2020 Colorado Academic Standards Online

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Make observations and draw conclusions from a variety of sources when studying American history. (Entrepreneurial Skills: Inquiry/Analysis)
2. Identify and explain multiple perspectives when exploring events, ideas, issues in United States history. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills: Global/Cultural Awareness).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How do sources with varied perspectives help us to understand what happened in the past?
2. Why is important to understand the historical context of events?
3. How might history be different without the Declaration of Independence?

Nature and Skills of History:

1. Historical thinkers analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources to make inferences about various time periods and show cause-and-effect relationships.
2. Historical thinkers seek people, places, and events that tell the story of history from multiple perspectives.
3. Historical thinkers examine data for point of view, historical context, distortion, or propaganda.
4. Historical thinkers apply the historical method of inquiry to continuously interpret and refine history. For example, political cartoonists portray multiple perspectives of events, and newspapers may be biased in coverage of events throughout time.
5. Historical thinkers generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.
6. Historical thinkers explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.
7. Historical thinkers explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.
8. Historical thinkers summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.
9. Historical thinkers gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, structure, and context to guide the selection.
10. Historical thinkers use evidence to develop claims in response to compelling questions.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
2. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
3. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.
4. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
5. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
6. Articulate the most effective options to access information needed for a specific purpose.
7. Communicate information through the use of technologies.

Colorado Essential Skills:

1. Identify and explain multiple perspectives when exploring events, ideas, issues in United States history. (Civic/Interpersonal Skills: Global/Cultural Awareness).

Inquiry Questions:

1. How did historical events and individuals contribute to diversity in the United States?
2. How did important American documents shape American beliefs and values?
3. To what extent did individuals and their ideas contribute to the establishment of the United States government?

Nature and Skills of History:

1. Historical thinkers use chronology to organize and study cause-and-effect relationships across time.
2. Historical thinkers study people, places, and events to tell the story of history from multiple perspectives.
3. Historical thinkers examine the context and information from the past to make connections and inform decisions in the present. For example: the concept of liberty continues to be defended by lawyers and citizens; and the rights and responsibilities of citizens continue to evolve through the work of policy makers, legislators, judges, lawyers, and individuals.
4. Historical thinkers generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.
5. Historical thinkers explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.
6. Historical thinkers summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.
7. Historical thinkers use evidence to develop a claim about the past.
8. Historical thinkers construct explanations using reasoning, correct sequence, examples, and details with relevant information and data.

Disciplinary, Information, and Media Literacy:

1. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
3. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
4. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
5. Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
6. Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
7. Communicate information through the use of technologies.