OVERVIEW
This Program of Studies (POS) defines the instruction program that must be implemented in Virginia and United States History Courses. It describes the curriculum content and identifies the essential knowledge and skills of the instructional program. Teachers have the responsibility to accommodate individual students’ needs and to provide additional assistance or extensions that support this POS.
Required instructional materials and equipment listed within this document are to be used in the delivery of the program. Supplemental or substitute materials must be approved through the process outlined in regulations 3005.4 and 3007.
School Board policy requires that teachers seek permission from their principal prior to deviating from this POS relative to curriculum content or stated standards and goals. Prior to granting of permission, principals may request the advice of or assistance of the appropriate Instructional Services subject specialist or coordinator, and must have the final approval of the area superintendent and assistant superintendent for Instructional Services.
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The Virginia and United States Program of Studies contains essential knowledge as defined in the Virginia SOL and the National Standards for History. Its scope spans from the late 15th century when three worlds met (European, African, and Native American) to the rapidly changing geopolitical world of the 21st Century. The POS contains the core curriculum to be taught as well as myriad resources and supporting materials for teachers and students.
Organization of the Virginia and United States History Program of Studies:
Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators
Correlation with SOL
The Virginia and United States History POS divides the curriculum for this course into six historical time periods. The Standards for each period list the content for that time period in broad terms. These fourteen Standards are identical to the fourteen Standards of Learning issued by the Virginia State Department of Education. The Benchmarks listed below each Standard are used to gauge student progress in meeting the curriculum standards, and in some cases contain material that goes beyond the scope of the Virginia Standards of Learning. Indicators are specific learning behaviors that demonstrate a student’s mastery of a benchmark. Bold content in the indicators is considered essential and must be taught in all classrooms. The bolding in this section of the POS indicates material that is designated Essential Knowledge in the Curriculum Framework issued by the State Department of Education. Content which is not underlined may not appear in the Curriculum Framework or Virginia State Standards of Learning. This content is part of the Fairfax County curriculum and provides a richer, more complete picture of the history of the United States and Virginia.
The Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators define the essential and expanded content to be taught in Virginia and United States History Courses. The Virginia and United States History teacher should organize an instructional program that strives to meet all standards, benchmarks, and indicators outlined in this document.
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The Virginia and United States History Standards, Benchmarks, and Indicators is organized around six historical periods:
- Period One: 1492- 1760
- Period Two: 1760-1790
- Period Three: 1790-1850
- Period Four: 1850-1914
- Period Five: 1898-1945
- Period Six: 1945- Present
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Each section of the Standards, Benchmarks and Indicators contains a suggested timeframe for instruction, a historical overview of the period, and focus questions to guide discussions.
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The Assessments section of the POS contains strategies used in classrooms to focus on student performance. These evaluative tools demonstrate the content and skills that are being learned at a particular point in time, while also highlighting areas where students are experiencing difficulties in their learning. These tools should help the teacher focus instruction to bolster student achievement. Accurate assessment should provide the teacher with information about how well a student has met the benchmarks and indicators in the POS.
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United States and Virginia History teachers have numerous resources including texts, maps, globes, atlases, videotapes, and videodiscs as well as an increasing number of quality software programs to support instruction.
The materials in this section include:
- Pacing Guide
- List of useful Internet Websites
- Questions of the day by standard
- Ed Ellis Graphic Organizers and Thinksheets
- Interactive Student Notebook
- Ways of Historical Thinking
- The Socratic Seminar
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Adapting teaching styles to accommodate students’ needs will help all of your students learn more effectively. Teachers who use these adaptations can still maintain high standards while addressing students’ various needs in the classroom. By varying your teaching strategies, you allow students to express their knowledge in numerous ways using their strengths and unique learning and intellectual styles. Doing so allows each student to experience success within your learning environment.
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The Model Lessons in this notebook were originally produced and distributed by a team of FCPS Social Studies Teachers during the summer of 2000. They appear here aligned to correlate to the fourteen Standards of Learning and are strong templates for lesson planning and design.
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This section of the Program of Studies contains pertinent Regulations issued by the Superintendent; the topics covered by these regulations include specific areas of interest to teachers such as: organizing community events and student performances; teaching controversial issues; dealing with challenges to library and instructional materials; distributing materials; the use of supplemental instructional materials; using supplemental nonprint instructional materials; and the rules governing the reproduction and use of copyrighted materials.
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The Virginia Department of Education maintains web resources to assist and guide teachers in preparing their students for the Standards of Learning Tests. These Online resources include model lessons and three publications that are important tools for understanding the accompanying expectations and guidelines set out by the State for teaching this course. The first is the Scope and Sequence Document. The second is the Blueprint for the Virginia and United States History Test. The third is the Curriculum Framework that lists in detail the essential skills, questions, understandings, and knowledge that are tested by the year-end SOL Exam. These documents are valuable tools and Virginia and United States History teams should make sure they understand the expectations for content and pacing that are laid out in these documents.
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This version Virginia and United States History Program of Studies was edited with the specific intention of developing a Standards, Benchmarks and Indicators section that could serve as a curriculum framework and pacing guide for FCPS Teachers. All of the pacing, skills, and content expectations from the Department of Education documents can now be found in Section 2 (the SBIs) of the Fairfax County Program of Studies.
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