A Standards-Based Guide for Social Studies Programs in Rhode Island Schools.

The Rhode Island state social studies curriculum for history, geography, civics, economics, and the behavioral sciences should promote civic responsibility and active civic participation. Rhode Island recommends that teachers and administrators use national social studies content standards rather than support the development of their own state social studies standards. Three key features of standards-based school reform addressed in detail in this 2001 guide are: (1) a process for developing standards-based curriculum; (2) a description of a standards-based classroom; and (3) the importance of the alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The 2001 edition of the guide has been revised, with highlights that include greater emphasis on the critical link between social studies instruction and literacy; significantly expanded selected references at the end of Chapters 1-6; major revision of the assessment chapter to emphasize the importance of the alignment between curriculum instruction and assessment; and expansion chapter 2 about social studies content standards. The guide contains three parts: (1) "Chapters 1-6" (The Social Studies; Content Standards in the Social Studies Arena; Assessment in the Social Studies; Evaluating the Social Studies Program; Teaching Social Studies in an Inclusive Way; Sample Criteria to Evaluate Social Studies Materials); (2) "Sample Units/Lessons" (Introduction; Geoportrait of Your Community; A Lighthouse Journey--Teacher's Guide and Student Booklet; Meeting of the Minds: (Let's Talk History) A Journey into the Minds of Famous Women; Glossary) and (3) "Resource Guide." (BT)