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Foundations of the Social Studies Standards
- Social Studies: A Call to Action (966.05 KB) .pdf - This report was published by the Iowa Department of Education in 2015. The data were collected from teachers and administrators across the state in order to gauge the status of social studies in Iowa.
- C3 Framework: Published in 2013 by the National Council for the Social Studies, the C3 Framework served as a foundational document for Iowa’s social studies standards. Check out several resources on the C3 Framework from the National Council for the Social Studies and C3 Teachers.
Iowa Social Studies Standards
View printable cards of the standards by grade level:
- Kindergarten (20.41 KB) .pdf
- 1st Grade (22.09 KB) .pdf
- 2nd Grade (22.03 KB) .pdf
- 3rd Grade (24.25 KB) .pdf
- 4th Grade (77.55 KB) .pdf
- 5th Grade (79.02 KB) .pdf
- 6th Grade (80.16 KB) .pdf
- 7th Grade (81.1 KB) .pdf
- 8th Grade (82.17 KB) .pdf
9th-12th Grade:
- 9th-12th Grade Behavior Science (82.15 KB) .pdf
- 9th-12th Grade Civics and Government (82.62 KB) .pdf
- 9th-12th Grade Economics (74.7 KB) .pdf
- 9th-12th Grade Financial Literacy (75.83 KB) .pdf
- 9th-12th Grade Geography (76.13 KB) .pdf
- 9th-12th Grade United States History (85.84 KB) .pdf
- 9th-12th Grade World History (79.48 KB) .pdf
6th-12th Grade Literacy in History/Social Studies Standards
K-12 inquiry anchor standard progressions:
- Constructing Compelling Questions (62.18 KB) .pdf
- Constructing Supporting Questions (61.75 KB) .pdf
- Gathering and Evaluating Sources (63.48 KB) .pdf
- Developing Claims and Using Evidence (65.03 KB) .pdf
- Communicating and Critiquing Conclusions (67.91 KB) .pdf
- Taking Informed Action (67.82 KB) .pdf
Printable cards of the progression of the standards by content area:
- Behavioral Sciences (89.52 KB) .pdf
- Civics and Government (86.55 KB) .pdf
- Economics (81.92 KB) .pdf
- Financial Literacy (82.59 KB) .pdf
- Geography (88.11 KB) .pdf
- History (102.68 KB) .pdf
View the Iowa Social Studies Standards as a poster (95.47 KB) .xlsx , formatted as a MS Excel (.xlsx) document.
Back to topInstructional Shifts
What instructional shifts do the standards require? Teachers must think about four instructional shifts as they are planning for effective implementation of Iowa’s social studies standards. Check out an Overview of Iowa Core in Social Studies Instructional Shifts (93.88 KB) .pdf . They are:
- Craft questions that spark and sustain an inquiry
- Integrate skills and content purposefully
- Provide opportunities for communicating conclusions and taking informed action
- Engage in rigorous, student-centered learning
Unpacking the Standards
The Glossary for the Iowa Social Studies Standards (66.55 KB) .pdf helps define and unpack the vocabulary used in the standards.
Back to topAdditional Resources
Administrators/Curriculum Directors
- The curriculum revision process is an important component of ensuring a viable and rigorous curriculum for each and every student in a school setting. The Checklist for Social Studies Curriculum (215.8 KB) .pdf guides districts through a comprehensive process when they are undergoing the social studies curriculum revision process.
- Social Studies Standards Overview for Administrators - Two-page overview of the standards for administrators.