Social Studies Skills Table

Essential Question: What are effective strategies for accessing various sources of information and historical evidence, determining their validity, and using them to solve a problem or find a solution to a public policy question?

Social Studies Skill

K-4

5-8

9-12

Chronological Thinking

·       Place key historical events and people in historical eras using timelines.

·       Construct timelines of the events occurring during major eras including comparative events in world history for the different civilizations.

·       Compare present and past events to evaluate the consequences of past decisions and to apply lessons learned.

·       Explain how the present is connected to the past.

·       Explain how major events are related to one another in time.

·       Analyze how change occurs through time due to shifting values and beliefs as well as technological advancements and changes in the political and economic landscape.

Spatial Thinking

·       Determine locations of places and interpret information available on maps and globes.

·       Select and use various geographic representations to compare information about people, places, regions, and environments.

·       Construct various forms of geographic representations to show the spatial patterns of physical and human phenomena.

·       Use thematic maps and other geographic representations to obtain, describe, and compare spatial patterns and information about people, places, regions, and environments.

·       Use maps and other documents to explain the historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and growth of economic and political systems.

·       Relate current events to the physical and human characteristics of places and regions.

Critical Thinking

·       Distinguish fact from fiction.

·       Compare and contrast differing interpretations of current and historical events.

·       Distinguish valid arguments from false arguments when interpreting current and historical events.

·       Identify and interpret a variety of primary and secondary sources for reconstructing the past (i.e., documents, letters, diaries, maps, photos, etc.)

·       Assess the credibility of sources by identifying bias and prejudice in documents, media, and computer-generated information.

·       Evaluate sources for validity and credibility and to detect propaganda, censorship, and bias.

·       Analyze primary and secondary sources for reconstructing the past and understanding historical perspectives (i.e., documents, letters, diaries, maps, images, etc.).

·       Gather relevant information from multiple sources representing a wide range of views (including historians and experts) while using the date, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.

Presentational Skills

·       Use evidence to support an idea in a digital, oral and/ written format.

·       Select and analyze information from a variety of sources to present a reasoned argument or position in a written and/or oral format.

·       Take a position on a current public policy issue and support it with historical evidence, reasoning, and constitutional analysis in a written and/or oral format.

·       Share information about a topic in an organized manner (e.g., provide a coherent line of reasoning with supporting/relevant details) speaking clearly and at an appropriate pace.

·       Present information in a logical manner using evidence and reasoning while demonstrating presentation skills (e.g., eye contact, adequate volume, clear pronunciation).

·       Demonstrate effective presentation skills by presenting information in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner taking into consider appropriate use of language for task and audience.