Colorado Academic Standards Online

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Interpret information and draw conclusions based on deep analysis of primary and secondary sources. (Critical Thinking/Problem Solving)
2. Synthesize ideas in insightful ways by examining multiple perspectives from the American Revolution through Reconstruction (Creativity and Innovation).
3. Make predictions and design data/information collection to analyze conflicting perspectives (Data Literacy).
4. Look for and find value in perspectives expressed by others (Adaptability/Flexibility).

Inquiry Questions:

1. What ideas inspired the writing of America’s founding documents?
2. How have America’s founding documents impacted Americans?
3. Why do historians sometimes come to different conclusions about the same historical events?
4. Should and can historians be completely impartial when writing about history?
5. To what degree is there consistency among historical narratives written by historians about early U.S. history?

Nature and Skills of History:

1. Historical thinkers interpret history through the examination of primary and secondary sources with multiple perspectives.
2. Historical thinkers gather and synthesize information from primary and secondary sources to evaluate and create hypotheses of historical events and include supporting evidence to defend their claim.
3. Historical thinkers analyze modern and historical maps, through geographic tools, to explain how historical events are shaped by geography.
4. Historical thinkers use technology to produce and present primary and secondary sources clearly and efficiently.
5. Historical thinkers use the context and content from the past to make connections to the present. For example: Connecting the Civil War to current social and political issues, the boom-and-bust cycle of economics with the Gold Rush, and the impact of transportation during the development of the western United States and Colorado.
6. Historical thinkers use the historical method of inquiry to interpret and refine history and analyze multiple perspectives. For example: Historians and communities preserve historical documents, artifacts, and buildings.
7. Historical thinkers apply the inquiry process by developing a focus statement and questioning protocols to generate, evaluate, improve, and select high quality historical inquiry questions.
8. Historical thinkers apply analysis techniques to deepen understanding of primary and secondary sources. For example: Sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Seek information from varied sources and perspectives to develop informed opinions and creative solutions.
2. Evaluate the reliability, accuracy, relevance, and bias of online and print sources.
3. Ask, investigate, and answer historical questions through the interpretation of primary sources.
4. Use criteria to evaluate the quality of claims or evidence in a source.
5. Develop a clear sense of historical time, past, present, and future in order to identify the sequence in which events occurred.
6. Conduct research by locating, gathering, and organizing information to present orally and in writing by using appropriate technology resources to support learning.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Interpret information and draw conclusions based on multiple perspectives (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
2. Synthesize ideas in insightful ways about historical eras, individuals, groups, ideas, and themes (Creativity and Innovation).
3. Make predictions and design data/information collection and analysis strategies to recognize continuity and change through time (Critical Thinking and Analysis, Data Literacy).
4. Look for and find value in perspectives expressed by others (Adaptability/Flexibility).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How have the basic values and principles of American democracy changed over time and in what ways have they been preserved?
2. How was North American colonial settlement perceived by Indigenous Peoples, and how did this impact their culture and survival throughout the continent?
3. What role did economics play in the establishments and perpetuation of the enslavement of peoples from the 17th century onward?
4. How did the application of the rights found in the Declaration of Independence change over time?
5. To what extent are the ideas of the American Revolution and the United States Constitution still affecting the world today?
6. How did America define itself as a “new” nation in the early 19th century?
7. How did different groups of people participate in, respond to, and resist Westward Expansion?
8. How did Americans redefine the right to vote during the 19th century?
9. To what extent did the13th Amendment truly end slavery?
10. What role did various and diverse social groups such as women, African Americans, and Indigenous Peoples play in the Civil War?
11. To what extent did the 13th Amendment truly end slavery?
12. How have primary documents from multiple diverse perspectives influenced people, events, and ideas in U.S. History?

Nature and Skills of History:

1. Historical thinkers understand that slavery was instituted into what now is the United States of America under the laws of the English Monarch and the United States was the only nation to fight a war to eliminate slavery.
2. Historical thinkers create, investigate, and refine historical questions, and interpret history using primary and secondary sources representing multiple perspectives.
3. Historical thinkers analyze modern and historical maps, and other geographic tools, to explain how historical events are shaped by geography.
4. Historical thinkers use technology to produce and present primary and secondary sources clearly and efficiently.
5. Historical thinkers use the context and content from the past to make connections to the present locally, nationally, and globally.
6. Historical thinkers use the historical method of inquiry to interpret and refine history. For example: Historians and communities preserve historical documents, artifacts, oral histories, and buildings.
7. Historical thinkers use primary and secondary sources to create a claim that logically interprets historical events and provide relevant and specific evidence and reasoning to defend their claim.
8. Historical thinkers apply analysis techniques to deepen understanding of primary and secondary sources. For example: Sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Seek information from varied sources and perspectives to develop informed opinions and creative solutions.
2. Answer a historical question through the interpretation of primary and secondary sources.
3. Develop a clear sense of chronology, past, present, and future in order to identify the sequence in which events occurred and recognize cause and effect relationships
4. Conduct research by locating, gathering, and organizing information to present orally and in writing by using appropriate technology resources to support learning.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Interpret information and draw conclusions using demographic information based on the best analysis to understand patterns of change in human and physical systems (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
2. Synthesize ideas in insightful or innovative ways to demonstrate understanding of demographic patterns of movement and their impact upon the physical systems of the United States (Creativity and Innovation).
3. Organize geographic information using technologies to develop greater understanding of a historical event or action (Media Literacy, Data Literacy).
4. Demonstrate ways to adapt and reach workable solutions when considering the use of limited resources and their impact upon political and historical events (Adaptability and Flexibility).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How have human settlement and migration patterns influenced and changed cultural characteristics and environmental systems?
2. How can geographic tools help explore patterns of continuity and change in human and physical systems?
3. How is human activity limited by the environment?
4. How have humans adapted to and changed the physical environment?

Nature and Skills of Geography:

1. Geographic thinkers recognize concepts of land and spatial representation to analyze and solve geographic and historical problems.
2. Geographic thinkers apply spatial reasoning to understand historical events.
3. Geographic thinkers use cognitive skills fundamental to spatial thinking by combining spatial visualization, spatial orientation, and spatial relation including recognition of spatial distributions and patterns to connect locations and associate and correlate spatially distributed phenomena.
4. Geographic thinkers respond to historical and spatial literature, including diverse narratives, to understand issues from a spatial perspective.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
2. Apply reading and writing strategies to construct and express knowledge.
3. Construct and interpret visual representations of geographic information.
4. Apply analysis of geographic data to logically interpret historical phenomena and sources.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Interpret information and draw conclusions as geographers based on the best analysis to recognize and understand the processes that interact in shaping human population patterns and historical events (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
2. Synthesize ideas in original and surprising ways while comparing differing geographic perspectives (Creativity and Innovation).
3. Act on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to analyze and explain interdependence, cooperation, and conflict over land and resources in early American history (Perseverance and Resilience).
4. Demonstrate ways to adapt and reach workable solutions in understanding differing perspectives over use of resources and space (Adaptability and Flexibility).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How will the location of resources lead to cooperation or conflict in the future?
2. How has conflict over land and resources impacted human migration of various ethnic and cultural groups across Colorado and North America?
3. How have differing perspectives regarding resource and land use, occupancy, and ownership led to cooperative policies or conflict?
4. How would human settlement patterns be different if people did not trade resources with others?

Nature and Skills of Geography:

1. Geographic thinkers evaluate the allocation of resources and the use of land to understand relationships.
2. Geographic thinkers recognize that different perspectives affect cooperation and conflict over space and resources.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
2. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
3. Read to identify cause-and-effect relationships, to compare and contrast information, identify fact and opinion, and determine author bias.
4. Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, and bias of online and print sources.
5. Identify propaganda, censorship, and bias in the media.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Make predictions and design data/information collection and analysis strategies concerning economic policy through evaluation of historical events (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
2. Apply knowledge and skills as an economist and citizen to implement sophisticated, appropriate, and workable solutions to address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives independently or with others in order to inform public policy (Global and Cultural Awareness).
3. Educate and inspire others using sound economic understandings to evaluate economic policy and inform economic decisions based upon consideration of past experiences (Critical Thinking and Analysis).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How do societies benefit from trade and exchange?
2. Why is it important for nations to control trade and exchange?
3. What are the benefits and challenges of trade at the individual, local, state, national, and international levels?
4. How does where and how you purchase products affect the cultural, social, economic, and environmental conditions?
5. What impact upon productivity results from taxation?
6. What concerns do citizens have with taxation?
7. What was the economic impact on citizens of the United States after leaving British rule?
8. How did regional interests impact political leaders' positions on slavery and economic policy?

Nature and Skills of Economics:

1. Economic thinkers choose wisely to get the most from limited resources. They understand that trade and collaboration within a market economy is important to business and individual success.
2. Economic thinkers understand that economic actions have indirect as well as direct effects and it is important to analyze positive and negative impacts of trade agreements as critical to a nation’s success.
3. Economic thinkers understand that technological advances aid businesses in operating efficiently.
4. Economic thinkers analyze the components of economic growth in market economies because economic theories can be used to predict consequences.
5. Economic thinkers understand that economic actions have both direct and indirect effects on people living in poverty, children, the disabled, ethnic, and religious groups who may not have a voice in decision-making.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Gather information by taking notes, making outlines, and creating graphic organizers.
2. Read texts by using reading strategies (i.e., prior knowledge, key vocabulary words, context clues, main ideas, supporting details, and text features: pictures, maps, text boxes).
3. Formulate appropriate research questions.
4. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflections, and research.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Make connections as citizens between information gathered and personal experiences to apply and/or test solutions to analyze citizenship and examine the individual role in government (Civic Engagement).
2. Apply knowledge as citizens to set goals, make informed decisions and transfer to new contexts about the roles and responsibilities of individual citizens (Civic Engagement).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How have citizens and groups influenced change?
2. What are the roles and responsibilities for citizens?
3. What are the various ways that the government may respond to civic voice and participation?
4. How has civic participation impacted the development of government and civil rights in America?
5. What is more effective, diplomacy or debate?
6. How have political parties formed and changed over time?
7. How have Americans fought to preserve their rights, outlined in the Bill of Rights, and when the government violated those rights?

Nature and Skills of Civics:

1. Civic-minded individuals distinguish the powers and responsibilities of citizens, political parties, interest groups, and the media in a variety of government and non-governmental contexts.
2. Civic-minded individuals explain specific roles played by citizens. For example: Voters, jurors, taxpayers, members of the armed forces, petitioners, protesters, and officeholders.
3. Civic-minded individuals examine the origins, purposes, and impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements.
4. Civic-minded individuals explain the powers and limits of the three branches of government, public officials, and bureaucracies at different levels in the United States and in other countries.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Use content-specific technology tools to support learning and research.
2. Use effective decision-making and problem-solving skills in public and private life.
3. Accept and demonstrate civic responsibility for the well-being of oneself, family, and the community.
4. Conduct research by locating, gathering, organizing information and data, and evaluating online and print resources.
5. Demonstrate positive social and ethical behaviors when using technology and discuss consequences of inappropriate use.
6. Compares and contrasts evidence from multiple sources to seek, find, and prove corroboration.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Make connections as citizens between information gathered and personal experiences to apply and/or test solutions to analyze the structures and functions of government (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
2. Connect knowledge as citizens from personal ideas/understandings to civic engagement about the origins, structures, and functions of governments (Civic Engagement).

Inquiry Questions:

1. What is the “common good?”
2. What are key court cases and historical events in the development of the United States?
3. How have landmark Supreme Court cases impacted society?
4. How does civil discourse contribute to the resolution of conflicts?
5. How has the United States balanced individual rights and law?
6. How does discussion and consensus building contribute to the development of a decision?
7. How does the U.S. Constitution provide for the rule of law, separation of power, and popular sovereignty?
8. Who is included and who is excluded in the clause, “All men are created equal,” which is written in the Declaration of Independence?" How true was this clause at the time it was written?

Nature and Skills of Civics:

1. Civic-minded individuals read diverse sources to create understanding, critically analyze issues, and place them in historical context.
2. Civic-minded individuals understand and discuss the dynamic nature of national government and the individual’s role in the process.
3. Civic-minded individuals understand that all forms of discrimination based on race have been illegal for almost three generations.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Use content specific technology tools to support learning and research.
2. Use effective decision-making and problem-solving skills in public and private life.
3. Accept responsibility for the well-being of oneself, family, and the community.
4. Apply social studies content and skills to real life situations.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Investigate to form hypotheses, make observations, and draw conclusions (Critical Thinking and Analysis).
2. Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis (Critical Thinking and Analysis).

Inquiry Questions:

1. What role did taxes play in the birth of our nation?
2. What would countries look like without taxes?
3. How has the value of money changed over time and what is the impact on consumerism?
4. How did inventions impact personal financial options?

Nature and Skills of Personal Financial Literacy:

1. Financially capable individuals apply the economic way of thinking which assumes that people make choices because they are responding to the underlying incentives.
2. Financially capable individuals study factors that lead to increased economic interdependence, increased productivity, and improved standard of living for the individuals in a society.
3. Financially capable individuals understand that there is an economic role for government in a market economy whenever the benefits of a government policy outweigh its costs.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.
2. Explain how a question represents key ideas in the field.
3. Explain points of agreement experts have about interpretations and applications of disciplinary concepts and ideas associated with a compelling question.
4. Analyze and use information presented visually in a text. For example: Graphs, charts, flowcharts, diagrams, models, tables, that support the words in a text.