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US History Standards Overview

Course: English II + US History (Grade 10) Standards: US.6_12.1 through US.6_12.6

Proficiency scoring: see the official NDSBL US History Proficiency Scales (single source of truth for 1.0–4.0).

The Key Fact: Six Standards, Nine Units

US History in SDA uses the same logic as World History: six standards that repeat across all nine units. The standard code stays the same — what changes is the historical content you're applying it to.

When a studio uses a US History standard, it must always specify both the code AND the unit:

US.6_12.3 + Unit 1 = Explain the cause-and-effect relationship of events during the Industrial Revolution and Progressive Era. US.6_12.3 + Unit 6 = Explain the cause-and-effect relationship of events during the Civil Rights Movement.

Same skill. Different content. Always specify both.

The Six Standards

Standard What It Measures
US.6_12.1 Analyze primary and secondary sources with attention to reliability, impact, and purpose
US.6_12.2 Examine the impact of multiple perspectives on social, political, and cultural development
US.6_12.3 Explain the relationship of events focusing on the link(s) between cause and effect
US.6_12.4 Compare how historical elements change over time
US.6_12.5 Analyze the significant contributions of people, policy, and the influence on an era
US.6_12.6 Connect the past to the present using current events

FPS Social Studies Skill Strands (Cross-Cutting)

Same three skill strands as World History — they cut across all units and standards:

Skill Strand What It Means
Argumentation Produce well-reasoned arguments with valid, relevant, and sufficient evidence
Interpretation & Analysis Draw accurate, relevant, and sufficient conclusions
Obtain, Evaluate & Communicate (OEC) Research, evaluate source credibility, and communicate valid/reliable findings

Full Standards × Units Table

Unit 1 Industrial Unit 2 Imperialism/WWI Unit 3 Roaring 20s Unit 4 WWII Unit 5 Cold War
US.6_12.1 Analyze primary sources about Industrial Revolution causes and consequences Analyze sources on U.S. transformation into imperialist power Analyze sources on 1920s and 1930s political/social/economic changes Analyze sources on causes and consequences of U.S. involvement in WWII Analyze sources on U.S. reactions to communism and rapid technological change
US.6_12.2 Examine multiple perspectives on Industrial Revolution's impact Examine multiple perspectives on imperialism and WWI Examine perspectives on 1920s cultural changes Examine multiple perspectives on U.S. WWII involvement Examine multiple perspectives on communism, Cold War, and Post-WWII era
US.6_12.3 Cause and effect: Industrial Revolution on American society Cause and effect: U.S. entry into WWI and imperialist expansion Cause and effect: 1920s and 1930s economic events Cause and effect: U.S. involvement in WWII Cause and effect: U.S. reactions to communism
US.6_12.4 Compare how progressive reforms changed over time Compare elements of change from 1890s–1930s Apply historical knowledge to current events Compare WWII-era changes Compare how Cold War policies changed over time
US.6_12.5 Analyze contributions of people and policy in the Industrial/Progressive era Analyze key figures and policies (TR, Imperialism, Isolationism) Evaluate people and policy: Hoover, FDR, New Deal Analyze contributions of people and policy in WWII Analyze significant Cold War contributions; presidents' domestic/foreign policy
US.6_12.6 Connect Industrial Revolution to present-day economic patterns Connect early 20th-century isolationism/imperialism to present Connect 1920s/Depression to present economic policy Connect WWII to present international order Connect Cold War to present U.S.-Russia and global politics
Unit 6 Civil Rights Unit 7 Vietnam Unit 8 1970s–1980s Unit 9 1990s–2000s
US.6_12.1 Analyze sources on civil rights post-WWII; compare movement effectiveness Analyze sources on domestic issues changing perceptions of government Analyze sources on post-Cold War economic/social issues Analyze sources on U.S. as global superpower; changing political/social climate
US.6_12.2 Examine multiple perspectives on civil rights and equality movements Examine multiple perspectives on Vietnam, anti-war movement, and counterculture Examine perspectives on post-Cold War era Examine multiple perspectives on U.S. as global superpower
US.6_12.3 Cause and effect: different groups' competition for equality Cause and effect: domestic issues changing perceptions of government Cause and effect: post-Cold War era economic/social issues Cause and effect: changing political/social climate and U.S. global role
US.6_12.4 Compare how different equality movements changed over time Judge multiple perspectives on social/political/cultural developments 1941–2001 Compare: 1970s–1980s as period of change Compare historical changes over time in modern era
US.6_12.5 Analyze key people and policy in civil rights era Analyze contributions of people, policy, and influence on Vietnam era Analyze key people and policy of 1970s–1980s Analyze key figures and turning points; people who changed history
US.6_12.6 Connect civil rights to present movements Connect 1960s–Vietnam to present government distrust Connect 1970s–1980s to current political/social debates Connect 1990s–2000s to present

The Nine Units at a Glance

Unit Content Focus Approximate Dates
Unit 1 Industrial Revolution and the Progressive Era 1870s–1920
Unit 2 Imperialism and World War I 1890s–1920
Unit 3 Roaring 20s and the Great Depression 1920–1941
Unit 4 World War II 1941–1945
Unit 5 Cold War 1945–1991
Unit 6 Civil Rights and Social Movements 1945–1970s
Unit 7 1960s, Vietnam War, and Counterculture 1960–1975
Unit 8 1970s and 1980s 1970–1991
Unit 9 1990s and Early 2000s 1991–2010

Unit Pages

Each unit has its own page with all six US standards applied to that unit's content, learning targets, FPS skill strand connections, and inquiry angles:

Why This Is Relevant Today?

US History at SDA is built around one argument: the story of America is not a story of continuous progress toward ideals, but a story of real people making difficult decisions in difficult circumstances — some of which made things better, many of which made things worse, and all of which have consequences you can still see. The US standards (US.6_12.1 through US.6_12.5) ask you to understand those decisions in their context AND to evaluate them against stated American values. That combination — historical empathy plus critical evaluation — is exactly the kind of thinking democratic citizenship requires. The debates in Unit 1 about who benefits from economic growth, the debates in Unit 6 about what "freedom" actually means for people who were enslaved, the debates in Unit 9 about what responsibility comes with being the world's most powerful nation: these are not settled. They're the debates happening in this country right now. See the Grade 10 Crosswalk to see how all the units connect.

Why This Is Relevant Today?

US History is not background to the present — it is the present. The laws, institutions, arguments, and wounds that define American life right now were all created, contested, or reshaped in the periods Unit 1 through Unit 9 cover. Students who understand the Progressive Era can read current debates about monopoly, labor rights, and corporate regulation differently. Students who understand the Civil Rights Movement have the analytical vocabulary for current police reform debates, voting rights cases, and affirmative action arguments. Students who understand Watergate can evaluate current debates about executive power and congressional oversight with a reference point. The USH standards are a toolkit for civic literacy — not because you need to know the past to pass a test, but because you cannot understand what is actually happening around you without it. For the texts that make these connections vivid, see the Reading Library and the Studio Archive.

US History Standards Overview — SDA Commons Wiki See also: WH Standards Overview · ELA 9-10 Scales