Lists | ARN-L: August 1999: [no subject]

[Jan Martin <jmartin@TCSDK12.ORG>]

Having lost track of the various strands of discussion in relation to
standards but inferring what is needed, here is an example of a Social
Studies Standard from the newly adopted standards in South Dakota.

This is a World History standard for 6th grade.
Students will analyze the geographic, political, economic, and social
structures of the early civilization of Ancient Greece with emphasis on
the location and physical setting that supported the rise of this
civilization; the connections between geography and the development of
city-states including patterns of trade and commerce; the transition
from tyranny and oligarchy to early democratic forms of government and
the significance of citizenship; the differences between Athenian, or
direct, democracy and representative democracy; the significance of
Greek mythology to the everyday life of people in ancient Greece and its
influence on modern literature and language; the similarities and
differences between the life in Athens and Sparta; the rise of Alexander
the Great in the north and the spread of Greek culture; and the cultural
contributions in the areas of arts, science, language, architecture,
government and philosophy.

So how many of us learned all of that about ancient Greece when we were
in 6th grade?

So this is one of the 8 world history standards prescribing what should
be taught at the 6th grade.  The writers of the standards determined
that ancient history was to be the major focus of 6th grade social
studies so there are no other areas of social studies included in the
6th grade standards.  However, if a school doesn't do it at this time,
there is no way of knowing until the 8th grade when one or two items on
the Social Science subtest of the SAT9 might ask a question related to
one of the many concepts in that one standard.

I will be happy to supply more information about the standards in South
Dakota.  They are a good example of how the standards mania has gotten
out of control in a big way.
Jan Martin
Todd County School District
jmartin@tcsdk12.org

"Gerald W. Bracey" wrote:

> USA Today will likely print my essay on the standards madness, but one
> of my example items can't be confirmed.  Can anyone supply actual
> items that are far beyond what kids' and knowledge would accomodate
> and supply as well ways of verifying these items?