For easy reference, the lesson plans for the " video chapters" of the documentary each contain a table that is coded using the Roman numerals of applicable NCSS "strands." The following excerpts from the NCSS Curriculum Standards manual are quick reminders of what the strands represent:
- Compare similarities and differences, analyze and explain the ways groups, societies and cultures address human needs
and concerns.
- Interpret patterns of behavior reflecting values and attitudes that contribute or pose obstacles to cross-cultural understanding.
- Construct reasonable judgments about specific cultural responses to persistent human issues.
II. Time, Continuity and Change
- Demonstrate an understanding that different scholars may describe the same event or situation in different ways but must
provide reasons for their views.
- Apply key concepts such as time chronology, causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze and show connections among patterns of historical change and continuity.
III. People, Places and Environments
- Elaborate mental maps of locales, regions, and the world that demonstrate understanding of relative location, direction, size, and shape.
- Describe and compare how people create places that reflect culture, human needs, government policy, and current values and ideals as they design and build specialized buildings, neighborhoods and urban centers.
IV. Individual Development and Identity
- Articulate personal connections to time, place, and social/cultural systems.
- Identify, describe, and express appreciation for the influences of various historical and contemporary cultures on an individual's daily life.
- Describe the ways family, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, and other cultural influences contribute to the development of a sense of self.
V. Individuals, Groups and Institutions
- Demonstrate an understanding of concepts such as role, status, and social class in describing the interactions of individuals, groups, and institutions in society.
- Analyze group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture in both historical and contemporary settings.
- Identify and analyze examples of tensions between expressions of individuality and efforts used to promote social conformity by groups and institutions.
VI. Power, Authority and Governance
- Examine persistent issues involving the rights, roles, and status of the individual in relation to the general welfare.
- Explain the purpose of government and analyze how its powers are acquired, used, and justified, and the extent to which
governments achieve their stated ideals and policies at home and abroad.
- Analyze and explain ideas and mechanisms to meet needs and wants of citizens, regulate territory, manage conflict, establish order and security, and balance competing conceptions of a just society.
- Compare and analyze the ways nations and organizations respond to conflicts between forces of unity and forces of diversity.
VII. Production, Distribution and Consumption
- Describe the role that supply and demand, prices, incentives, and profits play in determining what is produced and distributed in a competitive market system.
- Compare how values and beliefs influence economic decisions in different societies.
- Use economic concepts to help explain historical and current developments and issues in local, national, or global contexts.
VIII. Science, Technology and Society
- Examine and describe the influence of culture on scientific and technological choices and advancement, such as in transportation, medicine, and warfare.
- Make judgments about how science and technology have transformed the physical world and human society and our
understanding of time, space, place, and human-environment interactions.
IX. Global Connections
- Describe instances in which language, art, music, belief systems, and other cultural elements can facilitate global understanding or cause misunderstanding.
- Explain conditions and motivations that contribute to conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among groups, societies, and nations.
- Analyze the relationships and tensions between national sovereignty and global interests, in such matters as territory, economic development, nuclear and other weapons, use of natural resources, and human rights concerns.
X. Civic Ideas and Practices
- Examine the origins and continuing influence of key ideals of the democratic republican form of government, such as individual human dignity, liberty, justice, equality, and the rule of law.
- Identify, analyze, interpret, and evaluate sources and examples of citizens' rights and responsibilities.
- Practice forms of civic discussion and participation consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic republic.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of public opinion in influencing and shaping public policy development and decision-making, and the degree to which public policies and citizen behaviors reflect or foster the stated ideals of a democratic republican form of government.
