Social Studies Skills - Nevada
Content Literacy
Content literacy is the acquisition and application of reading, writing and oral communication skills to construct knowledge.
- Read texts by using reading strategies (i.e., prior knowledge, identify key
vocabulary words, context clues, main ideas, supporting details, and text
features: pictures, maps, text boxes).
- Read for a specific purpose (i.e., detect cause & effect relationships,
compare & contrast information, identify fact v. opinion, and author bias).
- Respond to historical texts and various types of social studies literature by
inferring, drawing conclusions, making predictions, and formulating historic,
geographic, economic, and civic questions.
- Process or synthesize information through writing using note taking, graphic
organizers, summaries, proper sequencing of events, and/or formulating
thesis statements that examine why as well as how.
Information, Media & Technology
Information, media, & technology literacy is the acquisition, organization, use, and evaluation of information that prepares students to be active, informed, and literate citizens.
- Formulate appropriate research questions.
- Conduct research by gathering, organizing, and evaluating the credibility and
bias of information from a variety of online, print, and non-print sources.
- Process and effectively communicate and present information orally, in
writing, and through development of web sites, multimedia presentations,
and other forms of technology.
- Critically analyze messages in the media to detect propaganda, censorship,
and bias.
- Create, interpret, analyze and detect bias in maps, graphs, charts, diagrams.
- Demonstrate and advocate for legal and ethical behaviors among peers,
family, and community regarding the use of technology.
- Collaborate with peers, experts, and others to contribute to a content related
knowledge base, e.g., use of blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc. to compile,
synthesize, produce, and disseminate information.
Historical Analysis & Interpretation
To engage in historical analysis and interpretation students must draw upon their skills of
historical comprehension by studying a rich variety of historical documents and artifacts that
present alternative voices, accounts, and interpretations or perspectives on the past.
- Analyze patterns of historical continuity and change to demonstrate
chronological thinking.
- Analyze and evaluate primary and secondary sources for historical
perspectives.
- Differentiate between historical memory and historical fact.
- Apply social studies (content & skills) to real life situations.
- Extract significant ideas from social studies sources and frame historical
questions.
- Use primary and secondary sources to analyze and interpret history.
- Compare multiple perspectives of historical events, using a variety of
sources.
- Analyze and interpret primary sources to answer a historical question.
Civic Participation
Civic Participation includes the skills necessary to prepare students to be active, informed, and literate citizens.
- Demonstrate responsibility for the well-being of oneself, family, and the
community.
- Discuss issues and events that have an impact on people at local, state,
national, and global levels.
- Actively participate in civic and community life at local, state, national, and
global levels.
- Seek information from varied sources and perspectives to develop informed
opinions and creative solutions.
- Ask meaningful questions and analyze and evaluate information and ideas.
- Identify sources and perspectives that influence the formation of opinions
and creative solutions.
- Use effective decision-making and problem-solving skills in public and
private life.
- Collaborate effectively as a member of a group.