SECTION 210:15-3-104.5. Social Studies Standards: Overview  


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  • (a)   Purpose. Having a literate citizenry rests on a commitment to democratic values and practicing them. It requires the ability to use knowledge about one's community, nation, and world. It also requires the ability to apply inquiry processes, as well as to employ skills of data collection and analysis, collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving. Young people who are knowledgeable, skillful, and committed to democracy are necessary to sustaining and improving the democratic way of life. This will also enable our students to become participating members of a global community. A well-rounded, vigorous 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.
    (b)   Structure. The standards are comprised of two primary components, content standards and social studies practices. The content standards designate specific learning targets at each grade level or course. These content standards are derived from the major disciplines of the social sciences: history, geography, civics, and economics. The social studies practices define basic skills and disciplinary tools to prepare students for college, career, and civic life. These practices are meant to be integrated with the instruction of content standards.
    (c)   Social Studies Content Strands. Social studies is a systematic and coordinated discipline designed to promote civic competence by drawing upon four content strands: history, geography, civics, and economics. These strands draw from all fields of study related to the social sciences to provide a framework used in the development of the content standards for social studies and are to be threaded through an integrated program, from grades pre-K through twelve (12), as appropriate at each level. While at some grades and for some courses, specific strands will be more dominant than others, all strands are represented and interrelated in the standards for each grade and course.
    (1)   Strand 1: History. History focuses on the written record of human experience revealing how individuals and societies developed institutions, philosophies, ideals, and cultural values, and resolved their problems. A balanced study of history helps students understand the "how and why" of past societies' successes and the consequences of their choices. By studying the choices and decisions of the past, students can confront today's problems with a deeper awareness of their alternatives and likely consequences.
    (2)   Strand 2: Geography. Geography has more to do with asking questions and solving problems than with rote memorization of isolated facts. It is the study of the earth's surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between 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.
    (3)   Strand 3: Civics. "Civics" is defined to mean the study of the rights and duties of Oklahoma and United States citizens and of how those governments work. This strand helps students understand the essential principles and workings of their political system and those of others, as well as the relationship of American politics and government to world affairs. The goal of civics is to develop literate, informed, competent, and responsible citizens who are politically aware, active and committed to the fundamental values and principles of American constitutional democracy.
    (4)   Strand 4: Economics. Economics provides students with an understanding of how individuals, communities, states, and nations allocate both scarce and abundant resources. A clear understanding of economics enables students to comprehend the various competing economic philosophies, ideas, and forces that affect them every day, to measure the effectiveness of each, and to identify and evaluate the consequences of personal decisions and public policies. Students then will understand how a market economy effectively functions, preparing them to be producers, consumers, and citizens.
    (d)   Social Studies Practices. The social studies practices reflect the key skills and disciplinary tools to prepare students for college, career, and civic life. The practices are meant to be integrated with the instruction of content standards. The five (5) social studies practices are designed to support student mastery of the content through a progression of skills from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
    (1)   Engage in Civic Discourse. This practice involves understanding civic virtues and the role of civic institutions. Students will gain knowledge of the history, principles, and foundations of American democracy to participate in civic and democratic processes. Students will identify the institutions of American government to analyze their role as responsible citizens. Students will understand the principles of government, the benefits of democratic systems, and their responsibilities as citizens.
    (A)   Students will demonstrate an understanding of the virtues that citizens should use when interacting with each other and the virtues that guided official government institutions.
    (B)   Students will demonstrate an understanding of the important institutions of their society and the principles that these institutions are intended to reflect.
    (C)   Students will demonstrate understanding of the processes and rules by which groups of people make decisions, govern themselves, and address public problems.
    (2)   Analyze and Address Authentic Civic Issues. This practice involves understanding the importance of critical questioning to solve real world problems. Students will develop essential questions to frame independent inquiry related to the past and present. Students will identify and address public problems individually and collaboratively to improve communities and society. Students will determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering essential, compelling, and supporting questions addressing authentic civic issues.
    (A)   Students will demonstrate the capability for developing essential, compelling, and supporting questions that address authentic civic issues.
    (B)   Students will demonstrate the ability to investigate problems taking into consideration multiple points of view represented in arguments, the structure of an explanation, and other sources.
    (3)   Acquire, Apply, and Evaluate Evidence. This practice involves understanding and using strategies to analyze evidence in the social sciences. Students will evaluate historical, geographic, and economic information. Students will draw conclusions from primary and secondary sources to formulate informed decisions. Students will use interdisciplinary tools and master the basic concepts of the social studies in order to acquire and apply content understanding in all related fields of study.
    (A)   Students will develop skills and practices which demonstrate an understanding that historical inquiry is based on the analysis and evaluation of evidence and its credibility.
    (B)   Students will demonstrate an understanding of geographic concepts and develop mastery of geographic tools and ways of thinking in order to become geographically informed.
    (C)   Students will analyze the principles of economic systems and develop an understanding of the benefits of a market system in local, national, and global settings.
    (4)   Read Critically and Interpret Information Sources. This practice involves understanding the purpose of engaging with text. Students will evaluate factual information and points of view as presented in text. Students will read historical and contemporary texts to engage in collaborative discussion. Students will engage in critical, active reading of grade-level appropriate primary and secondary sources related to key social studies concepts, including frequent analysis and interpretation of informational sources.
    (A)   Students will comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize textual sources to acquire and refine knowledge in the social studies.
    (B)   Students will apply critical reading and thinking skills to interpret, evaluate, and respond to a variety of complex texts from historical, ethnic, and global perspectives.
    (5)   Engage in Evidence-Based Writing. This practice involves understanding the multiple purposes of the writing process. Students will develop written products designed for a variety of social studies related investigations. Students will use and integrate evidence to present knowledge and support opinion. Students will apply effective communication skills by developing a variety of evidence-based written products designed for multiple purposes and tasks, in order to demonstrate their understandings of social studies concepts, ideas, and content.
    (A)   Students will summarize and paraphrase, integrate evidence, and cite sources to create written products, research projects, and presentations for multiple purposes related to social studies content.
    (B)   Students will engage in authentic inquiry to acquire, refine, and share knowledge through written presentations related to social studies.
[Source: Added at 36 Ok Reg 755, eff 7-25-19]