OVERVIEW
English language arts education incorporates the teaching and learning of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. Integration of language arts occurs in multiple ways. First, curriculum, instruction, and assessment reflect the integration of listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and writing. The language arts are not perceived as individual content areas, but as one unified subject in which each of the five areas supports the others and enhances thinking and learning. Secondly, there is integration of the teaching and learning of content and process within the curriculum. The common human experiences and the ideas, conflicts, and themes embodied in literature and all oral, written, and visual texts provide a context for the teaching of the processes, skills, and strategies of listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and writing. Finally, literacy educators believe the knowledge, skills, and strategies of language arts are integrated throughout the curriculum, enabling students to solve problems and think critically and creatively in all subject areas.
Language arts is the vehicle of communication by which we live, work, share, and build ideas and understandings of the present, reflect on the past, and imagine the future. Through language arts, we learn to appreciate, integrate, and apply what is learned for real purpose in our homes, schools, communities, and workplaces.
An effective language arts program should encompass process and contentÑhow people communicate as well as what they communicate. Process includes skills and strategies used in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing. Content includes the ideas, themes, issues, problems, and conflicts found in classical and contemporary literature and other texts, such as technical manuals, periodicals, speeches, and videos. Ideas, experiences, and cultural perspectives we discover in texts help us shape our visions of the world. The insight we gain enables us to understand our cultural, linguistic, and literary heritages.
In Grades K-12, a locally developed language arts curriculum, embodying these content standards, will ensure all students are literate and can engage successfully in reading, discovering, creating, and analyzing spoken, written, electronic, and visual texts which reflect multiple perspectives and diverse communities and make connections within language arts and between language arts and other fields.
READING
The revised reading standards in the Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) reflect current research-based information on effective, balanced reading practices and are organized in the following related strands:
Reading Process
Response to Text
Information and Research
Effective Reading Habits
These reading skills are
interrelated and must not be taught independently of one another; rather,
skills need to be developed in the context of a core curriculum that applies
effective reading strategies to achieve success in all academic areas.
As a result of the work
of Superintendent GarrettÕs Reader Leader initiative and the work
of the Phonics Task Force, OklahomaÕs core curriculum in reading
has been revised to add more detail to reading instruction requirements
for Grades 1-3. Local districts will select assessments, materials, and
instructional strategies and activities to meet each studentÕs individual
reading needs. Districts should also provide current, research-based
reading training for all 1-3 teachers.
Included in the Reading Process strand is additional information for teachers in the following areas:
PHONEMIC AWARENESS - is an oral prerequisite to phonics and one of the best predictors of later reading success. It is the understanding that words and syllables can be broken down into smaller units or phonemes. Research indicates that poor phonemic awareness is a major underlying cause of reading difficulty. A studentÕs progress should be monitored throughout the kindergarten year by administering informal phonemic awareness assessments.
PHONICS - instruction provides students with a consistent strategy to apply sound-symbol relationships to assist in the identification of unfamiliar words. The goal of teaching children phonics is to teach children to decode unfamiliar words easily and automatically as they read. Children must be encouraged to use this strategy on their own in decodable stories, that is, stories in which the new words can be sounded out.
READING FLUENCY - research refers to two stages of reading development.
The first is the Òdecoding stageÓ where the student learns
how to change printed symbol into sounds. During the next stage called
the Òfluency stageÓ, the student continues to work on decoding
skills to the point where the child becomes ÒungluedÓ from
the print. Word recognition becomes easy, and fluent reading is characterized
by a lack of trouble with work identification.
Easy word recognition frees
a studentÕs attention to comprehend the text. Achieving speed and
accuracy in recognizing words is reading fluency.
COMPREHENSION - is understanding the meaning or point of the text;
it is the essence of reading. Reading requires the coordination of
cues as sources of information: sound/symbol relationships, syntax,
semantics, and context. When reading, readers use three cueing systems.
They derive semantic cues from the textÕs meaning, syntactic cues
from the textÕs grammatical structure, and graphophonic cues
from sound-letter relationships and patterns. Cueing systems
are important and are constantly in motion to enable readers to construct
meaning. They help readers answer questions such as, Does this make
sense? Does this sound right? Does this look right?
Readers use a variety of
strategies to ensure comprehension. They predict what they think
the text is about to convey and confirm their prediction by checking to
see if meaning is maintained. Readers monitor understanding and take
action when meaning breaks down by choosing to self-correct or continue
to read ahead only to return later to reconstruct meaning from previously
read text.
SPELLING
Spelling, writing, and reading
are interrelated and coherent. Writing leads to mastery in reading; reading
leads to mastery in writing. Combined instruction leads to improvement
in both reading and writing.
Research indicates that as children use temporary or phonetic spelling, it develops and reinforces knowledge of phonics. It is important to understand that temporary spelling is not in conflict with correct spelling. When children use temporary spelling, they are practicing their growing knowledge of phonemes. First grade children should be expected to correctly spell previously studied words and spelling patterns. Temporary spelling of common spelling patterns should progress toward more conventional spelling by the end of second grade with the students mastering the conventional spelling of increasing numbers of words.
Spelling instruction should help students understand how words are put together (word patterns). Therefore, extensive reading and writing help students become good spellers.
HANDWRITING/PENMANSHIP
Young children need an awareness of print to communicate effectively. Handwriting/penmanship, is that method for forming letters that comprise a writing system, as well as, how to express thoughts in the written word. Through writing, children form a muscular and visual memory of the letters and words, and therefore can recognize them. Students must be aware of the importance of legibility to facilitate communication of the intended message. Elements of legible handwriting include letter formation, size and proportion of letters, spacing, slant, alignment of letters on the baseline, and uniform steadiness and thickness of line. Writing should reinforce the fact that language has meaning. It gives students an opportunity to develop personal voice and style upon which they can reflect.
WRITING
Writing, as defined by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is Òthe process of selecting, combining, arranging, and developing ideas in effective sentences, paragraphs, and often, longer units of discourse.Ó Writing requires coping with a number of variables: mode, tone, form, purpose, and audience. Mode (method of development) includes narrative, descriptive, argumentative, and expository writing. Tone (the voice of the writer) may range from very personal to quite formal. Form (the shape of the work) may include essays, poetry, letters, and research papers. Purpose (the reason for writing) indicates the writerÕs intention to discover and express personal feelings and values, to conduct the business of everyday life, to acquire, retain, and communicate information, and to describe, entertain, and persuade. Audience (the intended public) consists of oneself, peers, colleagues, teachers, relatives, and others. During the process, writers must select from and combine these variables as appropriate to the writing tasks.
Writing is also a means of learning. This process is Òa valuable tool for learning for all students in all subject areas at all ages.Ó While writing to learn, students discover connections, describe processes, express emerging understandings, raise questions, and find answers. For example, students learn content in science or social studies through keeping a response or process journal, or a learning log.
THE WRITING PROCESS
WRITING - should be taught as a natural and integral part of the curriculum.
Instruction should encourage whole pieces of writing for real purposes
and real audiences (and should include all stages of the writing process).
Because writing is recursive, the stages may not occur in a linear sequence,
but the writer may revert to an activity characteristic of an earlier stage.
The stages of the writing process include prewriting, drafting, revising,
editing, and publishing.
PREWRITING - is the process that helps the writer get ready to write. Students gather ideas and organize them. During this stage, the topic is generated and purpose, audience, and form are clarified. It is conceivable that the prewriting stage will take more time than any other stage in the process. Activities may include class discussion, reading, predicting, remembering, word banks, observing, thinking, student notebooks, drawing, free writing, modeling, clustering/webbing, cubing, and brainstorming.
DRAFTING - is putting ideas down on paper with a focus on content, and begins with notes or ideas generated during prewriting. The first draft may be kept in a journal, writerÕs notebook, writing center, or on a computer disk. Students are also encouraged to explore a topic without grammatical inhibitions or over concern about spelling or punctuation. The teacherÕs role is to encourage students to Òget it down.Ó
REVISING - is refining of content, not mechanics. Revision (Òto see againÓ) begins during the prewriting activity and continues through the final draft. It is best achieved in an interactive setting with the teacher or a group of peers. Writers should think again about the choices made for content and add, delete, or rearrange the material. Thus, writing becomes thinking made visible. Writers critically read their own writing and become their own reader. Since revising can be internal and unobservable, revising skills can be taught by modeling the questions asked by critical readers.
EDITING - is the stage in which the writing is made suitable for publication. Positive reinforcement is more effective than corrective comments to improve the quality of writing. Peer editing in writing groups helps teach and reinforce proofreading skills. Students are to locate and correct errors in punctuation, capitalization, spelling, usage, and sentence structure so that errors in conventions do not interfere with a readerÕs ability to understand the message.
PUBLISHING - the studentÕs work is essential to the composing process. Publication provides an opportunity for the writerÕs product to be shared with and/or evaluated by the intended audience or reader in general. An authentic audience, one with whom the students want to communicate, is necessary for effective writing. Without some type of publication, students may forget or never realize that their writing is meaningful communication.
It is important to note that not every piece that a writer begins will be carried through the entire writing process and polished for publication. However, each student should be encouraged to develop some pieces of writing thoroughly enough to be published. Publishing is an important motivator in working through the stages of the composing process. The purpose of publishing is to reinforce the idea that writing is an act of communication.
LISTENING/SPEAKING
There is clearly a need for schools to spend more time teaching speaking and listening. More than 75 percent of all communication is devoted to the oral communication process. People in the workplace devote one-third of all working time carrying on face-to-face talk, and corporate managers spend about 60 percent of their time in communicating orally in meetings or on the telephone. Moreover, even with sophisticated electronic communication devices, oral language is still the main way of passing culture from one generation to another. Even with this demonstrated need for effective oral communication, almost two-thirds of young people have difficulty explaining how to get to a local grocery store in directions that can be understood.
Although the ÒschoolÓ emphasis on reading and writing may create the impression that oral language skills are not as important, this is not the case. Oral language is now, and is even more likely to be in the future, the primary means of acquiring and transmitting information. Fortunately, students begin to learn oral language skills naturally. They listen to the sounds of adults and other children and internalize language patterns quite early in order to communicate orally themselves. However, not all children come to school with equal opportunities to develop language skills. Children who have experienced positive feedback to their efforts to use language, and have had opportunities to hear language used in a variety of social contexts, are better prepared to use oral language as a foundation for their reading and writing development.
Since some children have limited opportunities for oral language in their home environments and since oral language development continues through at least age twelve, all children can improve their oral language ability with instruction and guidance. It is essential that oral language instruction begin in kindergarten and continue throughout school.
LITERATURE
Literature is the heart of the English language arts and the touchstone for all language learning. It represents the unique human gift of composing and communicating ideas through language. All students should read a rich variety of fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction from different time periods and cultures, relating them to human aspirations and life experiences.
An effective English language arts program teaches students to respond to a rich variety of literature with increasing sophistication and to communicate their interpretation of what they have read, heard, and seen through various means of expression. Literature should reflect the diversity of our nation and the world, as well as the interest and abilities within each classroom. It is important to remember that no single author or piece of literature can represent an entire culture; no one situation represents all situations of a given culture. Therefore, relying solely on textbooks is limiting to both teachers and students. Many types of literature and instructional materials should be used to enable individual students to meet high standards and expectations.
In a comprehensive literature curriculum, students learn that there are many approaches to the interpretation of literature and that no one approach is Òprivileged.Ó Throughout their academic experiences, students should have opportunities to test out different theories of literary criticism and learn that a text and its influence can be viewed from more than one perspective.
VIEWING/VISUAL LITERACY
Visual literacy (both viewing and representing) refers to the ability to comprehend, evaluate, and compose visual messages. Visually literate persons are able to read visual messages, compose visual language statements, and translate from visual to verbal and vice versa. Students learn attitudes, behaviors, and questions to ask which enable them to think abstractly and analytically.
Viewing is an ongoing lifetime activity that extends knowledge and experiences and provides enjoyment and pleasure. Therefore, learners will need to become engaged in a variety of viewing experiences, both in comprehending and composing. The media for visual communication may include: field trips, graphic displays, models, photographs, pictures, transparencies, picture books, newspapers, filmstrips, videotapes, labels, posters, advertisements, cartoons, carvings, paintings, memos, plays, dances, television, charts, maps, diagrams, graphic aids in oral presentations, signs, logos, creative movement, and computers.
It is an important goal of education for learners to be able to critique and use the dominant media of today. Visual literacy is essential for survival as consumers and citizens in our technologically intensive world.
NOTE: Asterisks (*) have been used to identify skills that must
be assessed by the local school district. All other skills may be
assessed by the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP).
LANGUAGE ARTS
Grades 6 - 8
I. READING PROCESS: Students will apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
A.
Vocabulary: Knowledge of words and word meanings.
The student will:
1. Recognize the origins and meanings of foreign words frequently used in English and use these words accurately in speaking and writing.
2. Determine contextually appropriate meanings of multiple-meaning words (e.g., steer, patch), homonyms (e.g., there, their, theyÕre), synonyms (e.g., wide, broad), and antonyms (e.g., together, separate).
3. Identify and clarify meaning of technical and specialized terms using word analysis, context clues, definition, restatement, example, and comparison/contrast.
4. Determine meaning of unknown words and vary word choice in writing by using a glossary, dictionary, and thesaurus.
5. Relate dictionary definitions to context of the reading in order to aid understanding.
*6. Monitor understanding of content area text by noting unknown words and applying strategies to determine the meaning (reread, read on, look it up, or ask an expert).
*7. Associate words with new concepts across the curriculum (e.g., astronomy, microbe, sound frequency).
8. Solve word analogy problems.
9. Interpret literal and nonliteral meaning of words and phrases.
B. Comprehension: Ability to interact with the words and concepts on the page to understand what the writer has said.
The student will:
1. Read and comprehend both fiction and nonfiction that is appropriately designed for grade level reading.
2. Determine the purpose for reading a specific text (e.g., for entertainment, to gain information, to communicate with another person, or to support an opinion).
3.
Preview material and use prior knowledge to make a connection between text
and personal experiences.
*4.
Skim text for an overall impression and scan text for particular information.
5. Make, confirm, and revise predictions as needed when reading.
*6. Monitor comprehension and use correction strategies when the meaning is not clear (e.g., read on, reread, ask questions, try alternate pronunciations, use resources).
*7. Recognize words that signal transitions to determine sequence and its contribution to the meaning of the text (e.g., as a result, first of all, further more, finally).
*8. Adjust reading rate and determine appropriate strategies to match the purpose, difficulty, and characteristics of the text.
C. Fluency: Ability to identify words rapidly so that attention is directed at the meaning of the text.
The student will:
*1. Increase reading speed and comprehension through daily independent reading.
*2. Use punctuation as a cue for pausing and characterization.
*3. Read with expression, interjecting a sense of feeling, anticipation, or characterization.
II. RESPONDING TO TEXT: Students read, construct meaning, and respond to a wide range of literary forms.
The student will:
A. Use story structures and literary elements, such as goal, plot, setting, theme, characterization, conflict, and resolution to analyze literature.
B. Analyze a characterÕs traits through:
1. The characterÕs own thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions
2. The narratorÕs description of the character
3. Other charactersÕ thoughts, words, and actions
C. Compare and contrast archetypal characters in literary text (e.g., heroes/heroines, villains).
*D. Contrast points of view (first and third person) in narrative text and explain how they affect the overall theme of the work.
E. Interpret and analyze relationships in text (e.g., compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution, sequential order).
F. Identify and analyze the characteristics of various literary forms (e.g., informational text, narrative and lyric poetry, short stories, novels, dramas, epics, folk tales, essays, myths).
*G. Explain how different cultures are represented in fables, legends, myths, and nonfiction articles.
H. Determine the theme and main idea/key concept (stated or implied) of a reading passage.
I. Recognize importance and relevance of details.
J. Identify and analyze common themes across texts (e.g., the value of bravery, loyalty, and friendship; the effects of loneliness) when interpreting fiction and poetry).
K. Interpret meaning from the authorÕs use of figurative language and other literary devices within text (e.g., metaphor, simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, personification, symbolism, dialect, idiom).
L. Interpret elements of poetry such as word choice, figurative language, sentence structure, line length, stanza, punctuation, rhythm, repetition, and rhyme.
M. Make inferences, predictions, generalizations, and draw conclusions supported by evidence presented in text and prior knowledge.
*N. Evaluate, react, and respond creatively to literature (e.g., discussions, art, drama, correspondence, family histories, ReaderÕs Theater, and multimedia projects).
O. Determine the authorÕs purpose (persuade, inform, entertain) and point of view, whether explicitly or implicitly stated.
P. Distinguish between stated fact, reasoned judgment, and opinion in text.
Q. Use prior knowledge when questioning propaganda, bias, and stereotyping within reading material (e.g., band wagon, card stacking, transfer).
R. Judge the accuracy of the text (e.g., authorÕs qualifications, authorÕs sources, date of publication).
*S. Make connections between information in text and historical/current events.
III. INFORMATION AND RESEARCH: Students read widely to acquire knowledge, conduct research, and organize information.
The student will:
*A.
Define the topic for research.
*B. Plan and conduct multistep information searches (e.g., printed materials, computer-assisted searches).
*C. Record important ideas, concepts, and direct quotes taken from information sources.
D. Organize and display information on note cards, charts, outlines, and graphs.
E. Summarize, or paraphrase relevant information from multiple sources into a written report or summary.
F. Identify and credit reference sources in a researched report.
G. Demonstrate use of functional print (e.g., schedules, letters, catalogs, directories, charts, maps, graphs, tables, diagrams, and directions).
H. Follow multistep instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public library card, bank savings account, sports club, league membership).
I. Demonstrate appropriate use of informational sources (e.g., reference books, almanacs, atlases, encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauruses, electronic card catalogs and databases, tables of contents, glossaries, indexes, magazines, newspapers, and the ReaderÕs Guide to Periodical Literature).
J. Use appropriate strategies for studying and learning content area text (e.g., outlines, graphic organizers, or note cards).
K.
Analyze, synthesize, evaluate, summarize, and paraphrase information from
multiple sources.
*L.
Use supplementary resources to enhance understanding of content area subjects
(e.g., audio/video recordings, print materials, interviews).
*M. Review and apply test-taking strategies.
IV. EFFECTIVE READING HABITS: Students demonstrate the behaviors, habits, and attitudes of an effective reader.
The student will:
*A. Continue to participate in daily, independent reading of self-selected literature (e.g., Sustained Silent Reading/Drop Everything and Read: 20-30 minutes daily).
*B. Share and discuss daily books and authors, in pairs, in small groups, and in large groups.
*C. Respond to daily oral reading by the teacher through discussion, arts, drama, and writing.
D. Read a variety of materials including traditional and contemporary literature, poetry, technical documents, historical fiction, mysteries, biographies, nonfiction, and essays.
E. Read for a variety of purposes such as for entertainment, to gain information, to communicate, or to support an opinion.
*F. Use ideas gained from text to extend personal knowledge base.
*G.
Study an authorÕs craft by reading several books by the same author.
V.
WRITING
The student will:
A. Use a writing process to develop and refine composition skills.
1. Participate in prewriting activities such as brainstorming, freewriting, notetaking, outlining, and clustering or other graphic organizers.
2. Select a focus and an organizational structure based upon purpose, audience, length, and required format and compose a variety of compositions by categorizing ideas, organizing them into paragraphs, and blending paragraphs within larger texts.
3. Revise selected drafts for coherence, progression, logical support of ideas, and word choice by adding, elaborating, deleting, combining and/or rearranging text.
4. Edit drafts to ensure standard usage, mechanics, spelling, and varied sentence structure.
5. Refine selected pieces frequently to ÒpublishÓ for general and specific audiences.
B. Communicate through a variety of written forms and for various audiences and purposes (to inform, to persuade, to request, to argue, to entertain, to instruct, to describe).
1. Narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive paragraphs and longer compositions that establish and support a central idea with a topic sentence; supporting paragraphs with facts, details, explanations or examples; and a concluding paragraph that summarizes the points.
2. Creative stories, plays, and poems using figurative language such as alliteration, personification, simile, and metaphor.
3. Friendly and business letters, Òthank youÓ notes, and invitations.
4. Editorials, reviews, and instructions.
5. Journals.
6.
Reports.
C.
Use techniques of writing to learn. For example, students are expected
to take notes, outline, interview, and/or create learning logs.
*D.
Select and use reference materials and resources as needed for writing,
revising, and editing final drafts.
VI. GRAMMAR/USAGE AND MECHANICS
The student will:
A. Demonstrate appropriate practices in speaking and writing. For example, students are expected to write using complete sentences, and edit for usage, mechanics, and spelling.
1. Grammar/Usage: Students are expected to identify and use correctly the eight parts of speech in their writing.
a. Regular and irregular plurals
b. Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives
c. Prepositional phrases to elaborate written ideas
d. Formation of verb tenses
e. Principal parts of verbs and progressive verb forms
f. Subject-verb agreement
g. Pronoun reference
h. Time, place, and manner adverbs and comparative forms of adverbs
i. Conjunctions for coordination and subordination
j. Avoid sentence fragments and run-ons
k. Avoid ambiguous references
l. Avoid misplaced modifiers
2. Capitalization: Students are expected to capitalize correctly in their writing.
a. Names/titles and dates/holidays
b. Place names
c. Names of organizations and groups
d. Linguistic and literary conventions such as first word in a sentence or quotation, titles of literary works, and parts of a letter
3. Punctuation: Students are expected to punctuate correctly in their writing.
a. Terminal punctuation
b. Commas to separate words in a series, city and state, quotation and sentence, and to set off nonrestrictive phrases.
c. Quotation marks
d. Apostrophes in contractions and possessives
e. Semicolon in coordinate clauses
f. Conventions of letter writing
4. Spelling: Students are expected to spell words correctly.
a. Continue to spell previously studied words correctly in final writing products.
b. Accurately spell words that are commonly misspelled in the English language.
c. Use reference materials and technology to check and correct spelling.
B. Recognize that the English language contains words and phrases from other languages (i.e., lasagna, quiche, laissez faire, habeas corpus, faux pas, hor dÕoeurve, potpourri, dossier, and modus operandi).
VII. LISTENING/SPEAKING
The student will:
A. Demonstrate thinking skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For example, students, individually or in groups, will gather information, organize and analyze it, and generate a report that conveys ideas clearly and relates to the background and interest of the audience.
*B.
Prepare, organize, and deliver oral responses to literary works.
1.
Summarize significant events and details.
2. Articulate an understanding of several ideas or images communicated by literary works.
3. Use relevant examples or textual evidence from the work to support conclusions.
*C. Understand the major ideas and supporting evidence of informative and persuasive messages.
D. Draw on prior experiences and knowledge to speak and write proficiently across the curriculum.
*E. Presents reports using appropriate delivery (volume, rate, enunciation, and movement) and language skills (pronunciation, word choice, and usage).
*F.
Determine the purposes for listening (i.e., gaining information, solving
problems; or for enjoying, appreciating, recalling, interpreting, applying,
analyzing, evaluating, receiving directions or learning concepts).
*G. Recognize and understand barriers to effective listening (i.e., internal and external distractions, personal biases, or conflicting demands).
*H. Distinguish between speakerÕs opinion and verifiable facts.
*I. Evaluate the speaker's message in terms of content, credibility, and delivery.
*J. Show respect and consideration for others.
1. Listen and speak to gain and share knowledge of oneÕs culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures.
2. Speak responsibly to present accurate, truthful, and ethical messages.
VIII. VISUAL LITERACY
The student will:
*A. Distinguish fact, opinion, and fiction in print and nonprint media such as in literature, electronic media, and advertising.
*B. Interpret and evaluate the various ways visual image makers, such as graphic artists, illustrators, and news photographers represent meaning.
C. Compare and contrast print, visual, and electronic media, such as film, with a written story.
*D. Interpret important events and ideas gathered from maps, charts, graphics, video segments, or technology presentations.
*E. Access information from a variety of media (television, computers, videos, CD-ROMs) and evaluate the quality of material selected.
IX. LITERATURE
The student will:
*A. Demonstrate a knowledge of and an appreciation for various forms (genres) of literature, such as short story, novel, drama, narrative and lyric poetry, essay, biography, and informational texts.
*B. Demonstrate a knowledge of literary elements and how they affect the development of a literary work. For example, students are expected to recognize and discuss plot, character, setting, conflict, point of view, theme, and symbolism.
C. Comprehend and use figurative language and sound devices in speaking and writing. For example, students are expected to recognize and use metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and rhythm and rhyme.
*D.
Identify and discuss ways literary characters and conflicts relate to their
own lives. For example, students are expected to recognize similar
circumstances, events, or feelings.
E.
Demonstrate awareness of literature (fables, legends, myths, nonfiction
articles) from other cultures.
*F. Read and respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature. For example, students are expected to find ways to clarify the ideas and make connections between literary works.
*G.
Expand strategies to comprehend oral and written materials. For example,
students are expected to use reading strategies, participate in class discussion,
take notes, and/or outline information.
H. Expand vocabulary through word study, literature, and class discussion. For example, students are expected to learn word origins, roots and affixes, and to understand meaning in context and distinguish levels of usage.
I. Interpret text ideas through such varied means as journal writing, discussion, enactment, and media.
J.
Draw inferences such as conclusions or generalizations and support them
with text evidence and personal experience.
GLOSSARY
affix - an element added to the base, stem, or root of a word to form a fresh word or stem. Principal kinds of affix are prefixes and suffixes. The prefix un- is an affix which added to balanced, makes unbalanced. The suffix -ed is an affix which, added to wish makes wished.
alliteration - a device commonly used in poetry and occasionally in prose: the repetition of an initial sound in two or more words of a phrase, line of poetry, or sentence (e.g., ÒOur souls have sight of that immortal sea.Ó).
antonym - words which have opposite meanings (e.g., hot and cold).
archetype - a descriptive detail, plot pattern, character type, or theme that recurs in many different cultures. One such archetype that appears in ShakespeareÕs Macbeth is the battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil.
autobiography - the biography of a person written by oneself.
balanced reading program - dual emphasis, stress on both skill and application of skills. A balanced reading program includes instruction in word identification skills as well as instruction in reading comprehension strategies. A balanced reading program includes reading to whole groups of students, guided reading activities with groups of students, shared reading, and independent reading by individual students.
base word - a word to which a prefix or suffix may be added to form a new word e.g., go + ing = going).
biography - story about the achievements of others; helps students see history as the lives and events of real people and to appreciate the contribution of all cultures; subjects include explorers; political heroes and heroines; and achievers in literature, science, sports, the arts, and other disciplines; effectiveness depends on accuracy, authenticity, and an appealing narrative style.
CVC - consonant/vowel/consonant
choral reading - group reading aloud (e.g., choral reading may be used with a group to develop oral fluency or to make a presentation to an audience).
cinquain - poetic form; structure may follow a 2-4-6-8-2 syllable pattern or may follow a simpler form using words per line in a 1-2-3-4-1 pattern.
compound word - a word made by putting two or more words together (e.g., cowboy).
consonant blend - the joining of the sounds represented by two or more letters with minimal change in those sounds; consists of two or more consonants sounded together in such a way that each is heard (e.g., bl, gr, sp, etc.).
consonant digraph - consists of two consonants that together represent one sound (e.g., sh, ch, th, wh).
consonants - the remaining letters of the alphabet and usually include
y and w; single sound made by a parted or complete obstruction of air.
context clue - the information from the immediate textual setting that helps identify a word or word group.
contraction - a short way to write two words as one by writing the two words together, leaving out one or more letters and replacing the missing letters by an apostrophe (e.g., cannot = canÕt).
convention - accepted practice in written language.
cooperative learning - activities in which students work together in groups to achieve a common goal.
critical thinking - logical, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. It may include analyzing arguments, seeing other points of view, and/or reaching conclusions.
cubing - a method for discovering ideas about a topic by using six strategies (in any order) to investigate it: describe it, compare it, associate it, analyze it, apply it, and argue for or against it.
cues/cueing system - Sources of information used by readers to construct meaning. The language cueing system includes the graphophonic system Ñ the relationship between oral and written language (phonics); the syntactic system Ñ the relationship among linguistic units such as prefixes, suffixes, words, phrases, and clauses (grammar); and the semantic systemÊÑ the meaning system of language.
decode - to analyze spoken or graphic symbols of a familiar language to ascertain their intended meaning.
descriptive writing - One of four chief composition modes. Writing which paints a picture of a person, place, thing, or idea using vivid details.
dialect - a social or regional variety of a particular language with phonological, grammatical, and lexical patterns that distinguish it from other varieties.
diamante - poetic form; structure follows a diamond shape of seven lines as follows: one noun, two adjectives, three participles, four related nouns, or a phrase of four words, three participles, two adjectives, and one noun.
diphthong - a vowel sound produced when the tongue moves from one vowel sound toward another vowel in the same syllable; two vowel sounds that come together so fast that they are considered one syllable (e.g., ou, ow, oi/oy).
directionality - the ability to perceive spatial orientation accurately (left to right).
epic literature - long narratives detail the adventures of a single heroic figure; the center of action revolves around the relationship between the heroic figure and the gods; the main character symbolizes the ideal characteristics of greatness; many were originally written as poetry or songs; language is lyrical, stately, and rich with images.
essays - documentary records on diverse topics such as slavery, life in the 12th century England, or songs of the American Revolution; content is based upon or adapted from an original document in diary, letter, or essay form.
etymology - the study of the origins of words; an account of the history of a particular word.
evaluative - questioning that requires the reader to use experiential background knowledge in conjunction with information explicitly stated in the text (e.g., reading beyond the line).
expository - a reading or writing selection which explains, defines, and interprets. It covers all compositions which do not primarily describe an object, tell a story, or maintain a position (e.g., content-area textbooks, magazine articles, editorials, essays).
fables - tales concern human conduct with moralistic overcomes; animals exhibit human qualities and behaviors.
fantasy - characters or settings depart from what is realistic; the
author makes the impossible believable; characters include humanized animals,
good and evil stereotypes, heroes and heroines with magical powers.
fairytale - a folktale about real-life problems usually with imaginary
characters and magical events.
fiction - plots are simple, fast-paced and predictable; characters and their actions appeal to young children; illustrations contribute to story line; rhyme and repetition refrain encourage reading aloud; story and language appeal to sense of humor through word play, nonsense, surprise, and exaggeration; illustrations encourage participation through naming, pointing, and seeking.
figurative language - writing or speech not meant to be taken literally. Writers use figurative language to express ideas in vivid or imaginative ways e.g., Òthe apple of my eye,Ó Òforever chasing rainbowsÓ).
flashback - the technique of disrupting the chronology of a narrative by shifting to an earlier time in order to introduce information.
fluency - freedom from word-identification problems that might hinder comprehension in silent reading or the expression of ideas in oral reading; automaticity, the ability to produce words or larger language units in a limited time interval.
folktales - time and place are generic (e.g., ÒOnce upon a time in a faraway castle. . .Ó); stories are not intended to be accepted as true; plots use predictable motifs (e.g., ogres, magic, supernatural helpers, quests); story line is frequently a series of recurring actions; characters are one-dimensional.
foreshadowing - the technique of giving clues to coming events in a narrative.
genre - a category used to classify literary and other works, usually by form, technique, or content. The novel, the short story, and the lyric poems are all genres.
grapheme - a written or printed representation of a phoneme (e.g., b for /b/ and oy for /oi/ in boy)
graphophonic cues - the relationship between graphemes and the phonemes they represent. These symbol-sound-association skills can be used as an aid in recognizing a word that is not firmly fixed in sight vocabulary, especially if used in conjunction with other cues (e.g., determining the sound of the initial letter or two and the use of context may be all that is needed to recognize a word).
high frequency words - a word that appears many more times than most other words in spoken or written language (e.g., the, of, said, for).
historical fiction - stories are grounded in history but not restricted by it; the historical setting is an authentic and integral part of the story; charactersÕ actions, dialogue, beliefs, and values are true to the historical period.
homographs - words which are spelled alike but have different sounds and meanings (e.g., bow and arrow vs. bow of a ship).
homonyms - words which sound the same but have different spellings and meanings (e.g., bear, bare).
homophone - words with the same pronunciation but different meanings (e.g., hare and hair, scale [of a fish] and scale [a ladder]).
hyperbole - obvious and deliberate exaggeration; an extravagant statement; a figure of speech not intended to be taken literally. Hyperboles are often used for dramatic or comic effect. Example: ÒHe died a thousand deaths.Ó ÒThe discussion lasted an eternity.Ó
idiom - an expression that does not mean what it literally says (e.g., to have the upper hand has nothing to do with the hands).
independent reading level - the readability or grade level of material that is easy for a student to read with few word-identification problems and high comprehension.
inferential - a reasoned assumption about meaning that is not explicitly stated (e.g., reading between the lines).
instructional reading level - the reading ability or grade level of material that is challenging, but not frustrating for the student to read successfully with normal classroom instruction and support.
irony - a figure of speech of which the literal meaning of the word is the opposite of their intended meaning (e.g., I could care less); a literary technique for implying, through plot or character, that the actual situation is quite different from that presented.
journal - a less private form of diary. It is more readily shared, allows more flexibility, and is more adaptable as a teaching tool. It is especially useful when used to elicit responses to reading, issues, and events under study.
legends - plots record deeds of past heroes; stories are presented as true; stories are usually secular and associated with wars and victories.
literal - information directly from the text (e.g., on the line).
main idea - the gist of a passage; central thought.
medial - coming in the middle of a word.
metaphor - a figure of speech in which a comparison is implied by analogy but is not stated.
mode of writing - any of the major types of writing (e.g., argumentation, description, exposition, narration).
mood - the emotional state of mind expressed by an author or artist
in his or her work; the emotional atmosphere produced by an artistic work.
myths - stories are seen as true in the represented society; plots
are usually associated with theology or ritual; accounts frequently explain
natural phenomena.
mystery - tightly woven plots have elements of suspense, danger, or intrigue; plots are fast-paced and frequently involve foreshadowing or flashback.
narrative - a reading or writing selection which tells a story (e.g., fables, fairy tales, legends, tall tales, short stories, novels).
neologism - a new word or phrase, or a new meaning of, for an established word. Neologism also applies to new doctrines, such as a fresh new interpretation of the Bible or of some other work of literature.
nonfiction - information is factual and may be presented by detailed descriptions or examples; organization follows a logical pattern and may include textual aids.
onomatopoeia - the formation and use of words that suggest by their sounds the object or idea being named: bow wow, bang, buzz, crackle, clatter, hiss, murmur, sizzle, twitter, zoom.
onset - all of the sounds in a word that come before the first vowel.
pacing - setting oneÕs own reading rate by using a pattern appropriate for the reading task.
personification - metaphorical figure of speech in which animals, ideas, and things are represented as having human qualities.
phoneme - a minimal sound unit of speech that distinguishes one word from another (lace, lake).
phonemic awareness - ability to manipulate, detect, and change sounds in spoken language (precedes phonics instruction).
phonics - a way of teaching reading and spelling that stresses symbol sound relationships; the ability to associate letters and letter combinations with sound and blending them into syllables and words.
point-of-view - the way in which an author reveals a perspective/viewpoint, as in characters, events, and ideas in telling a story.
predictable text - books with dramatic cumulative repetitions and dependable schemes of rhyme and language that help children anticipate and thereby decode the printed page (e.g., Brown Bear, Brown Bear).
prediction strategy - a personÕs use of knowledge about language and the context in which it occurs to anticipate what is coming in writing or speech.
prefix - a syllable or group of syllables attached to the beginning of a word, or root, to change its meaning (e.g., reprint, unpack, dislike).
prior knowledge - knowing that stems from previous experience.
Note: prior knowledge is a key component of schema theories of reading
and comprehension.
propaganda - an extreme form of written or spoken persuasion intended to influence the reader, though sometimes subtly, and usually by one-sided rather than objective argument (e.g., advertising propaganda to sell a product).
Readers Theatre - a performance of literature, as a story, play, poetry read aloud expressively by one or more persons, rather than acted.
r-controlled vowels - the modified sound of a vowel immediately preceding /r/ in the same syllable as in care, never, sir, or.
recursive process - moving back and forth through a text in either reading or writing, as new ideas are developed or problems encountered. In reading a text, recursive processes might include rereading earlier portions in light of later ones, looking ahead to see what topics are addressed or how a narrative ends, and skimming through text to search for particular ideas or events before continuing a linear reading. In creating a written composition, recursive processes include moving back and forth among the planning, drafting, and revising phases of writing.
representing - the presentation aspect of viewing. It is nonverbal depiction of communication.
rime - the first vowel in a word and all the sounds that follow (e.g., ed in bed, red, Ted, and sled).
root word - a word with no prefix or suffix added; may also be referred to as a base word.
Rule of Thumb - a method students can use to make their reading selections. Students select a book, open it to any page, and read. One finger is raised for each unknown word. If they encounter more than five words that they cannot pronounce, probably it is a good idea to select another book.
schwa - the vowel sound heard at the beginning of the word about and represented by the symbol /a/ and any of the vowel letters (e.g., carrot, alone).
science fiction - relies on hypothesized scientific advancements and raises questions about the future of humanity; can be a useful vehicle for examining issues related to human survival in an uncertain future.
semantic cues - semantic cues involving word-meaning knowledge and a general sense of the testÕs meaning.
sight word - any word recognized by memory only.
silent e - an e that makes no sound that is usually found in the final position of an English root word.
simile - a combination of two things that are unlike, usually using the words like or as (e.g., soft as a kitten).
soft c and g rule - when c or g is followed by e, i, or y, it is usually soft.
symbolism - use of one thing to suggest something else, specifically the use of symbols to represent ideas in concrete ways; the implied meaning of a literary work.
structural analysis - the process of using knowledge of root words, endings, and affixes to decode words.
syntactic cues - syntactic cues involve implicit knowledge of word order and the functions of words. Only certain word sequences are allowable in English, and only certain kinds of words fit into particular slots in our sentence patterns (e.g., the baseball player the ball. The missing word must be a verb).
subvocalize - reading to oneself.
suffix - a syllable or group of syllables attached to the end of a word, or root, to change its meaning (e.g., s, ed, ing).
Sustained Silent Reading/Drop Everything and Read - child reads self-selected literature 10-30 minutes daily. A brief pair discussion, approximately 2 minutes, follows SSR/DEAR.
syllabication - the division of words into syllables.
syllable - a minimal unit of sequential speech sounds made up of a vowel sound or a vowel consonant combination and always contains a vowel sound.
synonyms - words which have the same meaning.
theme - a topic of discussion in writing. A major idea broad enough to cover the entire scope of a literary work of art. A theme can be a noun or phrase (e.g., friendship, justice).
tall tales - a story about an impossible or exaggerated happening related in a realistic, matter-of-fact, and often humorous way (e.g., Paul Bunyon).
transitional spelling - the result of an attempt to spell a word whose spelling is not already known, based on a writerÕs knowledge of the spelling system and how it works.
VC - vowel/consonant
vowel digraph - two vowels pronounced in such a way that the letters together stand for one sound (e.g. /a/ in sleigh).
vowels - a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y; made without any air obstruction.
webbing - instructional activities, particularly graphic ones, that are designed to show the relationship among ideas or topics in text or to plan for writing: cognitive mapping.
writerÕs workshop - instructional time that includes mini-lessons, peer/teacher conferences, process writing, sharing time, authorÕs chair, sustained silent reading, and small teaching groups.
writing folders - a folder or notebook that contains writing generated during the various stages of the writing process.
y as a vowel rule - if y is the only vowel sound at the end of a one-syllable
word, y has the sound of long i; if y is the only vowel at the end of a
word of more than one syllable, y has a sound almost like long e.
MATHEMATICS
OVERVIEW
The Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) for mathematics sets forth the basic mathematical skills for Oklahoma students. These skills help direct Oklahoma educators in developing coherent and comprehensive mathematics curriculum appropriate to the needs of their students.
These skills are based on the following goals for all students:
Students should value mathematics.
Students should be confident in their ability to do mathematics.
Students should be mathematical problem solvers.
Students should be able to communicate mathematically.
Students should be able to reason mathematically.
A high level of achievement in mathematics will be reached by focusing on learning and teaching the processes of mathematics as well as the content of mathematics. For each grade level, process and content skills are listed. Though they are defined separately, the process skills should not be viewed as separate units of study.
The reference THINK STARH
will be made throughout this document to the image of a five point star
with content at its center and the five process standards (problem solving,
communication, reasoning, connection, representation) at each point. This
signals that mathematics curriculum should integrate some or all of the
process skills into content-centered lessons.
Advances in technology can
provide students with opportunities for developing deeper mathematical
understandings than would likely occur without it. Students must
also develop thinking skills and the ability to use technology to help
prepare for a rapidly changing and increasingly technological world.
Recognizing that students
learn best by being actively involved, the Priority Academic Student Skills
(PASS) describes developmentally appropriate tools for mathematics learning.
These tools which include models, manipulatives (concrete materials), calculators
and computers do not always replace pencil-and-paper computation, but can
be used to enhance conceptual development and provide more opportunities
to perform sophisticated problem solving at any grade level.
Quality assessments inform instructional decisions. These assessments allow teachers to monitor individual student progress while focusing on students thinking about mathematics. The use of multiple assessment forms provides a comprehensive picture of student understanding; however, the purpose for the assessment will determine the form of diagnostic tool(s) to be used. In educational settings, assessments are used for diagnosis (individual), instructional feedback (class), grading (individual), generalized mathematics achievement (individual), and program evaluation.
NOTE: Asterisks (*) have been used to identify skills that must be assessed by the local school district. All other skills may be assessed by the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP).
INTRODUCTION
Grades 6 - 8
Students in the middle grades will expand and deepen their knowledge of numbers, computation, estimation, measurement, geometry, statistics, probability, patterns and functions, and the fundamental concepts of algebra by focusing on meaningful mathematics in each of these areas.
Instruction in the middle grades should include activities in which the students actively work to pose and solve problems both individually and together. Learning tools such as concrete models, fraction manipulatives, algebra tiles, geoboards, calculators and computers are beneficial and should be available to all students.
MATHEMATICS PROCESS STANDARDS
Grades 6 - 8
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has identified five process standards: Problem Solving, Reasoning and Proof, Communication, Connections, and Representation. Active involvement by students using these processes is likely to broaden mathematical understandings and lead to increasingly sophisticated abilities required to meet mathematical challenges in meaningful ways.
The reference THINK STARH will be made throughout this document to the image of a five-point star with content at its center and the five process standards at each point. This signals that mathematics curriculum should integrate some or all of the process skills into content-centered lessons. Following is an outline of the five process standards and associated skills.
I. Problem Solving
A. Develop and test strategies to solve practical, everyday problems which may have single or multiple answers.
B. Use technology to generate and analyze data to solve problems.
C. Formulate problems from situations within and outside of mathematics and generalize solutions and strategies to new problem situations.
D. Evaluate results to determine their reasonableness.
E. Apply a variety of strategies (e.g., restate the problem, look for a pattern, diagrams, solve a simpler problem, work backwards, trial and error) to solve problems, with emphasis on multistep and nonroutine problems.
F.
Use oral, written, concrete, pictorial, graphical, and/or algebraic methods
to model mathematical situations.
II. Communication
A. Discuss, interpret, translate (from one to another) and evaluate mathematical ideas (e.g., oral, written, pictorial, concrete, graphical, algebraic).
B. Reflect on and justify reasoning in mathematical problem-solving (e.g., convince, demonstrate, formulate).
C. Select and use appropriate terminology when discussing mathematical concepts and ideas.
III. Reasoning
A. Identify and extend patterns and use experiences and observations to make suppositions.
B. Use counter examples to disprove suppositions (e.g., all squares are rectangles, but are all rectangles squares?).
C. Develop and evaluate mathematical arguments (e.g., agree or disagree with the reasoning of other classmates and explain why).
D. Select and use various types of reasoning (e.g., recursive [loops], inductive [specific to general], deductive [general to specific], spatial, and proportional).
IV. Connections
A. Apply mathematical strategies to solve problems that arise from other disciplines and the real world.
B. Connect one area or idea of mathematics to another (e.g., relate equivalent number representations to each other, relate experiences with geometric shapes to understanding ratio and proportion).
V. Representations
A. Use a variety of representations to organize and record data (e.g., use concrete, pictorial, and symbolic representations).
B. Use representations to promote the communication of mathematical ideas (e.g., number lines, rectangular coordinate systems, scales to illustrate the balance of equations).
C. Develop a variety of mathematical representations that can be used flexibly and appropriately (e.g., base-10 blocks to represent fractions and decimals, appropriate graphs to represent data).
D.
Use a variety of representations to model and solve physical, social, and
mathematical problems (e.g., geometric objects, pictures, charts, tables,
graphs).
MATHEMATICS CONTENT SKILLS
Grade 6
The following concepts and skills are required by all students completing sixth grade. The Major Concepts should be taught in depth using a variety of methods and applications so that all students have accessibility to and an understanding of these concepts. Maintenance Concepts have been taught previously and are a necessary foundation for success in mathematics at this level.
MAJOR CONCEPTS MAINTENANCE CONCEPTS
Patterns, Functions, and Algebra - Patterns
-
Properties, Factors, Multiples, Primes,
Algebraic Expressions
GCF, LCM, Order of Operations
Number Sense - Number Sense -
Fractions, Decimals, Percents,
Common Percents,
Convert, Compare, Order
Fraction-Decimal Comparisons
Operations - Operations -
Add, Subtract, Multiply
and Divide
Multiplication-Division Algorithms
Fractions
Decimals-Add, Subtract,
Multiply, Divide
Fractions-Compare, Order
Estimation
Geometry - Geometry
Symmetry, Congruency, Similarity,
Classify Shapes, Simple Formulas
Angles, Circles, Transformations
Measurement - Applications, Customary Measurement - Explore
Volume
Data Analysis and Statistics - Data Analysis, Statistics, and
Probability
Collect, Analyze, Mean, Median,
Appropriate Tables and Graphs
Mode, Range
Mean, Probability
THINK STARH
Use the image of a star with Content at its center and Problem Solving,
Communications, Connections, Reasoning, and Representation at its five
points to design illuminating lessons (see page 93).
I. Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
A. Describe, extend, and create patterns using tables, graphs, models, and rules and represent with symbols (e.g., recursive patterns like the Fibonacci numbers).
B. Create a generalization or rule from several examples (e.g., if you join card tables end to end how can you find the perimeter when you know the number of tables? Let P = perimeter and S = sides then P = 2S + 2).
C. Locate and enter information in a spreadsheet-like chart arranged in rows and columns (e.g., what is the entry in cell B3?).
D.
Use number patterns to discover and describe properties of number sets
(e.g., prime, composite, odd and even numbers, integers, and number sequences).
E.
Apply the order of operations and note the applications to calculators.
F. Demonstrate the concepts of Greatest Common Factor (GCF) and Least Common Multiple (LCM) using factor trees and prime factorization.
II.
Number Sense
A.
Develop estimation and computation skills with fractions (e.g., manipulatives,
sets of objects, paper folding, fraction strips, 10 x 10 grids, number
lines, area models, paper and pencil).
B. Compare and simplify fractions and name equivalent fractions in a variety of ways.
C. Choose appropriate representations from among whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents (e.g., 15% for discount, 3/20 for probability, $.15 for money).
D. Identify and apply equivalent fractions, decimals, and percent values for common fractions: halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, and tenths.
E. Convert, compare, and order decimals (terminating and nonterminating), fractions, and percents using a variety of methods.
F. Estimate solutions to multistep problems using decimals, fractions, and percents and determine whether solutions are reasonable (e.g., use appropriate estimation strategies such as front end, rounding; use number sense to determine reasonableness of results).
III. Operations
A. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions.
B. Apply the basic arithmetic operations to fractions, decimals, and percents in problem solving situations.
IV.
Geometry
A.
Identify, compare, and measure acute, obtuse, right, complementary, and
supplementary angles.
B. Identify lines of symmetry and classify figures in terms of congruency and similarity.
C. Develop and use formulas to find the circumference and area of circles (e.g., use string the length of the diameter of various circular lids to approximate the circumference and develop the concept of pi).
D.
Describe the effect of performing basic transformations on objects and
figures (e.g., explore translation [slide], reflection [flip], rotation
[turn] with mirrors, folded paper, computer software, graph paper).
V.
Measurement - Application and Customary
A.
Compare and convert units within the same measurement system and express
the conversions using appropriate unit labels (e.g., square inches to square
feet, centimeters to millimeters, hours to minutes).
B.
Compute measurements of combined units (e.g., 9Õ8Ó + 3Õ6Ó
= ?Õ and ?Ó ,
150 minutes = ? hours and
? minutes).
C. Select and use appropriate units, scale, and tools for measurement in practical applications (e.g., ruler, weight scale).
D. Justify reasonable estimates for measurements (e.g., use indirect measures, like grids, to estimate the area of irregular shapes).
VI.
Data Analysis and Statistics
A.
Collect, organize, and interpret data to solve problems (e.g., data from
student experiments, tallies, Venn diagrams, tables, circle and bar graphs,
spreadsheets).
B.
Construct and interpret graphs of statistical data (e.g., explain how different
representations lead to different interpretations and may distort information).
C.
Interpret a set of data using mean, median, mode, and range in a variety
of contexts.
MATHEMATICS CONTENT SKILLS
Grade 7
The following concepts and skills are required by all students completing seventh grade. The Major Concepts should be taught in depth using a variety of methods and applications so that all students have accessibility to and an understanding of these concepts. Maintenance Concepts have been taught previously and are a necessary foundation for success in mathematics at this level.
MAJOR CONCEPTS MAINTENANCE CONCEPTS
Patterns - Patterns, Functions, and Algebra
-
Algebraic Expressions, Equations
Properties, Factors, Multiples,
Primes,
GCF, LCM, Order of Operations
Number Sense/Computation - Number Sense
-
Integers, Ratio, Proportion,
Percent
Fractions, Decimals, Percents -
Convert, Compare, Order
Operations -
Add, Subtract, Multiply, and Divide
Fractions
Geometry - Plane Geometry
Area, Perimeter, Angles
Symmetry, Congruency, Similarity
`
Angles, Circles, Transformations
Measurement - Metric Measurement -
Compare, Convert, Compute, Tools
Applications, Customary
Data Analysis - Probability Data Analysis and
Statistics -
Sampling, Predict Probabilities
Collect, Analyze, Mean, Median,
Mode, Range
THINK STARH
Use the image of a star with Content at its center and Problem Solving,
Communications, Connections, Reasoning, and Representation at its five
points to design illuminating lessons (see page 93).
I. Patterns: Algebraic Expressions and Equations
A. Use expressions to describe the general case for extensions represented by data in tables, graphs, and models (e.g., 2, 4, 6, 8, . . . 2n).
B. Simplify and evaluate algebraic expressions (e.g., if x = -5 evaluate 2x).
C. Identify, explain, and apply the commutative, associative, distributive, inverse and identity properties (e.g., n + 0 = n, 2(x + 3) = 2x + 6).
D. Solve simple linear equations (e.g., use properties, graph ordered pairs with paper and pencil, use graphing calculators).
E. Describe and identify situations that model linear graphs (e.g., interpret the meaning of variables in problem context).
F. Apply the order of operations and test calculators to see whether it has been included (e.g., simplify expressions, determine which calculators follow the proper order of operations).
II. Number Sense and Computation
A. Integers
1. Represent, compare, and order positive and negative integers and describe their use in real-life situations (e.g., temperature, sea level, stock market fluctuations, football yardage).
2. Use the basic operations on integers to solve problems.
B. Ratio, Proportion, and Percents
1. Understand the concept of ratio and proportion and be able to demonstrate it with models (e.g., similar geometric shapes, growth patterns, scale models).
2. Identify and write problems using ratio and proportion (e.g., find equivalent ratios).
3. Estimate and solve problems using ratio, proportions, and percents (e.g., include percents greater than 100 and less than 1, use scale factors, determine missing sides of similar figures, construct circle graphs).
4. Apply concepts of rate of change (e.g., heart rate per minute, pay to hours worked overtime, area with a change in sides).
C. Exponents
*1. Describe concepts of positive exponents including zero using manipulatives and calculators to develop exponential patterns (e.g., model getting paid a penny the first day, 2 cents the second day, 4 cents the third day . . .).
*2. Build models of multiples to investigate squares and perfect square roots (e.g., build rectangular arrays for numbers 1 to 100 and note which can be represented as squares).
3. Estimate the square root of a number between two consecutive integers.
4. Read, represent, and interpret large numbers in expanded, exponential, and scientific notation; use benchmarks (e.g., population of oneÕs state) to discuss their magnitude.
III. Geometry
- Plane
A.
Develop and use formulas to solve problems involving perimeter (circumference),
and area of polygons and circles.
B.
Describe, draw, classify, and compare geometric figures according to their
shapes and properties (e.g., circles, quadrilaterals, hexagons, determine
whether all squares are rectangles, explain why ÒonlyÓ triangles,
quadrilaterals, and hexagons can tile a plane).
C.
Identify parallel, perpendicular, horizontal, and vertical lines according
to their properties (e.g., examine properties of geometric figures containing
sets of perpendicular or parallel lines on a coordinate graph).
D. Describe and compare interior, exterior, complementary, supplementary, and vertical angles (e.g., using graph paper, software, protractors to measure angles between parallel lines with a transversal).
E. Identify, describe, and sketch relationships between geometric figures using congruency, similarity and transformtions and incorporate into problem-solving skills (e.g., explore ratios and similarity with overhead projectors, rotate figures 90*, 180*, and 360*).
F. Locate points on a coordinate plane in all four quadrants.
G. Integrate geometric concepts to solve occupational and practical, everyday problems (e.g., use the Pythagorean relation, right triangles, rip off corners of a paper triangle and reassemble to prove the sum of the angles equals 180*).
IV.
Measurement - Applications, Metric
A.
Compare and convert a given measurement to another metric measurement unit
(e.g., centimeters to meters, kilograms to grams, milliliters to liters).
B. Compute metric measurements of combined units using appropriate methods.
C. Select and use appropriate tools for metric measurements in practical applications and understand measurement will only be precise to one-half of the unit used for measurement.
D. Give a reasonable estimate of measurement using the appropriate metric unit (e.g., 30* C is the temperature on a hot day; a meter is approximately the height of a door knob).
V. Data Analysis - Probability
A. Predict possible outcomes and compute simple probabilities given data from a sample (e.g., use data from lists, tree diagrams, frequency distribution tables, area models).
B. Express probabilities as fractions and decimals.
C. Determine the probability of an event involving ÒorÓ or ÒnotÓ (e.g., on a spinner with 1 blue, 2 red and 2 yellow sections, what is the probability of getting a red or a yellow?).
D.
Explore sampling procedures (random, limited, biased) and draw conclusions
about populations (e.g., consider potential sources of bias).
MATHEMATICS CONTENT SKILLS
Grade 8
The following concepts and skills are required by all students completing eighth grade. The Major Concepts should be taught in depth using a variety of methods and applications so that all students have accessibility to and an understanding of these concepts. Maintenance Concepts have been taught previously and are a necessary foundation for success in mathematics at this level.
MAJOR CONCEPTS MAINTENANCE CONCEPTS
Number Sense - Number Sense, Computation -
Rational Numbers, Exponents
Integers, Ratio, Proportion, Percent
Algebraic Operations Patterns -
Equations, Inequalities, Formulas
Algebraic Expressions, Equations
Geometry - Solid Geometry
- Plane
Volume, Surface Area, Similarity,
Area, Perimeter, Angles
Ratio and Proportion
Measurement - Metric
Compare, Convert. Compute, Tools
Data Analysis and Statistics Data Analysis - Probability
Graph Analysis, Sampling
Sampling, Predict Probabilities
THINK STARH
Use the image of a star with Content at its center and Problem Solving,
Communications, Connections, Reasoning, and Representation at its five
points to design illuminating lessons (see page 93).
I. Number Sense
A. Rational Numbers
1. Represent, rename, compare, and order rational numbers (positive and negative integers, fractions, decimals) and justify their use in real-life situations (e.g., use number lines, two- and three-dimension regional models).
2. Use the basic operations on rational numbers to solve problems (e.g., describe the effect of multiplying whole numbers by a fraction or a decimal less than 1).
B. Exponents
1. Demonstrate concepts of positive and negative exponents including zero using patterns and calculators.
2. Use rules of exponents (e.g., 72 x 73 = 75, am/an = am-n).
3.
Read, represent, and interpret large numbers and numbers less than one
in expanded, exponential, and scientific notation; use benchmarks to discuss
their magnitude.
II
Algebraic Operations
A. Equations
*1. Develop the concept of 2-step equations using concrete materials and models (e.g., 4 x + 2 = 10).
2. Model, write, and solve 2-step linear equations (some from problem situations) using concrete, informal, and formal methods.
3. Graph and interpret the solution to linear equations (on a number line - one variable, on a coordinate plane - two variables).
4. Predict the effects on the graph of a linear equation when m (the slope) in the equation y = mx + b is changed.
B.
Inequalities
1.
Model, write, and solve 2-step linear inequalities (some from problem
situations) using concrete, informal, and formal methods.
2. Graph the solution to linear inequalities (on a number line - one variable).
C. Formulas
1. Develop, select, and apply appropriate formulas for given situations:
a. an equation (e.g., d = rt)
b. geometry problems (e.g., p = 2l + 2w, v = lwh)
2. Develop and use formulas for finding the area of a Òregion of a regionÓ for simple composite figures (e.g., area of a rectangular picture frame).
3. Find the length of a line segment on a number line.
III. Geometry - Solid
A. Construct models, sketch (from different perspectives), and classify solid figures such as rectangular solids, prisms, cones, cylinders, pyramids, and combined forms (e.g., draw a figure that could result from making 1, 2, or 3 cuts in a given solid).
B. Apply the concepts of surface area and volume to real world settings (e.g., unwrap a box to explore surface area; use rice, 1-inch cubes, centimeter cubes, cups . . . to estimate the volume of boxes, irregular shaped objects, containers).
C. Use knowledge of ratio and proportion to solve relationships between similar geometric figures (e.g., build a model of a 3-dimensional object to scale).
IV. Data Analysis and Statistics
A.
Select and apply appropriate formats in the presentation of collected data
(e.g., line plots, bar graphs, stem-and-leaf plots, whisker plots, scatter
plots, histograms, circle graphs).
B.
Explain the mean, its sensitivity to extremes, and its use in comparison
with the median and mode.
C. Explain the likelihood of uncertain events happening and relate this to a ratio in the form of a fraction, decimal, or percent (e.g., flip two coins, spinners).
D. Determine how samples are chosen (random, limited, biased) and the extent to which results of a sample can be generalized to a population (e.g., is the average height of a menÕs college basketball team a good representative sample for height predictions?).
E. Find all possible combinations and arrangements (permutations) involving a limited number of variables.
F. Develop a tree diagram and list the elements.
GLOSSARY
addend - in the addition problem 3 + 2 + 6 = 11, the addends are 3, 2, and 6.
algorithm - step by-step procedure for solving a problem.
analog time - time displayed on a timepiece having hour and minute hands.
attribute - characteristics (e.g., size, shape, color, weight).
array - (rectangular) an orderly arrangement of objects into a rectangular configuration (e.g., take 6 tiles and arrange two long and three wide to form a rectangle).
binomial expansion - the sum of the terms of the nth power of a binomial.
box-and-whisker plot - a graphic method for showing a summary of data using median, quartiles and extremes of data.
combinations - a selection of objects without regard to order.
complementary angles - two angles whose measure have a sum of 90 degrees.
complex numbers - numbers of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i equals the square root of -1.
composite numbers - any positive integer exactly divisible by one or more positive integers other than itself and 1.
conic sections - circles, parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas which can all be represented by passing a plane through a hollow double cone.
conjecture - a statement believed to be true but not proved.
conceptual ideas to abstract procedures - instructional strategy to enhance learning by using everyday experiences and/or tangible objects to explain concepts in symbolic form (e.g., one broken egg in a dozen can be represented as the number 1/12).
congruent - same size, same shape.
cosine - in a right triangle, the cosine of an acute angle is the ratio of the length of the leg adjacent to the angle to the length of the hypotenuse.
dependent events - events that influence each other. If one of the events occurs, it changes the probability of the other event.
domain of a relation - the set of all the first elements or x-coordinates of a relation.
estimate - an educated guess - Strategies for estimation depend on the context in which they are being applied. (e.g., benchmarks for measurement, rounding for computations).
explore - introduce a skill, not expecting mastery by all students.
exponential function - an exponential function with base b is defined by y = bx, where b > 0 and b is not equal to 1.
expression - a mathematical phrase that can include operations, numerals and variables. In algebraic terms: 2m+ 3x; in numeric terms: 2.4 - 1.37.
Fibonacci sequence - the sequence of numbers, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, . . . where each number, except the first two, is the sum of the two preceding numbers.
function - a relation in which each element of the domain is paired with exactly one element of the range.
function machine - an input/output box (often made with milk cartons, boxes, or drawn on the board) to show one number entering and a different number exiting. Students guess the rule that produced the second number (e.g., enter 3, exit 5, rule: add 2).
histogram - a bar graph of a frequency distribution.
imaginary number - any complex number, a + bi, for which a = 0 and b does not = 0.
independent events - events that do not influence one another. Each event occurs without changing the probability of the other event.
integers - . . . -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, . . .
intercepts (x & y) - the x (y)-coordinate of the point where a graph intercepts the x (y)- axis.
integral exponents - exponents in the form of integers
inverse operations - operations that undo each other (e.g., addition and subtraction are inverse operations; multiplication and division are inverse operations).
irrational numbers - nonterminating, nonrepeating decimals (e.g., square root of 2, pi).
logarithmic functions - logarithmic function with base b is the inverse of the exponential function, and is defined by y = logb x (x > 0, b > 0, b not equal to 1).
mean - in a set of n numbers, the sum of the numbers divided by n.
median - the middle number in the set, or the mean of the two middle numbers, when the numbers are arranged in order from least to greatest.
mode - a number in a set of data that occurs most often.
multiple - a number that is the product of a given integer and another integer (e.g., 6 and 9 are multiples of 3).
manipulatives - concrete materials (e.g., buttons, beans, egg and milk cartons, counters, attribute and pattern blocks, interlocking cubes, base-10 blocks, geometric models, geoboards, fractions pieces, rulers, balances, spinners, dot paper) to use in mathematical calculations.
natural numbers - (counting numbers) 1, 2, 3, 4, . . .
nonroutine problems - problems that arise from mathematical investigations
- could be teacher- or student-generated.
nonstandard measurement - a measurement determined by the use of nonstandard units like hands, paper clips, beans, cotton balls, etc.
number sense - involves the understanding of number size (relative magnitude), number representations, number operations, referents for quantities and measurements used in everyday situations, etc.
operation - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.
order of operations - rules for evaluating an expression: work first within parentheses; then calculate all powers, from left to right; then do multiplications or divisions, from left to right; then do additions and subtractions, from left to right.
ordinal - a number that is used to tell order (e.g., first, fifth).
permutation - an arrangement of a set of objects in a particular order (the letters a, b, c have the following permutations: abc, acb, bac, bca, cab, cba).
probability - the study and measure of the likelihood of an event happening.
properties of arithmetic - for all real numbers a, b and c:
commutative property:
a + b = b + a and a x b = b x a
associative property:
(a+ b) + c = a + (b + c) and (a x b)
x c = a x (b x c)
distributive property:
a (b + c) = (a x b) + (a x c)
identity property:
a + 0 = a and a x 1 = a
inverse property:
a + (-a) = 0 and a x 1/a = 1
prime number - an integer greater than one whose only positive factors are 1 and itself (e.g., 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 . . .).
proportion - a statement that ratios are equal.
quadrants - the four regions formed by the axes in a coordinate plane.
quadratic equation - an equation of the form ax2 + bx + c = 0, where a, b and c are real numbers and a is not equal to 0.
quadratic formula - if ax2 + bx + c = 0, where a, b and c are real numbers and a is not equal to 0, then x = [-b plus or minus the square root of (b2 - 4ac)] divided by 2a.
range of a relation - the set of all the second elements or y-coordinates of a relation is called the range.
ratio - the comparison of two quantities by division.
rational numbers - quotients of integers (commonly called fractions - includes both positive and negative).
real numbers - the set of all rational and irrational numbers.
real-world - any application of mathematical uses (e.g., balancing a checkbook, calculating interest on loan, determining average velocity of a rocket, estimating the age of a fossil using carbon dating).
recursive patterns - patterns in which each number is found from the previous number by repeating a process (e.g., Fibonacci numbers).
relation - a set of one or more pairs of numbers.
relative magnitude - the size of an object or number compared to other objects and numbers.
scatter plot - a dot or point graph of data.
sequence - a set of numbers arranged in a pattern.
sine - in a right triangle, the sine of an acute angle is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse.
slope of a line - the ratio of the change in y to the corresponding change in x. For any two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) m = y2 - y1 / x2 - x1.
spatial sense - involves building and manipulating mental representations of 2- and 3-dimensional objects and ideas.
standard deviation - measures how much each value in the data differs from the mean of the data.
statistics - the study of data.
stem-and-leaf plot - a frequency distribution made by arranging data
in the following way (e.g., student scores on a test were 96, 87, 77, 93,
85, 85, and 75 would be displayed like
9 | 6, 3
8 | 7, 5, 5
7 | 7, 5
supplementary angles - two angles whose measures have a sum of 180 degrees.
supposition - (act of supposing) making a statement or assumption without proof.
tangent - in a right triangle the tangent is the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle.
ten frame - a 2 x 5 rectangular grid that can be used to illustrate numbers from 1 - 10.
transcendental - functions that are not algebraic (e.g., trigonometric, logarithmic, exponential).
transformation - motion of a geometric figure (rotation [turn], translation [slide], and reflection [flip]).
whole numbers - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, . . .
SCIENCE
OVERVIEW
ORGANIZATION
The Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) are organized into four broad areas: Science Processes and Inquiry, Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth/Space Science. They are arranged by grade cluster groups (Grades 1-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12) to facilitate flexible use of instructional resources at the district level. While districts may decide which grade level within a cluster group is responsible for each objective, students should be provided with science experiences at each grade level from all areas of the content standards. This integrated approach will provide students with a coordinated, coherent understanding of the necessary skills and knowledge of scientifically literate citizens.
The skills presented in the ÒScience Processes and InquiryÓ standard are included at all grade levels, because the understandings and abilities associated with these concepts need to be developed throughout a studentÕs educational experience.
The content standard areas
(physical, life, earth/space) are designed to facilitate conceptual development
by building on the content knowledge introduced at the Kindergarten level.
Because each of the content standards subsumes the knowledge and skills
of the other standards, they are designed to be used as a whole.
Although material can be added to the content standards, using only a portion
of the standards will leave gaps in the scientific understanding expected
of students.
SCIENCE STANDARDS
Grades 1 - 12
The science framework presented in this outline is what students should know, understand, and be able to do in the natural sciences. Students combine process and knowledge as they use scientific reasoning and critical thinking to develop their understanding of science. Inquiry builds conceptual bridges between process and scientific knowledge. Relevant use of developmentally appropriate technology facilitates the inquiry process.
The attainment of scientific literacy is the result of a sequential curriculum that is dependent on quality science teaching at each grade level beginning in prekindergarten. Quality science teaching requires direct, inquiry-oriented learning experiences that emphasize the processes of science and major science concepts. Consistent with national standards, fewer concepts in physical, life and earth/space sciences are explored while more emphasis is placed on in-depth understanding. The following standards provide a framework to achieve the above goals.
NOTE: Asterisks (*) have been used to identify skills that must
be assessed by the local school district. All other skills may be
assessed by the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP).
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Grades 6 - 8
Content Standards for Inquiry, Physical, Life, and Earth/Space Science
The Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) should be taught by investigating content, concepts, and principles of major themes in Physical, Life, and Earth/Space Sciences.
SCIENCE PROCESSES AND INQUIRY
Grades 6 - 8
I. OBSERVING AND MEASURING
The student will:
A. Identify similar or different characteristics of the living and nonliving world.
B. Select descriptive (qualitative) or numerical (quantitative) observations in a given set of objects, organisms, or events.
C. Identify qualitative and quantitative changes given conditions (e.g., temperature, mass, volume) before, during, and after an event.
D. Use Systems International (SI) units (grams, meters, liters, and degrees Celsius) to measure objects, organisms, or events.
II. CLASSIFYING
The student will:
A. Use observable properties to classify a set of objects, organisms, or events (e.g., living, nonliving, odor, size, texture, shape).
B. Identify properties by which a set of objects, organisms, or events could be ordered.
C. Place an object, organism, or event into a classification system.
III. EXPERIMENTING
The student will:
*A. Ask questions about the world and design investigations that lead to scientific inquiry.
B. Arrange the steps of a scientific problem in logical order.
C. Identify a simple variable and/or control in an experimental set-up.
D. Identify a testable hypothesis for an experiment.
*E. Design and conduct experiments.
IV. INTERPRETING
The student will:
A. Report data in an appropriate method when given an experimental procedure or information.
B. Interpret line, bar, and circle graphs.
C. Recognize and describe patterns.
D. Select the most logical conclusion for given experimental data.
E. Accept or reject hypotheses when given results of an investigation.
V. COMMUNICATING
The student will:
A. Communicate scientific procedures and explanations.
*B. Create a graph or chart from collected data.
VI. SAFETY IN THE SCIENCE CLASSROOM
The student will:
A. Recognize potential hazards within a science activity.
B. Practice safety procedures in all science activities.
VII. INQUIRY
The student will:
*A. Use systematic observations, make accurate measurements, and identify and control variables.
*B. Use technology to gather data and analyze results of investigations.
*C. Review data, summarize data, and form logical conclusions.
*D.
Formulate and evaluate explanations proposed by examining and comparing
evidence, pointing out statements that go beyond evidence, and suggesting
alternative explanations.
MIDDLE SCHOOL PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Grades 6 - 8
The student will engage in investigations that lead to the discovery of the following concepts:
VIII. PROPERTIES AND CHANGES OF PROPERTIES IN MATTER
A. Matter has characteristic properties that can be used for identification.
B. Physical changes do not alter the chemical nature of a substance.
C. Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form substances with different characteristic properties.
D. A mixture of substances often can be separated into the original substance using one or more of the characteristic properties.
E. The mass of an object is not altered due to changes in shape.
IX. MOTIONS AND FORCES
A. The motion of an object can be described by its position, direction of motion, and speed. That motion can be measured and represented on a graph.
B. An object that is not being subjected to a force will continue to move at a constant speed and in a straight line.
C. Electric currents and magnets can exert a force on each other.
X. TRANSFER OF ENERGY
A. Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, and the nature of chemicals.
B. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form into another.
C. Energy is transferred in many ways.
D. Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced.
E.
Different ways of obtaining, transforming and distributing energy have
different environmental consequences.
MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE SCIENCE
Grades 6 - 8
The student will engage in investigations that lead to the discovery of the following concepts:
XI. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN LIVING SYSTEMS
A. Cells are the fundamental unit of life.
B. Living systems are organized by levels of complexity, i.e., cells, tissues, organs, and/or systems.
C. Specialized structures perform specific functions at all levels of complexity.
XII. REPRODUCTION AND HEREDITY
A. Reproduction is essential for speciesÕ survival.
B. Characteristics of an organism result from inheritance and from interactions with the environment.
C. Individual organisms with certain traits are more likely than others to survive and produce offspring.
XIII. REGULATION AND BEHAVIOR
A. Living organisms strive to maintain a constant internal environment.
B. Living organisms respond to external stimuli.
XIV. POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS
A. Sunlight is the ultimate source of energy.
B. Population growth and decline are dependent on various factors.
C. In all environments, organisms with similar needs may compete with one another for resources, including food, space, water, air, and shelter. Other relationships may be beneficial.
D. Organisms within an ecosystem are dependent on one another and on nonliving components of the environment.
XV. DIVERSITY AND ADAPTATIONS OF ORGANISMS
A. By classifying organisms, biologists consider details of internal and external structure.
B.
Organisms have a great variety of internal and external structures that
enable them to survive.
MIDDLE SCHOOL EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE
Grades 6 - 8
The student will engage in investigations that lead to the discovery of the following concepts:
XVI. STRUCTURES OF THE EARTH SYSTEM
A. Earth has four main systems: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere, and the geosphere.
B. Land forms result from constructive and destructive forces.
C. Clouds, formed by the condensation of water vapor, affect local weather and climate.
D. Local weather is influenced by global patterns of atmospheric movement. Oceans have a major effect on climate, because water in the oceans holds a large amount of heat.
XVII. EARTHÕS HISTORY
A. The formation, weathering, sedimentation, and reformation of rock constitute a continuing "rock cycle" in which the total amount of material stays the same as its forms change.
B. A rock bears evidence of the minerals, temperature, and forces that formed it.
C. EarthÕs history has been punctuated by occasional catastrophic events, such as the impact of asteroids or comets, enormous volcanic eruptions, periods of continental glaciation, and the rise and fall of sea level.
D. Water, which covers the majority of the earthÕs surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what is known as the water cycle.
XVIII. EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
A. The earth is the third planet from the sun in a system that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons, and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets.
B. Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses.
C. Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around the sun and governs the rest of the motion in the solar system. Gravity alone holds us to the earthÕs surface and explains the phenomena of the tides.
D.
The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena on the earthÕs
surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean currents, and the water
cycle. Seasons result from variations in the amount of the sunÕs
energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt of the earthÕs rotation
on its axis and the length of the day.
GLOSSARY
classifying - classifying establishes order. Objects, organisms,
and events are classified based on similarities, differences, and interrelationships.
communicating - communicating is the process of describing, recording,
and reporting experimental procedures and results to others. Communication
may be oral or written and includes organizing ideas, using appropriate
vocabulary, graphs, other visual representations, and mathematical equations.
experimenting - experimenting is a method of discovering information.
It requires making observations and measurements to test ideas.
inquiry - inquiry can be defined as the skills necessary to carry out
the process of scientific or systemic thinking. In order for inquiry
to occur, students must have the opportunity to ask a question, formulate
a procedure, and observe phenomena.
interpreting - interpreting is the process of recognizing patterns
in collected data by making inferences, predictions, or conclusions.
modeling - modeling is the active process of forming a mental
or physical representation from data, patterns, or relationships to facilitate
understanding and enhance prediction.
observing and measuring - observing is the first action taken by the
learner to acquire new information about an object or event. Opportunities
for observations are developed through the use of a variety of scientific
tools. Measurement allows observations to be quantified.
qualitative changes - qualitative changes refer to any characteristics
of, relating to, or involving quality or kind. Examples include texture,
color, or odor.
qualitative observations - qualitative observations describe property
such as color, texture, odor, and taste (as appropriate). Qualitative
observations utilize descriptive language.
quantitative changes - quantitative changes can be measured by quantity
or amount. Examples include mass, volume, and temperature.
quantitative observations - quantitative observations describe the amount
of mass, weight, temperature, length, and time. Quantitative observations
require the use of numbers.
safety - safety is an essential part of any science activity. Safety
in the classroom and care of the environment are individual and group responsibilities.
serial order - serial order refers to the task of ordering objects from
least to greatest and greatest to least.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Overview
Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Social studies draws upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.
Oklahoma schools teach social studies in Kindergarten through Grade 12. As a subject area, social studies may be difficult to define, because it is at once multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Social studies may be taught as a blend of history, geography, civics, economics, and government in one class, perhaps called Òsocial studies,Ó or it may be taught as a series of separate discipline-based classes, such as ÒUnited States HistoryÓ and ÒWorld Geography,Ó within a social studies department. However it is presented, social studies as a field of study incorporates many disciplines in an integrated fashion, and is designed to promote civic competence. Civic competence is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of students to be able to assume Òthe office of citizen,Ó as Thomas Jefferson called it.
A social studies education encourages and enables each student to acquire a core of basic knowledge, an arsenal of useful skills, and a way of thinking drawn from many academic disciplines. Thus equipped, students are prepared to become informed, contributing, and participating citizens in this democratic republic, the United States of America.
Core Content Areas
A foundational curriculum concentrates on the following social studies core content/subjects: history, geography, civics, economics, and government.
History focuses on the written record of human experience, revealing how individuals and societies resolved their problems and disclosing the consequences of their choices. By studying the choices and decisions of the past, students can confront todayÕs problems and choices with a deeper awareness of their alternatives and the likely consequences. This content area typically appears in courses and units focusing on Oklahoma history, United States history, regional histories, world history, and social studies.
Geography has more to do with asking questions and solving problems than with rote memorization of isolated facts. It is the study of the earthÕs surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments, and the connections between people and places. As a discipline, geography provides the skills to help students answer questions about where things are, how they got there, and how they interact with other things -- in the past, now, and in the future. This content area typically appears in courses and units dealing with geography, world geography, history, and social studies.
Civics, Economics, and Government give students a basic understanding of civic life, politics, and government. They help students understand the workings of their political system and that of others, as well as the relationship of American politics and government to world affairs. The goal of civics and government is to develop informed, competent, and responsible citizens who are politically aware and active and committed to the fundamental values and principles of American constitutional democracy. Economics provides students with an understanding of how individuals, communities, states, and nations allocate their sometimes scarce resources. A clear understanding of economics enables students to comprehend the economic forces that affect them everyday and helps them to identify and evaluate the consequences of personal decisions and public policies. Students then will understand how a democratic market economy functions, which better prepares them to be producers, consumers, and citizens. This content area typically appears in courses and units dealing with civics, political science, American government, law, economics, problems of democracy, and social studies.
Oklahoma schools must provide strong course offerings in these core content areas. Students need a solid basis in history, geography, economics, and government to live and work in their communities today and tomorrow. The key goal of social studies is Òpromoting civic competence.Ó Together the core content areas:
Build an understanding of human history.
Build an understanding of a citizenÕs role.
Develop a sense of the social studies disciplines and the connections across them.
K-12 Social Studies Themes
OklahomaÕs social studies framework centers on ten instructional themes. These ten themes provide the platform for this framework. When teachers and curriculum leaders explore the Oklahoma K-12 Social Studies Framework themes, they discover a strong connection with the core content areas and the supporting subject areas encompassed within the social studies classroom. The themes help coordinate the social studies curriculum, encouraging connections between social studies and the subject areas.
The ten social studies themes strengthen curriculum and student learning by:
Building connections with course content to help students develop an understanding of human history and their civic role, now and in the future.
Demonstrating how each of the disciplines in social studies affects studentsÕ lives.
Providing a flow and understanding of the human story.
The following ten themes are used in a social studies classroom:
Civic Ideals and Practices - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic. An understanding of civic ideals and practices of citizenship is critical to full participation in society and is a central purpose of the social studies. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, political science, cultural anthropology, problems of democracy, and fields such as global studies, law-related education, and the humanities.
Culture - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the common characteristics of different cultures including the importance of language. How does the development of beliefs systems, such as religion or political ideas, influence other parts of the culture? These experiences need to include analysis of how the culture changes to accommodate different ideas and beliefs. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units involving geography, history, sociology, and anthropology, as well as multicultural topics across the curriculum.
Global Connections - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the realities of global interdependence that require an understanding of the importance of diverse global connections among world societies and the frequent tensions between national interests and global priorities. Students will need to address such issues as political, economic, and military alliances; economic competition and interdependence; age-old ethnic enmities; health care; the environment; and human rights. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with geography, culture, and economics, and draws upon the natural and physical sciences and the humanities.
Individual Development and Identity - Personal identity is shaped by oneÕs culture, by family, by groups and institutional influences. Students should consider such questions as: How do people learn? Why do people behave as they do? What influences how people learn, perceive, and grow? How do people meet their basic needs in a variety of contexts? How do individuals develop from infancy to adulthood? In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with psychology and anthropology.
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions. Institutions such as families, schools, religious bodies, government agencies, and the courts play an integral role in peopleÕs lives. It is important that students learn how institutions are formed, what controls and influences them, how they influence individuals and cultures, and how they are maintained or changed. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, and history.
People, Places, and Environments - The study of people, places, and human-environment interactions assists students as they create their spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world beyond their personal locations. Students need the knowledge, skills, and understanding to answer questions such as: Why are things located in particular places? How do those particular places influence our lives? These two essential questions lead students to understandings and explanations of how and why the world in which they live can support them now and in the future. The subject matter is earthÕs surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments, and the connections between people and places. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with area studies and geography.
Power, Authority, and Governance - Social studies programs should present material on the study of government and the exercise of power and authority. How and why do human beings create governments? How do they preserve them? How do they change them? How do people gain power? How do they use power? What is freedom? What are rights? What are responsibilities? What is the difference between legitimate and illegitimate authority? Social studies programs should help students develop a broad understanding of how governments work and what the peopleÕs role and responsibility in government is. Such programs should thus help students become better citizens. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, political science, cultural anthropology and government, and fields such as global studies, law-related education, and the humanities.
Production, Distribution, and Consumption - Human wants exceed the limited resources available. What is produced and distributed is a result of decisions to allocate limited resources. The realities of unequal resource distribution necessitate systems of exchange including trade. The growing interdependence of world economies requires an understanding of the role of policies and technology in all three economic phases of production, distribution, and consumption. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, political science, geography, and economics.
Science, Technology, and Society - Changes in technology have and will continue to create difficult social choices. Technology has created a global village by providing instantaneous information and communication connections. The results of the uses of multifaceted technologies are not always anticipated, and will challenge our belief and cultural systems. How these results influence our society, as technology and science continue to evolve, will be the challenge of today and tomorrow. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, geography, economics, and civics and government.
Time, Continuity, and Change - Social studies programs should present
material on human history. How have human beings in different societies
thought and acted in the past? How and why have human societies and
cultures changed over time? In what ways have they remained the same?
Social studies programs should also introduce students to primary and secondary
sources, how they are generated, what biases they might contain, and how
historians might interpret them differently. Social studies programs
should help students develop a broad understanding of the past and of their
historical roots. This will help students make more informed and
intelligent decisions about public issues so that they can help shape the
future in a positive manner. In schools, this theme typically appears
in courses and units dealing with history, area studies, cultural anthropology,
and archeology.
Note: Some social studies terms used here appear with appropriate definitions and examples at the end of this section of PASS.
Asterisks (*) have been used to identify skills that must be assessed
by the local school district. All other skills may be assessed by
the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP).
WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Grades 6 - 8
The student will:
I.
Use maps and other geographic representations (e.g., computer-based technologies)
of the United States, other locales and regions, and the world.
A.
Locate, gather and analyze information from primary and secondary sources.
B. Define, recognize and locate basic landforms and bodies of water.
C. Locate on appropriate maps the fifty states of the United States and their capitals, and major cities, rivers, mountain ranges, bodies of water, regions, and countries of the world.
D. Identify, evaluate information, and draw conclusions from different kinds of maps, and from graphs, charts, diagrams, and other representations (e.g., aerial and shuttle photographs, satellite-produced images, the geographic information system, and computer-based technologies).
People, Places, and Environments
Civic Ideals and Practices
II. Analyze the physical and human landscapes of the world using maps, globes, and other pictorial representations.
A. Demonstrate how maps reflect particular historical and political perspectives.
B. Apply the concepts of scale, orientation, latitude and longitude.
C. Compare political, physical, and thematic maps of countries and regions.
D.
Recognize regional climatic patterns and weather phenomena, and identify
factors that contribute to them (e.g., latitude, elevation, earth-sun relationships,
prevailing wind, and proximity to bodies of water).
People, Places, and Environments
Power, Authority, and Governance
III. Locate on appropriate maps the major cultural and physical regions of the world.
A. Recognize and describe common characteristics of world regions, including language, ethnic heritage, religion, natural resources, climate and landforms.
B. Explain how common characteristics can link and divide regions.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
People, Places, and Environments
Global Connections
IV.
Analyze how selected physical, human, and environmental processes shape
the biosphere.
A.
Identify forces beneath and above the crust that shape the earth, explaining
the processes and agents (e.g., plate tectonics, volcanoes, and earthquakes)
that affect the physical features of the earth, and their influence
on the formation and distribution of resources.
B. Analyze patterns of human settlement and urban development, including site and situation, the function of towns and cities, and issues related to human mobility, population growth, social structure, and the environment.
C. Evaluate the impact of human population and its growth on atmospheric changes (e.g., the greenhouse effect, desertification, and clear-cutting forests).
D. Examine the effects of industrialization and urbanization on the environment and the physical landscape (e.g., air and water pollution, urban sprawl, and use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture).
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
People, Places, and Environments
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Global Connections
Science, Technology, and Society
Civic Ideals and Practices
V. Examine and interpret world cultural and physical patterns and their interactions.
*A. Describe the significance of land use, settlement patterns, cultural transmission of customs and ideas, and alternate uses of land and other resources.
B. Identify examples of and reasons for conflict and cooperation among groups, societies, countries, and regions.
*C. Recognize and explain the impact of ethnic diversity within countries and major cultural regions.
D. Identify and describe the relationships between the distribution of major natural resources (e.g., water, fossil fuels, and iron ore) and developed and developing countries.
People, Places, and Environments
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Power, Authority, and Governance
GLOSSARY
absolute location - the location of a point on earthÕs surface which can be expressed by a grid reference (i.e., latitude and longitude).
B.C.E. - before the Common Era; the culturally neutral equivalent of B.C. (before Christ) used extensively by world historians and social scientists.
biomes - very large ecosystems made up of specific plant and animal communities interacting with the physical environment (climate and soil). They are usually identified with the climate and climax vegetation of large areas of the earthÕs surface (e.g., the Equatorial and Tropical Rain Forest Biome).
boundary - the limit or extent within which a system exists or functions, including a social group, a state, a country, or physical feature.
C.E. - the Common Era; the culturally neutral equivalent of A.D. (anno Domini: in the year of our Lord) used extensively by world historians and social scientists.
contour map - a representation of some part of the earthÕs surface
using lines along which all points are of equal elevation above or below
a fixed point, usually sea level.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Overview
Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Social studies draws upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.
Oklahoma schools teach social studies in Kindergarten through Grade 12. As a subject area, social studies may be difficult to define, because it is at once multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Social studies may be taught as a blend of history, geography, civics, economics, and government in one class, perhaps called Òsocial studies,Ó or it may be taught as a series of separate discipline-based classes, such as ÒUnited States HistoryÓ and ÒWorld Geography,Ó within a social studies department. However it is presented, social studies as a field of study incorporates many disciplines in an integrated fashion, and is designed to promote civic competence. Civic competence is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of students to be able to assume Òthe office of citizen,Ó as Thomas Jefferson called it.
A social studies education encourages and enables each student to acquire a core of basic knowledge, an arsenal of useful skills, and a way of thinking drawn from many academic disciplines. Thus equipped, students are prepared to become informed, contributing, and participating citizens in this democratic republic, the United States of America.
Core Content Areas
A foundational curriculum concentrates on the following social studies core content/subjects: history, geography, civics, economics, and government.
History focuses on the written record of human experience, revealing how individuals and societies resolved their problems and disclosing the consequences of their choices. By studying the choices and decisions of the past, students can confront todayÕs problems and choices with a deeper awareness of their alternatives and the likely consequences. This content area typically appears in courses and units focusing on Oklahoma history, United States history, regional histories, world history, and social studies.
Geography has more to do with asking questions and solving problems than with rote memorization of isolated facts. It is the study of the earthÕs surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments, and the connections between people and places. As a discipline, geography provides the skills to help students answer questions about where things are, how they got there, and how they interact with other things -- in the past, now, and in the future. This content area typically appears in courses and units dealing with geography, world geography, history, and social studies.
Civics, Economics, and Government give students a basic understanding of civic life, politics, and government. They help students understand the workings of their political system and that of others, as well as the relationship of American politics and government to world affairs. The goal of civics and government is to develop informed, competent, and responsible citizens who are politically aware and active and committed to the fundamental values and principles of American constitutional democracy. Economics provides students with an understanding of how individuals, communities, states, and nations allocate their sometimes scarce resources. A clear understanding of economics enables students to comprehend the economic forces that affect them everyday and helps them to identify and evaluate the consequences of personal decisions and public policies. Students then will understand how a democratic market economy functions, which better prepares them to be producers, consumers, and citizens. This content area typically appears in courses and units dealing with civics, political science, American government, law, economics, problems of democracy, and social studies.
Oklahoma schools must provide strong course offerings in these core content areas. Students need a solid basis in history, geography, economics, and government to live and work in their communities today and tomorrow. The key goal of social studies is Òpromoting civic competence.Ó Together the core content areas:
Build an understanding of human history.
Build an understanding of a citizenÕs role.
Develop a sense of the social studies disciplines and the connections across them.
K-12 Social Studies Themes
OklahomaÕs social studies framework centers on ten instructional themes. These ten themes provide the platform for this framework. When teachers and curriculum leaders explore the Oklahoma K-12 Social Studies Framework themes, they discover a strong connection with the core content areas and the supporting subject areas encompassed within the social studies classroom. The themes help coordinate the social studies curriculum, encouraging connections between social studies and the subject areas.
The ten social studies themes strengthen curriculum and student learning by:
Building connections with course content to help students develop an understanding of human history and their civic role, now and in the future.
Demonstrating how each of the disciplines in social studies affects studentsÕ lives.
Providing a flow and understanding of the human story.
The following ten themes are used in a social studies classroom:
Civic Ideals and Practices - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic. An understanding of civic ideals and practices of citizenship is critical to full participation in society and is a central purpose of the social studies. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, political science, cultural anthropology, problems of democracy, and fields such as global studies, law-related education, and the humanities.
Culture - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the common characteristics of different cultures including the importance of language. How does the development of beliefs systems, such as religion or political ideas, influence other parts of the culture? These experiences need to include analysis of how the culture changes to accommodate different ideas and beliefs. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units involving geography, history, sociology, and anthropology, as well as multicultural topics across the curriculum.
Global Connections - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the realities of global interdependence that require an understanding of the importance of diverse global connections among world societies and the frequent tensions between national interests and global priorities. Students will need to address such issues as political, economic, and military alliances; economic competition and interdependence; age-old ethnic enmities; health care; the environment; and human rights. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with geography, culture, and economics, and draws upon the natural and physical sciences and the humanities.
Individual Development and Identity - Personal identity is shaped by oneÕs culture, by family, by groups and institutional influences. Students should consider such questions as: How do people learn? Why do people behave as they do? What influences how people learn, perceive, and grow? How do people meet their basic needs in a variety of contexts? How do individuals develop from infancy to adulthood? In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with psychology and anthropology.
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions. Institutions such as families, schools, religious bodies, government agencies, and the courts play an integral role in peopleÕs lives. It is important that students learn how institutions are formed, what controls and influences them, how they influence individuals and cultures, and how they are maintained or changed. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, and history.
People, Places, and Environments - The study of people, places, and human-environment interactions assists students as they create their spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world beyond their personal locations. Students need the knowledge, skills, and understanding to answer questions such as: Why are things located in particular places? How do those particular places influence our lives? These two essential questions lead students to understandings and explanations of how and why the world in which they live can support them now and in the future. The subject matter is earthÕs surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments, and the connections between people and places. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with area studies and geography.
Power, Authority, and Governance - Social studies programs should present material on the study of government and the exercise of power and authority. How and why do human beings create governments? How do they preserve them? How do they change them? How do people gain power? How do they use power? What is freedom? What are rights? What are responsibilities? What is the difference between legitimate and illegitimate authority? Social studies programs should help students develop a broad understanding of how governments work and what the peopleÕs role and responsibility in government is. Such programs should thus help students become better citizens. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, political science, cultural anthropology and government, and fields such as global studies, law-related education, and the humanities.
Production, Distribution, and Consumption - Human wants exceed the limited resources available. What is produced and distributed is a result of decisions to allocate limited resources. The realities of unequal resource distribution necessitate systems of exchange including trade. The growing interdependence of world economies requires an understanding of the role of policies and technology in all three economic phases of production, distribution, and consumption. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, political science, geography, and economics.
Science, Technology, and Society - Changes in technology have and will continue to create difficult social choices. Technology has created a global village by providing instantaneous information and communication connections. The results of the uses of multifaceted technologies are not always anticipated, and will challenge our belief and cultural systems. How these results influence our society, as technology and science continue to evolve, will be the challenge of today and tomorrow. In schools, this theme typically appears in courses and units dealing with history, geography, economics, and civics and government.
Time, Continuity, and Change - Social studies programs should present
material on human history. How have human beings in different societies
thought and acted in the past? How and why have human societies and
cultures changed over time? In what ways have they remained the same?
Social studies programs should also introduce students to primary and secondary
sources, how they are generated, what biases they might contain, and how
historians might interpret them differently. Social studies programs
should help students develop a broad understanding of the past and of their
historical roots. This will help students make more informed and
intelligent decisions about public issues so that they can help shape the
future in a positive manner. In schools, this theme typically appears
in courses and units dealing with history, area studies, cultural anthropology,
and archeology.
Note: Some social studies terms used here appear with appropriate definitions and examples at the end of this section of PASS.
Asterisks (*) have been used to identify skills that must be assessed
by the local school district. All other skills may be assessed by
the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP).
CIVICS
Grades 6 - 8
The student will:
I.
Analyze the historic documents which have contributed to the establishment
and growth of the United States, including:
*A. the Magna Carta
B. the Declaration of Independence
*C. the Articles of Confederation
D. the United States Constitution and its amendments
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
II. Identify and evaluate the necessity and purpose of government.
A. Define and explain the significance of the terms government, politics, power, authority, and the rule of law.
B. Analyze the differences between limited and unlimited governments, and the importance of protecting individual rights.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
III. Define the terms constitution and constitutional government; explain how constitutions set forth purposes of government; and explain the way the United States Constitution is organized and how power is allocated.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
IV. Identify and explain the fundamental political principles of democratic government, including limited government; democracy and republicanism; consent of the governed; checks and balances; the rule of law; popular sovereignty; separation of powers; individual dignity and worth; and majority rule and minority rights.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
V.
Analyze the liberties and protections all individuals possess under the
Constitution, including:
A. Freedom of religion
B. Freedom of speech
C.
Freedom of the press
D.
Freedom of assembly and petition
E.
Due process
F.
Equal protection under the law
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
People, Places, and Environments
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
VI. Explain the concept of federalism and identify the characteristics of and interrelationships among national, state, and local governments.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
People, Places, and Environments
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
VII. Identify and describe personal and civic responsibilities, such as obeying the law, studying public issues, registering to vote and voting, and serving on a jury.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
VIII. Identify
ways in which citizens can become active participants in the political
process as young people (e.g., attending precinct meetings, stuffing envelopes,
distributing flyers, and making telephone calls in support of candidates
for office) and as adults, and plan and participate in mock elections,
mock debates and mock trials.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
People, Places, and Environments
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
*IX. Examine
the responsibilities of political leaders and the qualities of good leadership.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
X. Make distinctions among propaganda, fact and opinion; identify cause and effect relationships; and draw conclusions.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practices
XI.
Interpret, analyze, and create political cartoons, graphs, charts, and
other pictorial representations.
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Civic Ideals and Practice
GLOSSARY
absolute location - the location of a point on earthÕs surface which can be expressed by a grid reference (i.e., latitude and longitude).
B.C.E. - before the Common Era; the culturally neutral equivalent of B.C. (before Christ) used extensively by world historians and social scientists.
biomes - very large ecosystems made up of specific plant and animal communities interacting with the physical environment (climate and soil). They are usually identified with the climate and climax vegetation of large areas of the earthÕs surface (e.g., the Equatorial and Tropical Rain Forest Biome).
boundary - the limit or extent within which a system exists or functions, including a social group, a state, a country, or physical feature.
C.E. - the Common Era; the culturally neutral equivalent of A.D. (anno Domini: in the year of our Lord) used extensively by world historians and social scientists.
contour map - a representation of some part of the earthÕs surface
using lines along which all points are of equal elevation above or below
a fixed point, usually sea level.