Hour 4

About the project:

On the TV show Chopped, contestants must overcome the obstacles they face- time, pressure and the four mystery ingredients in their baskets. They bring with them experience, talents and access to tools and a pantry of ingredients.

We envisioned our 8 characters from history as Chopped contestants to understand their challenges and opportunities.

Who needed a Revolution before the Civil War?

In this unit we learned that the challenges faced America before the Civil War were complex.

Americans were united by some common values.

Although Americans lived under the same representative democracy, not all Americans were protected by the Bill of Rights or had equal opportunities.

What we learned about collaborating from this project:

Our answers are better when we hear other perspectives. We also learned that working with a partner on a project is almost impossible if your partner doesn't contribute to the project.

Caroline Quarrell - Carly, Kareem, Savannah, Adriana

Caroline is a part of history because she was an important enslaved woman who ran away. She wrote down everything about it.

Ethan Clemins - 1850s Chopped Template

Solomon is an important part of history because he was a free man and he was enslaved and then got his freedom back.

His book helps us understand what slavery was like.

Emilia Anders - 1850s Chopped Template

She was a part of the tribe that was forced to leave her land to make room for America. (trail of tears)

Lola Comiskey - 1850s Chopped Template

Lucy Larcom was a part of history because she was one of the many women who worked at the Lowell Cotton Mill, she fought for equality. She and many women all protested, rallied, and went on strike to get equal rights. She is a part of history because these women changed the future and now we have equal rights.

Alexander Holthaus - 1850s Chopped Template

Men like Appleton are part of history because they were successful.

And had a lot of money. He invested his money in his cotton mill and got very wealthy off of it. He also wrote essays and made speeches about money and banking.

Ryder Scherr - 1850s Chopped Template

William Dever was an example of a hard working-class immigrant that didn’t have the best luck.

He had family in Ireland.

He didn’t live in the best area.

His dream was to become a farm owner.

Samantha Boardman - 1850s Chopped Template

Angelina Grimke is part of history because Angelina and her sister were the first woman to speak public against slavery, defying gender norms and risking violence in doing so.

If one of the historical characters is missing from this hour, please go to another hour.

Bennet Barrow is part of history because many people like him owned slaves. We need to understand why he supported slavery.

About our class:

These character profiles were created by 8th grade student historians at Greendale Middle School. Working both independently and collaborating through Google Meet sessions.

Our big idea was: Who wanted a revolution for equality in 1850? and What obstacles and opportunities stood between them and equality?

My Students:

Showed curiosity about the 1850s, the antebellum era. They asked what life was like and found some general answers. This is inquiry.
They asked research questions and used quality primary and secondary sources to investigate.
They compared their findings with their team members and asked new questions. This is corroboration.
They looked closely at the foundations of democracy and interrogated the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Representative Democracy, etc. They asked - Did my historical person have full access to democracy in 1850?
Finally, on their own they interpreted what it means to need a revolution, or complete change, in order to achieve your American Dream. They thought critically and creatively to create these presentations together.