Standards Alignment

Common Core ELA/Literacy — Grades 6–8

About This Alignment

American Yawp MS is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6–8 (RH.6-8) and Writing in History/Social Studies (WHST.6-8). Every chapter provides multiple opportunities to practice these skills through built-in features like vocabulary boxes, primary sources, discussion prompts, and analytical activities.

This page shows which standards each chapter addresses and suggests how to use the textbook's features to meet each standard.

Quick Reference Matrix

This table shows the primary standards addressed by each chapter. Dark dots indicate a strong, direct alignment; medium dots indicate supporting coverage.

Chapter RH.1
Cite Evidence		 RH.2
Central Ideas		 RH.3
Key Steps		 RH.4
Vocabulary		 RH.5
Text Structure		 RH.6
Point of View		 RH.7
Visual Info		 RH.8
Fact vs Opinion		 RH.9
Compare Sources
1. Indigenous America
2. Colliding Cultures
3. British North America
4. Colonial Society
5. The American Revolution
6. A New Nation
7. The Early Republic
8. The Market Revolution
9. Democracy in America
10. Religion and Reform
11. The Cotton Revolution
12. Manifest Destiny
13. The Sectional Crisis
14. The Civil War
15. Reconstruction
Strong, direct alignment Supporting coverage Incidental

Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies

These are the nine Common Core reading standards for history, grades 6–8. Each standard below shows which chapters address it most directly and how to use the textbook's features to teach it.

RH.6-8.1

Cite Specific Textual Evidence

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Ch 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 7Ch 8Ch 9Ch 10Ch 11Ch 12Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Every chapter includes Primary Source Voices and Stop and Think questions that require students to cite evidence from the text. Have students quote specific passages when answering discussion questions or completing chapter activities.
RH.6-8.2

Determine Central Ideas

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Ch 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 7Ch 8Ch 9Ch 10Ch 11Ch 12Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Use the Big Questions at the start of each chapter to focus reading. After reading, have students write summaries using the Cornell Notes template. The summary section specifically practices distinguishing central ideas from supporting details.
RH.6-8.3

Identify Key Steps in a Process

Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Ch 2Ch 3Ch 5Ch 6Ch 8Ch 9Ch 11Ch 12Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Ch. 6 (how the Constitution was created through compromises), Ch. 8 (how the factory system developed), and Ch. 13 (how the sectional crisis escalated step by step) are particularly strong for this standard. Use the Sequence/Timeline graphic organizer to map key steps.
RH.6-8.4

Determine Meaning of Words and Phrases

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Ch 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 7Ch 8Ch 9Ch 10Ch 11Ch 12Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Every chapter includes Vocabulary Boxes with key terms defined in student-friendly language. Use the Vocabulary Flash Cards tool for pre-reading and review. The built-in dictionary feature (double-click any word) extends this to unfamiliar non-vocabulary words as well.
RH.6-8.5

Describe How a Text Presents Information

Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
Ch 5Ch 6Ch 8Ch 11Ch 13
How to use: Ch. 5 (cause and effect of Revolution), Ch. 8 (comparison of subsistence vs. commercial farming), and Ch. 13 (escalating sectional crisis) are ideal for analyzing text structure. Use the Cause & Effect and Compare & Contrast graphic organizers to help students identify how information is organized.
RH.6-8.6

Identify Author's Point of View or Purpose

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Ch 2Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 7Ch 9Ch 10Ch 11Ch 12Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Multiple Perspectives boxes present competing viewpoints on contested events. Whose Voices Were Left Out? sections explicitly address what perspectives are missing. Have students analyze primary sources for loaded language, bias, and purpose.
RH.6-8.7

Integrate Visual Information

Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Ch 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 5Ch 7Ch 8Ch 11Ch 12Ch 14
How to use: Every chapter includes historical images, maps, and illustrations with captions. Ask students to describe what a map or image shows before reading the surrounding text. Then have them explain how the visual adds to their understanding of the written content.
RH.6-8.8

Distinguish Fact, Opinion, and Reasoned Judgment

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
Ch 4Ch 6Ch 9Ch 10Ch 12Ch 13Ch 15
How to use: Multiple Perspectives boxes present different viewpoints without declaring one "correct." Stop and Think questions ask students to evaluate claims. Ch. 12 (Manifest Destiny as ideology) and Ch. 9 (Jackson's democracy) are especially good for distinguishing historical facts from the opinions of the people involved.
RH.6-8.9

Analyze Primary and Secondary Sources on the Same Topic

Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 9Ch 10Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Each chapter is a secondary source that includes embedded Primary Source Voices. Have students compare what the textbook says about an event with what a primary source from that time says. Ask: How does the primary source support, challenge, or add to the textbook's account?

Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies

WHST.6-8.1

Write Arguments

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content: introduce claims, support them with evidence from credible sources, and provide a concluding statement.
Ch 5Ch 6Ch 9Ch 10Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: Chapter Activities often include debate and argumentation tasks. For example, chapters covering the Revolution, Constitutional compromises, and Reconstruction all present contested questions that students can argue from different perspectives using textual evidence.
WHST.6-8.2

Write Informative/Explanatory Texts

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Ch 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 8Ch 11Ch 12
How to use: The Cornell Notes summary section practices informative writing. Assign students to write explanatory paragraphs about key concepts using vocabulary terms and evidence from the chapter. Stop and Think questions can serve as informative writing prompts.
WHST.6-8.9

Draw Evidence from Informational Texts

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Ch 1Ch 2Ch 3Ch 4Ch 5Ch 6Ch 7Ch 8Ch 9Ch 10Ch 11Ch 12Ch 13Ch 14Ch 15
How to use: All chapter features support this standard. Require students to cite specific passages, primary sources, or data from the text in their written responses. The Cornell Notes cue column helps students formulate questions that they then answer with evidence.

Feature-to-Standard Map

This table shows which textbook features most directly support each standard:

Textbook Feature RH.1 RH.2 RH.3 RH.4 RH.5 RH.6 RH.7 RH.8 RH.9
Big Questions
Vocabulary Boxes
Stop and Think
Primary Sources
Multiple Perspectives
Maps & Images
Whose Voices Left Out?
Chapter Activities
Story Behind the Story