Connecting Focus with the Social Studies Curriculum

“Focused Effort” is a term we can use to describe a reasonably thorough and intentional attempt to complete a task. In business and legal settings, similar standards apply when one entity acquires another—for example, when a company purchases another, a careful investigation into the target’s viability is conducted before the purchase. Students can identify other professional contexts in which a focused and intentional effort is expected before making a decision. You can then relate this to their work in the classroom. What constitutes a Focused Effort if a student forgets to bring home a textbook needed for a homework assignment? Did they attempt to retrieve the book after school? Call a friend? Arrive early the next day to complete the assignment before classes begin?