Enduring Understandings - important ideas that students should carry with them years beyond the instruction received this year.

• Societies are diverse and change over time.
• Economic, scientific and technological developments impact human interactions.
• Human migration impacts cultural development of societies.
• Political power has been used throughout history.
• Religious and philosophical ideas have been powerful forces.

Essential Questions - most important “big picture” questions students should be able to answer after completing learning activities.

• What was the sequence of events that perpetuated the Cold War?
• How did the Cold War promote the development of nuclear weapons and space technology, and impact society?
• How and why were the systems of alliances formed after WWII? What U.S. policies were established during the Cold War?

Standards and Benchmarks

History 1: Students understand the chronological organization of history and know how to organize events and people into major eras to identify and explain historical relationships.    
Benchmark B: Students use chronology to organize historical events and people.
History  2: Students know how to use the processes and resources of historical inquiry.
Benchmark 2ormation (e.g., letters, diaries, literature, text, newspaper, art, music, technology, oral history, interviews).
History 3: Students understand that societies are diverse and change over time.
Benchmark  B: Students understand the history of social organization in various societies.
History 4: Students understand how science, technology, and economic activity have developed, changed, and affected societies throughout history.
Benchmark  A: Students understand the impact of scientific and technological developments on individuals and societies.
History  5: Students understand political institutions and theories that developed and changed over time.
Benchmark C: Students know how political power has been acquired, maintained, used and/or lost throughout history.
History 6: Students know that religious and philosophical ideas have been powerful forces throughout history.
Benchmark  C: Students know how various forms of expression reflect religious beliefs and philosophical ideas.
Geography 1: Students know how to use and construct maps, globes, and other geographic tools to locate and derive information about people, places, and environments.
Benchmark  A: Students know how to use maps, globes, and other geographic tools to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective.
Geography  2:  Students know the physical and human characteristics of places, and used knowledge to
Benchmark B:  Students know how and why people define regions.
Geography  4:  Students understand how economic, political cultural, and social processes interact to shape patterns of human populations, interdependence, cooperation and conflict.
Benchmark E: Students know how cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of the earth's surface.
Geography 5: Students understand the effects of interactions between human and physical systems and changes in meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.
Benchmark  B: Students know how physical systems affect human systems.

D-11 Social Studies Indicators 

History

1. Chronology/Cause & Effect: Determine cause and effect relationships based on organizing major historical and/or current events chronologically.

2. Historical Inquiry: Utilizing multiple perspectives, analyze and question historical data from primary and secondary sources during major historical eras.

3. Diverse and Changing Societies: Evaluate the impact of interactions and contributions of diverse peoples and cultures on past and current societies.

4. Science, Technology, and Economic Activity:  Evaluate the impact of economic, scientific and technological developments on human interactions.

5. Political Institutions and Theories: Analyze how political power has been acquired, maintained, used and/or lost among various cultures throughout history. 

6. Religious and Philosophical Ideas: Determine how societies have been affected by religious and philosophical ideas.

Geography

7. Use and Construction of Geographic Tools: Analyze maps, globes, charts, graphs, and databases to acquire, process and report information about people, places and environments. [G1]

8. Characteristics of Place and Region: Use physical and human characteristics to define regions important in human history.[G2]

9. Patterns of Human Population and Interaction: Analyze the physical and cultural impact of human migration.[G4]

10. Human and Physical Systems:  Evaluate how human and physical systems interact and impact one another.[G5]

Lessons from Social Studies Helps
Lesson Post WWII Goals and Plans
Lesson Beginning of the Cold War
Lesson End of the Cold War
Lesson McCarthyism
Lesson JFK vs LBJ

District 11 Diamond Units/Lessons Overview - includes information about the purpose, goals and structure of these sample instructional units:

Lesson 1:  
     
Duration: 
Standard:  
District Indicator: 
Enduring Understanding:  
Essential Questions: 
Assessment: 

Parent Resources

This unit presents a powerful opportunity for you to share stories from your past. You are a primary source of historic information for your child. Share what you remember about the collapse of communism. As a child, what were you taught about the Soviet Union? As your high school student explores the content in this class, it will open up opportunities to share and discuss your political beliefs, opinions, and personal experiences. Student  will be guided to a deeper understanding of history by identifying the underlying philosophies and beliefs that led to historic events. Notice the Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions listed for each unit. They provide opportunities for discussion with your young adult.