Planning to Build: Unpacking USHC 1 for Assessment and Instruction provides a practical, evidence-centered process for transforming South Carolina U.S. History Standard 1 into coherent classroom instruction. Beginning with the historical thinking required by each indicator, the article guides teachers through selecting an instructional anchor, determining the appropriate Depth of Knowledge (DOK), using the South Carolina U.S. History Alignment Guide and Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs), and designing instruction that intentionally aligns learning, assessment, and differentiation. Classroom examples, planning tips, and a reusable planning process help educators develop rigorous, standards-aligned lessons that promote meaningful historical reasoning and prepare students for success on the U.S. History EOCEP.