9th grade Social Studies: how to help at home
What your child learns in 9th grade social studies in the Oregon State Standards, and simple things to try at home.
Focus areas this year
- Civics: how government works
- Rights and responsibilities of citizens
- Economics and personal finance
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
Forms of Government
Comparing the US republic with direct democracy, theocracy, oligarchy, authoritarian rule and monarchy, and the older governments and documents that shaped the United States.
The Three Branches
The structure, powers and checks of Congress, the presidency and the federal courts, Oregon's seats in Congress, and the branches that handle foreign policy.
Federal, State, Local & Tribal
Federalism and landmark cases about it, Oregon's state and local governments, and the government-to-government relationship between Oregon and its nine federally recognized Tribes.
Rights & the Courts
The amendments and landmark cases that expanded or limited rights, the civil rights movement, and how Oregon's constitution excluded people and was changed.
Voting in Oregon
Who can vote in Oregon and how (vote by mail, Motor Voter, closed primaries), ballot measures, the Electoral College, parties, interest groups and the media, and checking sources.
How Laws Are Made
How a bill becomes law in Congress and in Oregon's Legislative Assembly, vetoes, initiatives and referrals, and how citizens and movements influence lawmaking.
Markets, Banks & Money
Scarcity and trade-offs, banks and the Federal Reserve, inflation, GDP and unemployment, market structures, comparative advantage and the role of government in the economy.
Supply & Demand
How events shift supply or demand and change prices, finding the equilibrium price in a table, and what happens when a price is set too high or too low.
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 Oregon 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 Oregon State Standards 9th grade social studies units include Forms of Government, The Three Branches, Federal, State, Local & Tribal, Rights & the Courts, Voting in Oregon, How Laws Are Made.
Free printable 9th grade social studies practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.