Classroom activities and lessons. Current section in bold.
Unit 6: A New Nation (America's teenage years)
Lesson: Washington's Cabinet - Activity: Students create a resume of one Cabinet member using information provided and provided templates.
Historical Figure: Alexander Hamilton - Activity: Students read a short biography of Alexander Hamilton and listen to the title track from the Broadway Musical.
Historical Figure: Thomas Jefferson - Activity: Students read a short biography of Thomas Jefferson and create a compare/contrast chart of his viewpoints on Govt., economy, the Constitution and federal authority.
Lesson & Activity: Cabinet differences pts 1 & 2
Students learn about war debts remaining from the revolution and Hamilton/Jefferson's views on how to solve them. After a brief discussion of the events leading to the French Revolution, students are asked to write a fictional letter to a senator at the time voicing support for staying neutral or for supporting the French revolutionaries.
Unit 5: Civics (Basics of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Citizenship)
Lesson: Constitution - Students study the Pre-amble, Articles and structure of the Constitution
Lesson: Bill of Rights - Students self-group, select one amendment found in the Bill of Rights and create a presentation for the rest of the class. The presentation includes the full text of the amendment, a simplified ("plain English") version and what it means for us today.
Lesson: Citizenship - Students take notes on the specifics of citizenship, the process of how someone becomes a citizen and the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our society
Assessment: Students create a pamphlet (folded printer paper, stapled along fold) with information and pictures conveying the basics of the three topics of the Unit. Students should write this out as if they were giving it to an 8th grader moving to the country who has no knowledge of our government. Due Feb 3.
Unit 4: A New Nation
Lesson: Articles of Confederation - Students examine and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Lesson: Creating the Constitution - Students analyze the reasons behind meeting to update the Articles of Confederation and the decision-making process that led the framers of the Constitution to abandon it.
Lesson: Influences on the Constitution - Students examine the numerous influences on the founders including the English Bill of Rights, the Enlightenment movement etc.
Lesson: Checks and balances - Students examine the aspects of the Constitution that create checks and balances between the three branches of government.
Assessment: Open note test
Unit 3: Life in the Colonies/ Pre-Revolution
Students analyze primary sources to gain a better understanding of life in the colonies, particularly those colonies towards the North seeking religious freedom (Puritan life)
Unit 2: Age of Colonization
Students analyze documents in search of developing a supported answer to the question "What forces drove Europeans to colonize the Americas?" Students will use the information and research they have compiled in order to complete a writing assessment answering the essential question.
Students investigate early colonial attempts in the Americas, both succesful and not so. Focus on the colony of Jamestown and the events surrounding it.
Case study: John Smith/Pocahontas. Using primary sources and class discussions, students will investigate whether they believe in the historical accuracy of the Pocahontas tale as they have been told.
Students group together in groups of 2 or 3 to create Physical and PowerPoint presentations detailing the 13 American Colonies. We will be looking for: Where it is ( what is the geography/climate ) Who founded it Reason for founding When it was founded What their goals were What they grew (what was the basis of their economy) What natural resources did they have Important people or events we should know about
Students compile the information from group presentations into a colonial atlas which will be used as reference material for the colonial quiz.
Unit 1: Life in the Americas before Columbus
Students complete a close reading detailing Beringia, the land bridging the Asian and American continents, and the people and animals who crossed it.
Native American civilizations: Groups are self-selected and given the opportunity to select, at random, chapters from the Hakim text. Each chapter gives an overview of a region or a tribe of Native Americans. Groups produce and present a digital presentation for the rest of the class. Closing for this mini-unit requires the student to write a compare & contrast on google classroom using the notes they have on their chapter and one other.
Introductory Unit: Geography
Mapping the Earth: Reconnecting with Latitude/Longitude and the basics of Geography
Geography and map skills packet: using the terms and data we have been revisiting to answer questions and build a personal glossary
5 Themes of geography lecture and culminating project: students (in groups) use the 5 themes of geography to describe an American city in a presentation format.
First week of school:
Getting to know you activities
Open mind project: Open Mind Instructions—Beginning of the Year You will be creating an Open Mind, which is a visual form of expression in regards to a question. For this activity, the essential question is: What is an American? Meaning, you need to come up with your own character traits to answer this question. A character trait is a quality that makes one person, animal, or thing different from another; defines who we are, not what we do or what we have (i.e. unhealthy instead of obese, athletic instead sports starts or talented instead of celebrities).
You will need to come up with at least 10-15 traits to answer the question (see examples)
Use the magazines as well as computer images to find symbolic representations of each trait you chose
You can only use 3 words maximum, which can be three separate words (i.e. small, medium, large) or a three-worded phrase (i.e. “I am bold”).
Type/handwrite and attach to your Open Mind, an explanation for each chosen characteristic that includes:
The identification of the characteristic and explanation of both:
Why you chose that characteristic?
How does your image represent that characteristic?