1. November 2017, HiSET Workshop, Concord NH
HiSET Social Studies
Denise Reddington
November 2017, HiSET Workshop, Concord NH

2. Social Studies Content Categories
History…………………….35%
Civics/Government….35%
Economics……………….20%
Geography………………10% questions/70 minutes 2018

3. Content Category Descriptor I. History……35%
Analyze historical sources and recognize perspectives
(The Emancipation Proclamation)
2. Identify interconnections among the past, present, and future
(The Second Amendment and Gun Control, Freedom of Speech & the National Anthem)
3. Understand specific eras in U.S. and world history, including the people who have shaped them and the political, economic, and cultural characteristics of those eras
(The Great Depression & FDR’s New Deal, WWII)

4. Content Category Descriptor II. Civics/Government….35%
Understand the role of the citizen in a democratic society, including rights and responsibilities, and informed participation
(The electoral process & voter rights, analyzing political ads, “fake news”)
Recognize the structure and functions of different levels of government in the United States, including concepts of power and authority (Branches of Government and Separation of Powers)
Understand the purposes and characteristics of various governance systems, with particular emphasis on the U.S. government (local, state, and federal government)

5. History/Civics & Government Content and Background Knowledge Focus
Colonial America
American Revolution
US Constitution
US Bill of Rights
Branches of Government
Checks and Balance
US Expansion and the Louisiana Purchase, Manifest Destiny
Civil War
Great Depression and New Deal
Industrial Revolution
World War I and II
Cold War

6. History/Civics & Government Content and Background Knowledge
Political Parties
History of Civil Rights
Voting Rights and History, the Electoral Process
Examples of Major Supreme Court Landmark Cases such as Brown v. Board of Education

7. American History/Civics Resources
This free, nonprofit site includes American Constitution guides, lessons, videos, interactive games, and timelines. In addition, find Today in History, Current Events, and Best Civic Sites for Teachers links. FactCheck.org is a sister site.

8. American History/Civics Resources
This free nonprofit site was founded by Sandra Day O’Connor and includes a wealth of resources addressing all the HiSET content areas.

9. Analyze Historical and/or Political Ads, Cartoons and Photos The examples below are from the ETS Free Practice Test FPT 7A

10. 355 free Cartoons for the Classroom: www. nieonline
355 free Cartoons for the Classroom: Click on Cartoons for the Classroom

11. Junior Scholastic www.junior.scholastic.com

12. III. Economics….20%
Recognize fundamental economic concepts, including principles of supply and demand
Understand government involvement in the economy, including comparative economic systems and globalization
Understand consumer economics

13. Economics Content
Types of Economic Systems: Capitalism, Communism, Socialism, Mixed Economy
Child Labor Laws
The Economic Education Act
Minimum Wage Laws
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Principles of Supply and Demand
The Federal Reserve System
The Difference Between Needs and Wants
The Impact of Technology on Economics
The Interdependent Nature of Economies
How the Economy can be Affected by Governments

15. iCivics.org

16. IV. Geography………10%
Understand concepts and know terminology of physical and human geography
Use geographic concepts to analyze spatial phenomena and discuss economic, political, and social factors
Interpret maps and other visual and technological tools, and analyze case studies

17. CommonCoreSheets.com

18. Process and Comprehension Skills
Understand what a primary source is and the value of such sources
Be able to identity what is a primary source and what is not
Identify most reliable sources and least reliable sources
Distinguish fact from opinion
Given information or data, decide which conclusions are valid and invalid
Identify the motive behind an action
Recognize an author’s purpose and arguments
Identify the most reasonable conclusion after reading a passage
Identify bias on the part of a speaker or author
Identify “points of view”
Identify a “most balanced” view

19. Process and Comprehension Skills
Understand and interpret advertisements
Be familiar with propaganda techniques
Decide if statements are based on direct evidence or circumstantial evidence
Read and interpret time lines by finding the main idea and details
Read, evaluate and understand surveys (statistics)
Apply information to real life situations, such as, decide which actions would be covered by the first amendment to the Bill of Rights
Interpret visual data from charts and graphs
Read and interpret maps: Climate, Physical, Political, Historical and Economic

20. Comprehension Vocabulary (the vocabulary of the questions)

21. Social Studies Resources

22. Social Studies Resources On-line