Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States. (Goal 14)

                 A.  Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government. Identify individual rights and responsibilities of US citizens.

B.   Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.  Describe the role of government in the daily lives of students.

C.  Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.  Explain why rights and responsibilities are important to the individual, family, community, state, and nation.

D.  Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems and other nations.  Identify ways that individuals and groups influence and shape public policy.

E.     Understand United States foreign policy as it relates to other nations and international issues.  Identify how US communities interact with other communities around the world.

F.      Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions. Identify the   basic freedoms of citizens in communities.

 

Understand economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States.  (Goal 15) 

A.      Understand how different economic systems operate in the exchange, production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Describe and compare how segments of the economy work in a community.  Identify the skills and resources people use to earn income in communities.

B.     Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers. List factors that affect consumer choices in communities.  Recognize reasons consumers in a community will buy more goods/services at lower prices and less goods/services at higher prices. 

C.     Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers.  Identify how price affects the production of goods/services within a community.  Define characteristics of successful business persons in communities of the US.

D.     Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services.  Describe monetary transactions students have made and explain why they were willing to exchange money for good/services.  Explain how the production process is interdependent. 

E.     Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production and consumption in the economy. Give examples of how the government, rather than the private sector, provides some goods/services within communities.

 

Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations. (Goal 16) 

A.      Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.  Read historical stories and relate them to historical events in their community.  Use fiction and non-fiction to compare historical people or events.  Use a variety of sources, including the Internet, to describe differences between the way people lived in the past and how they live now. 

B.     Understand the development of significant political events.  (US)  Describe and place in chronological order major events in the development of communities. 

C.     Understand the development of economic systems.   (US) Identify different ways people made a living in the past.

D.     Understand Illinois, United States and world social history. (US) Compare and contrast people’s lifestyles in two or more communities.  Compare changes in family life as people moved from one community to another.   Describe the influence of individuals and groups on the customs and traditions within communities.

 E.     Understand Illinois, United States and world environmental history.  (US)  Describe how people in a community adapted their environment to meet their needs (e.g., Hopi Home, tobacco farming, Jamestown).  Describe the actions of significant individuals and groups on the environment of a community.  Identify how the environment affected the movement of individuals and groups of people in the past.

 

Understand World Geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.  (Goal 17) 

A.   Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth. Compare the physical characteristics of places, local to global. Identify ways communities are connected. Identify and define the physical characteristics of geographic locations using maps, globes, graphs, and photographs.

B.     Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems.  Identify how communities are influenced by and adapt to the geography surrounding them.  Explain how people use and change the environment.  

C.     Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.  Explain how human activity is affected by geographic and climatic factors in communities.  Identify the different ways that transportation and communication are used to move people, products, and ideas from place to place.  Identify different migration and settlement patterns in communities and relate them to physical features and resources. 

D.     Understand the historical significance of geography.  Identify how and why spatial patterns of settlement change over time.  Explain how perceptions of places in the US have influenced human migration and settlement in the past.

 

Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.  (Goal 18) 

A.   Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions and institutions.  Compare and contrast the culture of two or more cities through art, music, and literature.  

B.   Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society.  Describe the roles of individuals in communities.  Explore ways institutions meet the needs of society in cities.  

C.     Understand how social systems form and develop over time.