Alabama Social Studies SS24.CWI.4b
The Standard
- SS24.CWI.4
- Compare and contrast the functions and powers of United States government entities which shape official responses to international issues and events.
Describe the various roles and functions of the modern American military.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies · International Relations
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how U.S. forces defend the country, deter attacks, fight when ordered, and support allies. They also identify noncombat work, such as evacuations and disaster relief. They explain that civilian leaders direct military missions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a mission, a student can name its purpose and explain what troops are doing. They can tell the difference between a patrol meant to deter an attack and a mission delivering supplies after a storm.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students treat every deployment as combat, even when troops are deterring attacks or delivering aid. Others think military commanders set foreign policy without civilian direction.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: A Navy ship patrols near an ally, and National Guard troops deliver water after a hurricane. Name each mission's purpose and explain how the two differ.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a world map and cards for an allied patrol, a ship escort, hurricane relief, and an evacuation; have them locate and label each mission.
Ask: How is a Navy escort of cargo ships different from a combat strike? Have students write two sentences naming each mission's goal.
Play a sorting round with six mission cards labeled as deterrence, combat, ally support, or disaster relief.
Display a National Guard hurricane response photo and caption; have students name the military task and the civilian need it serves.
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Related Standards
- SS24.2.2
Identify the three branches of government and describe their roles.
- SS24.US2.7
Analyze how United States military involvement shaped major events of World War II.
- SS24.CWI.6a
Describe the functions of modern-day alliance systems, regional organizations, and multinational corporations and cartels.
- SS24.HOS.18b
Explain the role of the United States military in liberating concentration camps.
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