Skip to content

Skinny — US.6_12.5 Significant Contributions of People and Policy · Unit 8 The 1970s & 1980s

Standard: US.6_12.5 — Analyze the significant contributions of people, policy, and the influence on an era. Unit: 8 — The 1970s & 1980s (1968–1989) 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 did specific people and policies shape this era, and how significant and lasting was their influence? — applied to The 1970s & 1980s (1968–1989).

Key Content — Unit 8: The 1970s & 1980s

Watergate (1972–74) forced a president to resign and deepened distrust of institutions. The economy struggled with stagflation and the 1973 oil crisis. Then a conservative turn: Reagan (1980), tax cuts, deregulation, and the Cold War's final decade. Social movements continued — the women's movement, and the environmental movement (the first Earth Day, 1970). The turning point — the political center shifted right as trust in government fell.

The Skill in This Unit

Weigh the influence of Richard Nixon or Watergate and a presidential resignation: what did they change, for whom, and how lasting was it? Significance is about impact, not fame.

What You Need to Know (Score 2.0 — Approaching)

Vocabulary such as: Analyze, Policy, WWII- Axis- Allies, Baby Boom, Capitalism / Communism, Technology, Equality / Equity / Civil Rights / Social Movement, Public Opinion / Political Polling.

Basic processes such as: - Describe the significant contributions of people, policy, and the influence on an 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_12.5 means applying Significant Contributions of People and Policy 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): - Formulate an argument which identifies a key figure or policy from Era 4: 1941-2001 of American History that had the most significant impact. (positive or negative). Such as Marshall Plan, MLK Jr., Malcolm X, Nixon/Watergate, LBJ, Containment/M.A.D., Vietnam-Draft, War Powers Act, War against drugs, Impeachment, NAFTA.

ELA Crosswalk

W.4 — argue significance from evidence · R.9 — analyze argument

Where to Go Next

US.6_12.5 · Unit 8 Skinny — SDA Commons · South High School · aligned to the official NDSBL US History proficiency scale