Frequently
Asked Questions Frameworks for America's Past |
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![]() Frameworks
for America's Past is a 200 page
interactive learning
guide with a matching Internet site for middle school U.S.
history
students. This edition draws broadly on the 2015 and the 2008
Virginia
USII history Standards of Learning (SOL), covering the period from
Reconstruction to the present. Frameworks
for
America's Past
uses a graphics-rich and interactive design that helps students of
all backgrounds build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills.
It has been used in hundreds of classrooms by thousands of students
across Virginia
and in other states. Frameworks for America's Past emphasizes active student engagement in:
Why do students enjoy working with this so much? ![]() With Frameworks for America's Past, students feel involved. Students learn and practice taking concise notes, on graphics-rich pages that help them visualize their lessons. They finish maps with color pencils, and make graphs of important historical trends using statistical data. With the matching Internet support site, they also explore an engaging collection of historical photographs, videos, primary source readings, and other resources. You, of course, are the classroom leader, and the lessons you build around the pages and topics in Frameworks for America's Past are an essential ingredient for student success. You can see all the pages, as they look with the notes, maps, and charts completed, on this web site. Look for the Teacher Key links in each unit listed on the home page.
The Internet support site has a full set of Teacher Key pages in each
section. These are sized
so they can be projected on
a large screen for the note taking parts of your classes, and for
activities and class discussion based on the pages. Be sure to see the Tips for Teachers page on this web site. There is a link to it from the Information Page for this title. Does it match the 2023 USII revised Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)? Our Second Edition is largely based on the 2015 Virginia SOL for this subject and its matching curriculum framework that was approved in 2016. Like our earlier edition, it also includes additional material to flesh out topics more effectively. It does include the majority, but not all, of the listed items in the revised SOL. For the reasons cited below, we will hold off on revising this title and web site until the Virginia Department of Education has time to gather teacher feedback to the new SOL documents and consider making some changes. Unfortunately, the 2023 revision committee process resulted in participants stuffing many new historical topics, names, issues, and events into the USII SOL. With all these additions, the revised SOL would be a challenging list even for an AP level high school class to cover thoroughly in any meaningful depth. In fact, very few college educated adults - outside of U.S. history majors - have the breadth and depth of knowledge the 2023 USII SOL imagines 12 and 13 year old children will master in a two semester course. Overstuffed Standards of Learning lists may look impressive on paper, ![]() In our opinion, the 2023 revised USII SOL should be rolled back to the 2015 version if the goal is to have a realistic guide for actual teachers and students. The 2015 USII SOL and its framework documents established academically solid goals for middle school students. Even with that framework, many teachers find themselves rushing through the final units as the end of the school year approaches. We believe adding substantial new content requirements - as the 2023 SOL does - will not expand student learning, but hurt student success, if teachers attempt to jam it all in. Our advice: Teachers should make their classroom decisions based on what they believe will best help their students succeed and enjoy what should be, if well taught, the most interesting class on their schedule. What about the cost? Announcement: All sections of Frameworks for America's Past are now available to individual teachers and parents as free PDF downloads, and include permission to photocopy the pages for use with their own students. Please see the Ordering / Downloading link on this title's Information Page for more details. ![]() Teachers are welcome to place links from their own teacher web pages to this title's home page, to a section main page, or to other specific pages. You may not, however, take or copy content to transfer to your web pages. (Just like in a museum: You may visit and have your students visit, but you are not allowed to steal the exhibits!) For more copyright information, please click here. How can I get more information? Please contact our office in Springfield, Virginia, by phone at: (703) 644 - 4612, or by email at: ftm.contact@verizon.net |