| (a) Implementation. The provisions of this section
shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2024-2025
school year.
(b) Introduction.
(1) In Grade 5, students survey the history of the
United States from 1565 to the present. Historical content includes
the colonial period, the American Revolution, the establishment of
the U.S. Constitution and American identity, westward expansion, the
Civil War and Reconstruction, immigration and industrialization, and
the 20th and 21st centuries. Students study a variety of regions in
the United States that result from physical features and human activity
and identify how people adapt to and modify the environment. Students
explain the characteristics and benefits of the free enterprise system
and describe economic activities in the United States. Students identify
the roots of representative government in this nation as well as the
important ideas in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Students study the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
Students examine the importance of effective leadership in a constitutional
republic and identify important leaders in the national government.
Students recite and explain the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance
to the United States Flag. Students describe the cultural impact of
various racial, ethnic, and religious groups in the nation and identify
the accomplishments of notable individuals in the fields of science
and technology. Students explain symbols, traditions, and landmarks
that represent American beliefs and principles. Students use critical-thinking
skills to sequence, categorize, and summarize information and to draw
inferences and conclusions.
(2) To support the teaching of the essential knowledge
and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary and secondary source
material such as documents, biographies, novels, speeches, letters,
poetry, songs, and artworks is encouraged. Motivating resources are
available from museums, historical sites, presidential libraries,
and local and state preservation societies.
(3) The eight strands of the essential knowledge and
skills for social studies are intended to be integrated for instructional
purposes. Skills listed in the social studies skills strand in subsection
(c) of this section should be incorporated into the teaching of all
essential knowledge and skills for social studies. A greater depth
of understanding of complex content material can be attained when
integrated social studies content from the various disciplines and
critical-thinking skills are taught together. Statements that contain
the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while
those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
examples.
(4) Students identify the role of the U.S. free enterprise
system within the parameters of this course and understand that this
system may also be referenced as capitalism or the free market system.
(5) Throughout social studies in Kindergarten-Grade
12, students build a foundation in history; geography; economics;
government; citizenship; culture; science, technology, and society;
and social studies skills. The content, as appropriate for the grade
level or course, enables students to understand the importance of
patriotism, function in a free enterprise society, and appreciate
the basic democratic values of our state and nation as referenced
in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.002(h).
(6) Students understand that a constitutional republic
is a representative form of government whose representatives derive
their authority from the consent of the governed, serve for an established
tenure, and are sworn to uphold the constitution.
(7) State and federal laws mandate a variety of celebrations
and observances, including Celebrate Freedom Week.
(A) Each social studies class shall include, during
Celebrate Freedom Week as provided under the TEC, §29.907, or
during another full school week as determined by the board of trustees
of a school district, appropriate instruction concerning the intent,
meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, in their historical
contexts. The study of the Declaration of Independence must include
the study of the relationship of the ideas expressed in that document
to subsequent American history, including the relationship of its
ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants,
the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution,
and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation
and the women's suffrage movement.
(B) Each school district shall require that, during
Celebrate Freedom Week or other week of instruction prescribed under
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, students in Grades 3-12 study
and recite the following text from the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness--That
to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed."
(8) Students discuss how and whether the actions of
U.S. citizens and the local, state, and federal governments have achieved
the ideals espoused in the founding documents.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(1) History. The student understands the reasons for
and the role of key people in the European colonization of North America
beginning in 1565, the founding of St. Augustine. The student is expected
to:
(A) explain when, where, and why groups of people explored,
colonized, and settled in the United States, including the search
for religious freedom and economic gain; and
(B) describe the accomplishments of significant individuals
who settled for religious freedom and economic gain during the colonial
period, including William Bradford, Anne Hutchinson, William Penn,
John Smith, and Roger Williams.
(2) History. The student understands how conflict between
the American colonies and Great Britain led to American independence
and the formation of the United States. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the causes and effects of events prior
to and during the American Revolution, including the taxation resulting
from the French and Indian War and the colonist response to taxation
such as the Boston Tea Party;
(B) identify the Founding Fathers and Patriot heroes,
including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, the Sons
of Liberty, and George Washington, and their motivations and contributions
during the revolutionary period; and
(C) summarize the results of the American Revolution,
including the establishment of the United States.
(3) History. The student understands the significant
individuals who contributed to the creation of the U.S. Constitution
and the government it established. The student is expected to identify
the contributions of Founding Fathers James Madison and George Mason
who helped create the U.S. Constitution.
(4) History. The student understands political, economic,
and social changes that occurred in the United States during the 19th
century. The student is expected to:
(A) describe the causes and effects of the War of 1812
such as impressment of sailors, territorial conflicts with Great Britain,
and the increase in U.S. manufacturing;
(B) identify and explain how changes resulting from
the Industrial Revolution led to conflict among sections of the United
States;
(C) identify significant events and concepts associated
with U.S. territorial expansion, including the Louisiana Purchase,
the expedition of Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny;
(D) explain the central role of the expansion of slavery
in causing sectionalism, disagreement over states' rights, and the
Civil War;
(E) explain the effects of the Civil War, including
Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the U.S.
Constitution; and
(F) identify the challenges, opportunities, and contributions
of people from various American Indian and immigrant groups such as
the settlement of the frontier and building of the Transcontinental
Railroad.
(5) History. The student understands important issues,
events, and individuals in the United States during the 20th and 21st
centuries. The student is expected to:
(A) explain the significance of issues and events of
the 20th century such as industrialization, urbanization, the Great
Depression, the world wars, the civil rights movement, and military
actions;
(B) analyze various issues and events of the 21st century
such as the War on Terror and the 2008 presidential election; and
Cont'd... |
