NCSS Theme #2 Time, Continuity, Change

John Stokes
Capstone Portfolio

NCSS Overview

History Substrands and Standards Substrand 1: Historical Thinking

Skills

Standard 1 Historians generally construct chronological narratives to

characterize eras and explain past events and change over time.

Standard 2 Historical inquiry is a process in which multiple sources and

different kinds of historical evidence are analyzed to draw conclusions about
how and why things happened in the past.

Substrand 2: Peoples, Cultures and Change Over Time

Standard 3 Standard 4

Standard 5

Historical events have multiple causes and can lead to varied and
unintended outcomes.

The differences and similarities of cultures around the world are attributable
to their diverse origins and histories, and interactions with other cultures
throughout time.

History is made by individuals acting alone and collectively to address

problems in their communities, state, nation and world.

List of Resources
http://libguides.stthomas.edu/c.php?g=88661&p=574373 (University of St.
Thomas)
https://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session1/1.ExecutiveSu
mmary.pdf (NCSS Standards)
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/teachingwithhistoricplaces/index.htm (National
Park Service)
https://www.loc.gov (Library of Congress)
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-
plans/understanding-geography.cfm (Discover Channel Education)
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/cultural-change#sect-objectives
(National Endowment for the Humanities)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/ (Library of Congress
Lesson Plans)
http://cola.siu.edu/geography/ (Southern Illinois University Center for
Geography)
https://historyexplorer.si.edu/lessons (Smithsonian's History Explorer)
https://gai.uni.edu/lesson-plans-and-curricular-materials/9-12 (UNI
Geography Lesson Plans)
http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/lesson-plan-reviews (National
History Education Center)
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/ (America's Library)

Summary of the Theme

As described on the National Council for Social Studies website, the theme

Time, Continuity, and Change has a few main points that students should get

out of this specific theme and that educators should focus on throughout the

theme. The first main point that educators and students should focus on is

the idea of Studying the Past so that it makes it possible for us to understand

the human story over time. This can happen by looking at the historical

societies and how these changed to what they are today and how it

happened over time. The second major idea is the theme is to acquire

knowledge and understanding of the past enables us to analyze the causes

and consequences of events and developments, and to place these in the

context of the institutions, beliefs and values of the periods in which these

events took place. This can be done by focusing on ways that humans have

viewed themselves throughout time. The third idea is one where students

should be able to read, reconstruct and interpret the past. Students can learn

these crucial forms of historical analysis by having students answer

questions such as how do we learn about the past and why the past is

important to us. The fourth idea is children in younger grades with learn

about where to locate themselves in the historic idea of time and place The

last idea this theme covers is that students will begin to expand their

understanding of the past and are increasingly able to able the research

method of historical inquiry. Through reading historical documents, looking at

primary sources, and examining the accuracy of historical texts allows

students to gain these important skills over time. A strength of this theme is

that the theme really allows students to grow their historical thinking and

gain research methods and questioning associated with historical thinking.

Another strength is that this theme can be down in almost any unit or lesson

throughout the year that a teacher is doing. A weakness of this lesson is

because it could be covered in almost any unit or lesson a teacher may drop

the ball and not incorporate this theme well enough.

Lesson Plan 1

Lesson Plan 1: Expansion and Slavery

Objective: In the nineteenth century the United States vastly expanded the
size of its territory. How was ideology used to justify this expansion? Using
nineteenth-century maps and art, students consider the roots of American
exceptionalism.

Source: https://sheg.stanford.edu/manifest-destiny

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies 7.4.4.18.1

Economic expansion and the conquest of indigenous and Mexican territory

spurred the agricultural and industrial growth of the United States; led to
increasing regional, economic and ethnic divisions; and inspired multiple
reform movements

Benchmark: Describe the processes that led to the territorial expansion of

the United States, including the Louisiana Purchase and other land
purchases, wars and treaties with foreign and indigenous nations, and
annexation

Strengths and Weaknesses: A strength of this lesson is that it involves

many parts to what is going on as it includes a lecture, a class discussion and
also hand out student response sheets. Doing all of those different activities
should allow students of every ability to learn at their own level and in a way
that works for them. A weakness of this lesson is that depending on the
length of your class period this lesson may be hard to implement in that
amount of time.

Lesson Plan 2

Lesson Plan 2: Make Your Case!

Objective: This lesson is about the skill of corroboration. To practice this

historical thinking skill, students evaluate and corroborate different accounts
of who vandalized a locker room and who started a fight in a lunchroom.

Source: https://sheg.stanford.edu/make-your-case

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies 8.4.1.2.1

Historical inquiry is a process in which multiple sources and different kinds of

historical evidence are analyzed to draw conclusions about how and why
things happened in the past.

Benchmark: Pose questions about a topic in world history; gather and

organize a variety of primary and secondary sources related to the
questions; analyze sources for credibility and bias; suggest possible answers
and write a thesis statement; use sources to draw conclusions and support
the thesis; and present supported findings and cite sources.

Strengths and Weaknesses: A strength of this lesson is that it allows

students to learn about the skills of historical inquiry in a fun way. Students
will apply these skills into a real situation that could happen at their own
middle school. Another strength of this lesson is that students are learning
these skills and may not even be able to notice that they are applying these
skills. A weakness of this lesson is that it may be hard for students to
correlate knowledge from this lesson to a historical document.