how the two align: common core state standards and heritage academy’s...

How the Two Align: Common Core State Standards and Heritage Academy’s American History

Curriculum

Cara M. Palmer, M.Ed., American History Instructor at Heritage Academy

Summer 2013

Introduction

One of the great attributes of this free nation is that the citizens of this country can send their

pleas to their local, state and, if necessary, federal leaders on matters of particular importance. America

thus has the ability to work through its issues and problems without having to disturb the foundation on

which it has been built. In return this country remains fluid, ever moving onward, and stagnation does

not become a threat to its prosperity. This quality allows America to function and prosper in a manner

unseen in most of the world today. We hope that this message will receive the needed attention that

our leaders and politicians can offer, which will help us secure the liberties that we most thoroughly

cherish.

The Common Core State Standards are now upon us, knocking at our doors, entering into our

schools and will ultimately enter into the minds of our young people. The Common Core State

Standards’ mission statement expresses (2012) the high aim of preparing “American students fully” for

the future where “our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global

economy” (www.corestandards.org). Heritage Academy, a charter school in Mesa, AZ, also has a mission

statement (2013), which is to “build strong character” which comes from studying “the ideals and values

of the great men and women of history, including those who founded the American nation.” One of the

main goals of Heritage Academy is to “teach about the lives, beliefs and accomplishments of the heroes

of America – Our founding fathers and mothers – and to better understand the values and principles

which governed their lives and upon which they built the American nation,” thus preserving our free

nation in return (www.heritageacademyaz.com/index.cfm/about-us/). How do these two mission

statements align in comparison to the other when analyzing the subject matter of American History? An

overview and analysis of the work samples and texts chosen for both are represented in this response.

Pay particular attention to the overall message that is being taught to the future citizens of our nation.

How the Two Align: Common Core State Standards and Heritage Academy’s… 2

Words from a Concerned Teacher

After reviewing the Common Core State Standards, a teacher at Heritage Academy had some

apprehensions of just what American History lesson is being taught to students through the new

standards. The teacher made the following comments in a message to the director of the school:

I just took a more thorough look at the Informational Texts and Sample Performance Tasks that

you sent us this last week for the content area of History. I am working really hard to be an

optimist in this situation, but I am having a hard time seeing how these suggested texts benefit,

protect and preserve our country. Are these texts going to be the required texts? Do I have to

use these exact excerpts? Every document that I viewed pulls down America’s foundation. I was

not too surprised about the texts on the Battle of Little Bighorn and the “Declaration of

Sentiments” from the Women’s Convention at Seneca Falls since most public schools and

universities place great emphasis on these topics already. However, as I read the letter they

chose to represent George Washington and the section they picked from Democracy in America,

it became apparent what the motive and objective is behind these standards. Why didn’t they

pick a section from Washington’s Farewell Address or choose an excerpt from Democracy in

America that shows the benefits of religion and beliefs in our free nation? (2013)

These questions and concerns, as well as many others, steered the administration and staff of Heritage

Academy to conduct a more thorough study of just what the Informational Texts and Sample

Performance Tasks are not just asking students to do, but what they are teaching them on various

topics, such as American History.

Common Core Informational Text Selection

There are three characteristics that define how the texts for Common Core were selected, they

include: Complexity, Quality and Range. Within these characteristics the message of the text played a

significant part in the selection process. When selecting the Text Exemplars for the Common Core

Standards, the work group that gathered the texts “solicited only texts of recognized value,” that were

“historically significant” and chose them based on their “cultural significance” and “rich content”

(Appendix B: The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, 2013, pg. 2). With this in mind, the reader realizes that the

“subject matter” did in fact play a key role in the selection of the many documents chosen to represent

the different subject areas (2). So what is the “subject matter,” “cultural significance” and/or “rich

content” that is primarily focused on in the Common Core State Standards? What is the message that is

presented to the students as they read, analyze and learn from the chosen texts in the area of American

History?

An Overview of American History in the Common Core State Standards

In a broad perspective there are 333 texts selected for grades K- CCR (CCR means “College and

Career Ready” in Common Core) in Appendix B (English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects), at least 72 of these texts are related to significant historical


periods and topics taught in American History classes today.1 Of these 72 texts, at least 32 focus on the

stark topic of racism (such as slavery, segregation, white supremacy, etc.) which comes out to be

approximately 42% of the American History content. Only 10 of the 72 (approximately ) have the actual

words or fundamental documents written by the men who had key roles in America’s founding as a free

nation (two of which are a collection of primary documents from American History) and of that ten only

four are found in the sections assigned for History/Social Studies.2 Many of the prominent primary

documents, such as The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, the United States Bill of

Rights and George Washington’s “Farwell Address,” are found in other sections, mainly the English

Language Arts and not under the History/Social Studies sections. Below is a pie chart that gives a visual

depiction of the American History “subject matter” for the chosen texts (K-12 or CCR).

Since Heritage Academy consists of grades 7 – 12, a more thorough examination of the Common

Core Texts for these grades is provided in the chart below. It is important to note that in the chart below

any text related to the founding of America, whether it is primary or secondary, was included in the last

set of numbers provided.

1These texts include poems, stories, chants, speeches, writings and scholarly works.

2There is no section devoted entirely to History/Social Studies for grades K-5 as in grades 6

ththrough graduation.


Note: The chart below displays a count of the number of texts related to American History on the topics

of racial tensions and the founding of the nation for comparison purposes. To see all the American

History topics included in the Common Core State Standards refer to the pie chart above.

Background on the Above Chart: When looking at the content area of American History and its

placement in the Common Core Standards, the related historical texts are scattered between the

categories of Stories, Drama, Poetry and Informational Texts for the English Language Arts and

History/Social Studies. For example, The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and The Bill

of Rights (Amendments One through Ten), which are principle documents used in American History, are

found in the English Language Arts and not the History/Social Studies section. Due to this fact, all the

texts provided in all sections were analyzed to see if they teach and relate to key periods in American

History since American History is not just being taught in the History/Social Studies section. Only texts,

including literary works, that are directly related to specific time periods in American History (such as

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck that takes a reader through the hardships present during the

Dustbowl and Great Depression and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller which explains a man’s life in

the 1950’s emerging suburban culture) were chosen as texts that teach important topics of American

History. Some texts written by American writers and/or that took place in the United States were not


included if they did not directly relate to a key time period. For example, “Society and Solitude” by Ralph

Waldo Emerson who is a well-known American author and text does not directly teach about the history

of its time or “Women” by Alice Walker, which discusses the sacrifices made by African American

women for their posterity, does not really pinpoint a specific time period. Both of these documents have

content that is important to America, but do not fit in directly with its key events and eras.

A Student’s American History Experience Under Common Core

The first document a child will read, under the Common Core Standards, related to American

History is in Kindergarten or 1st grade. It is the story of George Washington Carver titled A Weed is a

Flower: The life of George Washington Carver (Liki 1965). This book has an inspiring message of a man

who overcame all odds (slavery and racism being the main ones) to becoming a wonderful scientist of

horticulture, who assisted the South greatly in their agricultural achievements. In this story there is also

a story being told of America. The first page points out that George was the “son of slaves” and “there

was no hope for the future” (3). It explains that George through his life had turned “[e]vil into Good,

despair into hope and hatred into love” (3). The story goes on to describe his family running in fear from

a band of white kidnappers and tells the sad story that he never saw his mother again. This is the only

text related to American History a child will get in Kindergarten and 1st grade. There is no patriotic poem,

story or lyrics. There is no story about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. What might a child’s

perception of America be based on this introduction? More importantly, why was this the only text

chosen in relation to American History and none others? If a student is expected to learn about the life

and function of a tree (as in A Tree is a Plan by Clyde Robert Bulla), wind power (National Geographic

Young Explorers’ “Wind Power”) or the history of learning to fly (in Fran Hodgkins’ and True Kelley’s How

People Learned to Fly), why can’t they learn the basic structure of our government or basic principles of

freedom taught by the founders of this country? Instead the topic of slavery is their first lesson.

This type of pattern continues from grade to grade. To be more exact, of the eighteen texts

related to American History found in the standards for grades K-5 (their first six years of school), 9 focus

on racial tensions in America’s past (which is 50% of American History related documents). There are a

handful of texts that seem to have the potential to shed a positive light on America and its early leaders,

but there are only three. After reading the contents of these three works, it becomes apparent that they

do not fully highlight their achievements and in some cases down play the vital role that person played

in America’s development. For example, there is a book about Abraham Lincoln that students get in 2nd

and 3rd grade (Lincoln: A Photography by Russell Freedman) but it focuses primarily on his appearance

and “many faces” and does not fully reveal a character of heroism.3 The reader most likely will leave

with feelings that Lincoln was mysterious and unpredictable. There is another text on Abraham Lincoln

found among the texts for 11 – CCR, it is titled “Abraham Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth” by Richard

Hofstadter. Do these texts show the sacrifices and heroic acts made by Lincoln to preserve and protect

3It is important to note, that at the same grades they are reading this book on Abraham Lincoln, the students have

three books that focus on racial slavery or segregation. One book is The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coleswhich talks of the first African American to enter the white school during the Civil Rights Era, another is about ayoung African American boy who feels the repercussions of segregation during the Great Depression, and theother is about the March on Washington and the height of the Civil Rights Movement.


the Union? It appears that the Common Core aim is to highlight this man’s weaknesses and down play

his vital role in America’s History.

One might also start asking, where is the Pledge of Allegiance, “My Country Tis Of Thee” or any

other patriotic songs and/or tradition that keep our youth connected to our great nation? Only two

were counted. In 4th and 5th grade they do get the inscription on the Statue of Liberty by Emma Lazarus

titled “The New Colossus” and in 6 through 8th grade they have “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry

Wadsworth Longfellow, but what of our National Anthem “The Star-spangled Banner” by Francis Scott

Key with the inspiring story of the American flag still standing for freedom after an all-night

bombardment from the British during the War of 1812? What of the patriotism?

Students do not get full access to the words of the men who founded this country until their

high school years (the majority of which are found in the English Language Arts and not History and/or

Social Studies) and even when they do, there continue to be more texts that focus on racial tensions in

America. For example, when students are reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine and The Bill of Rights

(Amendments One through Ten) in the English Language Arts they are also reading a book titled Black

Boy by Richard Wright where they are presented with a strong statement pushing for social reform.

Richard Wright is a well-known African-American who wrote extensively on racial themes during the

mid-20th century. Maurene J. Hinds compiled an extensive review on Black Boy, titled A Reader’s Guide

to Richard Wright’s Black Boy (2009), in which she explains that Wright (the author of Black Boy) “was

drawn to the idea of social change, and found that the Communist Party supported this type of change”

(92). She discusses Wrights motive for the book in changing people’s thoughts. She explains “Wright’s

experiences showed him that words have power, and that reading can lead to a significant change in a

way a person thinks and interacts in the world. Wright used language to convey what he had learned

about social issues from his extensive reading, and later, his experiences with the Communist Party. His

love of novels showed him that stories could affect people’s emotions in a way other types of writing

could not” (97). Is that why students are reading stories on George Washington Carver, Martin Luther

King Jr. and Ruby Bridges, rather than ones on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson? When it comes to the Common Core Standards and American

History, are the texts chosen and placed in a way that might turn and shift students emotions and

perspective of America toward a social agenda starting in Kindergarten and extending all the way to

their last years in high school?

The Sample Performance Tasks and Their Accompanying Excerpts

When it comes to the Sample Performance Tasks and the excerpts provided in the standards,

there are multiple instances where they use a fundamental American document, such as the

Constitution of the United States, which has the ability to teach important lessons how our free country

functions and instead do the opposite-- focus on the negative aspects. Such as on page 174 (standards

for grades 11 – CCR) where the Common Core collaborators chose an excerpt that speaks of how slaves

were proposed to be represented under the new constitution. As explained by the Akhil Reed, in the

chosen excerpt titled “New Rules for a New World” in America’s Constitution: A Biography (2005), “the

more slaves a given state’s master class bred or bought, the more seats the state could claim in

Congress, for every decade in perpetuity.” Of the twelve chapters in this book, why did the work group


pick this excerpt? Why yet another example of slavery and racism? They could have instead chosen an

excerpt that focused on how extraordinary this document was for its time. Such as in Chapter One

where it points out that the development of the Constitution was “breathtakingly novel” and that “[i]n

1787, democratic self-government existed almost nowhere on earth.” In addition, why for the Sample

Performance Tasks for History/Social Studies (when students finally get a more comprehensive look at

the constitution and key documents of America’s founding) is the standard RH.11-12.2 implemented

through the study of the “Declaration of Sentiments” on women’s rights written by the Seneca Falls

Conference in 1848. The task asks students to provide a “summary that makes clear the relationships

among the key details and ideas” (pg. 183)? Might it be more beneficial to our students and country to

use a document such as The Declaration of Independence or Washington’s “Farewell Address” to pull

out valuable “key details and ideas?” Why do the Common Core Standards place so much emphasis on

topics of inequality and slavery? What message is being taught to the youth?

The texts, excerpts and Sample Performance Task that have been mentioned in this response

are just a small sample of what is taught in the Common Core Standards to the future citizens of

America on the topic of American History. This is not the end, but only the beginning, of the texts and

sampler Performance Tasks that fit into this pattern and continue to be repeated for each age group.

It is important to add to this section that the topics of racism and slavery are important topics of

discussion for American History scholars. They should not be left out or overlooked. However, at what

magnitude and frequency should this topic be taught? Does studying topics of slavery, segregation and

oppression over and over, year after year, teach students how to be self-governing individuals in a free

country? What purpose does it serve? A scholar at Heritage Academy made this comment to his

American History class on different perspectives throughout history:

In history people have taken different pre-cautions and actions to every event. It could have

been things as small as certain words spoken or as big as why a country went to war. Of course

every single person has a different perspective and a different view of the world. There are

people who are religious, while others are atheist. There are people who are Democrats, while

others are Republican. Some people will complain about the thorns on a rose bush, while others

will comment on the beauty of the roses. (2013)

The thorns of America’s past teach us and warn us of the horrors of discrimination and inequality,

lessons we do not want to repeat and should not repeat. However, if the thorns are the primary lesson

taught to the students, are they even going to fully recognize the precious aroma and beauty and of the

freedoms they have and what it took to create the foundation on which all of our liberties rest?

The Curriculum Focus at Heritage Academy

What lessons on American History does Heritage Academy teach? More importantly, what type

of students emerge from a curriculum that focuses on the “lives, beliefs and accomplishments of the

heroes of America—our founding fathers and mothers—and to better understand the values and

principles which governed their lives and upon which they built the American nation” (2013,


www.heritageacademyaz.com/index.cfm/about-us/)? Heritage Academy for the past eighteen years has

worked tirelessly to teach this lesson to its students. What are the results? The following comments

from students all come from the most recent school year, 2012-2013, in their American History

classroom (Heritage Academy Students, Final Inquiry Paper Presentations, Spring 2013).4

“Our Constitution is truly phenomenal” said one Heritage Scholar to her classmates at Heritage

Academy at the end of the school year. Students at Heritage Academy are given the opportunity to

really read, study and gain a love for the Constitution and the foundational principles that make this

nation great. Another student made this comment, “I truly believe that if we as a nation adhere to the

principles our founders incorporated into the Constitution, we will be able to preserve our freedom.” On

the same topic a young man made this explanation of what freedom now means to him:

The Founders secured to the American people a treasure which few had ever before possessed,

freedom. The individuals of the United States were left to pursue their own happiness, to create

their own success, to ease their own hardships, and to remedy their own problems. Such was,

and such remains, the responsibility which the preservation of our sweet, priceless liberty

demands. There is neither a cause more noble, nor a task more rewarding than the protection,

through diligence and courage, of this essential right.

This leads to another important lesson that students discovered after receiving an in-depth

understanding of America’s founders and founding documents, which is the responsibilities that rest on

the American citizens. One scholar pointed out that “government is not the road to your independence

and well-being, but being unified in the same principles is the key.” The words of another scholar

explained the need for proper self-government in order to have liberty:

Liberty and self-government coincide with each other. Liberty is the power to do as one pleases,

or the power of choice. Self-government is self-control, or self-command. These two ideas go

hand in hand. Without liberty, we cannot have self-government because we don’t get to choose;

we don’t have our freedom to choose. Without self-government, someone else is making our

choices, so therefore, we have no liberty. Self-government is just as important as our liberty and

our inalienable rights.

This principle of self-government went deeper as a scholar explained the importance of religion and

morality:

Without religion and morality, true patriotism can never be acquired. Our Constitution promises

us freedom of religions, not freedom from religions. We need right now to set the example of

4The Final Inquiry Paper Presentation was an assignment given at the end of the year which asked to students to

write a paper on the following topic: “What is the most important lesson we can learn from American History, onethat should never be forgotten?” Students were required to use the MLA format and use at least one documentfrom the Semester 1 booklet and 2 from the Semester 2 booklet when writing their papers. During the final weeksof class the students shared their papers with their classmates. They either shared their message in their ownwords or read their paper out loud to the class. The students were graded entirely on whether or not they met thebasic requirements (provide a relevant answer to the writing prompt, use MLA writing format, 2-5 pages in length,use of documents to back up comments, and have no more than two errors). If students met the basicrequirements they received full credit, regardless of their personals thoughts and/or beliefs.


liberty, equality, and morality to the whole world, but we cannot achieve this unless we

ourselves are free, equal and virtuous. Virtue and morality are not just things we can apply

whenever we want to; they must be enforced every minute of every day of our lives. What

makes our country special is not just that we have these standards, but that we live up to them.

It takes self-control, unification and moral principles to remain a free people. As one scholar put it, “You

cannot compromise principles. This is a mistake we made as a nation. We sacrificed our freedom for a

nice sounding deal.” Of course there is still more to the equation of being a truly free and equal people

and the scholars of Heritage Academy have worked hard to piece it together.

It became obvious to many scholars that education is another vital piece to this puzzle. One

scholar explained that, “Knowledge is one thing that, if lacking, a person wouldn’t be able to decipher

and apply their own rights. When the people are uneducated, then their rights can easily be taken away

from them. […] Lacking knowledge and learning, America would unknowingly vote its freedoms away.”

The citizens of America must be educated on these topics to know how to uphold, defend and preserve

their freedoms. Another student realized the drastic differences that set modern day America apart

from days of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin; in response he made this comment: “The world

we live in is different, but those principles shouldn’t perish from this world. Kennedy said, ‘And so my

fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ In

the end ask yourselves should America still follow the Constitution’s principles and moral laws?” Is

having a deep and meaningful understanding of our nation’s founding principles unnecessary in today’s

world? On this topic another Heritage Academy student made this statement:

This is our America. Remembering and expanding our education is the first step we must take.

We must then understand and apply these principles to help us win our internal and external

battles. As we learn to do this, we will become more united as a nation, ready to take on the

hardships thrown our way. In conclusion, as a country we must always look to and learn from

the past, keep ourselves in line with good values and remain determined to continue forward.

What type of curriculum prompted this type of learning in the young scholars of Heritage

Academy? This past year the students in American History (grades 10 & 11) have worked through a

curriculum consisting of a vast collection of primary documents which were directly related to the time

periods and topics being studied. Requirements for the study of these documents included writing

personal notes in the margins as well as a reflection at the end of each section. Then students were

prompted to use the documents in class debates, discussions, learning activities and then incorporating

them into their final papers at the end of each semester. Over the course of one year the students

studied over 75 primary documents. Below is a summary of the content provided in both booklets, the

number of documents focused on the founding of America and the number of documents on the topic

of racism throughout America’s past.


Students were encouraged to connect the documents from the 1st Semester booklet with those

of the 2nd Semester booklet thus helping students have a more continuous understanding of America’s


development over time. One student expressed that she had her own “personal revolution” throughout

her experience in American History. In her own words she explained,

The other day in history, I received a letter. This letter was addressed ‘To: my future self, from

[student’s name withheld].’ Inside was mostly advice from last semester; however there was

one sentence that stood out in particular. It read, ‘Remember, to be free you must first have a

personal revolution.’ What could I have possibly meant? […] I believe that it is time for each of

us to have a personal revolution of our own. […] Now is the time to change our thinking and not

look at history as just some class that we are required to take, but a class to learn from

America’s past so we can help build America’s future. Our Founding Fathers knew that in order

for America to truly be a nation of liberty and freedom for all, the people must possess the

principles and virtues of which this country was founded upon.

What would America be like if every student in this nation had an education that taught them these

types of lessons, rather than an education that focuses on racial conflict and prejudice? Would America

flourish? As the reader of this response, it is your responsibility to answer this question.

Conclusion

What are the messages that emerge from the two different objectives of the Common Core State

Standards and Heritage Academy? Do these objectives align themselves? The answer, after looking at all

the details, is no. They do not align. Is it not ironic that a school that teaches principles of liberty, meant

to sustain and preserve our nation, is now being forced to accept and implement standards with an

opposing objective and purpose? Does this seem right? Why is focusing on the founding fathers and

principles of America not the focus of the Common Core Standards? Please help Heritage keep the

messages of freedom alive, for as one Heritage scholar explained, “Freedom is something to be grateful

for and to not take lightly. It is extremely fragile and must be vigilantly kept safe.” If we the people of

this nation lose sight of these principles and lessons, what will happen to our nation? A concerned

student made this statement: “Will we chant for the founding fathers until they become a whisper and

finally forgotten? If there is one thing I know it’s that those men sacrificed all they had to build the

strong foundation America stands on, and that is NOT to be forgotten.”


References

Common Core State Standards (2013). “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts &

Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Appendix B: Text Exemplars

and Sample Performance Tasks.” Arizona Department of Education. Retrieved from

http://www.azed.gov/azcommoncore/elastandards/.

Hinds, Maurene J. (2010). A Reader’s Guide To Richard Wright’s Black Boy. United States of America:

Multicultural Literature.

Palmer, Cara M. (2012). Semester 1: Readings for Scholars of America’s Founding. Mesa, AZ: Heritage

Academy.

Palmer, Cara M. (2013). Semester 2: Readings for Scholars of American History. Mesa, AZ: Heritage

Academy.

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