INTRODUCTION The approved by the Board of Education on January 28, 2016, is a History and Social Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework 2015, companion document to the 2015 The Curriculum Framework amplifies the History and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools. Standards of Learning by defining the content understandings, knowledge, and skills that are measured by the Standards of Learning assessments. The standards and Curriculum Framework are not intended to encompass the entire curriculum for a given grade level or course, nor to prescribe how the content should be taught. School divisions are encouraged to incorporate the standards and Curriculum Framework into a broader, locally designed curriculum. The Curriculum Framework delineates in greater specificity the minimum content that all teachers should teach and all students should learn. Teachers are encouraged to go beyond the standards and select instructional strategies and assessment methods appropriate for their students. Additional details such as the names of historical figures whose study further enriches the standards and clarifies the concepts under investigation will be found in the Curriculum Framework. The Curriculum Framework facilitates teacher planning by identifying essential understandings, knowledge, and skills. Together, these key elements provide the focus of instruction for each standard. The purpose of each section is explained below: Standard of Learning Statement Each page begins with a Standard of Learning statement as a focus for teaching and learning. Students will apply social science skills to understand the interrelationships between the history, geography, economics, and civics content, as well as become actively engaged in their learning. Essential Skills (Standard 1) The essential history and social science skills are outlined in Standard 1 for each grade level or course. Students use these skills to increase understanding of the history and social sciences content, including historical, geographic, political, and economic events or trends. The development of these skills is important in order for students to become better-informed citizens. The first column for Standard 1 are described below. The second column contains examples of how contains “Essential Understandings,” which the skill may be applied in the classroom. Note: The skills will not be assessed in isolation; rather, they will be assessed as part of the content in the History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Essential Understandings This column includes the fundamental background information necessary to acquire and apply the essential knowledge. The understandings should help students develop a sense of context, including why the essential knowledge is relevant to the standard; thus, teachers should use these understandings as a basis for lesson planning.
INTRODUCTION The History and Social Science Standards of Learning Curriculum Framework 2015, approved by the Board of Education on January 28, 2016, is a companion document to the 2015 History and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools. The Curriculum Framework amplifies the Standards of Learning by defining the content understandings, knowledge, and skills that are measured by the Standards of Learning assessments. The standards and Curriculum Framework are not intended to encompass the entire curriculum for a given grade level or course, nor to prescribe how the content should be taught. School divisions are encouraged to incorporate the standards and Curriculum Framework into a broader, locally designed curriculum. The Curriculum Framework delineates in greater specificity the minimum content that all teachers should teach and all students should learn. Teachers are encouraged to go beyond the standards and select instructional strategies and assessment methods appropriate for their students. Additional details such as the names of historical figures whose study further enriches the standards and clarifies the concepts under investigation will be found in the Curriculum Framework. The Curriculum Framework facilitates teacher planning by identifying essential understandings, knowledge, and skills. Together, these key elements provide the focus of instruction for each standard. The purpose of each section is explained below: Standard of Learning Statement Each page begins with a Standard of Learning statement as a focus for teaching and learning. Students will apply social science skills to understand the interrelationships between the history, geography, economics, and civics content, as well as become actively engaged in their learning. Essential Skills (Standard 1) The essential history and social science skills are outlined in Standard 1 for each grade level or course. Students use these skills to increase understanding of the history and social sciences content, including historical, geographic, political, and economic events or trends. The development of these skills is important in order for students to become better-informed citizens. The first column for Standard 1 contains “Essential Understandings,” which are described below. The second column contains examples of how the skill may be applied in the classroom. Note: The skills will not be assessed in isolation; rather, they will be assessed as part of the content in the History and Social Science Standards of Learning. Essential Understandings This column includes the fundamental background information necessary to acquire and apply the essential knowledge. The understandings should help students develop a sense of context, including why the essential knowledge is relevant to the standard; thus, teachers should use these understandings as a basis for lesson planning.
framewks-2015-hss-va-ushistory.docx