Massachusetts K–6 social studies standards

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, places, or pieces of information in a text.

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about the meaning of unknown words in a text.

Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.

With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

With prompting and support, identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, procedures).

Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).

Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.

Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

Describe familiar people, places, things and events, and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.

Add drawings and visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Understand and follow rules, limits, and expectations with minimal prompting and assistance; with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about the reasons for rules.

Take on responsibilities and follow through on them, being helpful to and respectful of others (e.g., volunteer for and carry out tasks in the classroom and at home).

With prompting and support, give examples from literature and informational texts read or read aloud of characters who show authority, fairness, caring, justice, responsibility, or who show how rules are created and followed.

Ask and answer questions and explore books to gain information about national symbols, songs, and texts of the United States: why the flag of United States of America is red, white, and blue and has stars and stripes

Ask and answer questions and explore books to gain information about national symbols, songs, and texts of the United States: why the bald eagle is the national emblem of United States

Ask and answer questions and explore books to gain information about national symbols, songs, and texts of the United States: why "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States

Ask and answer questions and explore books to gain information about national symbols, songs, and texts of the United States: what the words of the "Pledge of Allegiance" mean

Describe the location of people, objects, and places, using correctly words and phrases such as up, down, near, far, left, right, straight, back, behind, in front of, next to, between.

With support, explain the similarities and differences between maps and globes.

Identify the elements of a physical address, including the street name and number, the city or town, the state (Massachusetts) and the country (United States).

With support, on a state map, find the city or town where the student's school is located; on a street map of the city or town, find the location of the student's school.

Use maps, photographs, their own drawings or other representations to show and explain to others the location of important places and relationships among places in the immediate neighborhood of the student's home or school.

Construct maps, drawings, and models that show physical features of familiar places.

Describe how some days, called civic holidays, are special because they celebrate important events or people in history (See the Resource Supplement, Section III, for a list of state, national, and international civic holidays and their histories).

Contrast and compare traditions and celebrations of peoples with diverse cultural backgrounds.

Sequential actions: first, next, last;

Chronology and time: now, then, long ago, before, after, morning, afternoon, night, today, tomorrow, yesterday, last or next week, last or next month, last or next year.

With prompting and support, describe some things people do when they work inside and outside of the home, drawing on personal experience, literature, and informational texts.

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about buying, selling or trading something and explain how people make choices about the things they need and want.

With prompting and support, give examples from personal experience, literature, or informational texts of goods and services that people purchase with money they earn.

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces that tell a reader the topic or name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., "My favorite book is…").

Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts that name and supply some information about a topic.

For poems, use rhyming words to create structure.

Begins in grade 1.

With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing if needed.

With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers.

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).

With guidance and support, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Begins in grade 4.

Write, draw, or dictate writing routinely for a range of purposes, and audiences.

Demonstrate civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

Develop focused questions or problem statements and conduct inquiries.

Organize information and data from multiple primary and secondary sources.

Analyze the purpose and point of view of each source; distinguish opinion from fact.

Evaluate the credibility, accuracy, and relevance of each source.

Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence.

Determine next steps and take informed action, as appropriate.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

Know and use text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.

Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.

Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.

Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

Identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

With prompting and support, read and comprehend informational texts exhibiting complexity for at least grade 1.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to comments through multiple exchanges.

Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.

Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly and using appropriate vocabulary.

Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

Demonstrate understanding of the benefits of being part of a group and explain what it means to be a member of a group; follow the group's rules, limits, responsibilities and expectations, and explain reasons for rules to others.

Investigate the various roles that members of a group play and explain how those roles contribute to achieving a common goal.

Demonstrate understanding that a leader is also a member of a group, but takes on a different role with more responsibility for inspiring others, organizing and delegating activities, and helping the group make decisions.

Analyze examples of leadership and leaders from history, everyday life, and from literature and informational texts read or read aloud, and describe the qualities of a good leader.

Give examples of why members of a group who hold different views need ways to make decisions, and explain how members of a group can make fair decisions or choose leaders by voting.

Explain that an election is a kind of voting in which people select leaders.

Identify some leaders who are chosen by elections (e.g., the President of the United States, the Governor of Massachusetts, the captain of a soccer team) and explain their roles.

Demonstrate understanding that members of a town, city, or nation in the United States are called citizens, and that their rights and responsibilities include<ul><li>electing leaders who serve fixed terms</li><li>paying attention to the leader's actions, and</li><li>deciding whether or not to re-elect them on the basis of how well they have served citizens.</li></ul>

Explain that all people born in the United States are citizens, while some people become citizens after moving to the Unites States from another country. Understand that some residents of the United States are not citizens, but are still members of the community with rights and responsibilities.

Evaluate the qualities of a good citizen or member of the community, drawing on examples from history, literature, informational texts, news reports, and personal experiences.

Explain that a map represents spaces and helps one identify locations and features.

Identify and use language for cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) when locating and describing places on a map; use a map to identify the location of major cities and capitals (e.g., Boston, Massachusetts, Washington D.C., Mexico City, Mexico) and investigate factors that explain why these locations became important cities.

Explain that a city that is called a capital is the center of government for a state or nation.

Locate and explain physical features (e.g., continents, oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains) on maps and construct maps and other representations of local places.

Demonstrate understanding that people from different parts of the world can have different ways of living, customs, and languages.

Provide evidence to explain some of the ways in which the people of the United States are unified (e.g., share a common national history) and diverse (e.g., have different backgrounds, hold different beliefs, and have different celebrations, cultural traditions, and family structures).

Demonstrate understanding of the ways people show pride in belonging to the United States by recognizing and explaining the meaning of unifying symbols, phrases, and songs: national symbols (e.g., the United States flag, the bald eagle, the White House, and the Statue of Liberty)

Demonstrate understanding of the ways people show pride in belonging to the United States by recognizing and explaining the meaning of unifying symbols, phrases, and songs: words, mottoes, phrases, and sentences associated with the United States (e.g., "U.S." or "America" standing for United States of America, the Latin motto, "E pluribus unum," on coins, currency, and the seal of the United States, translated as "Out of Many, One," and the" Pledge of Allegiance")

Demonstrate understanding of the ways people show pride in belonging to the United States by recognizing and explaining the meaning of unifying symbols, phrases, and songs: the melodies and lyrics of patriotic songs (e.g., "America the Beautiful," "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," "God Bless America," and "The Star-Spangled Banner")

Recognize and document sequential patterns in seasonal events or personal experiences, using a calendar and words and phrases relating to chronology and time, (e.g., in the past or future; present, past, and future tenses of verbs).

Explain the relationship between natural resources and industries and jobs in a particular location (e.g., fishing, shipbuilding, farming, trading, mining, lumbering, manufacturing).

Distinguish a renewable resource from a non-renewable resource.

Explain that people are a resource too, and that the knowledge and skills they gain through school, college, and work make possible innovations and technological advancements that lead to an ever-growing share of goods and services.

Explain what it means to be employed and define the terms income, wages, and salary.

Give examples of products (goods) that people buy and use.

Give examples of services people do for each other.

Give examples of choices people have to make about buying goods and services (e.g., food for the family or a video game; bus fare to get to work or a movie ticket for entertainment) and why they have to make choices (e.g., because they have only enough money for one purchase, not two).

Analyze examples of voluntary choices people make about buying goods and services (e.g., to buy from a company that supports its workers or protects the environment).

Compare and contrast reasons why people save some of their money (e.g., deciding to put some of it aside for later for a future purchase, for a charitable donation or for an emergency).

Write opinion pieces that introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.

Write informative/explanatory texts that name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

For poems, use rhyming words and long or short vowel sounds to create structure.

Produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Begins in grade 3.

Demonstrate the ability to choose and use appropriate vocabulary.

With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers.

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of how-to books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).

With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Begins in grade 4.

Write routinely for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.

Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, mathematical ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

Know and use text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.

Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.

Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.

Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.

Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, mathematical and technical texts, exhibiting complexity for at least grade 2.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to comments through multiple exchanges.

Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

Tell a story, recount an experience, or explain how to solve a mathematical problem, with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences and using appropriate vocabulary.

Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or descriptions of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Explain the kinds of information provided by components of a map (e.g., compass rose/cardinal directions, scale, key/legend, title) and give examples of how maps can show relationships between humans and the environment (e.g., travel, roads, natural resources, agriculture, mining).

Compare different kinds of map projections (e.g., Mercator, Peters) and explain how they represent the world differently.

Construct a map of a familiar location (e.g., the school, the neighborhood, a park).

On a map of the world and on a globe, locate all the continents and some major physical characteristics on each continent (e.g., lakes, seas, bays, rivers and tributaries, mountains and mountain ranges, and peninsulas, deserts, plains).

On a map of the world and on a globe, locate the oceans of the world, and explain the importance of oceans and how they make the world habitable.

Explain how the location of landforms and bodies of water helps determine conditions (i.e., climate, weather, vegetation) for habitable living.

Explain and describe human interaction with the physical world (the environment).

Investigate reasons why people migrate (move) to different places around the world, recognizing that some migration is voluntary, some forced (e.g., refugees, people driven from their homelands, enslaved people).

Give examples of why the United States is called "a nation of immigrants".

Conduct interviews with family members, neighbors, friends, or school staff to discover where their families came from, how and why they moved to where they now live, and when and why their families came to Massachusetts.

Identify what individuals and families bring with them (e.g., memories, cultural traits, goods, ideas, and languages or ways of speaking) when they move to a different place and identify the significant impacts of migration; identify elements that define the culture of a society (e.g., language, literature, arts, religion, traditions, customs); explain how the community is enriched by contributions from all the people who form it today.

Recognize the difference between physical geography and political geography.

Explain the characteristics of a country.

Locate and analyze information and present a short research report on the physical features, resources, and people of a country outside the United States.

Explain the relationship between natural resources and industries and jobs in a particular location (e.g., fishing, shipbuilding, farming, trading, mining, lumbering, manufacturing).

Distinguish a renewable resource from a non-renewable resource.

Explain that people are a resource too, and that the knowledge and skills they gain through school, college, and work make possible innovations and technological advancements that lead to an ever-growing share of goods and services.

Explain what it means to be employed and define the terms income, wages, and salary.

Give examples of products (goods) that people buy and use.

Give examples of services people do for each other.

Give examples of choices people have to make about buying goods and services (e.g., food for the family or a video game; bus fare to get to work or a movie ticket for entertainment) and why they have to make choices (e.g., because they have only enough money for one purchase, not two).

Analyze examples of voluntary choices people make about buying goods and services (e.g., to buy from a company that supports its workers or protects the environment).

Compare and contrast reasons why people save some of their money (e.g., deciding to put some of it aside for later for a future purchase, for a charitable donation or for an emergency).

Write opinion pieces that introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

Write informative/explanatory texts that introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

For poems, use words and phrases that form patterns of sounds (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, end rhymes, repeated sounds in words or lines) to create structure.

Produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Begins in grade 3.

Demonstrate the ability to choose and use appropriate vocabulary.

With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers.

Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).

Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Begins in grade 4.

Write routinely for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, mathematical ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language pertaining to time, sequence, or cause/effect.

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information about a given topic efficiently.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of an author of a text.

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words, numbers, and symbols in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, mathematical, and technical texts, exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 3.

Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.

Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Report on a topic, text, or solution to a mathematical problem, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace and using appropriate vocabulary.

Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

On a current map of Massachusetts, use cardinal directions, map scales, legends, and titles to locate and describe the city or town where the school students attend is located, its local geographic features and historic landmarks, and their significance.

Research the demographic origins of the town or city (e.g., the Native People who originally lived there or still live there, the people who established it as a colonial town, its founding date, and the free, indentured, and enslaved women and men who contributed to the well-being of the town). Explain that before the mid-19th century most of the settlers were of Native American, Northern European, or African descent; describe the current population and immigrant groups of the 20th and 21st centuries and interview family members, friends, and neighbors to obtain information about living and working there in the past and present.

Explain why classrooms, schools, towns, and cities have governments, what governments do, how local governments are organized in Massachusetts, and how people participate in and contribute to their communities. classroom and school governments provide a way for students to participate in making decisions about school activities and rules

Explain why classrooms, schools, towns, and cities have governments, what governments do, how local governments are organized in Massachusetts, and how people participate in and contribute to their communities. city and town governments provide a way for people to participate in making decisions about providing services, spending funds, protecting rights, and providing community safety

Massachusetts communities have either a city or a town form of government (e.g., cities are governed by elected mayors and city council members; towns are governed by an elected group of people, in many towns called a "select board," appointed town manager, and elected town meeting members or an open town meeting in which all citizens can participate; public schools are governed by elected or appointed school committees or boards of trustees)

Explain why classrooms, schools, towns, and cities have governments, what governments do, how local governments are organized in Massachusetts, and how people participate in and contribute to their communities. people can participate in and influence their local government by reading and responding to news about local issues, voting, running for office, serving on boards or people can volunteer (give their time and knowledge) to the community and neighborhood by activities such as monitoring river water quality; growing and distributing produce from a school or community garden; running errands or shoveling snow for neighbors; welcoming newcomers and helping them learn English, helping new neighbors register to vote

Explain why classrooms, schools, towns, and cities have governments, what governments do, how local governments are organized in Massachusetts, and how people participate in and contribute to their communities. people who own property, such as a house, condominium or commercial building, in a city or town contribute to community services by paying taxes, which fund services such as public schools and libraries, city/town/regional planning, street maintenance

On a physical map of North America, use cardinal directions, map scales, legends, and titles to locate the Northeast region and identify important physical features (e.g., rivers, lakes, ocean shoreline, capes and bays, and mountain ranges).

On a political map of the current United States, locate the New England states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine).

Explain the diversity of Native Peoples21, present and past, in Massachusetts and the New England region. the names of at least three native groups (e.g., Abenaki/Wabanaki, Massachusett, Mohican/Stockbridge, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Wampanoag)

Explain the diversity of Native Peoples21, present and past, in Massachusetts and the New England region. the locations of tribal territories in the state.

Explain the diversity of Native Peoples21, present and past, in Massachusetts and the New England region. physical features and their influence on the locations of traditional settlements

Explain the diversity of Native Peoples21, present and past, in Massachusetts and the New England region. contributions of a tribal group from the area of the school (e.g., language, literature, arts, trade routes, food such as corn, beans, and squash, useful items such as baskets, canoes, wampum, and useful knowledge of medicinal plants, words such as powwow and moccasin, and many names for waterways, hills, mountains, islands and place names, such as the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers, Mount Wachusett, the Taconic Range, Nantucket, Natick, Seekonk, Agawam, Chicopee)

Locate North America, the Atlantic Ocean, and Europe on a map, explain how Native Peoples first came into contact with Europeans, and explain why Europeans in the 16th–17th centuries sailed westward across the Atlantic (e.g., to find new trade routes to Asia and new supplies of natural resources such as metals, timber, and fish).

Trace on a map the voyages of European explorers of the Northeast coast of North America (e.g., Giovanni Caboto [John Cabot], Bartholomew Gosnold, Giovanni de Verrazano, John Smith, Samuel de Champlain).

Explain how any one of the explorers described the Native Peoples and the new lands, and compare an early 17th century map of New England with a current one

Explain who the Pilgrim men and women were and why they left Europe to seek a place where they would have the right to practice their religion; describe their journey, the government of their early years in the Plymouth Colony, and analyze their relationships with the Wampanoag and Abenaki/Wabanaki people. the purpose of the Mayflower Compact and the principle of self-government

Explain who the Pilgrim men and women were and why they left Europe to seek a place where they would have the right to practice their religion; describe their journey, the government of their early years in the Plymouth Colony, and analyze their relationships with the Wampanoag and Abenaki/Wabanaki people. challenges for Pilgrim men, women, and children in their new home (e.g., building shelter and starting farming, becoming accustomed to a new environment, maintaining their faith and keeping a community together through self-government)

Explain who the Pilgrim men and women were and why they left Europe to seek a place where they would have the right to practice their religion; describe their journey, the government of their early years in the Plymouth Colony, and analyze their relationships with the Wampanoag and Abenaki/Wabanaki people. contacts with the native leaders Samoset and Massasoit, events leading to a celebration to give thanks for the harvest, and subsequent relationships between Europeans and Native Peoples in southeastern Massachusetts.

Compare and contrast the roles and leadership decisions of early English leaders of the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Pilgrims of the Plymouth colony (e.g., John Winthrop, Miles Standish, William Brewster, Edward Winslow, William Bradford, John Alden, John Cotton, Thomas Hooker) and the roles and decisions of the leaders of Native Peoples (e.g., Massasoit, Metacom, also known as King Philip).

Explain why Puritan men and women migrated in great numbers to Massachusetts in the 17th century, how they moved west from the Atlantic coast, and the consequences of their migration for the Native Peoples of the region (e.g., loss of territory, great loss of life due to susceptibility to European diseases, religious conversion, conflicts over different ways of life such as the Pequot War and King Philip's War).

Using visual primary sources such as paintings, artifacts, historic buildings, or text sources, analyze details of daily life, housing, education, and work of the Puritan men, women, and children of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including self-employed farmers and artisans, indentured servants, employees, and enslaved people.

Explain that in the 17th and 18th century slavery was legal in all the French, Dutch, and Spanish, and English colonies, including Massachusetts and that colonial Massachusetts had both free and enslaved Africans in its population.

Explain the importance of maritime commerce and the practice of bartering – exchanging goods or services without payment in money—in the development of the economy of colonial Massachusetts, using materials from historical societies and history museums as reference materials. the fishing and shipbuilding industries

Explain the importance of maritime commerce and the practice of bartering – exchanging goods or services without payment in money—in the development of the economy of colonial Massachusetts, using materials from historical societies and history museums as reference materials. trans-Atlantic and Caribbean trade, especially the Triangular Trade that included Africans to be sold as slaves in the colonies and goods such as sugar and cotton produced by slave labor to be sold in the colonies and in Europe

Explain the importance of maritime commerce and the practice of bartering – exchanging goods or services without payment in money—in the development of the economy of colonial Massachusetts, using materials from historical societies and history museums as reference materials. the development of seaport cities of New Bedford, Newburyport, Gloucester, Salem, and Boston

Using a historical map, explain the extent of the Province of Massachusetts in the 17th and 18th centuries (including territory which is now included in Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, as well as Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket). Explain reasons for the growth of towns and cities in Massachusetts in the 1700s.

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the Boston Massacre (1770), including the role of the British Army soldiers, Crispus Attucks, Paul Revere, and John Adams

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the Boston Tea Party (1773), a political protest against taxes on tea by patriots who called themselves the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Native Peoples

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the Intolerable Acts (1774), laws passed by the British Parliament as a result of the Boston Tea Party, designed to punish colonists

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the First Continental Congress (1774), a meeting of representatives from the 13 colonies in response to the Intolerable Acts

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the beginning of the Revolution at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts (April, 1775) and the Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts (June, 1775) and the roles of Revolutionary leaders such as Paul Revere, John Hancock, John and Abigail Adams, Samuel Adams, and Peter Salem

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the roles of Native Peoples and African Americans in the American Revolution, some serving as Loyalists, some as Patriots

Analyze the connection between events, locations, and individuals in Massachusetts in the early 1770s and the beginning of the American Revolution, using sources such as historical maps, paintings, and texts of the period. the roles of colonial women in keeping households and farms, providing education for children, and, during the Revolution, boycotting English goods

Analyze how the colonists' sense of justice denied led to declaring independence, and what the words of the Declaration of Independence say about what its writers believed.

Explain how, after the Revolution, the leaders of the new United States had to write a plan for how to govern the nation, and that this plan is called the Constitution. Explain that the rights of citizens are spelled out in the Constitution's first ten Amendments, known as the Bill of Rights; explain that full citizenship rights were restricted to white male property owners over the age of 21 in the new Republic.

Explain that states as well as nations have plans of government; recognize that the Constitution of Massachusetts (1780) is the oldest functioning constitution in the world, that its primary author was John Adams, and that, in addition to outlining government, it gives basic rights to citizens of the Commonwealth.

Introduce a topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

Provide reasons that support the opinion.

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Establish a situation and introduce a speaker, narrator, and or characters; organize an appropriate narrative sequence.

Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences or events or show responses to situations.

Use figurative language to suggest images.

Use temporal words and phrases to signal order where appropriate.

Provide a sense of closure.

For poems, use words and phrases that form patterns of sound (e.g., rhyme, repetition of sounds within words or within lines) to create meaning or effect.

Produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Demonstrate command of standard English conventions.

Demonstrate the ability to choose and use appropriate vocabulary.

Use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

Recall information from experiences or gather information from print or digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

Begins in grade 4.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize a text.

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, mathematical, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Determine the meaning of general and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

Describe the overall structure of how a text presents information (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) on in a text or part of a text.

Compare and contrast a firsthand and a secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations, or interactive elements on webpages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak knowledgeably about the topic.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, mathematical, and technical texts, exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 4.

Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Paraphrase portions of a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.

Report on a topic, text, procedure, or solution to a mathematical problem, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace and use appropriate vocabulary.

Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting research findings) and those where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small group discussion); use formal English when appropriate for task and situation.

On a physical map of North America, use cardinal directions, map scales, key/legend (symbols for mountains, rivers, deserts, lakes, cities), and title to locate and identify important physical features (e.g., Mississippi and Rio Grande Rivers, Great Lakes, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Hudson's Bay, Appalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Madre, the Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts, the Yucatan Peninsula, the Caribbean Sea).

On a political map of North America, locate Canada and its provinces, Mexico and its states, the nations of the Caribbean, and the United States of America and its states; explain the meaning of the terms continent, country, nation, county, state, province, and city.

Research, analyze, and convey information about Canada or Mexico by consulting maps, atlases, encyclopedias, digital information and satellite images, photographs, or news articles; organizing materials, and making an oral or written presentation about topics such as the peoples, population size, languages, forms of government, major cities, environment, natural resources, industries, and national landmarks.

Evaluate competing theories about the origins of people in North America (e.g., theories that people migrated across a land bridge that connected present-day Siberia to Alaska or theories that they came by a maritime route) and evidence for dating the existence of early populations in North America to about 15,000 years ago.

Using maps of historic Native Peoples' culture regions of North America and photographs, identify archaeological evidence of some of the characteristics of major civilizations of this period (e.g., stone tools, ceramics, mound-building, cliff dwellings).

Explain how archaeologists conduct research (e.g., by participating in excavations, studying artifacts and organic remains, climate and astronomical data, and collaborating with other scholars) to develop theories about migration, settlement patterns, and cultures in prehistoric periods.

Give examples of some archaeological sites of Native Peoples in North America that are preserved as national or state monuments, parks, or international heritage sites (e.g., Teotihuacan in Mexico, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois, Chaco Culture National Historic Park in New Mexico) and explain their importance in presenting a comprehensive history of Americans and American life.

Explain how historians studying the European voyages to the Americas use archaeological evidence, maps, illustrations, and texts produced in Europe at the time, and that all of these materials are called primary sources.

Explain who the Vikings were and describe evidence of their early encounters with Native Peoples along the North American Atlantic coast.

Trace on a map European explorations of North America and the Caribbean Islands in the 15th and 16th centuries (e.g., voyages of Vasco Nun͂es de Balboa, Jacques Cartier, Cristobal Colon [Christopher Columbus], Ferdinand Magellan, Juan Ponce De Leon, Amerigo Vespucci, Hernán Cortés), evaluate the reasons for the voyages, noting that they were part of an effort by European nations to expand their empires, find new routes for trade with Asia, new opportunities for colonization, and new natural resources; make a timeline of their landings and conquests.

Describe how the construction of canals, roads, and railways in the 19th century helped the United States to expand westward.

Give examples of some of the ways the United States acquired new states (beyond the 13 original states) and additional territories between 1791 and 1898, including purchasing land called the Louisiana Territory from France, adding territory in the Southwest as a result of war with Mexico, settling a treaty with Britain to gain land called the Oregon Territory in the Northwest, purchasing Alaska from Russia, annexing Hawaii, and adding territories such as Puerto Rico as a result of a war with Spain.

Compare different reasons why men and women who lived in the Eastern part of the United States wanted to move West in the 19th century, and describe aspects of pioneer life on the frontier (e.g., wagon train journeys on the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, and settlements in the western territories).

Explain that many different groups of people immigrated to the United States from other places voluntarily and some were brought to the United States against their will (as in the case of people of Africa).

Show understanding that in the middle of the 19th century, the people of the United States were deeply divided over the question of slavery and its expansion into newly settled parts of the West, which led to the Civil War from 1861 to 1865.

On a political map of the United States, locate the states in the Northeast (listed alphabetically: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont).

Using resources such as print and online atlases, topographical maps, or road maps, construct a map of the Northeast that shows important cities, state capitals, physical features (e.g., waterways and mountains), and that includes a title, scale, compass, and map key.

Explain the benefits in the 18th century of becoming a state in the United States (as opposed to a British colony) and, as a class, construct a timeline that shows when each of the states in the region was admitted into the United States (Connecticut-1788, Maine, originally part of Massachusetts-1788, as a separate state-1820, Massachusetts-1788, New Hampshire-1788, New Jersey-1787, New York-1788, Pennsylvania-1787, Rhode Island-1790, Vermont-1791).

Develop questions, conduct research, and analyze how people have adapted to the environment of the Northeast, and how physical features and natural resources affected settlement patterns, the growth of major urban/suburban areas, industries or trade.

Describe the diverse cultural nature of the region, including contributions of Native Peoples (e.g., Wampanoag, Iroquois, Abenaki), Africans, Europeans (e.g., the early settlements of the Dutch in New York, French near Canada, Germans in Pennsylvania, the English in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire, subsequent 19th and early 20th century immigration by groups such as Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and Eastern Europeans) and various other immigrant groups from other regions of the world in the later 20th and 21st centuries (e.g., Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Salvadorans, Colombians, Guatemalans, Brazilians, Haitians, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Chinese, Indians, and Somalis).

On a political map of the United States, locate the states and the national capital city in the Southeast, and the U.S. territories in the Caribbean; add to the timeline the admission dates for states in the Southeast (listed alphabetically: Alabama-1819, Arkansas-1836, Delaware-1787, Florida-1845, Georgia-1788, Kentucky-1792, Louisiana-1812, Maryland-1788, Mississippi-1817, North Carolina-1789, South Carolina-1788, Tennessee-1796, Virginia-1788, West Virginia-1863); territories Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands.

Describe the diverse cultural nature of the region, including contributions of Native Peoples (e.g., Powhatan Chiefdom, Seminole, Cherokee, Creek), African Americans, Europeans (e.g., the early Spanish settlements in Florida) and immigrant groups from other regions of the world.

Explain how natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods, have affected the region, and how government and citizens have responded to catastrophic natural events.

Describe the role of Washington, D.C. as the national capital, and give examples of its national cultural and civic resources (e.g., the White House, U.S. Capitol Building, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, cemeteries and monuments).

Using resources such as print and online atlases, or state websites, construct a map of a state in the Southeast region that provides information about physical features (e.g., waterways and mountains) and that includes a title, scale, compass, and map key.

On a political map of the United States, locate the states in the Midwest; add to the timeline the admission dates for states in the Midwest (listed alphabetically: Illinois-1818, Indiana-1816, Iowa-1846, Kansas-1861, Michigan-1838, Minnesota-1858, Missouri-1821, Nebraska-1867, North Dakota-1889, Ohio-1803, South Dakota-1889, Wisconsin-1848).

Describe the diverse cultural nature of the region, including contributions of Native Peoples (e.g., Sioux, Mandan, Ojibwe/Chippewa), African Americans, Europeans and immigrant groups from other regions of the world.

Explain how natural disasters, such as tornadoes and drought, have affected the region, and how government and citizens have responded to catastrophic natural events.

Using resources such as print and online atlases, historical sources, or national or state websites, construct a map of a state in the Midwest region that provides information about physical features (e.g., waterways and mountains), natural resources and industries such as agriculture and that includes a title, scale, compass, and map key.

On a political map of the United States, locate the states in the Southwest; add to the timeline the admission dates for states in the Southwest (listed alphabetically, Arizona-1912, New Mexico-1912, Oklahoma-1907, and Texas-1845).

Explain that Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico were territories that formerly belonged to Mexico; that Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836, and that Arizona and New Mexico were taken by the United States as a result of the Mexican-American War 1846-1848.

Describe the diverse cultural nature of the region, including contributions of Native Peoples (e.g., Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, Comanche), African Americans, Europeans (e.g., the Spanish in Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico), Mexicans, and immigrant groups from other regions of the world settling in the region over time.

Explain how natural disasters, such as hurricanes and drought, have affected the region, and how government and citizens have responded to catastrophic natural events.

Using resources such as print and online atlases, historical sources, or state websites, construct a map of a state in the Southwest region that provides information about physical features (e.g., waterways and mountains), climate, settlements and movements of Native Peoples (including current reservation lands), European exploration and pioneer settlements of the 17th-19th centuries and that includes a title, scale, compass, and map key.

On a political map of the United States, locate the states in the West and the U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean; add to the timeline the admission dates for states in the Southwest (states listed alphabetically, Alaska-1959, California-1850, Colorado-1876, Hawaii-1959, Idaho-1890, Montana-1889, Nevada-1864, Oregon-1859, Utah-1896, Washington-1889, Wyoming-1890); territories: American Samoa, Guam, Midway Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, and Wake Island.

Explain that California, Colorado, and Utah were territories that belonged to Mexico and were taken by the United States as a result of the Mexican-American War 1846-1848.

Describe the diverse cultural nature of the region, including contributions of Native Peoples (e.g., Paiute, Coast Salish) African Americans, Europeans (e.g. the Spanish in California), the Mexicans, the Chinese, Japanese, and immigrant groups from other regions of the world over time.

Explain how disasters, such as drought and forest fires, have affected the region, and how government and citizens have responded to catastrophic events.

Using resources such as print and online atlases, or state websites, construct a map of a state in the West region that provides information about physical features (e.g., waterways and mountains), important landmarks, national parks, and historic sites and that includes a title, scale, compass, and map key.

Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped in paragraphs and sections to support the writer's purpose.

Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include text features (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a speaker, narrator, and/or characters; organize an appropriate narrative sequence.

Use dialogue and description to develop experiences or events or show responses to situations.

Use a variety of transitional words to manage sequence.

Use concrete words and phrases, figurative language such as similes and metaphors, and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.

Provide a sense of closure appropriate to the narrated experiences or events.

For poems, use patterns of sound (e.g., rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, consonance) and visual patterns (e.g., line length, grouped lines in stanzas or verses) to create works that are distinctly different in form from prose narratives.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Demonstrate command of standard English conventions.

Demonstrate the ability to use general academic and domain-specific vocabulary appropriately.

Use technology, including current web-based communication platforms, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support written analysis, reflection, and research.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Quote or paraphrase a text accurately when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Determine one or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize a text.

Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, mathematical, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

Determine the meaning of general and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

Describe how an author uses one or more structures (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, to present information in a text

Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the points of view they represent.

Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.