Grade 12: Learning Objectives
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Knowledge: Grade 12 students should be able to-
- Understand the philosophical foundations of their rights and responsibilities as citizens
- Understand how United States citizenship compares with, affects, and is affected by the politics and policies of other countries
- Understand the current legal/constitutional framework of those rights and responsibilities in the United Stated federal system
- Understand the current institutional framework of how those rights and responsibilities are protected and advanced by local, state, and federal governments in the United States federal system.
- Understand how to exercise their basic rights and responsibilities, in the local, state, federal, and international systems of which they are a part.
- Skills: Grade 12 students will learn and practice social studies skills related to getting, using, organizing, and presenting information. Grade 12 students should be able to-
- Find and formulate an issue
- Research the background of an issue including the historical background and the current scope of the public policy need or problem
- Deliberate about a public policy issue by comparing alternative arguments or interpretations
- Select an alternative action which seems most desirable and feasible and defend their selection
Objectives for Community-based learning. Students should be able to-- Get to know multiple communities
- Acquire habits of participation
- Meet role models
- Acquire research skills
- Appreciate different perspectives
- Acquire the skills of negotiation
- Interact with people in public settings
- Reflect on what counts
- Learn the ethics of research
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Civic Dispositions*: Students should learn and demonstrate the following civic values and attitudes-
- Willing to listen to others points of view or positions on issues even if one strongly disagrees (i.e., civility and civil conversation)
- Willing to view and assess a problem or issue from different points of view or perspectives (i.e., perspective taking)
- Willing to put oneself into another’s shoes
- Willing to allow others to express their opinions, without interruption, after expressing one’s own opinion
- Willing to participate in open-ended and respectful discussions, without using name calling or verbal attacks on those who disagree with one’s own position or arguments
- Willing to show respect for the rule of law
- Willing to consider other points of view or arguments before forming conclusions or making judgments
- Willing to tolerate ambiguity and resist simplistic solutions to complex issues and problems
- Willing to respect the civil rights of others
- Willing to participate in classroom, school, and community activities
- Willing to respect others’ space and property
- Willing to demonstrate personal responsibility
Civic dispositions or traits of private and public character important to the preservation and improvement of American constitutional democracy: **- Becoming an independent member of society
- Respecting individual worth and human dignity
- Assuming the personal, political, and economic responsibilities of a citizen
- Participating in civic affairs in an informed, thoughtful, and effective manner
- Promoting the healthy functioning of American constitutional democracy
(*Adapted from: Judith Torney-Purta and Susan Vermeer, Developing Citizenship Competencies from Kindergarten through Grade 12: A Background Paper for Policymakers and Educators (Education Commission of the States, 2004), p. 21. and Dialogue on Brown v. Board of Education (American Bar Association- Division for Public Education, 2003), p. 7.)
(**Taken from: NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) Civics Assessment, Civic Dispositions, p. 73. For more information see: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard)
