Alaska

Government and Citizenship

• A: A student should know and understand how societies define authority, rights, and responsibilities through a governmental process.

  • 1 understand the necessity and purpose of government;

    • Rules and laws (1-A.1)
    • Government services (1-A.2)

  • 2 understand the meaning of fundamental ideas, including equality, authority, power, freedom, justice, privacy, property, responsibility, and sovereignty;

    • Rules and laws (1-A.1)

  • 3 understand how nations organize their governments; and

  • 4 compare and contrast how different societies have governed themselves over time and in different places.

    • Independence Day (1-D.2)

• B: A student should understand the constitutional foundations of the American political system and the democratic ideals of this nation.

  • 1 understand the ideals of this nation as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights;

  • 2 recognize American heritage and culture, including the republican form of government, capitalism, free enterprise system, patriotism, strong family units, and freedom of religion;

    • Identify American symbols (1-B.1)
    • Identify American landmarks and monuments (1-B.2)

  • 3 understand the United States Constitution, including separation of powers, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, majority rule, and minority rights;

  • 4 know how power is shared in the United States' constitutional government at the federal, state, and local levels;

  • 5 understand the importance of individuals, public opinion, media, political parties, associations, and groups in forming and carrying out public policy;

  • 6 recognize the significance of diversity in the American political system;

  • 7 distinguish between constitution-based ideals and the reality of American political and social life;

  • 8 understand the place of law in the American political system; and

    • Rules and laws (1-A.1)

  • 9 recognize the role of dissent in the American political system.

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1-D.1)
    • Independence Day (1-D.2)

• C: A student should understand the character of government of the state.

  • 1 understand the various forms of the state's local governments and the agencies and commissions that influence students' lives and property;

    • Government services (1-A.2)

  • 2 accept responsibility for protecting and enhancing the quality of life in the state through the political and governmental processes;

  • 3 understand the Constitution of Alaska and sec. 4 of the Alaska Statehood Act, which is known as the Statehood Compact;

  • 4 understand the importance of the historical and current roles of Alaska Native communities;

  • 5 understand the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and its impact on the state;

  • 6 understand the importance of the multicultural nature of the state;

  • 7 understand the obligations that land and resource ownership place on the residents and government of the state; and

  • 8 identify the roles of and relationships among the federal, tribal, and state governments and understand the responsibilities and limits of the roles and relationships.

    • Government services (1-A.2)

• D: A student should understand the role of the United States in international affairs.

  • 1 analyze how domestic politics, the principles of the United States Constitution, foreign policy, and economics affect relations with other countries;

  • 2 evaluate circumstances in which the United States has politically influenced other nations and how other nations have influenced the politics and society of the United States;

  • 3 understand how national politics and international affairs are interrelated with the politics and interests of the state;

  • 4 understand the purpose and function of international government and non-governmental organizations in the world today; and

  • 5 analyze the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to current international issues.

• E: A student should have the knowledge and skills necessary to participate effectively as an informed and responsible citizen.

  • 1 know the important characteristics of citizenship;

  • 2 recognize that it is important for citizens to fulfill their public responsibilities;

  • 3 exercise political participation by discussing public issues, building consensus, becoming involved in political parties and political campaigns, and voting;

  • 4 establish, explain, and apply criteria useful in evaluating rules and laws;

    • Rules and laws (1-A.1)

  • 5 establish, explain, and apply criteria useful in selecting political leaders;

  • 6 recognize the value of community service; and

    • Jobs community helpers do (1-C.1)

  • 7 implement ways of solving problems and resolving conflict.

• F: A student should understand the economies of the United States and the state and their relationships to the global economy.

  • 1 understand how the government and the economy interrelate through regulations, incentives, and taxation;

  • 2 be aware that economic systems determine how resources are used to produce and distribute goods and services;

    • Needs and wants (1-J.1)
    • Scarcity and choices (1-J.2)
    • Goods and services (1-J.3)
    • Producers and consumers (1-J.4)

  • 3 compare alternative economic systems;

  • 4 understand the role of price in resource allocation;

  • 5 understand the basic concepts of supply and demand, the market system, and profit;

    • Needs and wants (1-J.1)
    • Scarcity and choices (1-J.2)

  • 6 understand the role of economic institutions in the United States, including the Federal Reserve Board, trade unions, banks, investors, and the stock market;

  • 7 understand the role of self-interest, incentives, property rights, competition, and corporate responsibility in the market economy;

  • 8 understand the indicators of an economy's performance, including gross domestic product, inflation, and the unemployment rate;

  • 9 understand those features of the economy of the state that make it unique, including the importance of natural resources, government ownership and management of resources, Alaska Native regional corporations, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority; and

    • Natural resources (1-J.5)

  • 10 understand how international trade works.

• G: A student should understand the impact of economic choices and participate effectively in the local, state, national, and global economies.

  • 1 apply economic principles to actual world situations;

  • 2 understand that choices are made because resources are scarce;

    • Scarcity and choices (1-J.2)

  • 3 identify and compare the costs and benefits when making choices;

  • 4 make informed choices on economic issues;

    • Scarcity and choices (1-J.2)

  • 5 understand how jobs are created and their role in the economy;

    • Jobs community helpers do (1-C.1)
    • Tools community helpers use (1-C.2)

  • 6 understand that wages and productivity depend on investment in physical and human capital; and

  • 7 understand that economic choices influence public and private institutional decisions.

History

• A: A student should understand that history is a record of human experiences that links the past to the present and the future.

  • 1 understand chronological frameworks for organizing historical thought and place significant ideas, institutions, people, and events within time sequences;

    • Days of the week (1-L.1)
    • Months of the year (1-L.2)

  • 2 know that the interpretation of history may change as new evidence is discovered;

  • 3 recognize different theories of history, detect the weakness of broad generalization, and evaluate the debates of historians;

  • 4 understand that history relies on the interpretation of evidence;

  • 5 understand that history is a narrative told in many voices and expresses various perspectives of historical experience;

  • 6 know that cultural elements, including language, literature, the arts, customs, and belief systems, reflect the ideas and attitudes of a specific time and know how the cultural elements influence human interaction;

  • 7 understand that history is dynamic and composed of key turning points;

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1-D.1)
    • Independence Day (1-D.2)
    • Then and now: transportation and communication (1-E.1)

  • 8 know that history is a bridge to understanding groups of people and an individual's relationship to society; and

    • Then and now: transportation and communication (1-E.1)

  • 9 understand that history is a fundamental connection that unifies all fields of human understanding and endeavor.

• B: A student should understand historical themes through factual knowledge of time, places, ideas, institutions, cultures, people, and events.

  • 1 comprehend the forces of change and continuity that shape human history through the following persistent organizing themes:

    • a the development of culture, the emergence of civilizations, and the accomplishments and mistakes of social organizations;

    • b human communities and their relationships with climate, subsistence base, resources, geography, and technology;

      • Compare cities and rural areas (1-C.3)
      • Then and now: transportation and communication (1-E.1)
      • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

    • c the origin and impact of ideologies, religions, and institutions upon human societies;

    • d the consequences of peace and violent conflict to societies and their cultures;

      • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1-D.1)
      • Independence Day (1-D.2)

    • e major developments in societies as well as changing patterns related to class, ethnicity, race, and gender;

      • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1-D.1)

  • 2 understand the people and the political, geographic, economic, cultural, social, and environmental events that have shaped the history of the state, the United States, and the world;

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1-D.1)
    • Independence Day (1-D.2)

  • 3 recognize that historical understanding is relevant and valuable in the student's life and for participating in local, state, national, and global communities;

  • 4 recognize the importance of time, ideas, institutions, people, places, cultures, and events in understanding large historical patterns; and

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1-D.1)
    • Independence Day (1-D.2)
    • Days of the week (1-L.1)
    • Months of the year (1-L.2)

  • 5 evaluate the influence of context upon historical understanding.

• C: A student should develop the skills and processes of historical inquiry.

  • 1 use appropriate technology to access, retrieve, organize, and present historical information;

  • 2 use historical data from a variety of primary resources, including letters, diaries, oral accounts, archaeological sites and artifacts, art, maps, photos, historical sites, documents, and secondary research materials, including almanacs, books, indices, and newspapers;

    • Then and now: transportation and communication (K-H.1)

  • 3 apply thinking skills, including classifying, interpreting, analyzing, summarizing, synthesizing, and evaluating, to understand the historical record; and

  • 4 use historical perspective to solve problems, make decisions, and understand other traditions.

• D: A student should be able to integrate historical knowledge with historical skill to effectively participate as a citizen and as a lifelong learner.

  • 1 understand that the student is important in history;

  • 2 solve problems by using history to identify issues and problems, generate potential solutions, assess the merits of options, act, and evaluate the effectiveness of actions;

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day (K-J.1)
    • Independence Day (K-J.2)

  • 3 define a personal position on issues while understanding the historical aspects of the positions and roles assumed by others;

  • 4 recognize and demonstrate that various issues may require an understanding of different positions, jobs, and personal roles depending on place, time, and context;

  • 5 base personal citizenship action on reasoned historical judgment with recognition of responsibility for self and others; and

  • 6 create new approaches to issues by incorporating history with other disciplines, including economics, geography, literature, the arts, science, and technology.

Geography

• A: A student should be able to make and use maps, globes, and graphs to gather, analyze, and report spatial (geographic) information.

  • 1 use maps and globes to locate places and regions;

  • 2 make maps, globes, and graphs;

    • Use cardinal directions (1-I.)

  • 3 understand how and why maps are changing documents;

  • 4 use graphic tools and technologies to depict and interpret the world's human and physical systems;

    • Identify Earth's land features (1-G.1)
    • Identify Earth's water features (1-G.2)
    • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

  • 5 evaluate the importance of the locations of human and physical features in interpreting geographic patterns; and

    • Identify Earth's land features (1-G.1)
    • Identify Earth's water features (1-G.2)
    • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

  • 6 use spatial (geographic) tools and technologies to analyze and develop explanations and solutions to geographic problems.

    • Left and right (1-H.1)

• B: A student should be able to utilize, analyze, and explain information about the human and physical features of places and regions.

  • 1 know that places have distinctive geographic characteristics;

    • Compare cities and rural areas (1-C.3)
    • Identify Earth's land features (1-G.1)
    • Identify Earth's water features (1-G.2)
    • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

  • 2 analyze how places are formed, identified, named, and characterized;

    • Compare cities and rural areas (1-C.3)
    • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

  • 3 relate how people create similarities and differences among places;

    • Compare cities and rural areas (1-C.3)

  • 4 discuss how and why groups and individuals identify with places;

  • 5 describe and demonstrate how places and regions serve as cultural symbols, such as the Statue of Liberty;

    • Identify American symbols (1-B.1)
    • Identify American landmarks and monuments (1-B.2)

  • 6 make informed decisions about where to live, work, travel, and seek opportunities;

    • Compare cities and rural areas (1-C.3)

  • 7 understand that a region is a distinct area defined by one or more cultural or physical features; and

    • Compare cities and rural areas (1-C.3)

  • 8 compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time.

• C: A student should understand the dynamic and interactive natural forces that shape the earth's environments.

  • 1 analyze the operation of the earth's physical systems, including ecosystems, climate systems, erosion systems, the water cycle, and tectonics;

    • Identify Earth's land features (1-G.1)
    • Identify Earth's water features (1-G.2)

  • 2 distinguish the functions, forces, and dynamics of the physical processes that cause variations in natural regions; and

  • 3 recognize the concepts used in studying environments and recognize the diversity and productivity of different regional environments.

• D: A student should understand and be able to interpret spatial (geographic) characteristics of human systems, including migration, movement, interactions of cultures, economic activities, settlement patterns, and political units in the state, nation, and world.

  • 1 know that the need for people to exchange goods, services, and ideas creates population centers, cultural interaction, and transportation and communication links;

    • Needs and wants (1-J.1)
    • Scarcity and choices (1-J.2)

  • 2 explain how and why human networks, including networks for communications and for transportation of people and goods, are linked globally;

  • 3 interpret population characteristics and distributions;

  • 4 analyze how changes in technology, transportation, and communication impact social, cultural, economic, and political activity; and

  • 5 analyze how conflict and cooperation shape social, economic, and political use of space.

• E: A student should understand and be able to evaluate how humans and physical environments interact.

  • 1 understand how resources have been developed and used;

    • Jobs community helpers do (K-A.1)
    • Natural resources (K-G.5)
    • Tools community helpers use (1-C.2)

  • 2 recognize and assess local, regional, and global patterns of resource use;

    • Natural resources (K-G.5)

  • 3 understand the varying capacities of physical systems, such as watersheds, to support human activity;

  • 4 determine the influence of human perceptions on resource utilization and the environment;

  • 5 analyze the consequences of human modification of the environment and evaluate the changing landscape; and

    • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

  • 6 evaluate the impact of physical hazards on human systems.

• F: A student should be able to use geography to understand the world by interpreting the past, knowing the present, and preparing for the future.

  • 1 analyze and evaluate the impact of physical and human geographical factors on major historical events;

    • Identify human and physical features (1-G.3)

  • 2 compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time;

  • 3 analyze resource management practices to assess their impact on future environmental quality;

  • 4 interpret demographic trends to project future changes and impacts on human environmental systems;

  • 5 examine the impacts of global changes on human activity; and

  • 6 utilize geographic knowledge and skills to support interdisciplinary learning and build competencies required of citizens.