In this unit, students will: 

• be able to demonstrate understanding of selected themes using the knowledge and skills acquired during the school year.  Understanding of the themes is not the end product of a single unit or lesson, but the product of long term, ongoing instruction.  Themes appear in multiple units throughout courses/grades.  Enduring understandings transcend specific units and grades/courses and increase student understanding and retention of knowledge. Connecting themes represent a way of organizing knowledge about the human experience in the world.  The themes should thread through the K-12 social studies program and are highly interrelated.  The themes draw from all the social science disciplines (history, government, geography, and economics) and other related disciplines such as the humanities, mathematics, and the natural sciences.