Illinois State Standards for Social Studies: Grade 9

IL.14. Political Systems: Understand political systems, with an emphasis on the United States.

14.A. Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government.

14.A.4. Analyze how local, state and national governments serve the purposes for which they were created.

14.B. Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

14.B.4. Compare the political systems of the United States to other nations.

14.C. Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.

14.C.4. Describe the meaning of participatory citizenship (e.g., volunteerism, voting) at all levels of government and society in the United States.

14.D. Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

14.D.4. Analyze roles and influences of individuals, groups and media in shaping current debates on state and national policies.

14.E. Understand United States foreign policy as it relates to other nations and international issues.

14.E.4. Analyze historical trends of United States foreign policy (e.g., emergence as a world leader - military, industrial, financial).

14.F. Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions.

14.F.4a. Determine the historical events and processes that brought about changes in United States political ideas and traditions (e.g., the New Deal, Civil War).

14.F.4b. Describe how United States' political ideas, practices and technologies have extended rights for Americans in the 20th century (e.g., suffrage, civil rights, motor-voter registration).

IL.15. Economics: Understand economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States.

15.A. Understand how different economic systems operate in the exchange, production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

15.A.4a. Explain how national economies vary in the extent that government and private markets help allocate goods, services and resources.

15.A.4b. Describe Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

15.A.4c. Analyze the impact of inflation on an individual and the economy as a whole.

15.A.4d. Explain the effects of unemployment on the economy.

15.B. Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers.

15.B.4a. Explain the costs and benefits of making consumer purchases through differing means (e.g., credit, cash).

15.B.4b. Analyze the impact of current events (e.g., weather/natural disasters, wars) on consumer prices.

15.C. Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers.

15.C.4a. Analyze the impact of political actions and natural phenomena (e.g., wars, legislation, natural disaster) on producers and production decisions.

15.C.4b. Explain the importance of research, development, invention, technology and entrepreneurship to the United States economy.

15.D. Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services.

15.D.4a. Explain the meaning and importance of balance of trade and how trade surpluses and deficits between nations are determined.

15.D.4b. Describe the relationships between the availability and price of a nation's resources and its comparative advantage in relation to other nations.

15.D.4c. Describe the impact of worker productivity (output per worker) on business, the worker and the consumer.

15.E. Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production and consumption in the economy.

15.E.4a. Explain why government may intervene in a market economy.

15.E.4b. Describe social and environmental benefits and consequences of production and consumption.

15.E.4c. Analyze the relationship between a country's science/technology policies and its level and balance of trade.

IL.16. History: Understand events, trends, individuals and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

16.A. Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.

16.A.4a. Analyze and report historical events to determine cause-and-effect relationships.

16.A.4b. Compare competing historical interpretations of an event.

16.B. Understand the development of significant political events.

16.B.4a. Local, State, and United States History: Identify political ideas that have dominated United States historical eras (e.g., Federalist, Jacksonian, Progressivist, New Deal, New Conservative).

16.B.4b. World History: Identify political ideas that began during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and that persist today (e.g., church/state relationships).

16.B.4c. World History: Identify political ideas from the early modern historical era to the present which have had worldwide impact (e.g., nationalism/Sun Yat-Sen, non-violence/Ghandi, independence/Kenyatta).

16.C. Understand the development of economic systems.

16.C.4a. Local, State, and United States History: Explain how trade patterns developed between the Americas and the rest of the global economy, 1500 - 1840.

16.C.4b. Local, State, and United States History: Analyze the impact of westward expansion on the United States economy.

16.C.4c. Local, State, and United States History: Describe how American economic institutions were shaped by industrialists, union leaders and groups including Southern migrants, Dust Bowl refugees, agricultural workers from Mexico and female workers since 1914.

16.C.4d. World History: Describe the growing dominance of American and European capitalism and their institutions after 1500.

16.C.4e. World History: Compare socialism and communism in Europe, America, Asia and Africa after 1815 CE.

16.C.4f. World History: Describe the impact of key individuals/ideas from 1500 - present, including Adam Smith, Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes.

16.C.4g. World History: Describe how the maturing economies of Western Europe and Japan led to colonialism and imperialism.

16.D. Understand Illinois, United States and world social history.

16.D.4a. Local, State, and United States History: Describe the immediate and long-range social impacts of slavery.

16.D.4b. Local, State, and United States History: Describe unintended social consequences of political events in United States history (e.g., Civil War/emancipation, National Defense Highway Act/decline of inner cities, Vietnam War/anti-government activity).

16.D.4c. World History: Identify significant events and developments since 1500 that altered world social history in ways that persist today including colonization, Protestant Reformation, industrialization, the rise of technology and human rights movements.

16.E. Understand Illinois, United States and world environmental history.

16.E.4a. Local, State, and United States History: Describe the causes and effects of conservation and environmental movements in the United States, 1900 - present.

16.E.4b. Local, State, and United States History: Describe different and sometimes competing views, as substantiated by scientific fact, that people in North America have historically held towards the environment (e.g., private and public land ownership and use, resource use vs. preservation).

16.E.4c. World History: Describe how cultural encounters among peoples of the world (e.g., Colombian exchange, opening of China and Japan to external trade, building of Suez canal) affected the environment, 1500 - present.

16.E.4d. World History: Describe how migration has altered the world's environment since 1450.

IL.17. Geography: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States.

17.A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth.

17.A.4a. Use mental maps of physical features to answer complex geographic questions (e.g., how physical features have deterred or enabled migration).

17.A.4b. Use maps and other geographic instruments and technologies to analyze spatial patterns and distributions on earth.

17.B. Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions on the Earth's physical systems.

17.B.4a. Explain the dynamic interactions within and among the Earth's physical systems including variation, productivity and constructive and destructive processes.

17.B.4b. Analyze trends in world demographics as they relate to physical systems.

17.C. Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.

17.C.4a. Explain the ability of modern technology to alter geographic features and the impacts of these modifications on human activities.

17.C.4b. Analyze growth trends in selected urban areas as they relate to geographic factors.

17.C.4c. Explain how places with various population distributions function as centers of economic activity (e.g., rural, suburban, urban).

17.D. Understand the historical significance of geography.

17.D.4. Explain how processes of spatial change have affected human history (e.g., resource development and use, natural disasters).

IL.18. Social Systems: Understand social systems, with an emphasis on the United States.

18.A. Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions and institutions.

18.A.4. Analyze the influence of cultural factors including customs, traditions, language, media, art and architecture in developing pluralistic societies.

18.B. Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society.

18.B.4. Analyze various forms of institutions (e.g., educational, military, charitable, governmental).

18.C. Understand how social systems form and develop over time.

18.C.4a. Analyze major cultural exchanges of the past (e.g., Colombian exchange, the Silk Road, the Crusades).

18.C.4b. Analyze major contemporary cultural exchanges as influenced by worldwide communications.