8th Grade
Curriculum:
1. The First AmericansDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students hypothesize the geographic origins of American Indian artifacts to explore how the first Americans in eight cultural regions adapted to their environments.Essential Question: How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?Reading Further: Digging Up the PastVideo Overview Go to lesson "European Exploration and Settlement"2European Exploration and SettlementDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting European exploration and settlement to discover how European nations explored and established settlements in the Americas.Essential Question: How did Europeans explore and establish settlements in the Americas?Reading Further: Who Was the Real Columbus?Video Overview Go to lesson "The English Colonies in North America"3The English Colonies in North AmericaDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students analyze the similarities and differences among the English colonies in North America by creating and visiting sales booths in a "colonial fair."Essential Question: What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?Reading Further: A Colonial Cast of CharactersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the Colonies"4Life in the ColoniesDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to analyze primary and secondary source material to explore eight aspects of life in the American colonies, including rights of colonists, religion, education, and life for enslaved African Americans.Essential Question: What was life really like in the colonies?Reading Further: A Great AwakeningVideo Overview Go to lesson "Toward Independence"5Toward IndependenceDescription: In a Response Group activity, students participate in a series of colonial town meetings to debate whether to rebel against British rule. In the process, they evaluate the events that deeply divided the American colonists and eventually caused them to rebel against the British government.Essential Question: When is it necessary for citizens to rebel against their government?Reading Further: “I Love the Story of Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not”Video Overview Go to lesson "The Declaration of Independence"6The Declaration of IndependenceDescription: Students learn about key events leading up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and, in a Writing for Understanding activity, analyze key excerpts of the Declaration and the principles of government they express.Essential Question: What principles of government are expressed in the Declaration of Independence?Reading Further: The Power of Common SenseVideo Overview Go to lesson "The American Revolution"7The American RevolutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students participate in a game of Capture the Flag. They compare their experience to the determining factors of the war for independence from Great Britain—examining the strengths and weaknesses of each side, important battles, and other key factors in the conflict—to determine how the British were defeated.Essential Question: How was the Continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?Reading Further: George Washington: A Warrior Spirit and a Caring HeartVideo Overview Go to lesson "Creating the Constitution"8Creating the ConstitutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students examine the factors that led to the creation of a stronger central government under the U.S. Constitution by re-creating a key debate from the Constitutional Convention.Essential Question: What compromises emerged from the Constitutional Convention?Reading Further: James Madison and the Long, Hot Summer of 1787Video Overview Go to lesson "The Constitution: A More Perfect Union"9The Constitution: A More Perfect UnionDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to explore the key features and guiding principles of the U.S. Constitution by assuming the role of law students taking a final exam on the Constitution.Essential Question: How has the Constitution created “a more perfect Union”?Reading Further: Who Are “We the People”?Video Overview Go to lesson "The Bill of Rights"10The Bill of RightsDescription: In a Response Group activity, students learn about the important rights and freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights by analyzing a series of scenarios to determine whether the Bill of Rights protects certain actions taken by citizens.Essential Question: What freedoms does the Bill of Rights protect and why are they important?Reading Further: What Is Religious Freedom?Video Overview Go to lesson "Political Developments in the Early Republic"11Political Developments in the Early RepublicDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students compare Federalist and Republican visions for the United States by taking on the roles of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to debate the main issues that divided the two groups.Essential Question: How did the Federalist and Republican visions for the United States differ?Reading Further: The President’s HouseVideo Overview Go to lesson "Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation"12Foreign Affairs in the Young NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students assume the roles of foreign policy advisers to early presidents to evaluate the extent to which the country should have become involved in world affairs.Essential Question: To what extent should the United States have become involved in world affairs in the early 1800s?Reading Further: Tecumseh, the Shooting StarVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Growing Sense of Nationhood"13A Growing Sense of NationhoodDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students visit an art exhibit, cotillion, and literary gathering to experience American culture in the early 1800s. They then create a chapter of a book describing what it meant to be an American in this period.Essential Question: What did it mean to be an American in the early 1800s?Reading Further: A New Literature Celebrates a New NationVideo Overview Go to lesson "Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American Democracy"14Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American DemocracyDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images of key events in the presidency of Andrew Jackson to evaluate how well he promoted democracy.Essential Question: How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?Reading Further: The Trail Where They CriedVideo Overview Go to lesson "Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation"15Manifest Destiny and the Growing NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students re-create each territorial acquisition of the 1800s and then evaluate whether the nation’s actions were justifiable.Essential Question: How justifiable was U.S. expansion in the 1800s?Reading Further: Westward on the Santa Fe TrailVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the West"16Life in the WestDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create and perform minidramas about eight groups of people who moved to the West in the 1800s to explore these people’s motives for moving, the hardships they faced, and the legacies they left behind for future generations.Essential Question: What were the motives, hardships, and legacies of the groups that moved west in the 1800s?Reading Further: Gold Rush PioneersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Mexicano Contributions to the Southwest"17Mexicano Contributions to the SouthwestDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to examine important Mexicano contributions and determine how they have influenced life in the United States.Essential Question: How have Mexicano contributions influenced life in the United States?Reading Further: Mexicano Culture TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "An Era of Reform"18An Era of ReformDescription: Students examine the reform movements of the mid-1800s to evaluate to what extent they improved life for Americans. In a Response Group activity, they debate the extent to which grievances from the Declaration of Sentiments have been redressed today.Essential Question: To what extent did the reform movements of the mid-1800s improve life for Americans?Reading Further: Brook Farm and the Utopian DreamVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Worlds of North and South"19The Worlds of North and SouthDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images from the mid-1800s to compare the different ways of life in the North and the South.Essential Question: How was life in the North different from life in the South?Reading Further: The Mill Girls of LowellVideo Overview Go to lesson "African Americans in the Mid-1800s"20African Americans in the Mid-1800sDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students analyze quotations and examine images to discover how African Americans faced slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s. They then create a journal describing some of the experiences of a slave in the period.Essential Question: How did African Americans face slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s?Reading Further: Harriet Tubman, Moses of the Underground RailroadVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Dividing Nation"21A Dividing NationDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting the growing conflict between the North and the South to understand why the nation could not prevent civil war.Essential Question: Which events of the mid-1800s kept the nation together and which events pulled it apart?Reading Further: Slavery Divides BostonVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Civil War"22The Civil WarDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg and encounter key aspects of what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War and then write about their experiences.Essential Question: What factors and events influenced the outcome of the Civil War?Reading Further: Divided House, Divided FamiliesVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Reconstruction Era"23The Reconstruction EraDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze primary source images to evaluate how close African Americans came to full citizenship during Reconstruction.Essential Question: To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?Reading Further: The Long Road to Equal RightsVideo Overview Go to lesson "Tensions in the West"24Tensions in the WestDescription: Students work together in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to create a music video to illustrate how western settlement impacted the Nez Percé. They then examine how settlers changed the West and impacted other American Indian groups.Essential Question: How did settlers change the West and affect American Indians?Reading Further: Black ExodusVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Rise of Industry"25The Rise of IndustryDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of workers on an assembly line to experience the costs and benefits of industrialization.Essential Question: Did the benefits of industrialization outweigh the costs?Reading Further: The Celebrity InventorVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Great Wave of Immigration"26The Great Wave of ImmigrationDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students create scrapbooks illustrating what life was like for immigrants in the early 1900s.Essential Question: What was life like for immigrants in the early 1900s?Reading Further: Young Immigrants TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Progressive Era"27The Progressive EraDescription: In a Response Group activity, students take on the roles of Progressive era leaders in a panel discussion to evaluate whether progressives improved life in the United States.Essential Question: Did the progressives improve life in the United States?Reading Further: Children at WorkVideo Overview Go to lesson "The United States Becomes a World Power"28The United States Becomes a World PowerDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, pairs of students analyze political cartoons about U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century and evaluate the differing viewpoints of those actions.Essential Question: Should U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century be praised or condemned?Reading Further: The Yellow Press Goes to WarVideo Overview Go to lesson "Linking Past to Present"29Linking Past to PresentDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students discover important events of the last century and learn how they have affected society in the United States.Essential Question: What changes since 1914 have shaped how we live today?Reading Further: Questions for the Future History:· Comprehension skills· Analysis and processing of the subject matter in order to understand the relationship between ideas and how they connect the past and present· Synthesis of subject matter· Note taking
8th Grade History
8th Grade History
Text: My World Interactive
Text: My World Interactive
1. The First AmericansDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students hypothesize the geographic origins of American Indian artifacts to explore how the first Americans in eight cultural regions adapted to their environments.Essential Question: How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?Reading Further: Digging Up the PastVideo Overview Go to lesson "European Exploration and Settlement"2European Exploration and SettlementDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting European exploration and settlement to discover how European nations explored and established settlements in the Americas.Essential Question: How did Europeans explore and establish settlements in the Americas?Reading Further: Who Was the Real Columbus?Video Overview Go to lesson "The English Colonies in North America"3The English Colonies in North AmericaDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students analyze the similarities and differences among the English colonies in North America by creating and visiting sales booths in a "colonial fair."Essential Question: What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?Reading Further: A Colonial Cast of CharactersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the Colonies"4Life in the ColoniesDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to analyze primary and secondary source material to explore eight aspects of life in the American colonies, including rights of colonists, religion, education, and life for enslaved African Americans.Essential Question: What was life really like in the colonies?Reading Further: A Great AwakeningVideo Overview Go to lesson "Toward Independence"5Toward IndependenceDescription: In a Response Group activity, students participate in a series of colonial town meetings to debate whether to rebel against British rule. In the process, they evaluate the events that deeply divided the American colonists and eventually caused them to rebel against the British government.Essential Question: When is it necessary for citizens to rebel against their government?Reading Further: “I Love the Story of Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not”Video Overview Go to lesson "The Declaration of Independence"6The Declaration of IndependenceDescription: Students learn about key events leading up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and, in a Writing for Understanding activity, analyze key excerpts of the Declaration and the principles of government they express.Essential Question: What principles of government are expressed in the Declaration of Independence?Reading Further: The Power of Common SenseVideo Overview Go to lesson "The American Revolution"7The American RevolutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students participate in a game of Capture the Flag. They compare their experience to the determining factors of the war for independence from Great Britain—examining the strengths and weaknesses of each side, important battles, and other key factors in the conflict—to determine how the British were defeated.Essential Question: How was the Continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?Reading Further: George Washington: A Warrior Spirit and a Caring HeartVideo Overview Go to lesson "Creating the Constitution"8Creating the ConstitutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students examine the factors that led to the creation of a stronger central government under the U.S. Constitution by re-creating a key debate from the Constitutional Convention.Essential Question: What compromises emerged from the Constitutional Convention?Reading Further: James Madison and the Long, Hot Summer of 1787Video Overview Go to lesson "The Constitution: A More Perfect Union"9The Constitution: A More Perfect UnionDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to explore the key features and guiding principles of the U.S. Constitution by assuming the role of law students taking a final exam on the Constitution.Essential Question: How has the Constitution created “a more perfect Union”?Reading Further: Who Are “We the People”?Video Overview Go to lesson "The Bill of Rights"10The Bill of RightsDescription: In a Response Group activity, students learn about the important rights and freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights by analyzing a series of scenarios to determine whether the Bill of Rights protects certain actions taken by citizens.Essential Question: What freedoms does the Bill of Rights protect and why are they important?Reading Further: What Is Religious Freedom?Video Overview Go to lesson "Political Developments in the Early Republic"11Political Developments in the Early RepublicDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students compare Federalist and Republican visions for the United States by taking on the roles of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to debate the main issues that divided the two groups.Essential Question: How did the Federalist and Republican visions for the United States differ?Reading Further: The President’s HouseVideo Overview Go to lesson "Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation"12Foreign Affairs in the Young NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students assume the roles of foreign policy advisers to early presidents to evaluate the extent to which the country should have become involved in world affairs.Essential Question: To what extent should the United States have become involved in world affairs in the early 1800s?Reading Further: Tecumseh, the Shooting StarVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Growing Sense of Nationhood"13A Growing Sense of NationhoodDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students visit an art exhibit, cotillion, and literary gathering to experience American culture in the early 1800s. They then create a chapter of a book describing what it meant to be an American in this period.Essential Question: What did it mean to be an American in the early 1800s?Reading Further: A New Literature Celebrates a New NationVideo Overview Go to lesson "Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American Democracy"14Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American DemocracyDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images of key events in the presidency of Andrew Jackson to evaluate how well he promoted democracy.Essential Question: How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?Reading Further: The Trail Where They CriedVideo Overview Go to lesson "Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation"15Manifest Destiny and the Growing NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students re-create each territorial acquisition of the 1800s and then evaluate whether the nation’s actions were justifiable.Essential Question: How justifiable was U.S. expansion in the 1800s?Reading Further: Westward on the Santa Fe TrailVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the West"16Life in the WestDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create and perform minidramas about eight groups of people who moved to the West in the 1800s to explore these people’s motives for moving, the hardships they faced, and the legacies they left behind for future generations.Essential Question: What were the motives, hardships, and legacies of the groups that moved west in the 1800s?Reading Further: Gold Rush PioneersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Mexicano Contributions to the Southwest"17Mexicano Contributions to the SouthwestDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to examine important Mexicano contributions and determine how they have influenced life in the United States.Essential Question: How have Mexicano contributions influenced life in the United States?Reading Further: Mexicano Culture TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "An Era of Reform"18An Era of ReformDescription: Students examine the reform movements of the mid-1800s to evaluate to what extent they improved life for Americans. In a Response Group activity, they debate the extent to which grievances from the Declaration of Sentiments have been redressed today.Essential Question: To what extent did the reform movements of the mid-1800s improve life for Americans?Reading Further: Brook Farm and the Utopian DreamVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Worlds of North and South"19The Worlds of North and SouthDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images from the mid-1800s to compare the different ways of life in the North and the South.Essential Question: How was life in the North different from life in the South?Reading Further: The Mill Girls of LowellVideo Overview Go to lesson "African Americans in the Mid-1800s"20African Americans in the Mid-1800sDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students analyze quotations and examine images to discover how African Americans faced slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s. They then create a journal describing some of the experiences of a slave in the period.Essential Question: How did African Americans face slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s?Reading Further: Harriet Tubman, Moses of the Underground RailroadVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Dividing Nation"21A Dividing NationDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting the growing conflict between the North and the South to understand why the nation could not prevent civil war.Essential Question: Which events of the mid-1800s kept the nation together and which events pulled it apart?Reading Further: Slavery Divides BostonVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Civil War"22The Civil WarDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg and encounter key aspects of what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War and then write about their experiences.Essential Question: What factors and events influenced the outcome of the Civil War?Reading Further: Divided House, Divided FamiliesVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Reconstruction Era"23The Reconstruction EraDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze primary source images to evaluate how close African Americans came to full citizenship during Reconstruction.Essential Question: To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?Reading Further: The Long Road to Equal RightsVideo Overview Go to lesson "Tensions in the West"24Tensions in the WestDescription: Students work together in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to create a music video to illustrate how western settlement impacted the Nez Percé. They then examine how settlers changed the West and impacted other American Indian groups.Essential Question: How did settlers change the West and affect American Indians?Reading Further: Black ExodusVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Rise of Industry"25The Rise of IndustryDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of workers on an assembly line to experience the costs and benefits of industrialization.Essential Question: Did the benefits of industrialization outweigh the costs?Reading Further: The Celebrity InventorVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Great Wave of Immigration"26The Great Wave of ImmigrationDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students create scrapbooks illustrating what life was like for immigrants in the early 1900s.Essential Question: What was life like for immigrants in the early 1900s?Reading Further: Young Immigrants TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Progressive Era"27The Progressive EraDescription: In a Response Group activity, students take on the roles of Progressive era leaders in a panel discussion to evaluate whether progressives improved life in the United States.Essential Question: Did the progressives improve life in the United States?Reading Further: Children at WorkVideo Overview Go to lesson "The United States Becomes a World Power"28The United States Becomes a World PowerDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, pairs of students analyze political cartoons about U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century and evaluate the differing viewpoints of those actions.Essential Question: Should U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century be praised or condemned?Reading Further: The Yellow Press Goes to WarVideo Overview Go to lesson "Linking Past to Present"29Linking Past to PresentDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students discover important events of the last century and learn how they have affected society in the United States.Essential Question: What changes since 1914 have shaped how we live today?Reading Further: Questions for the Future History:· Comprehension skills· Analysis and processing of the subject matter in order to understand the relationship between ideas and how they connect the past and present· Synthesis of subject matter· Note taking
Curriculum: 8th Grade Literature Novels- To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee- Cyrano de Bergerac – Edmund Rostand- Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck- The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton- Fever - Laurie Halse Anderson Short Stories- Broken Chain – Gary Soto- The Monkey’s Paw – Edger Allen Poe- Tell Tale Heart – Edger Allen Poe- There Will Come Soft Rains – Ray Bradbury- The Necklace - Guy de Maupassant- Mrs. Flowers – Maya Angelou- Three Skeleton Key – George Toudouze- A Day’s Wait – Ernest Hemingway- The Sole Survivor - Unknown- Fish Cheeks- Amy Tan- Twenty Years After – O. Henry- Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes- Survive the Savage Sea – Dougal Robertson- The Most Dangerous Game - Richard Connell- Man From the South – Roald Dahl- The Landlady – Roald Dahl- Lamb to the Slaughter – Roald Dahl- The Monkey's Paw - W.W. Jacobs Poetry- Oh Captain! My Captain! – Walt Whitman- Oranges – Gary Soto- A Time to Talk – Robert Frost- They Have Yarns – Carl Sandburg- Casey at the Bat – Ernest Lawrence Thayer- The Runaway – Robert Frost- I’m Nobody – Emily Dickinson- Nothing Can Stay Gold - Robert Frost Myths- Orpheus- Echo and Narcissus- The Flight of Icarus- King Midas and the Golden Touch Communication with parents – Parents will be advised of student progress by Power school progress reports
Grading:The grading policy is based on a total point system where each assignment is worth a certain number of points based on the degree of difficulty and importance. The grade at the end of the trimester is based on the percentage of points earned versus the total points possible.Grades are available each week for a student to review.
Grading:The grading policy is based on a total point system where each assignment is worth a certain number of points based on the degree of difficulty and importance. The grade at the end of the trimester is based on the percentage of points earned versus the total points possible.Grades are available each week for a student to review.
Curriculum: 8th Grade HistoryCurriculum OverviewEighth GradeU.S.History - The first Americans to the industrial revolutionOur major goal this year is to master the standards set forth in the Oakland Diocese eighth Grade Social Studies Guidelines. These guidelines focus on the following student skills:
1. The First AmericansDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students hypothesize the geographic origins of American Indian artifacts to explore how the first Americans in eight cultural regions adapted to their environments.Essential Question: How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?Reading Further: Digging Up the PastVideo Overview Go to lesson "European Exploration and Settlement"2European Exploration and SettlementDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting European exploration and settlement to discover how European nations explored and established settlements in the Americas.Essential Question: How did Europeans explore and establish settlements in the Americas?Reading Further: Who Was the Real Columbus?Video Overview Go to lesson "The English Colonies in North America"3The English Colonies in North AmericaDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students analyze the similarities and differences among the English colonies in North America by creating and visiting sales booths in a "colonial fair."Essential Question: What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?Reading Further: A Colonial Cast of CharactersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the Colonies"4Life in the ColoniesDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to analyze primary and secondary source material to explore eight aspects of life in the American colonies, including rights of colonists, religion, education, and life for enslaved African Americans.Essential Question: What was life really like in the colonies?Reading Further: A Great AwakeningVideo Overview Go to lesson "Toward Independence"5Toward IndependenceDescription: In a Response Group activity, students participate in a series of colonial town meetings to debate whether to rebel against British rule. In the process, they evaluate the events that deeply divided the American colonists and eventually caused them to rebel against the British government.Essential Question: When is it necessary for citizens to rebel against their government?Reading Further: “I Love the Story of Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not”Video Overview Go to lesson "The Declaration of Independence"6The Declaration of IndependenceDescription: Students learn about key events leading up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and, in a Writing for Understanding activity, analyze key excerpts of the Declaration and the principles of government they express.Essential Question: What principles of government are expressed in the Declaration of Independence?Reading Further: The Power of Common SenseVideo Overview Go to lesson "The American Revolution"7The American RevolutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students participate in a game of Capture the Flag. They compare their experience to the determining factors of the war for independence from Great Britain—examining the strengths and weaknesses of each side, important battles, and other key factors in the conflict—to determine how the British were defeated.Essential Question: How was the Continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?Reading Further: George Washington: A Warrior Spirit and a Caring HeartVideo Overview Go to lesson "Creating the Constitution"8Creating the ConstitutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students examine the factors that led to the creation of a stronger central government under the U.S. Constitution by re-creating a key debate from the Constitutional Convention.Essential Question: What compromises emerged from the Constitutional Convention?Reading Further: James Madison and the Long, Hot Summer of 1787Video Overview Go to lesson "The Constitution: A More Perfect Union"9The Constitution: A More Perfect UnionDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to explore the key features and guiding principles of the U.S. Constitution by assuming the role of law students taking a final exam on the Constitution.Essential Question: How has the Constitution created “a more perfect Union”?Reading Further: Who Are “We the People”?Video Overview Go to lesson "The Bill of Rights"10The Bill of RightsDescription: In a Response Group activity, students learn about the important rights and freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights by analyzing a series of scenarios to determine whether the Bill of Rights protects certain actions taken by citizens.Essential Question: What freedoms does the Bill of Rights protect and why are they important?Reading Further: What Is Religious Freedom?Video Overview Go to lesson "Political Developments in the Early Republic"11Political Developments in the Early RepublicDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students compare Federalist and Republican visions for the United States by taking on the roles of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to debate the main issues that divided the two groups.Essential Question: How did the Federalist and Republican visions for the United States differ?Reading Further: The President’s HouseVideo Overview Go to lesson "Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation"12Foreign Affairs in the Young NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students assume the roles of foreign policy advisers to early presidents to evaluate the extent to which the country should have become involved in world affairs.Essential Question: To what extent should the United States have become involved in world affairs in the early 1800s?Reading Further: Tecumseh, the Shooting StarVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Growing Sense of Nationhood"13A Growing Sense of NationhoodDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students visit an art exhibit, cotillion, and literary gathering to experience American culture in the early 1800s. They then create a chapter of a book describing what it meant to be an American in this period.Essential Question: What did it mean to be an American in the early 1800s?Reading Further: A New Literature Celebrates a New NationVideo Overview Go to lesson "Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American Democracy"14Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American DemocracyDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images of key events in the presidency of Andrew Jackson to evaluate how well he promoted democracy.Essential Question: How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?Reading Further: The Trail Where They CriedVideo Overview Go to lesson "Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation"15Manifest Destiny and the Growing NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students re-create each territorial acquisition of the 1800s and then evaluate whether the nation’s actions were justifiable.Essential Question: How justifiable was U.S. expansion in the 1800s?Reading Further: Westward on the Santa Fe TrailVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the West"16Life in the WestDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create and perform minidramas about eight groups of people who moved to the West in the 1800s to explore these people’s motives for moving, the hardships they faced, and the legacies they left behind for future generations.Essential Question: What were the motives, hardships, and legacies of the groups that moved west in the 1800s?Reading Further: Gold Rush PioneersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Mexicano Contributions to the Southwest"17Mexicano Contributions to the SouthwestDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to examine important Mexicano contributions and determine how they have influenced life in the United States.Essential Question: How have Mexicano contributions influenced life in the United States?Reading Further: Mexicano Culture TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "An Era of Reform"18An Era of ReformDescription: Students examine the reform movements of the mid-1800s to evaluate to what extent they improved life for Americans. In a Response Group activity, they debate the extent to which grievances from the Declaration of Sentiments have been redressed today.Essential Question: To what extent did the reform movements of the mid-1800s improve life for Americans?Reading Further: Brook Farm and the Utopian DreamVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Worlds of North and South"19The Worlds of North and SouthDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images from the mid-1800s to compare the different ways of life in the North and the South.Essential Question: How was life in the North different from life in the South?Reading Further: The Mill Girls of LowellVideo Overview Go to lesson "African Americans in the Mid-1800s"20African Americans in the Mid-1800sDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students analyze quotations and examine images to discover how African Americans faced slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s. They then create a journal describing some of the experiences of a slave in the period.Essential Question: How did African Americans face slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s?Reading Further: Harriet Tubman, Moses of the Underground RailroadVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Dividing Nation"21A Dividing NationDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting the growing conflict between the North and the South to understand why the nation could not prevent civil war.Essential Question: Which events of the mid-1800s kept the nation together and which events pulled it apart?Reading Further: Slavery Divides BostonVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Civil War"22The Civil WarDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg and encounter key aspects of what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War and then write about their experiences.Essential Question: What factors and events influenced the outcome of the Civil War?Reading Further: Divided House, Divided FamiliesVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Reconstruction Era"23The Reconstruction EraDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze primary source images to evaluate how close African Americans came to full citizenship during Reconstruction.Essential Question: To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?Reading Further: The Long Road to Equal RightsVideo Overview Go to lesson "Tensions in the West"24Tensions in the WestDescription: Students work together in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to create a music video to illustrate how western settlement impacted the Nez Percé. They then examine how settlers changed the West and impacted other American Indian groups.Essential Question: How did settlers change the West and affect American Indians?Reading Further: Black ExodusVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Rise of Industry"25The Rise of IndustryDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of workers on an assembly line to experience the costs and benefits of industrialization.Essential Question: Did the benefits of industrialization outweigh the costs?Reading Further: The Celebrity InventorVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Great Wave of Immigration"26The Great Wave of ImmigrationDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students create scrapbooks illustrating what life was like for immigrants in the early 1900s.Essential Question: What was life like for immigrants in the early 1900s?Reading Further: Young Immigrants TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Progressive Era"27The Progressive EraDescription: In a Response Group activity, students take on the roles of Progressive era leaders in a panel discussion to evaluate whether progressives improved life in the United States.Essential Question: Did the progressives improve life in the United States?Reading Further: Children at WorkVideo Overview Go to lesson "The United States Becomes a World Power"28The United States Becomes a World PowerDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, pairs of students analyze political cartoons about U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century and evaluate the differing viewpoints of those actions.Essential Question: Should U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century be praised or condemned?Reading Further: The Yellow Press Goes to WarVideo Overview Go to lesson "Linking Past to Present"29Linking Past to PresentDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students discover important events of the last century and learn how they have affected society in the United States.Essential Question: What changes since 1914 have shaped how we live today?Reading Further: Questions for the Future History:· Comprehension skills· Analysis and processing of the subject matter in order to understand the relationship between ideas and how they connect the past and present· Synthesis of subject matter· Note taking
1. The First AmericansDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students hypothesize the geographic origins of American Indian artifacts to explore how the first Americans in eight cultural regions adapted to their environments.Essential Question: How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?Reading Further: Digging Up the PastVideo Overview Go to lesson "European Exploration and Settlement"2European Exploration and SettlementDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting European exploration and settlement to discover how European nations explored and established settlements in the Americas.Essential Question: How did Europeans explore and establish settlements in the Americas?Reading Further: Who Was the Real Columbus?Video Overview Go to lesson "The English Colonies in North America"3The English Colonies in North AmericaDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students analyze the similarities and differences among the English colonies in North America by creating and visiting sales booths in a "colonial fair."Essential Question: What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?Reading Further: A Colonial Cast of CharactersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the Colonies"4Life in the ColoniesDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to analyze primary and secondary source material to explore eight aspects of life in the American colonies, including rights of colonists, religion, education, and life for enslaved African Americans.Essential Question: What was life really like in the colonies?Reading Further: A Great AwakeningVideo Overview Go to lesson "Toward Independence"5Toward IndependenceDescription: In a Response Group activity, students participate in a series of colonial town meetings to debate whether to rebel against British rule. In the process, they evaluate the events that deeply divided the American colonists and eventually caused them to rebel against the British government.Essential Question: When is it necessary for citizens to rebel against their government?Reading Further: “I Love the Story of Paul Revere, Whether He Rode or Not”Video Overview Go to lesson "The Declaration of Independence"6The Declaration of IndependenceDescription: Students learn about key events leading up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and, in a Writing for Understanding activity, analyze key excerpts of the Declaration and the principles of government they express.Essential Question: What principles of government are expressed in the Declaration of Independence?Reading Further: The Power of Common SenseVideo Overview Go to lesson "The American Revolution"7The American RevolutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students participate in a game of Capture the Flag. They compare their experience to the determining factors of the war for independence from Great Britain—examining the strengths and weaknesses of each side, important battles, and other key factors in the conflict—to determine how the British were defeated.Essential Question: How was the Continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?Reading Further: George Washington: A Warrior Spirit and a Caring HeartVideo Overview Go to lesson "Creating the Constitution"8Creating the ConstitutionDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students examine the factors that led to the creation of a stronger central government under the U.S. Constitution by re-creating a key debate from the Constitutional Convention.Essential Question: What compromises emerged from the Constitutional Convention?Reading Further: James Madison and the Long, Hot Summer of 1787Video Overview Go to lesson "The Constitution: A More Perfect Union"9The Constitution: A More Perfect UnionDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to explore the key features and guiding principles of the U.S. Constitution by assuming the role of law students taking a final exam on the Constitution.Essential Question: How has the Constitution created “a more perfect Union”?Reading Further: Who Are “We the People”?Video Overview Go to lesson "The Bill of Rights"10The Bill of RightsDescription: In a Response Group activity, students learn about the important rights and freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights by analyzing a series of scenarios to determine whether the Bill of Rights protects certain actions taken by citizens.Essential Question: What freedoms does the Bill of Rights protect and why are they important?Reading Further: What Is Religious Freedom?Video Overview Go to lesson "Political Developments in the Early Republic"11Political Developments in the Early RepublicDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students compare Federalist and Republican visions for the United States by taking on the roles of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to debate the main issues that divided the two groups.Essential Question: How did the Federalist and Republican visions for the United States differ?Reading Further: The President’s HouseVideo Overview Go to lesson "Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation"12Foreign Affairs in the Young NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students assume the roles of foreign policy advisers to early presidents to evaluate the extent to which the country should have become involved in world affairs.Essential Question: To what extent should the United States have become involved in world affairs in the early 1800s?Reading Further: Tecumseh, the Shooting StarVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Growing Sense of Nationhood"13A Growing Sense of NationhoodDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students visit an art exhibit, cotillion, and literary gathering to experience American culture in the early 1800s. They then create a chapter of a book describing what it meant to be an American in this period.Essential Question: What did it mean to be an American in the early 1800s?Reading Further: A New Literature Celebrates a New NationVideo Overview Go to lesson "Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American Democracy"14Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American DemocracyDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images of key events in the presidency of Andrew Jackson to evaluate how well he promoted democracy.Essential Question: How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?Reading Further: The Trail Where They CriedVideo Overview Go to lesson "Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation"15Manifest Destiny and the Growing NationDescription: In a Response Group activity, students re-create each territorial acquisition of the 1800s and then evaluate whether the nation’s actions were justifiable.Essential Question: How justifiable was U.S. expansion in the 1800s?Reading Further: Westward on the Santa Fe TrailVideo Overview Go to lesson "Life in the West"16Life in the WestDescription: In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create and perform minidramas about eight groups of people who moved to the West in the 1800s to explore these people’s motives for moving, the hardships they faced, and the legacies they left behind for future generations.Essential Question: What were the motives, hardships, and legacies of the groups that moved west in the 1800s?Reading Further: Gold Rush PioneersVideo Overview Go to lesson "Mexicano Contributions to the Southwest"17Mexicano Contributions to the SouthwestDescription: Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to examine important Mexicano contributions and determine how they have influenced life in the United States.Essential Question: How have Mexicano contributions influenced life in the United States?Reading Further: Mexicano Culture TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "An Era of Reform"18An Era of ReformDescription: Students examine the reform movements of the mid-1800s to evaluate to what extent they improved life for Americans. In a Response Group activity, they debate the extent to which grievances from the Declaration of Sentiments have been redressed today.Essential Question: To what extent did the reform movements of the mid-1800s improve life for Americans?Reading Further: Brook Farm and the Utopian DreamVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Worlds of North and South"19The Worlds of North and SouthDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images from the mid-1800s to compare the different ways of life in the North and the South.Essential Question: How was life in the North different from life in the South?Reading Further: The Mill Girls of LowellVideo Overview Go to lesson "African Americans in the Mid-1800s"20African Americans in the Mid-1800sDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students analyze quotations and examine images to discover how African Americans faced slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s. They then create a journal describing some of the experiences of a slave in the period.Essential Question: How did African Americans face slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s?Reading Further: Harriet Tubman, Moses of the Underground RailroadVideo Overview Go to lesson "A Dividing Nation"21A Dividing NationDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images depicting the growing conflict between the North and the South to understand why the nation could not prevent civil war.Essential Question: Which events of the mid-1800s kept the nation together and which events pulled it apart?Reading Further: Slavery Divides BostonVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Civil War"22The Civil WarDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg and encounter key aspects of what it was like to be a soldier in the Civil War and then write about their experiences.Essential Question: What factors and events influenced the outcome of the Civil War?Reading Further: Divided House, Divided FamiliesVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Reconstruction Era"23The Reconstruction EraDescription: In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze primary source images to evaluate how close African Americans came to full citizenship during Reconstruction.Essential Question: To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?Reading Further: The Long Road to Equal RightsVideo Overview Go to lesson "Tensions in the West"24Tensions in the WestDescription: Students work together in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to create a music video to illustrate how western settlement impacted the Nez Percé. They then examine how settlers changed the West and impacted other American Indian groups.Essential Question: How did settlers change the West and affect American Indians?Reading Further: Black ExodusVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Rise of Industry"25The Rise of IndustryDescription: In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of workers on an assembly line to experience the costs and benefits of industrialization.Essential Question: Did the benefits of industrialization outweigh the costs?Reading Further: The Celebrity InventorVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Great Wave of Immigration"26The Great Wave of ImmigrationDescription: In a Writing for Understanding activity, students create scrapbooks illustrating what life was like for immigrants in the early 1900s.Essential Question: What was life like for immigrants in the early 1900s?Reading Further: Young Immigrants TodayVideo Overview Go to lesson "The Progressive Era"27The Progressive EraDescription: In a Response Group activity, students take on the roles of Progressive era leaders in a panel discussion to evaluate whether progressives improved life in the United States.Essential Question: Did the progressives improve life in the United States?Reading Further: Children at WorkVideo Overview Go to lesson "The United States Becomes a World Power"28The United States Becomes a World PowerDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, pairs of students analyze political cartoons about U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century and evaluate the differing viewpoints of those actions.Essential Question: Should U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century be praised or condemned?Reading Further: The Yellow Press Goes to WarVideo Overview Go to lesson "Linking Past to Present"29Linking Past to PresentDescription: In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students discover important events of the last century and learn how they have affected society in the United States.Essential Question: What changes since 1914 have shaped how we live today?Reading Further: Questions for the Future History:· Comprehension skills· Analysis and processing of the subject matter in order to understand the relationship between ideas and how they connect the past and present· Synthesis of subject matter· Note taking