage for Native Americans, civil rights, women’s rights) and discuss how the conflicts have been addressed.
4. Explain the benefits, costs, and conflicts of a diverse nation.
5. Discuss basic contemporary issues involving the personal, political, and economic rights of American citizens (e.g., dress codes, sexual harassment, fair trial, free press, minimum wage).
By the end of Grade 12:
1. Evaluate the characteristics needed for effective participation in civic and political life.
2. Compare and contrast the rights and responsibilities of government and its citizens as delineated in the United States Constitution, the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, and the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
3. Compare and contrast the benefits of American citizenship (e.g., habeas corpus, secret ballots, freedom of movement and expression) with those of citizens of other nations, including democratic and non-democratic countries.
4. Recommend ways that citizens can use knowledge of state or federal government policies and decision-making processes to influence the formation, development, or implementation of current public policy issues (e.g., First Amendment right to petition for redress of grievances).
5. Discuss how citizens can participate in the political process at the local, state, or national level (e.g., registering to vote, voting, attending meetings, contacting a representative, demonstrating, petitions, boycotting) and analyze how these forms of political participation influence public policy.

6.2. E International Education: Global Challenges, Cultures and Connections
Essential Questions	Enduring Understandings
- What is the formal and informal relationship of the United States to other nations? - What social, political, and economic opportunities and problems arise when cultures interact? - How do we affirm individual and group identities and at the same time learn to respect and appreciate the identities of others?	- Nations interact with each each through trade, treaties and use of force. - The earth is a global community where the actions of one country can affect lives in other countries. - The U.S. view of global issues and challenges may not be the same as the views held by other countries and cultures.
Cumulative Progress Indicators	Comments and Examples
By the end of Grade 2:

1. Explain that the United States is a diverse nation and one of many nations in the world.
2. Identify traditions and celebrations of various cultures (e.g., Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo).
3. Participate in activities such as dance, song, and games that represent various cultures.
By the end of Grade 4:

1. Explain that the world is divided into many nations consisting of territory and people, with their own government, languages, customs, and laws.
2. Discuss how the United States interacts with other nations of the world through trade, treaties and agreements, diplomacy, cultural contacts, and sometimes through the use of military force.
3. Explain why it is important for nations to communicate and resolve disagreements through peaceful means.
4. Outline the purposes of the United Nations.

1. Discuss the sources, purposes, and functions of law and the importance of the rule of law for the preservation of individual rights and the common good.

1. Analyze how certain values including individual rights, the common good, self-government, justice, equality and free inquiry are fundamental to American public life.

1. Evaluate the characteristics needed for effective participation in civic and political life.