Common Planner
K–12 Standards

Arkansas History (7-8)

Other Arkansas Social Studies sets

Civics

  • 1.

    Understand the impact of origins, structures, and functions of institutions and laws on society and citizens. This includes personal civic rights, roles, responsibilities, and processes by which laws are made and amended.C.1

    1. 1.

      Examine the functions and powers of the three branches of government in Arkansas as outlined in the Arkansas Constitution.C.1.ARH.1

    2. 2.

      Examine features of the Arkansas Constitution that distinguish it from the U.S. Constitution<ul><li>Differences in power of legislative vs. executive branches</li><li>Voter-approved constitutional amendments</li><li>Election of Supreme Court justices</li><li>Balanced budget requirement</li></ul>C.1.ARH.2

    3. 3.

      Analyze the political process in Arkansas, including the voting and election processes, party politics, the role of media, and term limits.C.1.ARH.3

    4. 4.

      Examine the rights and responsibilities of citizenship as outlined by the Arkansas Constitution (e.g., Amendment 88 - Right to Hunt, Fish, Trap, and Harvest Wildlife).C.1.ARH.4

    5. 5.

      Demonstrate proper etiquette for interacting with the Arkansas and American flags and analyze the history and meaning of the Arkansas flag.C.1.ARH.5

    6. 6.

      Analyze the response of state government and the role of public policy on social concerns in Arkansas such as unemployment, education, poverty, immigration, and culture.C.1.ARH.6

Economics

  • 1.

    Understand the impact of economic decision-making. This includes the exchange of goods and services; role of producers, consumers, and government in the marketplace; and growth, stability, and interdependence within a global economy.E.1

    1. 1.

      Evaluate the impact of natural resources on the economics and development of each geographic region of the state:<ul><li>Arkansas River Valley (e.g., agriculture, coal, natural gas, water)</li><li>Crowley's Ridge (e.g., agriculture)</li><li>Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta) (e.g., agriculture, waterfowl, fish)</li><li>Ouachita Mountains (e.g., thermal springs, timber, quartz)</li><li>Ozark Mountains (e.g., minerals, natural gas)</li><li>West Gulf Coastal Plain (Timberlands) (e.g., bromine, diamonds, timber, bauxite, oil, wild game)</li></ul>E.1.ARH.1

    2. 2.

      Analyze the economic impact of transportation systems in Arkansas, including rivers, railroads, airports, and highways.E.1.ARH.2

    3. 3.

      Analyze how the six geographic regions of Arkansas developed and have changed economically.E.1.ARH.3

    4. 4.

      Examine contributions of Arkansas entrepreneurs on local, regional, national, and global economic development.E.1.ARH.4

    5. 5.

      Analyze the local, regional, national, and global economic impact of Arkansas businesses and industries, including agriculture, tourism, timber, technology, medical and scientific research, and finance.E.1.ARH.5

    6. 6.

      Investigate Arkansas's global economic contributions through educational and humanitarian efforts such as the Fulbright Institute, Clinton School of Public Service, Heifer International, Walton Family Foundation, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and other corporate and private foundations.E.1.ARH.6

Geography

  • 1.

    Understand the purpose of geographic tools (e.g., maps, globes, charts, graphs) to understand, analyze, and explain human interaction with each other and with the environment. This includes the spatial characteristics and patterns of human settlement and connections between global regions.G.1

    1. 1.

      Compare and contrast the six geographic regions of Arkansas using geographic representations and available geospatial technologies (e.g., Global Positioning System, Geographic Information System).G.1.ARH.1

    2. 2.

      Analyze the availability of resources and their effects on the geographic development of each region of the state<ul><li>Arkansas River Valley (e.g., agriculture, coal, natural gas, water)</li><li>Crowley's Ridge (e.g., agriculture)</li><li>Mississippi Alluvial Plain (Delta) (e.g., agriculture, waterfowl, fish)</li><li>Ouachita Mountains (e.g., thermal springs, timber, quartz)</li><li>Ozark Mountains (e.g., minerals, natural gas)</li><li>West Gulf Coastal Plain (e.g., bromine, diamonds, timber, bauxite, oil, wild game)</li></ul>G.1.ARH.2

    3. 3.

      Evaluate the human impact on water systems in Arkansas over time, including the use of aquifers for agriculture and the use of rivers and lakes for trade, transportation, recreation, and flood control such as the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.G.1.ARH.3

    4. 4.

      Analyze the natural phenomena on the environment of specific regions such as Tornado Alley, New Madrid earthquakes, Flood of 1927, Drought of 1930, Arkansas River Flood of 2019.G.1.ARH.4

    5. 5.

      Analyze the impact of geographic features on settlement and movement patterns around the state. This may include the Louisiana Purchase survey, the impact of swamps in east and south Arkansas hindering migration and settlement; the mountains in north and west Arkansas hindering migration and prohibiting large-scale farming; and the impact of rivers and bayous throughout the state facilitating travel and transportation of goods.G.1.ARH.5

    6. 6.

      Analyze relationships between the geography of Arkansas and economic development over time.G.1.ARH.6

    7. 7.

      Examine how the geography of different communities and regions affects Arkansas's cultural characteristics, including songs, stories, legends, and oral traditions.G.1.ARH.7

Arkansas History

  • 1.

    Understand chronology, patterns of continuity, and change over time. This includes the contextualization of historical events and ways people gather, view, construct, and interpret historical evidence.H.1

    1. 1.

      Evaluate the significance of historical events and periods in early Arkansas:<ul><li>Presence of Indigenous people</li><li>European exploration</li><li>Territorial Arkansas period, including settlement and early government</li><li>Indian Removal</li><li>Early statehood period</li></ul>H.1.ARH.1

    2. 2.

      Examine the cultural characteristics of Indigenous populations in Arkansas, both pre-Columbian (e.g., Mississippians) and Historic (e.g., Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw).H.1.ARH.2

    3. 3.

      Summarize the events of Arkansas territorial and early statehood period, including the Hunter-Dunbar Expedition, early government, move of the capitol from Arkansas Post to Little Rock, establishment of the General Assembly, and the process by which Arkansas achieved statehood.H.1.ARH.3

    4. 4.

      Analyze the historical significance of and reasons for Arkansas's involvement in the Civil War, including events, battles, and people (including the Sultana Disaster) in various regions of Arkansas:<ul><li>Events (e.g., the Little Rock arsenal incident, the Secessionist Convention, split loyalties, Sultana Disaster)</li><li>Battles (e.g., Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Helena, Camden Expedition, guerrilla warfare)</li><li>People (e.g., Henry Rector, Isaac Murphy, David O. Dodd)</li></ul>H.1.ARH.4

    5. 5.

      Examine the effects of emancipation and Reconstruction in Arkansas, including the Freedmen's Bureau, sharecropping system, Brooks-Baxter War, Constitution of 1874, election of black legislators, restoration of Confederate voting rights, and subsequent Jim Crow laws.H.1.ARH.5

    6. 6.

      Analyze social, economic, and political reforms of the Progressive Era in Arkansas, including women's suffrage, growth and development of railroads, industrialism, and reform of the convict lease system.H.1.ARH.6

    7. 7.

      Discuss social events and issues in Arkansas surrounding discrimination and marginalization, including Jim Crow laws, rise of the Ku Klux Klan, Elaine Race Massacre, and school segregation.H.1.ARH.7

    8. 8.

      Discuss the social and cultural changes in Arkansas during the turn of the century, including music (e.g., spirituals, blues, jazz), food, and the influx of immigrants and immigrant communities (e.g., Little Italy, Altus, Catholic Point).H.1.ARH.8

    9. 9.

      Investigate the social, economic, and political effects of World War I on various segments of the population in Arkansas, including soldier casualties and the impact of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic.H.1.ARH.9

    10. 10.

      Examine the social, economic, and political effects of the Great Depression and the New Deal on various regions and segments of the population in Arkansas, including unemployment and the role of federal programs in the state.H.1.ARH.10

    11. 11.

      Investigate social, economic, and political effects of World War II on various segments of the population in Arkansas, including soldiers off to war, war casualties, women at work, Japanese-American internment camps, victory, and war production plants.H.1.ARH.12H.1.ARH.11

    12. 12.

      Analyze social, economic, and political effects of the Civil Rights Movement on various regions in Arkansas.H.1.ARH.12

    13. 13.

      Examine the social and cultural transformations in Arkansas in the areas of music, art, clothing, culture, and demographics.H.1.ARH.13

    14. 14.

      Research contributions made by Arkansans in the fields of art, business, medicine, science, and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries<ul><li>Art (e.g., Johnny Cash, Jimmy Driftwood, Maya Angelou)</li><li>Medicine (e.g., Dr. Samuel Lee Kountz Jr., Ruth Beall)</li><li>Business (e.g., Don Tyson, J.B. Hunt, Sam Walton, William Dillard, Jackson T. Stephens)</li><li>Science and technology (e.g., Isaac T. Gillam IV, Raye Jean Montague)</li></ul>H.1.ARH.14

    15. 15.

      Research contributions made by various political, military, and social movement leaders in ArkansasH.1.ARH.15

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 7 and Grade 8
When were these standards adopted?
2022

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