We believe that Christian people should make a positive contribution within a local community and global society. In our Social Studies program, students will examine historical and current events, as well as global, environmental and social justice issues. Based on the developmental levels, needs and concerns of the students, our Social Studies program utilizes a broad range of teaching strategies, learning activities and resources. Our Social Studies program will provide opportunities for students to think critically, appreciate the diversity of humanity, and function as a responsible individual within our changing world.

Standard 1: Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires choices that generate opportunity costs
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that productive resources are all natural resources, human resources, and capital resources used to produce goods and to provide services

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that productive resources are those used to produce goods and         to provide services
    2. Knows that all natural resources used to produce goods and provide         services are productive resources
    3. Knows that all human resources used to produce goods and provide         services are productive resources
    4. Knows that all capital resources used to produce goods and provide         services are productive resources

Benchmark 2. Understands that goods and services are scarce because there are not enough productive resources to satisfy all of the wants of individuals, governments, and societies
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that sometimes goods and services are scarce
    2. Understands that goods and services are scarce because there are not         enough productive resources to satisfy all the wants of individuals
    3. Understands that goods and services are scarce because there are not         enough productive resources to satisfy all of the wants of governments
    4. Understands that goods and services are scarce because there are not         enough resources to satisfy all the wants of societies

Benchmark 3. Understands that federal, state, and local governments have problems of scarcity also; because they have limited budgets, they must compare their revenues to the costs of public projects their citizens want

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that federal governments have problems of scarcity
    2. Understands that state governments have problems of scarcity
    3. Understands that local governments have problems of scarcity
    4. Knows that federal governments have limited budgets
    5. Knows that state governments have limited budgets
    6. Knows that local governments have limited budgets
    7. Understands that because of limited budgets, governments must         compare their revenues to the costs of public projects their citizen’s         want


Benchmark 4. Knows that innovation is the introduction of an invention into a use that has economic value
                   
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows the meaning of economic value
    2. Knows the difference between an invention and an innovation

Benchmark 5. Knows that entrepreneurs are people who use resources to produce innovative goods and services they hope people will buy

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that entrepreneurs are people who use resources to produce         innovative goods and services
    2. Knows that entrepreneurs hope that people will buy their innovative         goods and services

Benchmark 6. Understands that entrepreneurs take the risk that people won’t buy their products or won’t pay enough for them to cover the entrepreneurs’ costs

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that entrepreneurs take the risk that people won’t buy their         products
    2. Understands that entrepreneurs take the risk that people won’t pay         enough for their products to cover the entrepreneur’s costs

Benchmark 7. Understands that when productive resources are used to produce one good or service, the opportunity cost (i.e., what is given up) is other goods and services that would have been made with the same resources if the chosen good or service had not been made

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that the opportunity cost is something that is given up
    2. Understands that when productive resources are used the opportunity         costs are other goods and services
    3. Understands that other goods and services could have been made from         productive resources if the chosen good or service had not been made

Benchmark 8. Understands that choices usually involve trade-offs; people can give up buying or doing a little of one thing in order to buy or do a little of something else

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that choices usually involve trade-offs
    2. Knows that a trade-off is when people give up buying or doing a little of         something in order to buy or do a little of something else



Benchmark 9. Knows that economic specialization occurs when people produce a narrower range of goods and services than they consume
                   
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows what causes economic specialization
    2. Knows the meaning of economic specialization

Benchmark 10. Understands how labor productivity can be increased as a result of specialization, division of labor, and more capital goods such as tools and machines

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that specialization can increase labor productivity
    2. Understands that the division of labor can increase labor productivity
    3. Understands that more capital goods can increase labor productivity
    4. Knows that tools and machines are examples of capital goods

Benchmark 11. Understands that the quality of labor resources (i.e., human capital) can be improved through investments in education, training, and health care
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that human capital is another name for labor resources
    2. Understands that labor resources can be improved through investments         in education
    3. Understands that labor resources can be improved through investments         in training
    4. Understands that labor resources can be improved through investments         in health care

Standard 2: Understands characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions, and economic incentives
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that people's choices and behavior are influenced by positive incentives (i.e., rewards that make people better off) and negative incentives (i.e., penalties that make people worse off)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that people’s choices and behaviors are influenced by positive         incentives
    2. Knows that people’s choices and behaviors are influenced by negative         incentives
    3. Knows that a positive incentive is a reward that makes people better off
    4. Knows that a negative incentive is a penalty that makes people worse         off




Benchmark 2. Knows that because people's views of rewards and penalties are different, the influence of an incentive can vary with the individual

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that people view rewards and penalties differently
    2. Knows that the influence of an incentive can vary with the individual

Benchmark 3. Understands that the hope of earning profit (i.e., the difference between revenues and the costs of producing or selling a good or service) is the incentive that persuades entrepreneurs and business firms to take the risks of producing goods and services to sell
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that the hope of earning a profit is an incentive for entrepreneurs         and business firms
    2. Knows that profit is the difference between revenues and the costs of         producing or selling a good or service
    3. Understands that the hope of earning a profit persuades entrepreneurs         and business firms to take the risks of producing goods and services to         sell

Benchmark 4. Knows that households (i.e., individuals or family units), as consumers, buy goods and services from business firms

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that households are consumers
    2. Knows that a household can consist of an individual or a family unit
    3. Knows that households buy goods and services from business firms

Benchmark 5. Knows that households, as resource owners, sell productive resources (e.g., labor, natural resources, capital resources, entrepreneurial resources) to firms in order to earn income
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that households are resource owners
    2. Knows that households sell productive resources in order to earn         incomes
    3. Knows that labor is an example of a productive resource that a         household can sell
    4. Knows that natural resources are an example of a productive resource         that a household can sell
    5. Knows that capital resources are an example of a productive resource         that a household can sell
    6. Knows that entrepreneurial resources are an example of a productive         resource that a household can sell

Benchmark 6. Understands that all societies have developed various economic systems in order to allocate their resources to produce and distribute goods and services and there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of system
 Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that all societies have economic systems
    2. Knows that a variety of economic systems exist
    3. Understands that economic systems have been developed to allocate         resources
    4. Understands that economic systems have been developed to distribute         goods and services
    5. Knows that there are advantages and disadvantages to each type of         economic system

Standard 3: Understands the concept of prices and the interaction of supply and demand in a market economy
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that in any market there is one price (i.e., the equilibrium or market clearing price) that makes the amount buyers want to buy equal to the amount sellers want to sell
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that in any market there is an equilibrium price
    2. Knows that market clearing price is another name for equilibrium price
    3. Knows that the equilibrium price (market clearing price) is whatever         makes the amount that buyers want to buy equal to the amount sellers         want to sell

Benchmark 2. Understands that people buy less of a product when its price goes up and more when its price goes down

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that people buy less of a product when its price goes up
    2. Understands that people buy more of a product when its price goes         down

Benchmark 3. Understands that businesses are willing and able to sell more of a product when its price goes up and less when its price goes down

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that businesses are willing and able to sell more of a         product when its price goes up
    2. Understands that people are willing and able to sell less of a product         when its price goes down

Benchmark 4. Understands that when consumers make purchases, goods and services are transferred from businesses to households in exchange for money payments, which are used in turn by businesses to pay for productive resources and to pay taxes

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that when consumers make purchases, goods and services         are transferred from businesses to households
    2. Understands that when consumers make purchases, goods and services         are exchanged for money payments
    3. Knows that money payments are used by businesses to pay for         productive resources and taxes

Standard 4: Understands basic features of market
structures and exchanges
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that competitive markets are those with many buyers and sellers, where no one person or firm controls prices or the number of products for sale

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that a competitive market has many buyers and sellers
    2. Knows that in a competitive market, no one person or firm controls         prices
    3. Knows that in a competitive market, no one person or firm controls the         number of products for sale

Benchmark 2. Understands that money reduces the problems barter faces because money is easy to divide, carry, and store

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that money has fewer problems than barter
    2. Knows that money is easy to divide
    3. Knows that money is easy to carry
    4. Knows that money is easy to store

Benchmark 3. Knows that banks play a key role in providing currency and other forms of money to consumers, and that banks serve as intermediaries between savers and borrowers

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that banks play a key role in providing currency and other forms         of money to consumers
    2. Knows that banks serve as intermediaries between savers and         borrowers

Benchmark 4. Understands that when people and nations specialize, they become more interdependent (i.e., less self-sufficient and more dependent on exchange)

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that when people specialize, they become interdependent
    2. Understands that when nations specialize, they become interdependent
    3. Knows that economic interdependence means to be less self-sufficient         and to be more dependent on exchange


Benchmark 5. Understands that money makes it easier to compare the value of different kinds of goods and services and allows people to save purchasing power for a later time because it can easily be traded for goods and services at any time

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands that money makes it easier to compare the value of         different kinds of goods and services
    2. Understands that money allows people to save purchasing power for a         later time
    3. Knows that money can be easily traded for goods and services at any         time

Benchmark 6. Understands how active competition among sellers results in lower prices and costs, higher product quality, and better customer service
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Understands how active competition among sellers results in lower         prices and costs
    2. Understands how active competition among sellers results in higher         product quality
    3. Understands how active competition among sellers results in better         customer service

Standard 5: Understands unemployment, income, and
income distribution in a market economy
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that unemployed people are those who are willing and able to work at current wage rates, but do not have jobs

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that unemployed people are willing to work at current wage rates
    2. Knows that unemployed people are able to work at current wage rates
    3. Knows that unemployed people do not have jobs

Standard 6: Understands the roles government plays in the United States economy
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that the government pays for the goods and services it provides through taxing and borrowing
 
Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that taxes are used to pay for the goods and services provided         by the government
    2. Knows that the government borrows to pay for some of the goods and         services it provides



Standard 7: Understands savings, investment, and
interest rates
          
Benchmark 1. Understands that savings is the part of income not spent on taxes or consumption

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that savings is part of income
    2. Understands that savings is not spent on taxes
    3. Understands that savings is not spent on consumption

Standard 8: Understands basic concepts of United States
fiscal policy and monetary policy

    1. Not appropriate for this level
         
Standard 9: Understands how Gross Domestic Product and inflation and deflation provide indications of the state
of the economy

    1. Not appropriate for this level

Standard 10: Understands basic concepts about
international economics
          
Benchmark 1. Knows that different currencies are used in different countries

Knowledge/skill statements
    1. Knows that each country usually has its own currency