CONCEPTS YOUR CHILD WILL BE LEARNING THIS YEAR:

• Explain the causes, events, and results of the American Revolution.

• Analyze the challenges faced by the framers of the Constitution.

• Explain westward expansion in America.

• Examine the main ideas of the abolitionist and suffrage movements.

• Explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the Civil War.

• Analyze the effects of Reconstruction on American life.

• Locate important physical and man-made features in the United States.

• Describe how physical systems affect human systems.

• Describe the meaning of:

-Natural rights as found in the Declaration of Independence (the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness)

-“We the People” from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution as a reflection of consent of the governed or popular sovereignty

-The federal system of government in the U.S. (federal powers, state powers, and shared powers)

-Representative democracy/republic

• Explain the importance of freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

• Describe the structure of government and the Bill of Rights.

• Use the basic economic concepts of trade, opportunity cost, specialization, voluntary exchange, productivity, and price incentives to illustrate historical events.

• Identify the elements of a personal budget (income, expenditures, and saving) and explain why personal spending and saving decisions are important.