The standards for Virginia Studies allow students to develop
a greater understanding of
The study of history must emphasize the intellectual skills
required for responsible citizenship. Students practice these skills as they
extend their understanding of the essential knowledge defined by all of the
standards for history and social science.
VS.1 The student will develop skills for historical and
geographical analysis including the ability to
a) identify and interpret artifacts and primary and
secondary source documents to understand events in history;
b) determine cause and effect relationships;
c) compare and contrast historical events;
d) draw conclusions and make generalizations;
e) make connections between past and present;
f)
sequence events in
g) interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives;
h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
i)
analyze and interpret maps to
explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic
characteristics, and historical events.
VS.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the geography and
early inhabitants of
a) locating
b) locating and describing
c) locating and identifying water features important to
the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River,
York River, Potomac River, and Rappahannock River);
d) locating three American Indian (First American)
language groups (the Algonquian, the Siouan, and the Iroquoian) on a map of
e) describing how American Indians (First Americans) adapted to the
climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter.
VS.3 The student will
demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in
a)
explaining the
reasons for English colonization;
b)
describing how
geography influenced the decision to settle at
c)
identifying the
importance of the charters of the Virginia Company of
d)
identifying the
importance of the Virginia Assembly(1619) as the first representative
legislative body in English America;
e)
identifying the
importance of the arrival of Africans and women to the
f)
describing the
hardships faced by settlers at
g)
describing the interactions
between the English settlers and the Powhatan people, including the
contributions of the Powhatans to the survival of the settlers.
VS.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the
a) explaining the importance of agriculture and its
influence on the institution of slavery;
b) describing how European (English, Scotch-Irish, German)
immigrants, Africans, and American Indians (First Americans) influenced the
cultural landscape and changed the relationship between the
c) explaining how geography influenced the relocation of
d) describing how money, barter, and credit were used.
VS.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of
a) identifying the reasons why the colonies went to war
with
b) identifying the various roles played by Virginians in
the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, and Patrick Henry;
c) identifying the importance of the American victory at
VS.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of
a) explaining why George Washington is called the “Father
of our Country” and James Madison is called the “Father of the Constitution”;
b) identifying the ideas of George Mason and Thomas
Jefferson as expressed in the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious
Freedom;
c) explaining the influence of geography on the migration of
Virginians into western territories.
VS.7 The student will
demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the
Civil War by
a)
identifying the
events and differences between northern and southern states that divided
Virginians and led to secession, war, and the creation of
b)
describing
VS.8 The student will
demonstrate knowledge of the reconstruction of
a)
identifying the
effects of Reconstruction on life in
b)
identifying the
effects of segregation and “Jim Crow” on life in
c)
describing the importance of
railroads, new industries, and the growth of cities to
VS.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth century
a) describing the economic and social transition from a
rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized society, including
the reasons people came to
b) identifying the social and political events in
c) identifying the political, social, and/or economic contributions
made by Maggie Walker, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., Arthur R. Ashe, Jr., and L. Douglas
Wilder.
VS.10 The student will demonstrate knowledge of government, geography,
and economics by
a) identifying the three branches of
b) describing the major products and industries of
c) explaining how advances in transportation, communications, and
technology have contributed to