2024 Social Science Standards Alignment

This section is aligned with the following focal standards:

1.H.CP.4 - Examine and understand self-identity and how it fits with the identities of the family, school, and the local community.
2.G.HI.6 - Examine the group identities in a community and describe how a diversity of cultural elements can enrich it.
8.H.CP.9 - Use primary and secondary sources to evaluate how intersecting identities including, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, religion, physical and mental ability, and class affect the living histories and experiences of peoples, groups, and events.

Essential Disciplinary Practice Alignment

This section is foundational for applying the following Essential Disciplinary Practices (EDPs):

EDP 4 - Seek and analyze diverse perspectives to develop a more complete understanding of past and current events.
EDP 7 - Cultivate global awareness and cultural understanding to effectively engage with the interconnected world, diverse cultures and perspectives.

In this section, we will introduce the concept of community cultural wealth and examine how community cultural wealth can be applied in the classroom. Community cultural wealth is an asset-based framework for examining cultural diversity, community and identity. This concept aligns with Instructional Elements by promoting culturally responsive and inclusive approaches that highlight diverse contributions of identities—both historical and among current students—expanding conventional understandings of cultural capital.

Generally, “cultural capital” encompasses skills, knowledge, behaviors and resources that help individuals navigate social, academic and professional settings. Though traditionally associated with advantages from affluent or white backgrounds, the community cultural wealth framework recognizes that students from historically underrepresented groups also bring valuable skills, knowledge and experiences to the classroom.

Step 1: Watch

The following narrated presentation introduces key ideas about community cultural wealth. It provides examples of the various forms of capital identified by the concept and explains how this conceptualization can transform teaching and learning. As you watch the video, think about how the idea of community cultural wealth is relevant to your own classroom and instructional practices. You may also review and download a copy of the slides in the PDF below.

PPT - Understanding Community Cultural Wealth

Narrated Presentation: Understanding Community Cultural Wealth

(3:17 min, CC) - Transcript

Step 2: Read

Select one of the following materials to read about how to implement community cultural wealth in the classroom. Use the drop-down menu below to select a grade band that interests you.

Grades K–2

In the kindergarten and grades 1–2 lessons from the Oregon Historical Society below, there are primary source resources focused on analyzing historical photos and objects to build observation and inquiry skills. Featuring diverse communities and stories—such as Vanport’s Daily Vacation Bible School, Mexican laborers, Chinook fishers and women pioneers—the materials highlight the cultural knowledge and contributions that have shaped Oregon’s history.

PDF - Kindergarten Lesson
PDF - Grades 1–2 Lesson

Grades 3–5

The Whispering Town Lesson Plan below is an example lesson plan that introduces young readers to a true story of quiet resistance in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Through engaging activities and discussion prompts, students explore themes of courage, solidarity and moral choice. By highlighting the bravery of ordinary people and the collective action of a small village, the resource fosters an understanding of one community’s resistance and cultural responsibility.

PDF - The Whispering Town Lesson Plan

Grades 6–12

The Oregon Remembrance Project website offers resources that elevate community stories, lived experiences and local efforts to confront Oregon’s legacy of racial injustice. Through historical materials on Alonzo Tucker and exclusion laws, videos of remembrance events and documentation of grassroots justice projects, the site honors the knowledge and strength of communities working to preserve memory, foster dialogue and inspire collective action.

Website - The Oregon Remembrance Project

Step 3: Reflect

As you learn more about the diverse communities represented in the 2024 Social Science Standards, consider the following reflective questions. We invite you to capture your responses to these questions in your Journal Space.

How can I utilize the resource to highlight the specific community’s cultural wealth in my instruction?
How can I learn more about the strengths, experiences and cultural elements that encompass my students’ community cultural wealth?
What are a few ways I can incorporate my students’ community cultural wealth into my classroom?