Essential Questions:

1. In what ways did George Washington's presidency influence the future of the U.S. political system?
2. How did the controversies of the early republic shape the future of the United States?
3. How did the nation’s early problems reveal different philosophies about government?

Success Criteria:

• Knowing the importance of Washington's precedents
• Knowing the differences between Jefferson's and Hamilton's views of government
• Understanding the various problems the new country faced (how to keep control, how to deal with rebellions, etc.)
• Understanding key domain-specific vocabulary: precedents, Cabinet

Our goal is to be able to explain how various founding fathers responded to the challenges of the new nation.

How can you help at home?

• Go over the notes in their Social Studies binder and the activities on Social Studies Google Classroom. They also have access to the Discovery Education TechBook online by using their Holmdel Google account login.
• Ask your child about what Inquiry Project they have selected and why. This paper can be found in their binder as well as on Google Classroom. Help them to create a time-management plan for working on this at home throughout the unit.
• Encourage your child to read about current events or watch kid-friendly news programs. You can find some links to kid-friendly news websites on the Useful Links page.
• Help them to better conceptualize time/dates of events by drawing timelines and/or associating historical events with personal/family/familiar events.