•
Describe for at least two countries the
conditions that gave rise to tyrannies during
certain periods (e.g., Italy, Japan, Haiti,
Nigeria, Cambodia)
•
Identify the successes of relatively new
democracies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Civics
•
Define and distinguish between private life
and civic life
•
Distinguish between authority and power
•
Identify institutions with the authority to direct
the behaviors of others
•
Identify situations that reflect power without
authority
•
Use reasonable criteria for selecting people for
positions of authority and for evaluating rules
and laws
•
Analyze benefits and costs of authority
•
Give examples of governmental powers (such
as the power to tax, declare war, and issue
drivers licenses) that are distributed between the
state and national governments
•
Research, evaluate, and debate the proper
scope and limits of authority
•
Identify current representatives from voting
districts within the state in the legislative branch
of the national government
•
Analyze the origin, development, and role of
political parties
•
Identify the impact of interest groups on the
political process
•
Identify the influence of the media in forming
public opinion
•
Discuss the history of the nomination process
for presidential candidates, the increasing
importance of primaries in general elections, and
the impact the Electoral College has on the
outcome of presidential elections
•
Identify the rights, privileges, and
responsibilities associated with U.S. citizenship,
including voting, holding office, jury duty, or
military, community, or public service
•
Understand the importance of privacy in
a free society
•
Analyze the benefits and costs of privacy
•
Describe the juvenile, civil, and criminal
court systems
•
Describe the trial process, including the
selection and responsibilities of jurors
•
Consider fair practices for gathering information
and making decisions
•
Research, evaluate, and debate a given issue
of justice
•
Identify nations that play a significant role in
U.S. foreign policy
•
Define foreign policy and describe ways nations
interact diplomatically, including treaties, trade,
humanitarian aid, and military intervention
•
List and describe nongovernmental
international organizations, such as the World
Bank, Amnesty International, and the
International Red Cross
•
Describe the purpose of the United Nations
Economics
•
Understand the concept of “scarcity” and how
it affects supply and costs
•
Identify the role of consumers, producers,
inventors, and entrepreneurs
•
Examine interrelationships among and between
standards, needs, wants, and goals of
individuals, families, and societies and their
economic roles as exchanger, consumer,
investor, saver, producer, and citizen
•
Understand the relationship between cost
and benefits when there is an exchange of
goods or services
•
Analyze the effects of marginal change on an
economy by completing a marginal analysis
•
Understand the need for various methods of
distribution of goods and services
•
Describe the distribution methods used for a
variety of goods and services
•
Identify and describe the various economic
systems: market economy, command economy,
and traditional economy
•
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of
economic systems used in different countries
and at different times
•
Understand the role of the U.S. government in
relationship to our nation’s economy
Eighth Grade
139
•
Identify the role incentives play in moving an
economy forward
•
Give examples of monetary and nonmonetary
incentives
•
Identify the benefits of a free trade
economy
•
Evaluate past and present examples
of trade barriers
•
Understand the relationship of economies of
various countries
•
Analyze data on the kinds and values of
goods that the United States imports from
other countries and predict the effect of a
recession in the United States on the economies
of these countries
•
Define markets
•
Explain how market prices are determined
•
Explain the law of demand
•
Identify ways sellers compete
•
Understand the effect of competition
among buyers
•
Understand how various institutions
help individuals and groups to meet their
goals
•
Begin to understand the concept of
interest rates
•
Understand that income is determined by the
market value of the productive resources or
services an individual either sells or provides
•
Understand how to determine productivity
•
Explain the relationship between productivity
of labor and standard of living
•
Identify areas of federal revenue and
federal expenditures
•
Understand that the government pays for
goods and services that benefit many
•
Define Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
•
Analyze the relationship between GDP
and unemployment
•
Understand the relationship between increase
of income and inflation
Entrepreneurship
•
Define the characteristics of an entrepreneur
•
Understand how “wants and demands” create
opportunities for entrepreneurs
•
Identify the key steps involved in setting up an
entrepreneurial venture
•
Differentiate between an idea and an opportunity
•
Recognize different kinds of opportunities
•
Evaluate the value of an opportunity
•
Define aspects of entrepreneurial ventures and
explain the importance of each
•
Select and analyze an entrepreneurial opportunity
•
Understand the concept of “market niche”
•
Describe how to evaluate a market niche
•
Understand that the term “buyers” refers to
consumers or any active user of a product
or service, including services provided by
governments, educational institutions, or health
and welfare agencies
•
Describe the three methods used to
motivate buyers
•
Analyze questions for potential buyers
•
Describe seven different sales tools
•
Determine what is needed to start a business
•
Examine different methods of obtaining start
up resources and compare and contrast
the options
•
Understand the relationship between a business
and its location
•
Describe and compare the four types of
business ownership
•
Evaluate types of business ownerships to
determine which is best in a given situation
•
Identify and describe the steps of the
decision-making process
•
Understand the role technology plays in today’s
business environments
•
Define key terms that relate to the buying and
selling of a product or service
•
Understand how to pay and track expenditures
•
Calculate profit when given accounts payable
and accounts receivable records
•
Identify the three requirements for a contract
•
Differentiate between a legally binding contract
and an agreement
•
Examine issues related to minors and contracts
•
Discuss specific issues of business ethics
•
Identify differences between owning
and operating a business and working for
someone else
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