Alabama Social Studies SS24.US2.15

SS24.US2.15 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.US2.15a

  Trace the events that fostered the emergence of the modern environmental movement and prompted government regulations as well as civic action.

• SS24.US2.15b

  Outline the events that led to the Watergate scandal and brought about the resignation of President Richard Nixon and the presidency of Gerald Ford.

• SS24.US2.15c

  Identify the reasons for the economic fluctuations of the 1970s and evaluate the effectiveness of government action on the problem of stagflation.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students connect pollution crises and Earth Day to new rules and citizen action. They trace the Watergate break-in and cover-up through Nixon’s resignation and Ford’s succession. They explain why inflation and unemployment rose together and judge how Nixon and Carter responded.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can connect the Santa Barbara oil spill and Earth Day to the EPA and pollution rules. They can put the Watergate break-in, cover-up, resignation, and Ford’s succession in order and explain why public trust fell. They can link oil shocks to stagflation and use inflation and unemployment figures to judge Nixon’s price controls and Carter’s energy policies.

03

Common Misconceptions

Some students think the break-in alone removed Nixon or that Ford won a presidential election. Others assume inflation and unemployment cannot rise together or that price controls ended stagflation. They may think the EPA started environmental protests, rather than following public pressure.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Draw three cause-and-effect chains, from an oil spill to a pollution rule, from the Watergate break-in through the cover-up and resignation to Ford, and from an oil shock to stagflation. Under the last chain, name one Nixon or Carter response and explain a limit of that response.

1. 01

   Give pairs Santa Barbara oil spill photos, an Earth Day flyer, and EPA cards; have them build a timeline linking public pressure to regulation.

2. 02

   Ask, “Why did the Watergate tapes lead to Nixon’s resignation, and how might Ford’s pardon affect trust in government?”

3. 03

   Give students inflation and unemployment graphs; have them match Nixon’s price controls and Carter’s energy plan to outcomes, then defend which worked better.

4. 04

   Show a local air-quality report and a 1970 Earth Day flyer; students suggest one public action and one regulation to address pollution.

• SS24.US2.17b

  Analyze how Reaganomics and deregulation affected the American economy and society.

• SS24.US2.16

  Describe significant foreign policy events during the presidencies of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter that decreased hostility in the Cold War.

• SS24.US2.11

  Analyze how cultural changes, economic growth, and government action during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations shaped the daily lives of Americans.