In this unit, students will identify the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live. They will discuss why people adapt to and modify their environment, and how they do so. The students will gain a basic knowledge of the 50 states and their capitals.
Primary and Secondary Sources
Geography of the United States
Latitude and Longitude
Rural vs. Suburban vs. Urban
Modifying & Adapting to our Environment
The students will understand the causes and effects of European colonization in the United States beginning in 1565, the founding of St. Augustine. The student identify the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live. The students will understand motives behind exploring new territory (God, Glory, and Gold!). The students will recognize the use of technology in the American exploration.
Europeans Coming to the New World
Routes of Exploration
In this unit, the students will write about the challenges the early colonists faced in the New World. The students will discover the regional, economic, and cultural/religious differences between the English colonies. The students will study the introduction of the slave trade and slavery in the colonies.
The students will uncover the causes that led to the discontent between the colonists and Great Britain. They will discuss how policies and events like the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act, The Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party created discontent and how the people respond to and resolved conflict in a variety of ways. The students will compare and contrast the Loyalists and Patriots differing points of view on separation.
The students will identify the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence. They will justify why citizens have a right and responsibility to make their voices heard. Students will compare how Continental Army and the British Army differed. They will also illustrate issues Jefferson addressed in drafting the Declaration of Independence.
Students will show how past experiences and ideas from historical documents influenced the creation of the government of the United States. They will understand how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation created a weak and loosely bound country and then how United States Constitution describes the role and limitations of government.The Bill of Rights is made of the first ten amendments to the Constitution and lists their rights. The students will illustrate how the foundations of the free enterprise system are laid out in the Constitution.
The students will identify the causes and effects of the War of 1812. They will recognize the changes that happened during the Market Revolution. The students will understand how changes from the Market Revolution led to differences among sections of the United States.
The students will identify the Civil War had multiple causes, including slavery. The students will predict how the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras tested the nation’s ideas about union and citizenship. The student will hypothesize about the effects of Uncle Tom's Cabin on slaves in the South in the 1850's. The student will reflect how the lives of slaves changed for the better and worse after slavery was abolished with the 13th amendment.
The students will evaluate how industrialization changed the United States. The students will create an illustrated timeline depicting seven key historical time periods since the Civil War. I can recognize the influence of these historical periods on the present-day United States. I can explain the civic responsibilities of U.S. citizens.