Social Sciences Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Social Sciences Department of Morris Community High School to encourage the growth of citizenship and connect historical content to student's lives through the critical examination and interpretation of political, economic, geographic, social, and moral events, both past and present.
Social Sciences Skills of Emphasis
Map Skills
Students will be able to:
Critical Analysis of Historical Writing
Students will be able to:
Note Taking Skills
Students will be able to:
Graph / Table Interpretation
Students will be able to:
Critical Thinking Skills
Students will be able to:
Following Instructions
Students will be able to:
Writing for Historical Content
Students will be able to:
Website Evaluation
Students will be able to:
Students will be able to:
- Identify locations and geographical landforms using a map.
- Interpret map items to draw inferences about a given area.
- Evaluate historical events using primary source documents and descriptions of geographical content.
Critical Analysis of Historical Writing
Students will be able to:
- Evaluate bias and/or point of view of primary and secondary sources
- Interpret historical documents for support of a theory or idea
Note Taking Skills
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a variety of note taking techniques, including different styles of note taking and concept mapping.
Graph / Table Interpretation
Students will be able to:
- Interpret graphs or tables to find relevant information provided by a graph, table, or chart for use in supporting a point of view
- Infer trends based on data in the graph, table or chart
Critical Thinking Skills
Students will be able to:
- Recognize problems and explore ways to solve those problems
- Identify and understand the importance of prioritization and order of precedence in problem solving
- Identify unstated assumptions and values
- Comprehend and use language with accuracy, clarity, and discernment
- recognize the existence (or non-existence) of logical relationships between items or events
- Test generalizations or conclusions
Following Instructions
Students will be able to:
- Follow a given set of instructions to reach a successful conclusion to a problem or completion of an assignment
Writing for Historical Content
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate writing skills which reveal an understanding of the “big picture” of a historical event.
- Critically analyze a historical event through the collection and sorting of information an development of a thesis based on evidence provided.
- Organize evidence to support a given thesis.
- Structure an essay with a proper introduction, body, and conclusion.
Website Evaluation
Students will be able to:
- Identify creators of websites
- Identify validity of websites to use as sources of information
- Evaluate point of view of websites and other sources of electronic information
- Employ accurate search parameters to discern information for a given event
- Apply sources correctly to support a thesis