Social Studies

Social Studies Framework

Kindergarten: Learning and Working Now and Long Ago

1st Grade: A Child's Place in Time and Space

2nd Grade: People Who Make a Difference

3rd Grade: Continuity and Change

4th Grade: California: A Changing State

5th Grade: United States History and Geography: Making a New Nation

6th Grade: World History and Geography: Ancient Civilizations

7th Grade: World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times

8th Grade: United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict

9th Grade: Elective Courses in History - Social Science

10th Grade: World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World

11th Grade: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in Modern United States History

12th Grade: Principles of American Democracy (One Semester)

12th Grade: Principles of Economics (One Semester)

History-Social Sciences Cognitive Rigor Matrix

What is the Cognitive Rigor Matrix?

The following charts combine Bloom's taxonomy and Webb's Depth of Knowledge into a single chart called Cognitive Rigor Matrix. The charts provide a comparison of varying levels or depths of knowledge related to practices within each discipline.

How do I use the Cognitive Rigor Matrix?

Use a range of Depth of Knowledge. If you are only assessing the highest DOK level you will miss out on opportunities to know what students do and don't know. Go for a range.
Planning formative assessment strategies and tools can focus on differing DOK levels.
Performance assessments can be offering a variety levels of DOK embedded in larger, more complex task.

Rigor Matrix Specific for History/Social Sciences:

Social Studies and Humanities Resource

Spanish version of the resource

History-Social Sciences Distance Learning Resources

Lessons, essays, and primary source sets for students, organized by grade level.

Please note:

Home School (K-12): All lessons and primary source sets
Elementary School: Lesson and primary source sets for grades K-5
Middle School: Lesson and primary source sets for grades 6-8
High School: Lessons and primary source sets for grades 9-12

History-Social Sciences Lesson Resources

History-Social Sciences Lesson Resource

Teacher Note: The following resources comes from the History and Geography Project. Each lesson will force you to make a copy before you view it.

Elementary:

3rd Grade:

Content Standard	Inquiry Question	Resources
3.1	Chavez Ravine: What happens to a place across time? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
3.1	What can this photograph tell us about the Harvey family in 1874? This lesson includes the primary source analysis chart and writing frames. – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
3.1	What can we learn about Japanese culture through their folktales and artwork? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
3.3	What Impact has Urban Development had on Biodiversity in the Los Angeles Area? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson

4th grade:

Content Standard	Inquiry Question	Resources
4.1	Why would Charley Parkhurst decide to live as a man? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.1	What are the main characteristics of the four geographical regions of California? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.2	What was life like for the Tongva Before and After Spanish Arrival? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
4.2	How did land grant requirements under Mexican rule effect the population of California during the Mexican period? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.3	How did Mexican Diseños and land grant court cases of the 1840s and 1850s impact the Californios as they gained United States citizenship? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.4	How has our concept of water use changed over time? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.4	How did railroads affect California’s economy in the late 1880s? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.4	How did this part of California- the dry, desert- become as agricultural area? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
4.4	How did miners and mining change the environment of California? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson

5th Grade:

Content Standard	Lesson Title	Resources
5.2	Why did the French claim land in North America? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
5.2	What was Columbus’s attitude toward the native people of the islands and how did this affect his treatment of them? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
5.3	Why did the Five Nations choose to come together to form the Iroquois League? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
5.3	What was the purpose of the Proclamation of 1763, and how did the colonists respond? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
5.3	How did the Spanish and indigenous people in the Americas view each other upon their first meeting? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
5.4	How did the thirteen colonies participate in the triangular trade? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
5.5	How was consumption and production a response to the Townsend Acts? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson

Middle School

World History:

Content Standard	Lesson Title	Resources
6.5	Did the Caste System Unite Ancient Indian Society?	Lesson
6.6	Which Chinese philosophy would be most effective for running your school?	Lesson
6.6	How should we remember Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di?	Lesson
6.6 & 6.4	How did belief systems influence society in China?	Lesson

Early Modern:

Content Standard	Lesson Title	Resources
7.2	What was the Silk Road? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.3	How can we study Buddhist art to learn about the movement of goods, peoples, and ideas across the Silk Roads? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.3	Can looking at the past help rulers succeed in the future?	Lesson
7.4	How did trade connections between the Gupta Empire in India facilitate the spread of Buddhist and Hindu ideas and beliefs in Srivijaya?	Lesson
7.4	How did Islam Spread to Multiple Countries? – UCI History Project	Source Set
7.4	What were the Effects of Arabic trade on West Africa? – UCI History Project	Source Set
7.3	How did the Mongols control their vast empire?	Lesson
7.5	How did the lives of women, as reported by writers of Heian Period, compare to the lives of women today?	Lesson
7.5	How Should Historians Remember Prince Shotoku?	Lesson
7.5	How did medieval Japan’s acts of borrowing from other parts of Asia shape their culture? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
7.6	What were the Effects of the Crusades? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.6	Where is the Holy Land? Why is it called Holy Land? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.6	What can Primary and Secondary Sources tell us about the Black Death? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.6	Why did Europeans decide to go Crusade to Jerusalem in the 11th century? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.7	How did use and control over water affect the expansion of agriculture, trade, and empire under the Aztecs? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.7	How does the Gold Artistry of the Mesoamericans Reveal their Cultural and Religious Beliefs? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.8	Why Would Florence be the “Mother” of the Renaissance? How did the City give Birth to this Cultural Movement? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.8	How did Renaissance Artists Change our Understanding of Perspective? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.9	What Abuses in the Catholic Church caused Luther to Demand Reform? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.9	What Ideas of Reform (and Church abuses) were Spread through Europe? – UCI History Project	Lesson
7.9	How did the Reformation Divide People and the States? – UCI History Project	Lesson

Growth and Conflict:

Content Standard	Lesson Title	Resources
8.1	How does the biography of an important figure like Benjamin Franklin help us to understand the philosophical principles on which the United States was founded? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.1	Why was diplomacy important for the success of the Americans in the Revolutionary war? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.1	How did Thomas Jefferson state in the Declaration of Independence that the colonies had the right to break away from King George III? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.1	How did the Patriots use propaganda to turn the killings on King Street in Boston on March 5, 1770 into the Boston Massacre? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.1	How can we use primary sources to better understand the American Revolution? – UCI History Project	Primary Source Set
8.1	What occurred during the Boston Massacre? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.2	How did the Pilgrims use the Mayflower Compact to justify forming a new colony in North America? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.2	Were the Founders in favor of the slave trade or were they opposed to it?	Lesson
8.2	Why is a centralized government important for the founding of America? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.2	How did state constitutions define the rights of citizens? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.2	Why did the Antifederalists fail? – UCI History Project	Primary Source Set
8.3	How did the conflicts between Jefferson and Hamilton shape the politics of the nation? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.3	How and why do federal and state governments borrow money? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.3	Should the freedom of speech and the press ever be limited? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.3	How much power should the federal government have and what should it do? – UCI History Project	Primary Source Set
8.3	How did the views of Hamilton & Jefferson differ on the issue of a National Bank? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.3	How did Hamilton’s ideas about the American political system differ from and Jefferson’s ideas? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.4	How do Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper reflect and influence American writing and artists in the new republic? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.6	How and why was the Declaration of Sentiments modeled after the Declaration of Independence? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.6	How did water power the early Industrial Revolution in the United States? What effect did industrialization have on American rivers? – UCI History Project	Lesson
8.6	How did Americans and Native Americans respond to westward expansion?– UCI History Project	Lesson
8.6	What was life like for Chinese Railroad Workers in the 1860s?	Lesson
8.7	How did slave resistance impact the southern plantation and economy? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.8	How were Native Americans affected by Jacksonian Democracy? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.8	How did the Gold Rush impact California’s population and economy? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.8 8.9	How did the land grant court cases of the 1840s and 1850s violate the Californios’ rights gained under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?	Lesson
8.9	How did members of the Antislavery movement differ in motivation and strategy? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.9	How did slavery contribute to the onset of the Civil War? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.9	How did John Brown affect the movement to abolish slavery? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.9	How did Americans’ movement to the West contribute to tension between the North and the South? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.11	How did the development of the cotton gin impact the economy of the agrarian south and lead to the increased dependency on slavery? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.11	How were the rights of African Americans, guaranteed by Congress in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, later restricted? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.12	How did the relationship between the federal government and the Sioux change as federal policies toward Plains Indians evolve? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
8.12	Were Chinese Americans free in the West?	Lesson

High School:

Modern US History:

Content Standard	Lesson Title	Resources
11.2	What were the causes of the Anti-Chinese Massacre? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.2	How was gender challenged during urbanization in the late-19th century and what was the response? – ONE Archives	Lesson
11.5	What do blues songs of the 1920s and 1930s tells us about women’s sexuality?	Lesson
11.5	In what ways did the Entertainment Industry Impact African Americans in Los Angeles During the Early 1900s? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.5	What were the costs and benefits of Los Angeles urban growth in the 1920s? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.5	Were LGBT Americans welcome in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s? – ONE Archives	Lesson
11.6	What internal and external factors shaped African-American South Central between the 1920s and 1950s? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.8	How did The Ladder magazine provide lesbian women support in the 1950s?	Lesson
11.8	How can we make the Beach Culture in So Cal Equitable for all? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.8 & 11.10	How did African Americans adapt to the challenge of traveling in the United States over time? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.8 & 11.10	What can historical markers tell us about what is important in the San Gabriel Valley (SGV) and in the Greater Los Angeles area? – Lost LA Curriculum Project	Lesson
11.9	How were gays and lesbians viewed and treated by the U.S. government?	Lesson
11.9	How did LGBT Americans respond to the Vietnam War? – ONE Archives	Lesson
11.10	What led to the segregation of neighborhoods in the United States? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
11.10	How have opportunities for Mexican immigrants to the U.S. changed during the 20th century? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
11.10	How was Prop 187 resisted and ultimately defeated?	Lesson
11.10	How did the Black Panther Party’s survival programs, specifically the Free Breakfast Program, support the organization’s larger goals for systemic change? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
11.10	How were the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X similar and different as they worked to achieve a better future for black people in America? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
11.10	How did the black civil rights movement influence other activist movements of the late 1960s and 1970s? – UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project	Lesson
11.10	What caused the Black Cat Tavern Riots?	Lesson
11.10	To what extent was the movement for LGBT rights part of the broader movement for Civil Rights?	Lesson
11.10	How did the movement for LGBT equality go from assimilation to “coming out” in the 1950s-1970s?	Lesson Powerpoint
11.10	How did Bayard Rustin’s identity shape his beliefs and actions?	Lesson
11.10 11.11	Were the 1950s truly the “dark ages” for gay men and women as some historians have claimed?	Lesson
11.11	Why and how did activists respond to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s?	Lesson
11.11	How did Harvey Milk and the Briggs Initiative unite marginalized groups?	Lesson
11.11/12.2	Through analyzing Audre Lorde’s essay on multiple identities and systems of oppression, how do power and privilege impact the relationships people have with each other as well as with institutions?	Lesson

12th Grade- US Government and Economics

Content Standard	Title	Lesson
11.11/12.2	Through analyzing Audre Lorde’s essay on multiple identities and systems of oppression, how do power and privilege impact the relationships people have with each other as well as with institutions?	Lesson
12.2/12.7/12.8	The FAIR Act: What are students’ rights to LGBT representation in the classroom?	Lesson

Primary Sources Resource List

Primary Sources

Using Primary Sources:

Discover quick and easy ways to utilize primary sources in your classroom, with teachers' guides, information on citing sources and copyright, and the Library's primary source analysis tools.

Strategies for:

The 4C's Source Analysis Tool
using primary sources to teach topics including Geography, Civil War, Science, and Fine Arts
Combining primary sources with various pedagogical approaches, like assessment, critical thinking, differentiated instruction, historical thinking, inquiry learning, literacy integration, project-based learning, and technology integration;
Using primary sources to teach students from specific populations, such as elementary students, English language learners, and those with disabilities.

Primary Source Resources:

Other Resources

Social Sciences Educators Professional Organizations