Relevant National Learning Standards

 A.      U.S. History

1)     Students understand the course and character of the Civil War and its subsequent effects on the American people.

2)     Students understand the struggle for racial equality and for the extension of civil liberties.

3)     Students explain the resistance to civil rights in the South between 1954 and 1965 by identifying issues and problems in the past.

4)     Students evaluate the agendas, strategies and effectiveness of various African Americans in the quest for civil rights and equal opportunities by explaining historical continuity and change.

5)     Students assess the reasons for and effectiveness of the escalation from civil disobedience to more radical protest in the civil rights movement.

B.      Social Studies

1)     Students understand how a culture changes to accommodate different ideas and beliefs.

2)     Students explain why individuals and groups respond differently to their physical and social environments and/or changes to them on the basis of shared assumptions, values and beliefs.

3)     Students assess their historical roots and are able to locate themselves in time by reconstructing the past, developing an historical perspective, and understanding the linkages between human decisions and consequences.

4)     Students understand the relationships among social norms and emerging personal identities, the social processes that influence identify formation, and the ethical principles underlying individual action.

5)     Students create spatial views and geographic perspectives of the world beyond their personal locations.

6)     Students learn how institutions are formed, what controls and influences them, how they influence individuals and culture, and how they are maintained or changed.

7)     Students understand the historical development of structures of power, authority and governance, and their evolving functions in contemporary U.S. society.

 8)     Students address such issues as human rights, economic competition and interdependence, and age-old ethnic enmities.

9)     Students understand civic ideals and practices of citizenship, such as the balance between rights and responsibilities.

C.      Language Arts

1)     Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

2)     Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

3)     Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

4)     Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

5)     Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

6)     Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather, research and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

7)     Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

8)     Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

9)     Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

D.      Fine and Visual Arts

1)      Students, individually and in groups, create characters, environments, and actions that create tension and suspense.

2)     Students analyze descriptions, dialogue, and actions to discover, articulate, and justify character motivation and invent character behaviors based on the observation of interactions, ethical choices, and emotional responses of people.

3)     Students, in an ensemble, interact as the invented characters.

4)     Students lead small groups in planning visual and aural elements and in rehearsing improvised and scripted scenes, demonstrating social, group, and consensus skills.

5)     Students apply research from print and non-print sources, as well as cultural and historical information, to script writing, acting, design, and directing choices.

6)     Students articulate and support the meanings constructed from their and others' dramatic performances.

7)     Students describe and evaluate the perceived effectiveness of their contributions to the collaborative process of developing improvised and scripted scenes.

8)     Students integrate visual, spatial and temporal concepts with content to communicate intended meaning in their artworks.

Students use subjects, themes and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values and aesthetics to communicate intended meaning in artworks.