Instructional Planning Tool: Unpacking a U.S. History Standard is a classroom-ready planning template that helps South Carolina U.S. History teachers transform standards into coherent, evidence-centered instruction. Using a structured planning process, educators identify the historical thinking required by an indicator, select an instructional anchor, determine the appropriate Depth of Knowledge (DOK), identify the essential content using the South Carolina U.S. History Alignment Guide, apply the Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs), and design aligned learning experiences, assessments, and PLD-aligned learning progressions. This reusable planning tool supports rigorous, evidence-centered instructional planning while promoting meaningful historical reasoning and preparing students for success on the U.S. History EOCEP.