9th grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 9th grade social studies in the Alaska content standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Civics: how government works in the United States
- Alaska's constitution and government
- Alaska history, land claims and the economy
Easy ways to practice social studies at home
- Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently.
- Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying.
- Use an atlas or online map to trace a trade or travel route.
- Ask “Whose voice is missing from this story?” when reading about the past.
What each unit covers
Foundations of Democracy
Greek, Roman, English and Enlightenment roots of American government, Tocqueville's view of American democracy, republican and liberal ideas, the Federalist Papers and the Bill of Rights as a limit on government.
Taking Part
Ways to take part before and after 18, volunteering and civil society, petitions and peaceful protest, deliberating about tensions in our democracy, and checking news for reliability.
Media & Democracy
Why a free and responsible press matters, broadcast, print and online media, how officials use media to shape opinion, and how to spot misinformation, bias and spin.
Forms of Government
Democracies, monarchies, oligarchies and authoritarian states, federal, confederal and unitary systems, and the roots of American ideas about limited government.
How the Nation Governs
The United States government: the three articles that set up Congress, the presidency and the courts, terms and powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights and later amendments, landmark cases, and how the US system compares with a parliamentary one.
Rights & Responsibilities
Unalienable rights, the freedoms in the Bill of Rights and later amendments, religious freedom, due process, the 14th Amendment, civil rights laws, and citizens' duties such as jury service and paying taxes.
The Alaska Constitution
How the Alaska Constitution organizes government: the 1955–56 convention, separation of powers and federalism, a strong Governor, the merit selection of judges, the resources article and right to privacy, and the services local, state and Tribal governments provide.
Land, Statehood & ANCSA
The 1867 purchase from different perspectives, the territory years and the statehood movement, Native land claims, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the corporations it created, and ANILCA. Debates are presented as different views, factually and without taking sides.
Oil, Fish & the Permanent Fund
Alaska's markets and industries (oil, seafood, tourism, health care and federal spending), the causes and effects of its boom-and-bust economy, the Permanent Fund and the dividend, and how resource revenue shapes the state's government and budget choices.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Alaska report card guide.
Common questions
Follow a current event together and ask who is affected and why people see it differently. Build a timeline of a family event or a historical topic they are studying. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
The Alaska content standards 9th grade social studies units include Foundations of Democracy, Taking Part, Media & Democracy, Forms of Government, How the Nation Governs, Rights & Responsibilities.
Free printable 9th grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.