WATERFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM

CONTEMPORARY AFFAIRS

GRADE 12 ADVANCED

 

Unit Title: Current Events

 

State Standards

        Content Standard 1: Historical Thinking

        Content Standard 3: Historical Themes

        Content Standard 4: Applying History

 

School Standards

        Communicate in Standard English for a variety of purposes

        Read a variety of materials for the understanding, evaluation and

        synthesis of information

        Utilize technology to obtain, organize, and communicate information

        And solve problems

 

Estimated Number of Days to Complete Unit: Ongoing throughout the year

 

 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS / DESIRED RESULTS

 

The student will understand that:

1.

How people deal with other people affects their future

2.

Intolerance is the root cause of injustice

3.

Regional conflicts have historical roots

 

 

ASSESSMENTS / ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE

 

1.

Tests and Quizzes

2.

Questions based on news broadcasts, readings and political cartoons

3.

Current events presentations made by the students

4.

Board meeting responses

 

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

 

1.

Why is it important to be informed about current events?

2.

Why is it important to be objective about current events?

3.

How do world events affect contemporary American society?

 

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

The student will be able to:

1.

Learn about the various ways in which television and magazines bring news of the world, country, or community to the viewer

2.

Recognize world leaders and other newsmakers and to understand their role in current events

3.

Identify the basic elements of a news story: who, what, when, where, why and how

4.

Examine the kinds of information we obtain from television and magazines in such areas as history, geography, and politics, and to encourage library and internet research for more information about the topic

5.

Understand important terms and phrases in the news

6.

Locate places that are in the news and to explore world geography; read charts, graphs, and maps

7.

See that the news is a part of an ongoing process and that a historical perspective is needed to understand daily events

8.

Differentiate fact from opinion

9.

Analyze the underlying meanings of political cartoons.

 

 

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

 

1.

CNN student news

2.

New York Times Upfront Magazine

3.

Newsweek

4.

BBC World News

 

 

 

 

Unit Title: Understanding War in the Middle East

 

State Standards

        Content Standard 1: Historical Thinking

        Content Standard 3: Historical Themes

        Content Standard 4: Applying History

 

School Standards

1.   Communicate in Standard English for a variety of purposes

2.   Read a variety of materials for the understanding, evaluation, and synthesis of information

3.   Utilize technology to obtain, organize, and communicate information and solve problems

 

Estimated Number of Days to Complete Unit: 20

 

 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS / DESIRED RESULTS

 

The student will understand that:

1.

Intolerance is the root cause of injustice

2.

Regional conflicts have historical roots

3.

Religious ideology is often the catalyst for conflict

 

 

ASSESSMENTS / ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE

 

1.

Quizzes and tests

2.

Questions on readings

3.

Student project. Presentations on the history and culture of Iraq under Saddam Hussein

4.

Response paper on terrorism

5.

Map work pertaining to Middle East conflicts

6.

In pairs students create a Camp David Accords pamphlet in which they illustrate the key initiatives for peace

7.

Students work in small groups representing a presidential committee and construct a recommended peace plan. Each group presents its plan at a mock international conference focused on resolving the Israeli/Arab conflict. In their plan students must analyze why previous peace plans like Camp David and Wye River failed and provide evidence to support why their plan will work.

8.

Crossword puzzle based on the readings

 

 

 

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

 

1.

What is at the core of the ongoing conflict between the Arabs and Israeli’s?

2.

When did the Arab-Israeli Crisis begin?

3.

Which areas of land are in dispute and whom do you view as the rightful owners of the land in question?

4.

What are the basic arguments each group has regarding resolving the conflict?

5.

What concessions does each side expect from the other?

6.

Why have efforts to resolve the conflict and establish peace failed?

7.

Do you feel the conflict can be resolved?

8.

What is the history of the U.S. government’s relationship with the governments’ of the Middle East?

9.

Why has the relationship between the U.S. government and the governments’ in the Arab and Muslim world been challenging for all parties involved?

10.

How has economics and culture played a part in this history?

11.

What are the causes of terrorism?

12.

What have we learned from history and international relations that will help us better understand current conflicts around the globe?

 

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

The student will be able to:

1.

Determine the common elements of disputes and the challenges in resolving them

2.

Identify the key factors in the Middle East Crisis

3.

Analyze a past peace proposal for resolving the Arab-Israeli Crisis

4.

Design a peace plan to resolve the Middle East Crisis

5.

Study maps of the Middle East to learn the basic geography of the region

6.

Explain how recent U.S. policies have affected Middle Eastern countries.

 

 

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

 

1.

The internet

2.

Newsweek articles

3.

Videos: Inside the West Bank and a Chance for Peace

4.

Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. Chapter 6

 

 

 

Unit Title: Postwar Truman Administration

 

State Standards

        Content Standard 1: Historical Thinking

        Content Standard 3: Historical Themes

        Content Standard 4: Applying History

 

School Standards

1.   Communicate in Standard English for a variety of purposes

2.   Read a variety of materials for the understanding, evaluation and synthesis of information

3.   Acquire and evaluate information in order to interpret events, issues and/or ideas, and make informed judgments and responses

 

Estimated Number of Days to Complete Unit: 7

 

 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS / DESIRED RESULTS

 

The student will understand that:

1.

The influence of communism globally created increased political conflict.

2.

Individual human rights following World War II became a primary concern in contemporary American society.

3.

Countries often respond to competing political ideologies with fear and paranoia.

 

 

ASSESSMENTS / ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE

 

1.

Tests and Quizzes

2.

Mapwork on post World War II world

3.

Questions based on Spanier and Halberstam

 

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

 

1.

Was the fear of communism at home and abroad during the cold war justified?

2.

Which region of the world was the most crucial to the United States foreign policy during the cold war?

3.

How did the Korean War turn into a cold war conflict?

4.

Who provoked the Korean War?

 

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

The student will be able to:

1.

Explain the meaning of key Cold War terms

2.

Describe the key events in the development of the Cold War

3.

Explain the rational, implementation, and effectiveness of the U.S. containment policy

4.

Explain how post-war relations changed between the United States and the Soviet Union

5.

Analyze the causes of the Korean War and how a divided Korea remained a source of international tension

6.

Analyze the rise and fall of McCarthyism, its effect on civil liberties, and its repercussions

7.

Explain how geography influenced major world events during the cold war.

8.

Describe the influence of the American concept of democracy and individual rights in the world during the cold war era.

 

 

 

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

 

1.

Spanier and Foote. American Foreign Policy Since World War II Ch 1-3

2.

Halberstam, David. The Fifties Ch 1-7

3.

The Internet

 

 

 

Unit Title: The Eisenhower Administration, 1953-1961

 

State Standards

        Content Standard 1: Historical Thinking

        Content Standard 3: Historical Themes

        Content Standard 4: Applying History

 

School Standards

1.   Communicate in Standard English for a variety of purposes

2.   Read a variety of materials for the understanding, evaluation and synthesis of information

3.   Utilize technology to obtain, organize, and communicate information and solve problems

 

Estimated Number of Days to Complete Unit: 10

 

 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS / DESIRED RESULTS

 

The student will understand that:

1.

The effects of the Cold War had a profound impact on political thought and action.

2.

Technological advances shaped American cultural and economic values.

3.

Social change has both positive and negative consequences.

4.

Presidential policies affect the outcome of historical events.

 

 

ASSESSMENTS / ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE

 

1.

Questions  based on Spanier and Halberstam

2.

Quizzes and tests

3.

1950’s decade in review magazine

 

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

 

1.

How did life in the United States change during the 1950’s?

2.

How influential was the television and the media in shaping the attitudes and beliefs of Americans in the 1950’s?

3.

Was the family stronger in the 1950’s than it is today?

4.

Are there any parallels between the Red Scare of the 1950’s and our fear of terrorism today?

 

 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

The student will be able to:

1.

Explain various cold war crises involving the space race, the alleged missile gap, and the U-2 incident

2.

Evaluate Eisenhower’s “Modern Republicanism” in relation to the economy and other domestic issues

3.

Explain the reasons for the sustained growth of the postwar consumer economy

4.

Explain the growth of the service, white collar, and professional sectors of the economy that led to the enlargement of the middle class

5.

Analyze the impact of the cold war on the economy

6.

Analyze the continued gap between poverty and the rising affluence of the middle class

7.

Explore how the new relationship between science and government after World war II created anew system of scientific research and development

8.

Identify aspects of popular culture during the 1950’s

 

 

 

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

 

1.

Spanier and Foote. American Foreign Policy Since World War II Ch 4-5

2.

Halberstam, David. The Fifties. Selected Chapters

3.

Internet

4.

Newsweek and Time magazines from that era

 

 

 

Unit Title: Kennedy Administration, 1961-1963

&