Social Studies Middle School

Social Studies – Middle School

Highly Qualified Content Outline

This unit of study will cover US I, US II, Civics and Economics and World History I.

You will need to select three of the four units to complete the assigned work to be highly qualified. Your selection must be based on the Middle School Curriculum for your

school division.

You will be given an outline of necessary assignments to complete for each unit chosen.

You will spend approximately ten hours of research, writing and testing time on each unit. This will meet the state requirements of thirty hours of instruction. A notebook will be compiled that will have the three units of information included. This notebook will be turned into the supervisor/grader in Social Studies who will determine if the basic content required has been met. If the notebook is complete, a letter will be sent to the Special Education Department of your school division. Your division will then certify you as Highly Qualified.

Each participant will need to get a textbook for each unit from their school division to use as the resource for putting the notebook of information together. Once the notebook is returned to each participant, it will become a guide and resource in the classroom. Materials must be put in a three ring binder. Since you will be copying parts of the Enhanced Scope and Sequence or the SOLs for three subjects, you may need a two or three inch binder. You will also need section dividers for the three units and you will need to identify (with a divider) the final test at the end of each unit that will be scored.

Unit Outline for II, III, and IV. (Unit I is basic information on the SOLs and the Enhanced Scope and Sequence)

A. Pretest

B. SOLs/ copy of the Enhanced Scope and Sequence from the Virginia

Department of Education Site in each section/unit.

C. Topics for discussion and note taking for that unit. To be typed and included

in the notebook.

D. Sample lesson plans or another assignment.

E. Final test for the Unit.

* Note this is a 30 hour project to meet the State Highly Qualified Requirements.

Notebook Format

Unit I - Middle School

Introduction – Use the Virginia Department of Education site to complete the following:

I. The History and Social Science Standards of Learning

a. What are Virginia Standards of Learning?

b. When did the current Social Studies SOLs go into effect?

c. When were the current social Studies SOLs revised?

d. When will the revisions take effect?

e. What was/is the intent of the Social Studies SOLs?

f. Briefly tell about the six goals of the History and Social Science SOLs.

II. The Enhanced Scope and Sequence

a. What is the History and Social Science Scope and Sequence?

b. Write a thorough description including what is included in the Enhanced Scope and Sequence.

c. How is this useful to the classroom teacher?

III. Standards of Learning Test Blueprints

a. What are Test Blueprints?

b. What does the Blueprint Summary Table display?

c. Are all SOLs tested? Explain.

d. Look at one of the Blueprint Summary Tables – how easy is this for the teacher to us?

e. What is the expanded blue print?

IV. Under Instructional Services – Social Studies – list other resources available for Social Studies teachers.

V. Write a short description of the 2008 revised social Studies SOLs.

Unit 1 U S History I (U S History to 1877)

A. Pretest - Put the following events in chronological order. (Put answers on this page.)

1. _____ Westward Expansion and the Mexican War

2. _____ The Articles of Confederation adopted

3. _____ The Missouri Compromise

4. _____ Reconstruction

5. _____ The Civil War begins

6. _____ The first colonies settled

7. _____ Washington’s election

8. _____ Battle of Yorktown

9. _____ The Constitutional Convention held

10. _____ The Monroe Doctrine adopted

11. _____ The surrender at Appomattox

12. _____ Jefferson purchases the Louisiana Territory

13. _____ The French and Indian War takes place

14. _____ The Declaration of Independence adopted

15. _____ Early Indian Civilizations

B. The Virginia SOLs and the Enhanced Scope and Sequence for USI.

1. Go to the Department of Education page and look under SOLs. Print a copy of the SOLs for USI. Highlight each standard and the sub topics labeled a., b., c., etc.

2. Go to the Social Studies sections and locate the Enhanced Scope and Sequence. Print page 77-88.

· What is USI.8 about? Highlight the major areas covered under the content on pages 77-88. Write a brief description of the three sessions. Under attachment B (page 85) complete a map with the required information. Please color the original thirteen colonies, the Louisiana Purchase/Territory, Florida, the Texas annexation, Oregon Country, the Mexican Cession and the Gadsden Purchase.

· Under attachment E – Read the questions and add five more of your questions to the same assessment.

C. Topics for research and discussion: these are topics selected for you to read and take notes about because they are the topics most difficult for students taking the US I SOL test. Use the textbook for US I that is used in your school division for this class. Give the name, publisher, author (s), and date of publication.

Type information, punch holes and put in notebook/binder. Complete 1 and 2. Choose either 3 or 4 to answer.

1. A description of the Articles of Confederation - Write a description of

the government under the Articles – the branches of government. Why

did the writers design this type of government. Why did it not work?

2. The government under the U.S. Constitution – write a description of the government structure under the Constitution. Why was the system changed from the Articles type of government? How does the system of checks and balances work? Show or tell how each branch checks on the other branches. Why was it included?

3. Write a description of the cultural and economic reasons for the Civil War.

4. Make a list and a brief description of the actions taken beginning in 1820

that were attempts to resolve the differences between the North and the South.

D. From the topics above, develop a unit plan that you would use in the classroom. How many class sessions would the unit take? Then, develop a lesson plan to teach a specific part of the unit. Include the components of a good lesson plan.

E. Final test U S I (type answers, punch holes, and put in notebook/binder)

1. Make a list of 8 people who played a most important role in this period of history and relate the role they played in history and their importance.

2. Why did the Constitution work when the Articles of Confederation did not?

3. What were the major impacts of the Civil War on the nation?

4. What have you learned from your review of U.S. History to 1877?

Unit III Civics and Economics

A. Pretest - Answer the following questions (answer on this sheet/front & back)

1. Who is a citizen of the U.S.? Where do you find this definition?

2. What is each article of the Constitution about?

3. What are the three levels of government and what does each do?

4. Create a chart of the three levels and the three branches and give the name of each entity at each level.

5. Write a good definition of economics.

6. Fiscal policy is carried out by the Congress. What does Congress do to regulate the economy? List at least 3.

7. What is the job of the Federal Reserve System? How does it regulate the economy?

8. What does the U.S. Supreme Court do? How many justices sit on the court? Who is the current Chief Justice?

9. What is a political party and what are the basic goals of political parties in the U.S.?

10. Why is there a system of checks and branches incorporated into the U.S. Constitution?

B. The Virginia SOLs and the Enhanced Scope and Sequence for Civics and Economics.

1. Go to the Department of Education page and find the SOLs. Print a copy and punch holes to put in your notebook (approximately 46 pages). Use a highlighter and as you read highlight the main standards and the subtopics identified as a, b, c, etc.

2. Go to the Enhanced Scope and Sequence section. Locate page 27 “Our Federal System of Government” CE.6, CE.7 and CE.8. Select one branch of government (Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary). Print pages 27-29. Highlight the content for the branch you selected. Print the sessions that apply to your branch. For example: Session 4, 5, and 6 apply to all branches; include them. Session 8 applies to the Legislative branch; include it and others that relate to Congress if you chose the Legislative branch.

· Print the attachments that apply to the branch you selected.

· Include 10 assessment items for your branch. Multiple choice questions. Use attachment Y to start your questions and use any of those that apply to your branch.

C. Topics for research and discussion:

· These are topics selected for you to read and take notes on because they are the topics most difficult for students taking the Civics/Economics SOL test. For your research use the text book for Civics/Economics that is used in your division. Complete 3 of the 5.

Use your own paper, punch holes and put in notebook.

Give the name of the textbook from your division that you are using (publisher, date of publication, and author).

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

1. Write a description of the Federal Reserve System. Include background

information, makeup of the governing board, the process to regulate the money supply and other important information.

2. Describe the basic characteristics of the American economy.

3. Make a chart giving information on the workings of the government at each level. Who is the national executive – what does he do? Who is the state executive - What does he do? The legislature? The judicial?

4. How does one get elected President? List from ‘throwing hat into the ring’ through the swearing in. Give time – month and year…..Include primaries, role of money, role of media and other factors.

5. Write a brief description of the U.S. Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments).

D. Use CE7.a and CE7.b to develop a unit plan for teaching about the Virginia Legislature and the Virginia Executive branches. This should be a skeletal unit with main topics. No specific lesson plans are required.

E. Final Test for Civics/Economics (use this sheet, punch holes and put in notebook).

1. Who gets elected President of the U. S.?

2. Why is the Federal Reserve System so important to a stable economy?

3. Describe voting in the U.S. Who votes? What are the qualifications? Why do

people not vote? What is the impact of the low voter turnout in the U.S.?

4. Write a brief description of the three types of economies.

World History I - World History to 1500

(Note that you are doing only three units, based on which your school division teaches in the middle schools.)

A. Pretest – Put the following events in chronological order. (Put answers on this page.)

1. _____ The Middle Ages

2. _____ The New Stone Age

3. _____ Alexander the Great

4. _____ The Rise of Rome

5. _____ Rise of Christianity

6. _____ Indus River Valley Civilization

7. _____ The Renaissance

8. _____ The Rise of Greece

9. _____ The Rise of Islam

10. _____ The Peloponnesian Wars

11. _____ Monotheism, The Hebrews, The Jews

12. _____ The Crusades

13. _____ The Age of Exploration

14. _____ The Byzantine Empire

15. _____ The Persian Empire

B. Copy of SOLs for World History I. Highlight the essential knowledge for each SOL/bullet as you read through the SOLs. There will be 60 pages.

C. Topics for research and discussion: these are topics selected because they are difficult for students taking the WH I SOL Test.

Use the textbook used in your division for your research information. Give the name of the text, the publisher, the author(s) and date of publication.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Type information, punch holes and put in notebook/binder. (Complete 2 of the following 3)

1. Write a brief description of each of the following early civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley, China, the Hebrews, the Phoenicians and Kush. Include information on religious beliefs since this is an important part of study.

2. Write a one page description of the Rise of Nation States WHI.12.

3. Make an outline of important events, dates and people of the Middle Ages.

D. Design a unit lesson plan for teaching WHI II. Give objectives, a brief outline of information, length of unit (days/weeks), activities to stimulate interest and closing activities. You do not need to make up a test for this. Include any other information included in a good unit.

E. Final test World History I (type answers, punch holes and put in notebook/binder.

You must complete #1 and either #2 or #3.

1. List and briefly identify the beliefs of eight world religions that are tested on the SOL test for WHII.

2. Discuss how geography affected/influenced the development of early civilizations. Limit this answer to no more than one page.

3. Discuss the classical cultures and their influence on periods of history that

followed. Address only those that are taught in WHII. Or, instead of this

question you can put together a lesson plan for teaching about the Greek or the

Roman Civilizations.

(*do not use the plan created in part III)