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The Oberlin Heritage Center &
Ohio State Academic Content Standards

The following benchmarks & standards could be utilized before, during, or following a tour at the Oberlin Heritage Center. Standards information is taken directly from the Ohio Department of Education website's listing. Standards are categorized, with benchmarks used during a tour of the Oberlin Heritage Center indicated.

Please note that these complete standards are also available in PDF format; they are also available in an abbreviated version, also available in PDF.

Social Studies Benchmarks by Standard

History

Students use materials drawn from the diversity of human experience to analyze and interpret significant events, patterns and themes in the history of Ohio, the United States and the world.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  C. Compare daily life in the past & present demonstrating an understanding that while basic human needs remain the same, they are met in different ways in different times & places.
  D. Recognize that the actions of individuals make a difference, and relate the stories of people from
  diverse backgrounds who have contributed to the heritage of the United States.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  B. Describe the cultural patterns that are evident in North America today as a result of exploration,
  colonization and conflict.
  C. Explain how new developments led to the growth of the United States.


• 6th – 8th Grade
  G. Analyze the causes and consequences of the American Civil War.


• 9th – 10th Grade
  B. Explain the social, political and economic effects of industrialization.
  F. Identify major historical patterns in the domestic affairs of the United States during the 20th century and explain their significance.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  A. Explain patterns of historical continuity and change by challenging arguments of historical inevitability.
  B. Use historical interpretations to explain current issues.

People in Sciences

Students use knowledge of perspectives, practices and products of cultural, ethnic and social groups to
analyze the impact of their commonality and diversity within local, national, regional and global
settings.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  A. Identify practices and products of diverse cultures.
  B. Identify ways that different cultures within the United States and the world have shaped our
  national heritage.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  A. Compare practices and products of North American cultural groups.
  B. Explain the reasons people from various cultural groups came to North America and
  the consequences of their interactions with each other.


• 6th – 8th Grade
  B. Analyze examples of interactions between cultural groups and explain the factors that contribute to cooperation and conflict.
  C. Explain how contact between different cultures impacts the diffusion of belief systems, art, science, technology, language and forms of government.


• 9th – 10th Grade
  A. Analyze the influence of different cultural perspectives on the actions of groups.
  B. Analyze the consequences of oppression, discrimination and conflict between cultures.
  C. Analyze the ways that contacts between people of different cultures result in exchanges of cultural practices.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  A. Analyze how issues may be viewed differently by various cultural groups.
  B. Identify the causes of political, economic and social oppression and analyze ways individuals, 
  organizations and countries respond to resulting conflicts.
  C. Explain the role of diverse cultural institutions in shaping American society.

Geography

Students use knowledge of geographic locations, patterns and processes to show the interrelationship between the physical environment and human activity, and to explain the interactions that occur in an increasingly interdependent world.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  B. Identify physical and human features of places.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  B. Identify the physical and human characteristics of places and regions in North America.


• 6th – 8th Grade
  D. Explain reasons that people, products and ideas move from place to place and the effects of that movement on geographic patterns.


• 9th – 10th Grade
  A. Analyze the cultural, physical, economic and political characteristics that define regions and describe reasons that regions change over time.
  C. Analyze the patterns and processes of movement of people, products and ideas.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  A. Explain how the character and meaning of a place reflect a society's economics, politics, social values, ideology and culture.
  B. Evaluate the consequences of geographic and environmental changes resulting from governmental policies and human modifications to the physical environment.

Economics

Students use economic reasoning skills and knowledge of major economic concepts, issues and systems in order to make informed choices as producers, consumers, savers, investors, workers and citizens in an interdependent world.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  C. Explain ways that people may obtain goods and services.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  B. Explain why entrepreneurship, capital goods, technology, specialization and division of labor are important in the production of goods and services.


• 6th – 8th Grade
  A. Explain how the endowment and development of productive resources affect economic decisions and global interactions.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  E. Explain the use of a budget in making personal economic decisions and planning for the future.

Government

Students use knowledge of the purposes, structures and processes of political systems at the local, state, national and international levels to understand that people create systems of government as structures of power and authority to provide order, maintain stability and promote the general welfare.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  A. Identify elected leaders and authority figures in the home, school and community and explain reasons for having persons in authority.
  C. Explain the purposes of rules in different settings and the results of adherence to, or violation of, the rules.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  B. Give examples of documents that specify the structure of state and national governments in the United States and explain how these documents foster self-government in a democracy.


• 6th – 8th Grade
  A. Explain why people institute governments, how they influence governments, and how governments interact with each other.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  C. Analyze how citizens participate in the election process in the United States.

Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities

Students use knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in community life and the American democratic system.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  A. Describe the results of cooperation in group settings and demonstrate the necessary skills.
  B. Demonstrate personal accountability, including making choices and taking responsibility for
  personal actions.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  A. Explain how citizens take part in civic life in order to promote the common good.
  B. Identify rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States that are important for preserving democratic government.


• 6th – 8th Grade
  A. Show the relationship between civic participation and attainment of civic and public goals.
  B. Identify historical origins that influenced the rights U.S. citizens have today.


• 9th – 10th Grade
  A. Analyze ways people achieve governmental change, including political action, social protest and revolution.
  B. Explain how individual rights are relative, not absolute, and describe the balance between individual rights, the rights of others, and the common good.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  A. Evaluate various means for citizens to take action on a particular issue.

Social Studies Skills & Methods

Students collect, organize, evaluate and synthesize information from multiple sources to draw logical conclusions. Students communicate this information using appropriate social studies terminology in oral, written or multimedia form and apply what they have learned to societal issues in simulated or real-world settings.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  B. Predict outcomes based on factual information.
  C. Communicate information orally, visually or in writing.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  B. Use a variety of sources to organize information and draw inferences.
  D. Use problem-solving skills to make decisions individually and in groups.

Science Benchmarks by Standard

Science and Technology

Students recognize that science and technology are interconnected and that using technology involves assessment of the benefits, risks and costs. Students should build scientific and technological knowledge, as well as the skill required to design and construct devices. In addition, they should develop the processes to solve problems and understand that problems may be solved in several ways.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  A. Explain why people, when building or making something, need to determine what it will be made of, how it will affect other people and the environment.
  B. Explain that to construct something requires planning, communication, problem solving and tools.


• 3rd – 5th Grade
  A. Describe how technology affects human life.


• 6th  - 8th Grade
  A. Give examples of how technological advances, influenced by scientific knowledge, affect the quality of life.


• 9th – 10th Grade
  A. Explain the ways in which the processes of technological design respond to the needs of society.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Students realize that the current body of scientific knowledge must be based on evidence, be predictive, logical, subject to modification and limited to the natural world. This includes demonstrating an understanding that scientific knowledge grows and advances as new evidence is discovered to support or modify existing theories, as well as to encourage the development of new theories. Students are able to reflect on ethical scientific practices and demonstrate an understanding of how the current body of scientific knowledge reflects the historical and cultural contributions of women and men who provide us
with a more reliable and comprehensive understanding of the natural world.

• 3rd – 5th Grade
  D. Explain that men and women of diverse countries and cultures participate in careers in all fields of
  science.

Language Arts Benchmarks by Standard

Writing Process Standard

Students’ writing develops when they regularly engage in the major phases of the writing process. The writing process includes the phases of prewriting, drafting, revising and editing and publishing. They learn to plan their writing for different purposes and audiences. They learn to apply their writing skills in increasingly sophisticated ways to create and produce compositions that reflect effective word and grammatical choices. Students develop revision strategies to improve the content, organization and language of their writing. Students also develop editing skills to improve writing conventions.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  A. Generate ideas for written compositions.


• 3rd – 4th Grade
  A. Generate ideas and determine a topic suitable for writing.


• 5th – 7th Grade
  A. Generate writing topics and establish a purpose appropriate for the audience.


• 8th – 10th Grade
  A. Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  A. Formulate writing ideas, and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Communications: Oral and Visual Standard

Students learn to communicate effectively through exposure to good models and opportunities for practice. By speaking, listening and providing and interpreting visual images, they learn to apply their communication skills in increasingly sophisticated ways. Students learn to deliver presentations that effectively convey information and persuade or entertain audiences. Proficient speakers control language and deliberately choose vocabulary to clarify points and adjust presentations according to audience and purpose.

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade
  A. Use active listening strategies to identify the main idea and to gain information from oral presentations.
  B. Connect prior experiences, insights and ideas to those of a speaker.


• 3rd  – 4th Grade
  A. Demonstrate active listening strategies by asking clarifying questions and responding to questions with appropriate elaboration.
  B. Respond to presentations and media messages by stating the purpose and summarizing main ideas.


• 5th – 7th Grade
  A. Use effective listening strategies, summarize major ideas and draw logical inferences from presentations and visual media.
  B. Explain a speaker’s point of view and use of persuasive techniques in presentations and visual media.


• 8th – 10th Grade
  A. Use a variety of strategies to enhance listening comprehension.
  B. Analyze the techniques used by speakers and media to influence an audience, and evaluate the effect this has on the credibility of a speaker or media message.
  C. Evaluate the content and purpose of a presentation by analyzing the language and delivery choices made by a speaker.


• 11th – 12th Grade
  A. Use a variety of strategies to enhance listening comprehension.
  B. Evaluate the clarity, quality, effectiveness and overall coherence of a speaker’s key points, arguments, evidence, organization of ideas, delivery, diction and syntax.