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5.6 History, Government, and Social Studies Log (Kansas)

Once a year, the Kansas State Department of Education requires that all 4th and 7th graders demonstrate their grade-level mastery in History, Government, and Social Studies. (You'll see this abbreviated as HGSS). 

For OpenEd students, this requirement is incorporated into a weekly learning log.

Timeline: 

  • March 10th: HGSS log becomes available to submit

  • March 30th: HGSS log is due 

Please note: Students in grades K-3, 5-6, and 8 are not required to complete the HGSS requirement; their learning log will be in the regular format. 

What To Expect From The HGSS Log

To demonstrate their understanding of grade-level standards in History, Government, and Social Studies, your student will be asked to answer a compelling question.

Examples of compelling questions: 

"How was daily life different for people living in Kansas in the mid-1800s compared to life today?" 

"How has the role of technology changed in people's lives since the early 1900s?" 

"What impact did the Louisiana Purchase have on the United States?" 

After reading some related sources (which we'll link directly in the log), your student will come up with a claim or thesis in response to this question. 

On the HGSS log, your student will be asked: 

  • What is your claim or thesis? 
  • What evidence are you using to support your claim? Where is your evidence from? 
  • How does this evidence support your claim? 

There's no right or wrong answer here. The goal is for your student to form a response that's based on evidence, then clearly explain how they reached their conclusion. 

What matters is effort, not perfection!

How Your Student's Work Will Be Evaluated

The HGSS requirement is designed to help your student practice real-world skills like thinking critically and supporting their ideas. 

To help guide your student, their teacher will pay attention to three main areas: 

  1. Claim (or thesis)

    1. Did your student clearly state an answer to the compelling question? 

  2. Evidence

    1. Did your student provide evidence (from readings, primary sources, class materials, or research) to support their claim?

  3. Reasoning

    1. Did your student explain how their evidence supports their claim? 

Don't stress! Any feedback that your student's teacher provides will be given with the intention of helping your student learn and grow. 

Interested in seeing the state rubrics for the HGSS requirement?

You can access the rubrics for elementary and middle school students through the links below:

HGSS FAQs

Q: Will students be required to participate in the HGSS requirement?

A: If your student is in 4th or 7th grade, then the answer is yes. (If your student is in grades K-3, 5-6, or 8, then they won't have to participate.)

Q: How will my student access the questions for the HGSS requirement?

A: Your student will access the questions for the HGSS requirement through a learning log that'll become available on March 10th.

This log will be due on March 30th.

Q: Can I help my student complete the HGSS? Can my student dictate their responses to me while I type?

A: While we encourage your student to complete as much of the work themselves as they can, you're welcome to guide them as needed to help them be successful - including typing their responses, if they need that support. 

The HGSS requirement is an opportunity for your student to showcase their thoughts; it's not meant to be overly formal. For example, your student will not be graded on their spelling or punctuation - we love seeing a candid glimpse into their thought process!

Q: Am I allowed to use differentiation, accommodations, and supports for
students during the HGSS requirement?

A: Yes. In the same way you might modify, scaffold, translate, and adapt resources to
support your student daily, you're free to use these best practices for the HGSS requirement. 

Q: Is there a minimum length requirement for the HGSS? How many sentences does my student need to write?

There is no minimum length requirement for the HGSS. Your student can write as much or as little as they'd like, so long as they answer the compelling question.