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Skinny — US.6_12.1 Analyzing Sources · Unit 6 Civil Rights

Standard: US.6_12.1 — Analyze primary and secondary sources with attention to reliability, impact, and purpose. Unit: 6 — Civil Rights (1948–1968) NDSBL Era: Era 4: 1941-2001 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 4: 1941-2001 means:

  • Explain the causes and consequences of U.S. involvement in World War II.
  • Explain the economic and/or social issues of the era and their long-lasting effects.
  • Explain the United States’ reactions toward the growth of communism.
  • Explain the impact of rapid technological change on society.
  • Compare and contrast how different groups competed for equality and the effectiveness of various movements.
  • Identify and explain how domestic issues changed United States’ perceptions of government.

What This Standard Asks

How do you read a primary or secondary source for its reliability, impact, and purpose? — applied to Civil Rights (1948–1968).

Key Content — Unit 6: Civil Rights

A mass movement dismantled legal segregation. Brown v. Board (1954), the Montgomery Bus Boycott, sit-ins, and freedom rides built pressure. Leaders and groups ranged from Dr. King (nonviolence, Letter from Birmingham Jail, the March on Washington) and SNCC to Malcolm X and Fannie Lou Hamer. The result: the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965). The turning point — segregation struck down in law, with the movement's methods and unfinished work still shaping today.

The Skill in This Unit

Take Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963). 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 Source, Secondary Source, Fact / Opinion, Bias, Cause and Consequences, World War II / Axis Powers / Allies, Containment, Baby Boom, Capitalism / Communism, Technology, Equality / Equity / Civil Rights / Social Movement, Public Opinion / Political Polling.

Basic processes such as: - Explain appropriate primary and secondary sources from this era. - Diagram / chart causes and consequences of US involvement in WWII. - Identify the economic and/or social issues of the era and their long-lasting effects. - Illustrate the United States’ reactions toward the growth of communism. - Discuss the impact of rapid technological change on society. - Identify different groups competed for equality and the effectiveness of various movements. - Trace how domestic issues changed United States’ perceptions of government.

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 this historical period,. - 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 6 Skinny — SDA Commons · South High School · aligned to the official NDSBL US History proficiency scale