Description Of Bulleted Items In Each Rubric

• The first bullet references the use of content and vocabulary
• The second bullet references the manipulation/application of critical thinking skills.
• The third bullet references communication including organization and clarity.

These rubric bullets are used across the grade levels for all sub-domain open response models, thus providing a grading consistency K-12. The rubric was designed to reflect the proposed performance standards for the CATS open response questions in the social studies section of the state assessment. The proposed state social studies performance standards include:

• Content knowledge
• Decisions, concepts, problems (Critical Thinking Skills)
• Vocabulary
• Communication
• Connections (Critical Thinking Skills)

Government and Civics

Sample Government and Civics Open Response Question

Standard I: The study of government and civics allows students to understand the nature of government and the unique characteristics of American democracy including its fundamental principles, structure and role of citizens.

Academic Expectation 2.14: Students should understand the democratic principles of justice, equality, responsibility and freedom and apply them to real-life situations.

Academic Expectation 2.15: Students can accurately describe various forms of government and analyze issues that relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Rights and responsibilities within family and peer groups
• Patriotic symbols
• Conflict management (making good behavior choices)
• Authority (family rules and responsibilities, classroom rules and responsibilities)
• Democratic governments provide for society’s needs including fire and police departments.

• Recognizes oneself as part of a group and demonstrates cooperation with others.
• Identify sources of authority
• Predict and evaluate consequences of particular actions or behaviors
• Discover patterns in life situations (5.1)

Culture and Society

Sample Culture and Society Open Response Questions

Standard II: Culture is the way of life by a group of people, including their ideas and traditions. In America’s multicultural society, students need to understand that culture influences viewpoints, social rules and social institutions

Academic Expectation 2.16: Students observe, analyze and interpret human behaviors, social groupings and institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.

Academic Expectation 2.17: Students interact effectively and work cooperatively with the many diverse ethnic and cultural groups of our nation and world.

Core Content

• Self-identify and self-awareness, including personal growth and change and as a part of various groups and institutions. (i.e., family and school)
• Tolerance and respect for individual differences
• Recognizes stereotypes including cultural stereotypes
• Role of the family in the transmission of culture.

• Recognizes family similarities and differences
• Recognizes roles within various social groups.
• Explore the uniqueness of the individual
• Recognize and respects the rights of others to display unique characteristics.
• Recognize the existence of different perspectives (6.1)

Economics

Sample Economics Open Response Questions

Standard III: Economics includes the study of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Students need to understand how their economic decisions affect them, others and the nation as a whole.

Academic Expectation 2.18: Students understand economic principles and are able to make economic decisions that have consequences in daily living.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Trade using barter and money
• Producers create goods and services; consumers make economic choices about which ones to purchase
• Consumers use goods and services to satisfy economic wants
• A market exists whenever buyers and sellers exchange goods and services. Prices and availability of goods and services are determined by supply and demand.

• Ability to identify needs and wants
• Apply fundamental economic concepts (goods, services, supply and demand, scarcity)
• Gather, sort and re-sort information into categories (5.3)

Geography

Sample Geography Open Response Question

Standard IV: Geography is the study of people, places and environments. Students need geographic knowledge to understand the world and their relationship to it. A geographic perspective also enables students to better understand the past and present and to prepare for the future.

Academic Expectation 2.19: Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Every place is unique and can be described by its physical characteristics (e.g. landforms, climates) and human characteristics (e.g. language, religion, housing).

• Use geographic sources of information and data for a purpose including simple political map, globes, charts and graphs
• Recognize that everything has a location
• Understand and apply developmentally appropriate vocabulary
• Explain the geographic factors on human movement.
• Classify objects by characteristics (5.3)

History

Sample History Open Response Questions

Standard V: History is the interpretation of events, people, ideas and their interaction over time. In order for students to understand the present and make plans for their future, they must understand the past.

Academic Expectation 2.20: Students understand, analyze and interpret historical events, conditions, trends and issues to develop historical perspective.

Core Content

Demonstrators

• Major historical events (i.e., Thanksgiving, Columbus Day)
• Symbols are used to illustrate important dates, ideas or events in history (i.e., flags, songs)
• Holidays

• Distinguish between past, present and future
• Recognize continuity and change.
• Connect knowledge with past experiences (6.2)