CULTURE
AND
CULTURAL DIVERSITY

     Social Studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of Culture and Cultural Diversity.

Learner Expectations

     In a democratic and culturally diverse society, students need to comprehend multiple perspectives that emerge from within their own culture and from the vantage points of the diverse cultural groups within that society and with whom the society may interact. These understandings allow them to make appropriate sense of the actions, ideas, and products of others as well as to relate to and interact with people within their diverse society and throughout the world.

TIME,
CONTINUITY,
AND CHANGE

       Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities , and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of Time, Continuity and Change.

Learner Expectations

     The study of time, continuity, and change allows learners to understand their historical roots and to locate themselves in time. Learners also draw on their knowledge of history to make informed choices and decisions in the present.

Teacher Expectations

     Teachers of social studies at all school levels should provide developmentally appropriate experiences as they guide learners in the study of time, continuity and change. They should

• provide learners with opportunities to investigate, interpret, and analyze multiple historical and contemporary viewpoints within and across cultures related to events, recurring dilemmas, and persistent issues, while employing , skepticism, and critical judgment; and
• enable learners to apply ideas, theories, and modes of historical inquiry to analyze historical and contemporary developments, and to inform and evaluate actions concerning public policy issues.

INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS,
AND
INSTITUTIONS

     Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of interactions among Individuals, Groups, and Institutions.

Learner Expectations

     Institutions such as schools, churches, families, government agencies, and the courts all play integral roles in our lives. These and other institutions exert enormous influence over us, yet institutions are no more than organizational embodiments to further the core social values of those who comprise them. Thus, it is important that learners know how institutions are formed, what controls and influences them, how they control and influence individuals and culture, and how institutions can be maintained or changed.

Teacher Expectations

     Teachers of social studies at all school levels should provide developmentally appropriate experiences as they should

• guide learners in the study of interactions among individuals, groups and describing the connections and interactions of individuals, groups, and institutions in society;
• help learners analyze group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture in both historical and contemporary settings;
• explain to learners the various forms institutions take, and explain how they develop and change over time;
• assist learners in identifying and analyzing examples of tensions between expressions of individuality and efforts used to promote social conformity by groups and institutions;
• enable learners to describe and examine belief systems basic to specific traditions and laws in contemporary and historical movements;
• challenge learners to evaluate the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change;
• guide learner analysis of the extent to which groups and institutions meet individual needs and promote the common good in contemporary and historical settings; and
• assist learners as they explain and apply ideas and modes of inquiry drawn from behavioral science and social theory in the examination of persistent social issues and problems.

POWER,
AUTHORITY,
AND
GOVERNANCE

     Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of Power, Authority, and Governance.

Learner Expectations

     Understanding the historical development of structures of power, authority, and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary American society, as well as in other parts of the world, is essential for the development in learners of civic competence. Through study of dynamic relationships among individual rights and responsibilities, the needs of social groups, and concepts of a just society, learners become more effective problem solvers and decision-makers when addressing persistent social problems encountered in public life.

Teacher Expectations

     Teachers of social studies at all school levels should provide developmentally appropriate experiences as they guide learners in the study of power, authority, and governance. They should

• help students to understand the purpose of government and how its powers are acquired, used, and justified;
• help learners to analyze and explain governmental mechanisms to meet the needs and wants of citizens, regulate territory, manage conflict, and establish order and security;
• have learners identify and describe the basic features of the American political system, and identify representative leaders from various levels and branches of government; and
• challenge learners to apply concepts such as power, role, status, justice, and influence to the examination of persistent issues and social problems.

CIVIC
IDEALS
AND
PRACTICES

     Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of Civic Ideals and Practices.

Learner Expectations

     The study of civic ideals and practices prepares learners for full participation in society and is a central purpose of the social studies. Examining civic ideals and practices across time and in diverse societies prepares learners to close the gap between present practices and the ideals upon which our democratic republic is based. Learners confront such questions as: What is civic participation and how can I be involved? How has the meaning of citizenship evolved? What is the balance between rights and responsibilities? What is the role of the citizen in the community, in the nation, and in the world community? How can I make a positive difference?

Teacher Expectations

     Teachers of social studies at all school levels should provide developmentally appropriate experiences as they guide learners in the study of civic ideals and practices. They should

• assist learners to understand the origins and interpret 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;
• guide learner efforts to identify, analyze, interpret, and evaluate sources and examples of citizens' rights and responsibilities;
• facilitate learner efforts to locate, access, analyze, organize, synthesize, evaluate, and apply information about selected public issues--identifying, describing, and evaluating multiple points of view;
• provide opportunities for learners to practice forms of civic discussion and participation consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic republic;
• help learners to analyze and evaluate the influence of various forms of citizen action on public policy;
• prepare learners to analyze a variety of public policies and issues from the perspective of formal and informal political actors;
• guide learners as they evaluate the effectiveness of public opinion in influencing and shaping public policy development and decision-making;
• encourage learner efforts to evaluate the degree to which public policies and citizen behaviors reflect or foster the stated ideals of a democratic republican form of government;
• support learner efforts to construct policy statements and action plans to achieve goals related to issues of public concern; and
• create opportunities for learner participation in activities to strengthen the "common good," based upon careful evaluation of possible options for citizen action.