1. Individual Development and Cultural Identity
Role of social, political, and cultural interactions in the development of identity
Personal identity as a function of an individual’s culture, time, place, geography, interaction with groups, influences from institutions, and lived experiences
2. Development, Movement, and Interaction of Cultures
Role of diversity within and among cultures
Aspects of culture such as belief systems, religious faith, or political ideals as influences on other parts of a culture, such as its institutions or literature, music, and art
Cultural diffusion and change over time facilitating different ideas and beliefs
3. Time, Continuity, and Change
History as a formal study that applies research methods
Reading, reconstructing, and interpreting events
Analyzing the causes and consequences of events and developments
Considering competing interpretations of events
4. Geography, Humans, and the Environment
Relationship between human populations and the physical world (people, places, and environments)
Effect of human activities on the environment
Interactions between regions, locations, places, people, and environments
Spatial patterns of place and location
5. Development and Transformation of Social Structures
Role of social class, systems of stratification, social groups, and institutions
Role of gender, race, ethnicity, education, class, age, and religion in defining social structures within a culture
Social and political inequalities
Expansion and access to rights through concepts of justice and human rights
6. Power, Authority, and Governance
Purposes, characteristics, and functions of various governance systems as they are practiced
Individual rights and responsibilities as protected and challenged within the context of majority rule
Fundamental principles and values of constitutional democracy
Origins uses, and abuses of power
Conflict, diplomacy, and war
7. Civic Ideals and Practices
Basic freedoms and rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic republic
Role of the citizen in the community and nation and as a member of the global community
Civic participation and engagement
Respect for diversity
Civic ideals and practices in countries other than our democratic republic
Struggle for rights, access to citizenship rights, and universal human rights
8. Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems
Production, distribution, and consumption
Scarcity of resources and the challenges of meeting wants and needs
Supply/demand and the coordination of individual choices
Economic systems
Trade, interdependence, and globalization
Role of government in the economy
Personal finance
9. Science, Technology, and Innovation
Scientific and intellectual theories, findings, discoveries, and philosophies
Applications of science and innovations in transportation, communication, military technology, navigation, agriculture, and industrialization
Relationship between science, technology, and innovation, and social, cultural, and economic change
10. Global Connections and Exchange
Past, current, and likely future global connections and interactions
Cultural diffusion; the spread of ideas, beliefs, technology, and goods
Role of technology
Benefits/consequences of global interdependence (social, political, economic) Causes and patterns of migration
Tension between national interests and global priorities
Taken from the New York State Social Studies Framework Introduction, pp. 11-12