Summary of Skills

Unit 1: Slavery and the Civil War [SS]

Social Studies

• Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.
• Analyze the political, economic, and social impact of Reconstruction and identify the reasons why Reconstruction came to an end.
• Analyze the significance of the Missouri Compromise (1820), the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), and the Lincoln-Douglas debates.
• Analyze the social and economic impact of the war.
• Compare and contrast conflicting interpretations of state and federal authority.
• Describe the agrarian economy in the South.
• Describe the causes and effects of the Civil War and explain the reasons for the involvement of different states in the Civil War.
• Describe the causes and effects of the Civil War.
• Describe the development of the agrarian economy in the South and discuss the significance of cotton and the cotton gin.
• Describe the political and military development of the Civil War and analyze their effect on the outcome of the war.
• Differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources.
• Discuss Abraham Lincoln and his significant writings and speeches and their relationship to the Declaration of Independence, such as the Gettysburg Address (1863) and the Emancipation Proclamation (1863).
• Discuss Abraham Lincoln and his significant writings and speeches and their relationship to the Declaration of Independence, such as the Gettysburg Address (1863) and the Emancipation Proclamation (1863).
• Evaluate the importance of the roles played by individuals at the state and national levels during the Civil War and Reconstruction period.
• Explain how industry and the mechanization of agriculture changed ways of life in America.
• Explain the reasons for and rights provided by the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
• Identify and analyze the significance of the causes of secession from the Union.
• Identify changes in society resulting from the Industrial Revolution.
• Identify different points of view about an issue or topic.
• Identify the elements of frame of reference that influenced the participants in an event.
• Organize and interpret information in a variety of ways including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps.
• Study the skills and lives of leaders and soldiers on both sides of the war.
• Study the views and lives of leaders (e.g., Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee) and soldiers on both sides of the war.
• Study the views and lives of leaders (e.g., Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee) on both sides of the war.
• Trace the boundaries constituting the North and the South and identify the differences between agrarians and industrialists.
• Trace the origins and development of slavery; its effects on African Americans and on the region's political, economic, and cultural development; and identify the strategies that were tried to both overturn it and preserve it.
• Use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret social studies information such as maps or graphs.
• Use primary and secondary sources to discover information about United States history.

Unit 1: Bull Run [LA]

Language Arts

• Analyze the characteristics of argumentative works.
• Anticipate and address reader concerns and counterarguments.
• Demonstrate understanding in speaking and writing by using troublesome verbs.
• Determine the importance of author's word choice and focus.
• Differentiate between commonly confused terms.
• Distinguish between fact and opinion.
• Draw conclusions based on evidence, reasons, or relevant information.
• Examine reasons for a character's actions, taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character.
• Explain the roles and functions of characters in various plots, including their relationships and conflicts.
• Explore any bias, apparent or hidden messages, or emotional factors.
• Explore bias, apparent or hidden messages, emotional factors, and/or propaganda techniques.
• Explore expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by making connections among works, self, and related topics and by comparing and/or contrasting information.
• Identify and correctly use verbs that are often misused.
• Identify and explain the point of view in a written work.
• Identify and explore the underlying assumptions of the author/creator.
• Identify and properly use present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect verb forms.
• Identify and properly use present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect verb forms.
• Make informed judgments about propaganda.
• Recognize and develop the stance of a critic by considering alternative points of view or reasons.
• Reflect on learning experiences by describing personal learning growth and changes in perspective.
• Respond to public documents.
• State a clear position on a proposition or proposal.
• Summarize the author's purpose and stance.
• Support the position with organized and relevant evidence.
• Use and understand the function of verbs.
• Use appropriate subject-verb agreement and verb tense that are appropriate for the meaning of the sentence.
• Use complete simple and compound sentences with correct subject-verb agreement.
• Write persuasive compositions that state a clear position in support of a proposal, support a position with relevant evidence, and follow a simple organizational pattern.

Unit 2: Force and Motion [S]

Science

• Build and use a model to solve a mechanical design problem, including testing and evaluating the results of the test.
• Calculate average speed using distance and time measurements.
• Compare and contrast potential and kinetic energy.
• Complete demonstrations that test the effect of forces on an object.
• Conduct an investigation to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
• Demonstrate the effect of simple machines (lever, inclined plane, pulley, wedge, screw, and wheel and axle) on work.
• Design an experiment that tests the effect of force on an object.
• Design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
• Determine factors that affect motion, including force.
• Determine how friction affects motion.
• Determine how inertia affects motion.
• Determine how momentum affects motion.
• Determine how people use simple machines to solve problems.
• Determine the motion of an object by following and measuring its position over time.
• Evaluate how pushing or pulling forces can change the position and motion of an object.
• Evaluate how the force of gravity affects objects.
• Explain how energy is needed to make machines move against the force of gravity.
• Explain how energy is needed to make machines move against the force of moving air.
• Explore how inertia and momentum affect motion.
• Identify and describe the changes in direction, motion, and speed of an object when acted upon by unbalanced forces.
• Identify and explain how forces act on objects.
• Identify and explain how magnetism acts on objects.
• Identify simultaneous force pairs that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
• Investigate the relationship between force and motion using a variety of means.
• Model how air resistance affects gravitational force.
• Understand the basic vocabulary related to force and motion.

Unit 2: Albert Einstein [LA]

Language Arts

• Analyze the effect of the qualities of the character (such as courage or cowardice, ambition, or laziness) on the events and conflict in the story.
• Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support understanding.
• Conduct research (with assistance) from a variety of sources for assigned or self-selected projects (such as print and non-print texts, artifacts, people, libraries, databases, computer networks).
• Determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from Latin and Greek roots.
• Distinguish between fact and opinion.
• Explain how authors create meaning through stylistic elements.
• Explain messages conveyed in various forms of media.
• Explore informational materials by generating questions.
• Identify language devices in biographies.
• Identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first-and third-person narration (for example, autobiography compared with biography).
• Integrate main idea and supporting details from multiple sources to expand understanding of texts.
• Know abstract, derived roots, and affixes from Greek and Latin and use this knowledge to analyze the meaning of complex words (such as controversial).
• Listen to and interpret a speaker's messages (both verbal and nonverbal) and ask questions to clarify the speaker's purpose or perspective.
• Make connections within and between texts by recognizing similarities and differences based on a common lesson, theme, or message.
• Make informed judgments about television, radio, video/film productions, other electronic media and/or print formats.
• Monitor comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed by analyzing the characteristics of expressive works.
• Monitor comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard, and/or viewed by analyzing the characteristics of expressive works.
• Monitor expository text for unknown words or words with novel meanings by using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning.
• Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (such as essay, feature story, business letter).
• Read a variety of biographies.
• Read independently for a sustained period of time and summarize or paraphrase what the reading was about, maintaining meaning and logical order.
• Recognize and understand Greek roots (for example, tele, photo, graph, meter) and Latin roots (for example, spec, scrib, rupt, port, ject, dict).
• Recognize and understand Greek roots (for example, tele, photo, graph, meter) and Latin roots (for example, spec, scrib, rupt, port, ject, dict).
• Recognize how various techniques influence viewers' emotions.
• Speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language.
• Summarize significant events and details.
• Synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres.
• Understand how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents.
• Understand, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the varied structural patterns and features of literary nonfiction and provide evidence from text to support understanding.
• Use a variety of preliminary strategies to plan and organize the writing and speaking task considering purpose, audience, and timeline.
• Use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings.
• Use critical thinking skills and create criteria to evaluate print and non-print materials.
• Use metacognitive strategies independently and flexibly to monitor comprehension and extend vocabulary.
• Use oral and written language to evaluate information and ideas.
• Use simple, compound, and compound-complex sentences; use effective coordination and subordination of ideas to express complete thoughts.
• Use technology as a tool to enhance and/or publish a product.

Unit 3: World Wars I and II [SS]

Social Studies

• Analyze the political, economic, and social impact of major wars, including World War I and World War II.
• Assess the impact of World War II on the economic, political, social, and military roles of different groups, including women and minorities.
• Describe the impact of wars and conflicts on United States citizens.
• Describe the impact of World War I and World War II on United States citizens.
• Describe the impact of World War I on United States citizens.
• Describe the impact of World War II on United States citizens.
• Describe the significance of major events and military engagements associated with World War II.
• Examine the significance of key ideas and individuals associated with World War II.

Unit 3: Number the Stars [LA]

Language Arts

• Analyze various media venues.
• Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about expository text.
• Apply proofreading rules when editing.
• Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions.
• Edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling.
• Edit final products for grammar, language conventions, and format.
• Establish a topic, important ideas, or events in sequence or chronological order.
• Explain and evaluate relationships that are problem/solution.
• Explain the roles and functions of characters in various plots, including their relationships and conflicts.
• Explore the impact of setting on the conflict of the story.
• Explore the problem/solution process by studying examples (in literature and other text) that present problems coherently, describing the solution clearly, and sequencing reasons to support the solution.
• Follow multi-tasked instructions to complete a task, solve a problem, or perform procedures.
• Guide and inform the reader's understanding of key ideas and evidence.
• Identify the problems or conflicts of the plot and explain how they are resolved.
• Include specific facts, details, and examples in an appropriately organized structure.
• Interact with text by drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.
• Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
• Interpret text by explaining characterization.
• Make connections between works, self, and related topics/information.
• Offer a concluding paragraph that summarizes important ideas and details.
• Paraphrase major ideas and supporting evidence in formal and informal presentations.
• Present findings in a specified format.
• Provide details and transitional expressions that link one paragraph to another in a clear line of thought.
• Read aloud narrative and expository text fluently and accurately and with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.
• Recognize and use punctuation marks including commas in compound sentences; use proper punctuation and spacing for quotations.
• Recognize underlying messages in order to identify theme/s within and across works.
• Respond to literary or expository texts and provide evidence from the text to demonstrate understanding.
• Revise drafts to clarify meaning and enhance style.
• Select key vocabulary critical to the text and apply appropriate meanings as necessary for comprehension.
• Use a variety of sentence transitions to link paragraphs.
• Use elements of the writing process to compose text.
• Write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes.
• Write responses to literary or expository texts and provide evidence from the text to demonstrate understanding.