Skip to content

Skinny — US.6_12.1 Analyzing Sources · Unit 2 Imperialism & WWI

Standard: US.6_12.1 — Analyze primary and secondary sources with attention to reliability, impact, and purpose. Unit: 2 — Imperialism & WWI (1890s–1918) NDSBL Era: Era 3: 1877-1941 Grade: 10 · US History

Official proficiency scale — the source of truth for scoring

Scoring follows the official NDSBL US History Proficiency Scales — not the examples on this page. Proficient (3.0) for Era 3: 1877-1941 means:

  • Explain the causes and consequences of the Industrial Revolution on American society.
  • Explain the social, cultural, and economic impact of local, state, and federal government policy on American people.
  • Explain the impact of the United States’ transformation into an imperialist power.
  • Explain the causes and effects of the United States’ entrance into World War I.
  • Explain the political, social, and economic changes of the 1920s.
  • Explain the political, social, and economic events of the 1930s.

What This Standard Asks

How do you read a primary or secondary source for its reliability, impact, and purpose? — applied to Imperialism & WWI (1890s–1918).

Key Content — Unit 2: Imperialism & WWI

America stepped onto the world stage. The Spanish-American War (1898) brought the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam — and a fierce debate between imperialists and anti-imperialists. Then World War I: neutrality gave way to entry in 1917 (the Zimmermann Telegram, U-boat attacks). Wilson's Fourteen Points and League of Nations were rejected by the Senate (Henry Cabot Lodge). At home: propaganda and the Espionage/Sedition Acts. The turning point — the U.S. becomes a world power, then retreats into isolation.

The Skill in This Unit

Take Henry Cabot Lodge's Senate speech on the League of Nations (1919). Ask three questions: who created it and when? What was its purpose — to inform, persuade, sell, or justify? How reliable is it, and what does its bias reveal? A source's purpose shapes what it includes and leaves out.

What You Need to Know (Score 2.0 — Approaching)

Vocabulary such as: Primary and secondary sources, Reliability, impact, and purpose, Causes and Consequences, Industrial Revolution, Social, cultural, and economic impacts, Federal government policy, Imperialism, World War I, Political, social, and economic changes.

Basic processes such as: - Identify differences between primary and secondary sources as they apply to Era 3 - Summarize a primary and secondary source as it relates to Era 3 - Describe the causes and/or consequences of the Industrial Revolution - Identify the impacts of government policy on American people - Recognize the impact of the United States’ transformation into an imperialist power - List the causes and effects of the the United States’ entrance into World War I - Recall the political, social, and economic events of the 1920s - Recall the political, social, and economic events of the 1920s

Meeting the Standard (Score 3.0 — Proficiency)

Proficiency on US.6_12.1 means applying Analyzing Sources to this unit with no major errors — see the era targets in the callout above. Aim your Demo of Learning at that language, not at simply retelling the events.

Going Beyond (Score 4.0 — Advanced)

Advanced work extends the skill to a higher cognitive level (attainable, not perfection): - Design, develop, and create a primary or secondary source which is rooted in events from 1877-1941. - Evaluate the final product’s reliability, impact, and/or purpose.

ELA Crosswalk

R.9 — analyze informational/argumentative texts · IR.2 — interpret primary & secondary sources · IR.4 — evaluate source credibility

Where to Go Next

US.6_12.1 · Unit 2 Skinny — SDA Commons · South High School · aligned to the official NDSBL US History proficiency scale