About the National Standards for History, Revised Edition, 1996

What are the National Standards for History?

The National Standards for History, revised and updated in 1996 to combine standards for grades K-4 with standards in both United States and World History for grades 5-12, represent the work of more than thirty professional organizations and scores of history teachers from across the nation.

How were the National Standards for History developed?

The document was developed through the National Center for History in the Schools at UCLA, under the guidance of the National Council for History Standards, and with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of Education. Its contents may be freely reproduced and distributed for educational and research purposes.

What does the National Standards for History contain?

Part 1: National Standards for History (K-4) Historical Thinking Standards in History

• Topic 1: Living and Working Together in Families and Communities, Now and Long Ago
• Topic 2: The History of Students' Own State or Region
• Topic 3: The History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the Peoples from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic, and Political Heritage
• Topic 4: The History of Peoples of Many Cultures Around the World

Part 2: National Standards for United States and World History (5-12)

Standards in Historical Thinking
• Standard 1. Chronological Thinking
• Standard 2. Historical Comprehension
• Standard 3. Historical Analysis and Interpretation
• Standard 4. Historical Research Capabilities
• Standard 5. Historical Issues-Analysis and Decision-Making
• Putting Historical Thinking Skills to Work

United States History Standards for Grades 5-12
• Era 1: Three Worlds Meet (Beginnings to 1620)
• Era 2: Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
• Era 3: Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
• Era 4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
• Era 5: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
• Era 6: The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
• Era 7: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
• Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
• Era 9: Postwar United States (1945-1970s)
• Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968-present)

World History Standards for Grades 5-12
• Era 1: The Beginnings of Human Society
• Era 2: Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples, 4000-1000 BCE
• Era 3: Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires, 1000 BCE-300 CE
• Era 4: Expanding Zones of Exchange and Encounter, 300-1000 CE
• Era 5: Intensified Hemispheric Interactions, 1000-1500 CE
• Era 6: The Emergence of the First Global Age, 1450-1770
• Era 7: An Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914
• Era 8: A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945
• Era 9: The 20th Century Since 1945: Promises and Paradoxes
• World History Across the Eras

Check out the electronic version at: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/

You may be interested in additional history education materials. Check out Designed Instruction's LearningLeads™ resources below:

LearningLeads™ Curriculum and Learning Strand overview page: Learning Through Context (contains numerous articles, research, and instructional strategies, and activities related to teaching with primary and secondary historical source documents)

LearningLeads™ home page (contains numerous other K-12 instructional resources)

For more information dealing with education standards, go to Designed Instruction's standards services page.