Virginia SOL S.USII.a
The Standard
synthesizing evidence from information sources, including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams to understand events in United States history
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine several kinds of sources and pull out details that help explain a past event. They compare evidence, notice agreements or conflicts, and form a supported conclusion.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students make a clear claim about a United States history event using evidence from at least two different sources. They explain how each piece of evidence supports the claim.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may summarize each source separately instead of connecting the evidence. They may treat every source as equally reliable or mistake a source creator's opinion for fact.
How to Assess It
- Show an unemployment graph and a photograph from the Great Depression. Ask, “What conclusion can you draw, and what evidence from both sources supports it?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups artifact photos, diary excerpts, and graphs about westward migration, then have them build one evidence based explanation on chart paper.
Ask students to write: “Which two sources best explain why an event happened, and how do their details connect?”
Play Source Match by having teams pair claim cards with supporting evidence cards, then defend one match aloud.
Have students compare a local historical marker with a newspaper account and population chart to explain how their community changed.
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Printable S.USII.a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to S.USII.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- S.VS.a
analyzing and interpreting information sources, including but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams
- S.CE.a
selecting and synthesizing evidence from information sources, including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagra...
- S.3.a
analyzing and interpreting information sources, including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams
- S.USI.a
synthesizing evidence from information sources including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams to understan...
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