BELLE VERNON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

GENERAL SYLLABUS OUTLINE

**This syllabus is subject to change**

Course Name:

Social Studies Skills

Grade:

7

1.)

Course Description:

Social Studies Skills is a course designed to familiarize students with various geography information

from various types of maps, graphs, and charts.  The students are also expected to design their own

charts and graphs.  The course will also focus on reading and writing skills designed to increase reading

comprehension and improve skills in writing informative and opinionated paragraphs.

2.)

Learning Standards:

5.1

Principles and Documents of Government

5.2

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

5.3

How Government Works

5.4

How International Relationships Function

6.1

Economic Systems

6.2

Markets and the Functions of Government

6.3

Scarcity and Choice

6.4

Economic Interdependence

6.5

Work and Earnings

7.1

Basic Geographic Literacy

7.2

The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions

7.3

The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions

7.4

The Interactions Between People and Places

8.1

Historical Analysis and Skills Development

8.2

Pennsylvania History

8.3

United States History

8.4

Word History

3.)

Student Objectives:

5.1.6     Principles and Documents of Government

v

Explain the purpose of government.

v

Explain the importance of the rule of law for the protection of individual rights and the

common good in the community, state, nation, and world.

v

Describe the principles and ideas shaping government.

v

Explain the basic principles and ideals within documents of Pennsylvania government.

v

Explain the basic principles and ideals within documents of United States government.

v

Explain the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania and compare it to the Preamble of the Constitution of United States.

v

Describe the proper use, display and respect for the United States Flag and explain the

significance of patriotic activities.

v

Describe the roles played by the framers of the basic documents of governments of

Pennsylvania and the United States.

v

Describe and compare the making of rules by direct democracy and by a republican form

of government.

v

Describe how the government protects individual property rights and promotes the common

good.

v

Describe the purpose of symbols and holidays.

v

Explain the role of courts in resolving conflicts involving the principles and ideals of

government.

v

Explain the basic principles and ideals found in famous speeches and writings (e.g.,

"Governments, like clocks, go from the motion people give them," William Penn; "A date

that will live in infamy," Franklin D. Roosevelt).

5.1.9     Principles and Documents of Government

v

Identify and explain the major arguments advanced for the necessity of government.

v

Describe historical examples of the importance of the rule of law.

v

Analyze the principles and ideals that shape government.

v

Interpret significant changes in the basic documents shaping government of Pennsylvania.

v

Analyze the basic documents shaping the government of the United States.

v

Contrast the individual rights created by the Pennsylvania Constitution and those created

by the Constitution of the United States.

v

Describe the procedures for proper uses, display and respect for the United States Flag

as per the National Flag Code.

v

Explain and interpret the roles of framers of basic documents of government from a national

and Pennsylvania perspective.

v

Explain how law protects individual rights and the common good.

v

Explain why symbols and holidays were created and the ideals they commemorate.

v

Interpret Pennsylvania and United States court decisions that have impacted the principles

and ideals of government.

v

Interpret the impact of famous speeches and writings on civic life (e.g., The Gospel of

Wealth, Declaration of Sentiments).

5.2.6     Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

v

Compare rights and responsibilities of citizenship

v

Explain the relationship between rights and responsibilities.

v

Explain ways citizens resolve conflicts in society and government.

v

Describe the importance of political leadership and public service.

v

Identify examples of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

v

Describe the impact of the consequences of violating rules and laws in a civil society.

v

Explain the importance of participating in government and civic life.

5.2.9     Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

v

Contrast the essential rights and responsibilities of citizens in systems of government.

v

Analyze citizens' rights and responsibilities in local, state, and national government.

v

Analyze skills used to resolve conflicts in society and government.

v

Analyze political leadership and public service in a republican form of government.

v

Explain the importance of the political process to competent and responsible participation

in civic life.

v

Analyze the consequences of violating laws of Pennsylvania compared to those of the

United States.

v

Analyze political and civic participation in government and society.

5.3.6     How Government Works

v

Compare the structure, organization and operation of local, state, and national

governments.

v

Describe the responsibilities and power of the three branches of government.

v

Explain how governments actions affect citizens' daily lives.

v

Describe how local, state, and national governments implement their services.

v

Identify major leaders of local, state, and national governments, their primary duties and

their political party affiliation.

v

Describe the voting process.

v

Describe how governments protects individual rights.

v

Identify individual interests and how they impact government.

v

Describe why and how government raises money to pay for its operations and services.

v

Describe the influence of media in reporting issues.

v

Describe forms of government.

5.3.9     How Government Works

v

Explain the structure, organization and operation of the local, state, and national

governments including domestic and national policy-making.

v

Compare the responsibilities and powers of the three branches within the national government.

v

Explain how a bill becomes a law on a federal, state, and local level.

v

Explain how independent government agencies create, amend, and enforce regulatory

policies.

v

Explain how citizens participate in choosing their leaders through political parties,

campaigns and elections.

v

Explain the election process.

v

Explain how the government protects individual rights.

v

Analyze how interest groups provide opportunities for citizens to participate in the political

process.

v

Analyze how and why government raises money to pay for its operation and services.

v

Analyze the importance of freedom of the press.

v

Identify and explain systems of government.

5.4.6     How International Relationships Function

v

Explain the concept of nation-states.

v

Describe how nation-states coexist in the world community.

v

Describe the governments of the countries bordering the United States and their

relationships with the United States.

v

Describe the processes that resulted in a treaty or agreement between the United

States and another nation state.

v

Explain how nations work together on common environmental problems, natural disasters

and trade.

5.4.9     How International Relationships Function

v

Explain how the United States is affected by policies of nation-states, governmental and

non-governmental organizations.

v

Explain the role of the United States in world affairs.

v

Explain the effects United States political ideas have had on other nations.

v

Contrast how the three branches of federal government function in foreign policy.

v

Explain the development and the role of the United Nations and other international

organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.

6.1.6     Economic Systems

v

Describe and identify the characteristics of traditional, command, and market systems.

v

Explain the three basic questions that all economic systems attempt to answer.

v

Define measures of economic activity and relate them to the health of the economy.

v

Explain the importance of expansion and contraction on individual businesses (e.g.,

gourmet food shops, auto repair shops, ski resorts).

6.1.9     Economic Systems

v

Analyze the similarities and differences in economic systems.

v

Explain how traditional, command, and market economies answer the basic economic

questions.

v

Explain how economic indicators reflect changes in the economy.

v

Describe historical examples of expansion, recession, and depression in the United States.

6.2.6      Markets and the Functions of Government

v

Describe market transactions in terms of goods, services, consumers, and producers.

v

Describe the costs and benefits of competition to consumers in markets.

v

Explain the function of money and its use in society.

v

Define economic institutions (e.g., banks, labor unions).

v

Explain how the interaction of buyers and sellers determines prices and quantities

exchanged.

v

Describe how prices influence both buyers and sellers explain why prices may vary for

similar products.

v

Explain how taxes affect the price of goods and services.

v

Describe the Pennsylvania and United States governments' roles in monitoring economic

activities.

v

Identify and describe public goods.

v

Explain the cost and benefits of taxation.

v

Explain how advertisements influence perceptions of the costs and benefits of

economic decisions.

v

Explain what an exchange rate is.

6.2.9      Markets and the Functions of Government

v

Explain the flow of goods, services and resources in a mixed economy.

v

Analyze how the number of consumers and producers affects the level of competition

within a market.

v

Explain the structure and purpose of the Federal Reserve System.

v

Analyze the functions of economic institutions (e.g., corporations, not-for-profit institutions).

v

Explain the laws of supply and demand and how these affect the prices of goods and

services.

v

Analyze how competition among producers and consumers affects price, costs, product

quality, services, product design, variety, and advertising.

v

Contrast the largest source of tax revenue with where most tax revenue is spent in

Pennsylvania.

v

Analyze the economic roles governments in market economies.

v

Explain how government provides public goods.

v

Contrast the taxation polices of the local, state, and national governments in the economy.

v

Interpret how media reports can influence perceptions of the costs and benefits of

decisions.

v

Explain how the price of one currency is related to the price of another currency (e.g.,

Japanese yen in American dollar, Canadian dollar in Mexican nuevo peso).

6.3.6     Scarcity and Choice

v

Explain how scarcity influences choices and behaviors.

v

Explain how limited resources and unlimited wants cause scarcity.

v

Describe the natural, human, and capital resources used to produce a specific good or

service.

v

Explain the costs and benefits of an economic decision.

v

Define opportunity cost and describe the opportunity cost of a personal choice.

v

Explain how negative and positive incentives affect choices.

6.3.9     Scarcity and Choice

v

Describe ways to deal with scarcity.

v

Analyze how unlimited wants and limited resources affect decision-making.

v

Explain how resources can be used different ways to produce different goods and services.

v

Explain marginal analysis and decision-making.

v

Explain the opportunity cost of a public choice from different perspectives.

v

Explain how incentives affect the behaviors of workers, savers, consumers, and producers.

6.4.6      Economic Interdependence

v

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of specialization and division of labor.

v

Explain how specialization leads to more trade between people and nations.

v

Identify and define imports, exports, inter-regional trade and international trade.

v

Explain how the location of resources, transportation, and communication networks

and technology have affected Pennsylvania economic patterns.

v

Explain how specialization and trade lead to interdependence.

v

Explain how opportunity costs influence where goods and services are produced locally

and regionally.

v

Describe geographic patterns of economic activities in Pennsylvania.

6.4.9      Economic Interdependence

v

Explain why specialization may lead to increased production and consumption.

v

Explain how trade may improve a society's standard of living.

v

Explain why governments sometimes restrict or subsidize trade.

v

Explain how the location of resources, transportation, and communication networks and

technology have affected United States economic patterns.

v

Analyze how Pennsylvania consumers and producers participate in the global production

and consumption of goods or services.

v

Explain how opportunity cost can be used to determine the product for which a nation has

a comparative advantage.

v

Describe geographic patterns of economic activities in the United States.

6.5.6      Work and Earnings

v

Recognize that the availability of goods and services is the result of work by members of

the society.

v

Explain the concept of labor productivity.

v

Compare the number of employees at different businesses.

v

Explain how profits and losses serve as incentives.

v

Describe how people accumulate tangible and financial assets through income, saving

and financial investment.

v

Identify entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania

v

Identify the costs and benefits of savings.

v

Describe why there is a difference between interest rates for saving and borrowing.

6.5.9      Work and Earnings

v

Define wages and explain how wages are determined by the supply of and demand for

workers.

v

Describe how productivity is measured and identify ways in which a person can improve

his or her productivity.

v

Identify and explain the characteristics of the three types of businesses.

v

Analyze how risks influence business decision-making.

v

Define wealth and describe its distribution within and among the political divisions of the

United States.

v

Identify leading entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania and the United States and describe the risks

they took and the rewards they received.

v

Explain the differences among stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

v

Explain the impact of higher or lower interest rates for savers, borrowers, consumers, and

producers.

7.1.6     Basic Geographic Literacy

v

Describe geographic tools and their uses.

v

Describe and locate places and regions.

7.1.9     Basic Geographic Literacy

v

Explain geographic tools and their uses.

v

Explain and locate places and regions.

7.2.6     The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Describe the physical characteristics of places and regions.

v

Describe the physical processes that shape patterns on Earth's surface.

7.2.9     The Physical Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Explain the physical characteristics of places and regions including spatial patterns of

Earth's physical systems.

v

Explain the dynamics of the fundamental processes that underlie the operation of Earth's

physical systems.

7.3.6      The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their population

characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their settlement characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their economic

characteristics.

v

Describe the human characteristics of places and regions by their political activities.

7.3.9      The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions

v

Explain the human characteristics of places and regions by their population

characteristics.

v

Explain the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics.

v

Explain the human characteristics of places and regions by their settlement characteristics.

v

Explain the human characteristics of places and regions by their economic activities.

v

Explain the human characteristics of places and regions by their political activities.

7.4.6      The Interaction Between People and Places

v

Describe the impacts of physical systems on people.

v

Describe the impacts of people on physical systems.

7.4.9      The Interaction Between People and Places

v

Explain the impacts of physical systems on people.

v

Explain the impacts of people on physical systems.

8.1.6      Historical Analysis and Skills Development

v

Understand chronological thinking and distinguish between past, present, and future time.

v

Explain and analyze historical sources.

v

Explain the fundamentals of historical interpretation.

v

Describe and explain historical research.

8.1.9      Historical Analysis and Skills Development

v

Analyze chronological thinking.

v

Analyze and interpret historical sources.

v

Analyze the fundamentals of historical interpretation.

v

Analyze and interpret historical research.

8.2.6      Pennsylvania History

v

Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to

Pennsylvania history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important to

Pennsylvania history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain how continuity and change have influenced Pennsylvania history from

the beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

Pennsylvania history from beginnings to 1824.

8.2.9      Pennsylvania History

v

Analyze the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to Pennsylvania

history from 1787 to 1914.

v

Identify and analyze primary documents, material artifacts and historic sites important in

Pennsylvania history from 1787 to 1914.

v

Identify and analyze how continuity and change have influenced Pennsylvania history from

the 1787 to 1914.

v

Identify and analyze conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

Pennsylvania history from 1787 to 1914.

8.3.6      United States History

v

Identify and explain the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups in

United States history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important in

United States history from beginnings to 1824.

v

Explain how continuity and change has have influenced United States history from

beginnings to 1824.

v

Identify and explain conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

United States history from beginnings to 1824.

8.3.9      United States History

v

Identify and analyze the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to

United States history from 1787 to 1914.

v

Identify and analyze primary documents, material artifacts and historic sites important in

United States history from 1787 to 1914.

v

Analyze how continuity and change has influenced United States history from 1787 to

1914.

v

Identify and analyze conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations in

United States history from 1787 to 1914.

8.4.6      World History

v

Identify and explain how individuals and groups made significant political and cultural

contributions to world history.

v

Identify and explain important documents, material artifacts, and historic sites in world

history.

v

Identify and explain how continuity and change has affected belief systems, commerce

and industry, innovations, settlement patterns, social organizations, transportation, and

women's roles in world history.

v

Explain how conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations affected

world history.

8.4.9      World History

v

Analyze the significance of individuals and groups who made major political and cultural

contributions to world history before 1500.

v

Analyze historical documents, material artifacts, and historical sites important to world

history before 1500.

v

Analyze how continuity and change throughout history has impacted belief systems and

religious, commerce and industry, innovations, settlement patterns, social organizations,

transportation and roles of women before 1500.

v

Analyze how conflict and cooperation among social groups and organizations impacted

world history through 1500 in Africa, Americas, Asia, and Europe.

4.)

Course Text:

v  Mastering Social Studies Skills

v  Unlocking Geography Skills and Concepts

v  Unlocking the Five Themes of Geography

5.)

Major Units or Themes:  (Include the following)

v     Reading Skills

v     Writing Skills

v     Textbook, Reference, and Test Skills

v     Analysis Skills

v     Globe and Map Skills

v     Using Latitude and Longitude

v     Studying Special Purpose Maps

6.)

Teaching Methods:

v     Lecture/Discussion

v     Demonstration

v     Role Play

v     Guided Practices

v     Simulation

v     Cooperative Learning

7.)

Assessment:

v     Tests

v     Quizzes

v     Daily Homework

v     Creative Writing/Journals

v     Oral Presentations

v     Essays

v     Journals/Notebooks