Grant Details

The focus of the 2018 Tennessee ITQ Grant program is conducting professional development projects that focus on critical thinking and integration of key social studies practices as highlighted in the Tennessee Social Studies Standards approved by the State Board of Education on July 28, 2017. The newly approved standards can be found at https://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/sbe/attachments/7-28- 17_IV_C_Social_Studies_Standards_Attachment_REVISED_7-28.pdf.

High School social studies courses include: African American History, Ancient History, Contemporary Issues, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, US Government, US History, World Geography, and World History. Projects should address critical thinking skills, use of primary documents, and incorporating sources into writing as found in the following grades 9-12 Social Studies Practices:

Collect data and information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including:

• Printed materials (e.g. literary texts, newspapers, autobiographies, speeches, interviews, letters, personal journals)
• Graphic representations (e.g. maps, timelines, charts, political cartoons, photographs, artwork)
• Field observations/landscape analysis
• Artifacts
• Media and technology sources

Critically examine a primary or secondary source in order to:

• Extract and paraphrase significant ideas
• Discern differences between evidence and assertion
• Draw inferences and conclusions
• Recognize author's purpose, point of view, and potential bias
• Assess the strengths and limitations of arguments

Synthesize data from a variety of sources in order to:

• Establish accuracy and validity by comparing sources to each other
• Recognize disparities among multiple accounts
• Frame appropriate questions for further investigation

Students will apply these skills to create and address questions that will guide inquiry and critical thinking. These practices should be regularly applied throughout the year.