New York State Learning Standards Alignment
Social Studies Standards
Elementary
● K.2 Children, families, and communities exhibit cultural similarities and differences.
● K.3 Symbols and traditions help develop a shared culture and identity within the United States.
● 1.1 Language, beliefs, customs, and traditions help shape the identity and culture of a family and a community
● 1.2 There are significant individuals, historical events, and symbols that are important to American cultural identity
● 1.4 People create governments in order to create peace and establish order. Laws are created to protect the rights and define the responsibilities of individuals and groups.
● 2.3 The United States is founded on the principles of democracy, and these principles are reflected in all types of communities.
● 2.4 Communities have rules and laws that affect how they function. Citizens contribute to a community’s government through leadership and service.
● 3.4 Each community or culture has a unique history, including heroic figures, traditions, and holidays.
● 3.7 Governments in communities and countries around the world have the authority to make and the power to enforce laws. The role of the citizen within these communities or countries varies across different types of governments.
● 4.2 NATIVE AMERICAN GROUPS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: Native American groups, chiefly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Algonquian-speaking groups, inhabited the region that became New York State. These people interacted with the environment and developed unique cultures.
● 4.4 GOVERNMENT: There are different levels of government within the United States and New York State. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of citizens and to promote the common good. The government of New York State establishes rights, freedoms, and responsibilities for its citizens.
Middle School
● United States History (Grade 7) 7.1 & 7.2 – Haudenosaunee Confederacy political structure, leadership, decision-making. Cultural interactions and Indigenous perspectives in early U.S. history.
● United States History (Grade 7) 7.5 – Compare Haudenosaunee Great Law principles with the U.S. Constitution, examining governance, citizen responsibilities, and protections, and understanding constitutions as living documents shaped by history and societal values.
High School
● United States History Grade 11 (11.2c) – Indigenous governance systems as foundations/influences on American democracy.
● Participation in Govt. Grade 12 (12.G1) – Foundations of American Democracy, principles of government, functions of constitutions, and citizenship as related to Haudenosaunee teachings.
● Participation in Govt. Grade 12 (12.G2) – Analyze multiple models of political engagement, Haudenosaunee and U.S., and understand how citizens participate in governance through consensus-building, leadership roles, community responsibility, and non-electoral forms of civic action.
○ Additional Note: Since the Haudenosaunee historically maintain sovereignty through treaty agreements such as the Two Row Wampum, some Nation members choose not to participate in U.S. governmental systems. Therefore, this unit also provides Haudenosaunee students with
meaningful pathways to engage with their own governmental structure for Participation in Government credit.
ELA Standards (Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening)
- RI.4–12.1–10 – Close reading of informational texts (Great Law origin story, oral narratives, historian accounts).
- RL.4–12.2–6 – Analysis of themes, structures, and perspectives in origin stories and retellings.
- W.4–12.2 & W.4–12.9 – Informative/explanatory writing using evidence from Indigenous sources and historical texts.
- SL.4–12.1 – Collaborative discussions (jigsaws, group analysis of governance systems).
- SL.4–12.4 – Presenting knowledge clearly.
