Macro: Identify key symbols, documents, principles, and beliefs that represent the constitutional system of our democratic government.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. The U.S. Constitution is a living document that provides a basic plan for our federal government; each of the three branches of the state and federal government has a function; and the three branches of government check and balance each other and are limited in their powers.

2. The U.S. Constitution protects individual rights and promotes the common good.

3. Key principles of American democracy include: individual rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness); the promotion of the common good; the right to justice; and equality of opportunity.

4. The U.S. Constitution is the highest law of the land.

5. Rules and laws also come from state and local governments.

6. There are key documents such as the Declaration of Independence, NJ and U.S. Constitutions, and the Bill of Rights which embody democratic principles and beliefs.

7. There are symbols of these American principles, e.g., the flag, the Statue of Justice, the Statue of Liberty, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national anthem.

Skills

Students will be able to:

1. Explain how the U.S. Constitution is a living document.
2. Explain how the U.S. Constitution is the plan for our federal government.
3. Identify the three branches of our federal government.
4. Explain the purpose of each branch.
5. Apply the concepts of checks and balances to the three branches of government.
6. Apply the key principles of American democracy to their daily lives.
7. Identify the U.S. Constitution as the highest law of our nation.
8. Recall that rules and laws also come from state and local governments.
9. Identify key documents, symbols, and oaths, e.g., Declaration of Independence, NJ and U.S. Constitutions, Bill of Rights, NJ and U.S. flags, the American bald eagle, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Statues of Liberty and Justice.

Macro: Assess and give examples about a public issue and describe the impact of government policy on their lives.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. A public issue is a topic of concern which may lead to or influence government action.
2. A government policy is a form of law that has impact on its citizens.
3. Individuals have personal rights, e.g., to religious freedom; that individuals have political rights e.g., to vote; and individuals have economic rights, e.g., to own property.
4. Individuals have personal responsibilities, e.g., to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions; and individuals have civic responsibilities, e.g., to communicate with their governmental representatives concerning public issues, and to be informed and attentive to the needs of their community.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Give an example of a public issue, e.g., children being injured when riding bicycles.
2. Give an example of a government policy (e.g., mandatory helmets for children riding bicycles), tell how it has impact on their lives, and give reasons for or against the policy.
3. Give examples of rights and responsibilities as applied to the classroom/school and community.

Macro: Learn democratic citizenship through examples taken from the humanities that are representative of various world cultures.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. People tell about their lives (experiences and cultures) and learn about others' lives through works of history, literature, and the arts.
2. People from diverse cultures express themselves differently using various means of artistic expression.
3. The arts can be used to influence points of view about public issues and the human condition.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Examine a work from the humanities/arts and explain how it depicts human experience, e.g., "Washington Crossing the Delaware."
2. Give examples from the arts and humanities of how people from diverse cultures in the United States express themselves, e.g., American Indian sand paintings and Negro spirituals.
3. Examine and describe how creative works depict struggles and triumphs, e.g., Norman Rockwell's "Walking to School" and American Indian totem poles.

Macro: Demonstrate an understanding of political ideas, events, and people that influenced the history of NJ, the U.S., and the world.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. Historical events have cause and effect relationships.
2. Turning points in history have been viewed differently by individuals and groups.
3. Throughout history, standards and conflicts have arisen out of the ongoing struggle for universal human rights.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Explain the causes and effects of historical events throughout significant time periods, e.g., the signing of the Declaration of Independence/the American Revolution, Louisiana Purchase/Westward Expansion, and school segregation/desegregation (story of Ruby Bridges).

2. Compare differing viewpoints expressed at turning points in history, e.g., Loyalists and Patriots, colonists and American Indians.

3. Give examples of universal human rights e.g., the rights to personal safety, freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom from economic exploitation.

4. Identify the key human rights issues in a passage from historical sources, e.g., speeches, diaries, letters, and editorials.

Macro: Demonstrate an understanding of institutions and social ideas and forces that have influenced the history of NJ, the U.S., and the world.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. Daily life has changed over time.
2. Social institutions include family, religion, and government.
3. Social institutions may or may not adequately meet the needs of people.
4. Events of cruel and inhumane behavior have occurred throughout history.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Compare and contrast how daily life has changed over time (e.g., occupations, clothing, food, and education), deriving information from reading passages, visuals, timelines, etc.
2. Identify social institutions and explain how they may or may not meet people's needs, e.g., the school and library.
3. Explain how specific historical events or series of incidents serve as illustrations of cruel and inhumane behavior, e.g., treatment of American Indians, immigrants, and enslaved people.

Macro: Understand that there are many cultures that have influenced the history of NJ, the U.S., and the world.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. There are common elements in different cultures.
2. Different individuals and groups have influenced students' daily lives.
3. People from different geographic, cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds have different customs and artifacts that reflect their culture.
4. Over time, technology has influenced daily life.
5. Cultural differences cause people to respond to particular events in varying ways.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Recognize the common elements in different cultures, e.g., family, belief systems, language, social organizations, traditions, artistic expressions, technology, and food.
2. Identify and explain how individuals and groups influence the students' daily lives, e.g., friends, family, and school.
3. Compare artifacts and customs of different geographic, cultural, religious and ethnic groups, e.g., head coverings/hats.
4. Give an example of an invention or technological development and explain how it has influenced daily life, e.g., printing press, cotton gin, Thomas Edison's light bulb, assembly line, hydroelectric power (Paterson Great Falls), and computer.
5. Describe how cultural differences influence the way people respond to historical events, e.g., Columbus's arrival in Hispañola.

Macro: Understand that throughout history local and global economic systems have produced and distributed goods and services. Within these systems a balance between economic growth and environmental preservation has been an ongoing issue.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. The role of money in everyday life as a medium of exchange and a measure of value.
2. The relationship of price to supply and demand.
3. People perform various types of work within our economic system.
4. The differences between wants and basic needs.
5. The concepts of economic growth and environmental preservation and their connection.
6. Goods, services, and economic needs are interdependent.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Use real life experiences to explain the role of money in everyday life.
2. Recognize the relationship of price to supply and demand.
3. Recognize how various occupations reflect changing needs of society.
4. Identify the differences between wants and the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter.
5. Explain how economic growth and environmental preservation are related.
6. Give examples of how economic interdependence is part of our daily lives, e.g., the production of/supply chain for sneakers from raw materials to a finished product.

Macro: Demonstrate geographic understanding by applying spatial concepts and using references and information systems.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. Maps and other geographic representations, technologies, and tools are used to gather, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
2. Spatial concepts of location, distance, direction, scale, region, and movement are tools which enable people to identify patterns to help them understand relationships among places.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Locate and process information from maps, globes, graphs, diagrams, and computer-based references and information systems.
2. Use spatial concepts to explain geographic factors that influence people's decisions.

Macro: Use mental maps 1 to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. Mental maps serve as the framework for identification of places locally, statewide, nationally, and worldwide.
2. Mental maps approximate size, dimension, and distances of physical and human characteristics.
3. Mental maps can be used to identify the major human and physical characteristics of the world.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Use a mental map of the world to locate the continents and oceans.
2. Use a mental map of New Jersey and the United States to identify major physical characteristics (e.g., mountains, bodies of water) and human characteristics (e.g., boundaries, cities, and cardinal directions). 1 "A mental map represents the mental image a person has of an area, including knowledge of features and spatial relationships as well as the individual's perceptions and attitudes regarding the place." (National Geography Standards, 1994). "A mental map is our idea of where something is and how to get to it. We all store these geographic images in our minds." (Journal of Geography)

Macro: Explain the interrelationship between human systems and the geography of places and regions.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. Physical factors (e.g., deserts, mountains, rivers, seas) and human factors (e.g., political boundaries, cultural traditions) influence migration, settlement patterns, and economic activity.
2. Population growth, movement, and distribution are reflections of human events (e.g., social, cultural) and physical events (e.g., flooding, ecological breakdown).
3. Geography influences economic interdependence.
4. There are similarities and differences among rural, suburban, and urban communities and that these communities are interrelated.
5. Global interdependence has occurred because of improvements in technology and human mobility.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Identify physical and human factors that have influenced migration, settlement patterns, and economic activity in NJ, the U.S., and the world.
2. Use maps to draw inferences based upon analysis of visual information about population.
3. Select an example of geography's influence on global economic interdependence, e.g., the production and consumption of oil or chocolate.
4. Identify similarities, differences, and relationships among rural, suburban, and urban communities, e.g., population density, housing patterns, and transportation networks.
5. Explain and give an example of how technology and human mobility have influenced industry and commerce, e.g., tourism, supermarkets.

Macro: Understand how the physical environment affects humans and how humans affect the environment.

Knowledge Elements
Students will know:

1. The characteristics of renewable and nonrenewable resources and their spatial distribution.
2. The role of resources in their daily life.
3. How people depend on, modify, and endanger their physical environment.
4. Natural environmental changes and crises (e.g., floods, tornadoes, earthquakes) can have local-to-global consequences.

Skills
Students will be able to:

1. Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
2. Use a map to identify resource distribution.
3. Explain how people use resources in their daily lives.
4. Describe ways in which people have depended on and altered the physical environment.
5. Define and give examples of natural environmental changes and crises and how they affect the physical and human environments.