2024 Social Science Standards Alignment

This section is aligned with the following standards:

8.C.CE.13- Identify the methods of individuals and movements responsible for the expansion of justice, equality, equity, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship from historically underrepresented groups at the local and national levels.
HS.C.IR.9 - Describe the civic behaviors that promote and strengthen a pluralistic democracy.
HS.C.CE.17 - Explain how active citizens and political or social movements can affect the lawmaking process locally, nationally, and internationally.

Essential Disciplinary Practice Alignment

This section models activities related to the following Essential Disciplinary Practices (EDPs):

EDP 6 - Constructing well-reasoned and logically coherent explanations, arguments and solutions related to complex social issues.
EDP 10 - Apply the practices and knowledge of social science to determine the most effective ways to take informed civic action.

Now that you have observed and analyzed an example of how students can elevate their voices to create change in their community, we will apply the third and final research-based pedagogical strategy introduced in this module: argument construction. Part of civic engagement and advocacy is constructing an argument about an issue someone is advocating for or against. Practicing argument construction can be a catalyst for students to exercise their voice and construct opinions on critical issues or events affecting them and their community. This academic exercise can also funnel into civic behaviors, such as contacting elected officials or engaging with multiple perspectives. In this section, you will read an example of a student’s argumentative statement, including their claim and reasoning, and connect it to this module’s themes.

Step 1: Read

Please take a moment to read Oregon House Bill 3012 below to learn about the issue referenced in this argument construction. Next, take a look at the sample student argumentative statement. Familiarize yourself with their argumentative claim and reasoning.

PDF - Oregon House Bill 3012

Sample Student Argumentative Statement

Claim: Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds in Oregon should be allowed to vote in school board elections because they are directly impacted by the decisions these boards make and deserve a say in shaping their education.

Reasoning: School board policies affect students’ daily lives, including decisions about curriculum, school safety and mental health resources. Since students experience the outcomes of these decisions firsthand, their perspectives are essential in creating fair and effective policies. Additionally, many students at this age work, pay taxes and take on responsibilities that require critical thinking and making informed choices. These are the same skills necessary for voting. By participating in school board elections, students can advocate for their needs and help ensure educational policies reflect the voices of those they impact the most.

Step 2: Reflect

In your Journal Space, reflect on how you might increase the civic behavior of students, such as using argument construction. Revisit the document highlighting and defining examples of civic behaviors below, and as you do, consider the following questions:

Which civic behaviors from the document are most relevant to your students' current experiences? How could you incorporate one or more of these behaviors into your lessons?
How can you integrate argument construction strategies into your classroom to help students effectively advocate for issues they are passionate about, such as lowering the voting age for school board elections?
What instructional scaffolds might you need to put in place when supporting students to engage in civic action through argument construction?

PDF - Civic Behaviors that Promote and Strengthen Democracy

Step 3: Explore

For additional context, explore some of the multiple perspectives on House Bill 3012 through the Oregon State Legislature’s testimony repository.