Grade 11: NYS Social Studies Standards (Key Ideas and Performance Indicators)
Social Studies Standard 1: History of the United States and New York: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.
Key Idea 1. The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are united by many values, practices, and traditions.
Students in grades Grade 11 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Describing the evolution of American democratic values and beliefs as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the New York State Constitution, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other important historical documents.
Key Idea 2. Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives.
Students in grades Grade 11 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Examining how the Constitution, United States law, and the rights of citizenship provide a major unifying factor in bringing together Americans from diverse roots and traditions.
Social Studies Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity of establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
Key Idea 1. The study of civics, citizenship, and government involves learning about political systems; the purposes of government and civic life; and the differing assumptions held by people across time and place regarding power, authority, governance, and law. (Adapted from: The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)
Students in grades Grade 11 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Comparing various political systems with that of the United States in terms of ideology, structure, function, institutions, decision-making processes, citizenship roles, and political culture
Key Idea 2. The state and federal governments established by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of New York embody basic civic values (such as justice, honesty, self-discipline, due process, equality, majority rule with respect for minority rights, and respect for self, others, and property), principles, and practices and establish a system of shared and limited government. (Adapted from: The National Standards for Civics and Government, 1994)
Students in grades Grade 11 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Tracing the evolution of American values, beliefs, and institutions
- Identifying, respecting, and modeling those core civic values inherent in our founding documents that have been forces for unity in American society
- Comparing and contrasting the Constitutions of the United States and New York State
- Analyzing how core American civic values are expressed in those documents that provide the basis for our democratic form of government, including the Magna Carta, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Albany Plan of Union, the Federalist papers, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other amendments
- Understanding the dynamic relationship between federalism and state's rights
Key Idea 3. Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding of the roles of the citizen within American constitutional democracy and the scope of a citizen's rights and responsibilities.
Students in grades Grade 11 will demonstrate this understanding by-
- Describing how citizenship is defined by the Constitution and important laws
- Exploring how citizens influence public policy in a representative democracy
Grade 11: English Language Arts Standards (Key Ideas and Performance Indicators)
ELA Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Grade 11 students will demonstrate this standard by-
- Reading from informational texts such as reference materials, primary and secondary sources, biographies and autobiographies, and online and electronic databases to collect information about the historic foundations to the United States Constitution
- Locating and using school, public, academic, and special library resources for information and research about the different types of colonial governments
- Identifying and evaluating the reliability and validity of informational sources in order to form conclusions about the causes for the American Revolution
- Using primary and secondary sources of information to write research reports, document-based essays, and articles about the debates over the adoption of the United States Constitution
- Taking and organizing notes in order to prepare oral presentations about those constitutional principles that provide the foundation for our representative democracy
- Using charts, graphs, and diagrams to support and illustrate information about the causes for the Civil War
- Listening to simulated debates about the constitutional issues involving states' rights versus federalism, slavery, and the preservation of the Union
- Speaking in panel discussions about the reforms of the Progressive Movement and about how these reforms brought about political change in the United States
- Expressing a point of view about the success of Roosevelt's New Deal programs in solving the problems caused by the Great Depression
ELA Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Grade 11 students will demonstrate this standard by-
- Reading from texts, editorials, public documents, electronic resources including databases and web sites, texts of speeches, and historical periodicals to gather information about the civil rights movement and its impacts on American politics and society
- Generating a list of significant questions to assist in evaluating the impacts of United States Supreme Court decisions
- Writing expository essays, book reviews, editorials, and political speeches about the Kennedy and Johnson years and the demands for equality by African-Americans, women, Native American Indians, and Hispanic-Americans
- Analyzing and evaluating nonfiction texts and documents as part of a document-based essay by determining the significance and reliability of the information and the author's perspective and frame of reference
- Articulating one or more political perspectives on a current issue such as civil liberties, political reform, campaign financing, or due process of law
- Writing in order to influence or persuade others to support a particular point of view or perspective on a current political issue
- Stating an opinion, or presenting a judgment by developing a thesis and providing supporting evidence, arguments and details about a contemporary issue or public policy problem
- Listening to news reports to gather information related to a public policy issue or political issue such as global terrorism, environmental pollution, minority rights, child labor, resource depletion, hunger, AIDS, or economic development and their effects on the United States
- Presenting oral reports about the role of the United States in world affairs
- Role playing different sides in debates about the role of the United States in helping to resolve various global problems including world hunger, terrorism, economic disparities, and human rights violations
