American History Syllabus
Mrs. Leonard
The goal
of this course is to examine history from a critical perspective, to ask why
events transpired and to reach conclusions about the nature of historical
events. To reach this goal, students
will engage in projects, simulations, and other creative activities. These
activities will give students the opportunity to explore history in ways that
are both meaningful and interesting to them.
· Students
will learn the locations of the fifty states, their capitals, and major rivers
and mountain ranges. [SOL USII.2c]
· Latitude
and longitude will be defined.
The Westward Movement (2
weeks: Chapter 18 in The American
Nation)
· Students
will study the transcontinental railroad, the life of pioneers, Native American
conflicts, and the changing federal policy toward the Indians [SOL USII.2a,
USII.3a].
· Enrichment: Students will
simulate gold mining and discuss the pros and cons of a miner's life.
The Industrial Age/Big Business
(3 weeks: Chapter 19 in The American
Nation)
· The
student will examine the rise of big business, heavy industry, and mechanized
farming and its effects on American society [SOL USII.3d].
· The
student will explore the economics of the era and will compare modern business
practices to business abuses of the time.
· Enrichment: Students will simulate a Ford Assembly line to better
understand poor factory working conditions and the task of an assembly line
worker.
· Enrichment: Students will
design their own invention and create a drawing and description of the
invention to share.
· Students
will study the growth of American cities and how culture evolved due to the
mass immigration that occurred during this era [USII.3b].
· Enrichment: Students will simulate "Ellis Island" by taking
on an immigrant persona to experience the criteria necessary for entering
America [USII.3b].
Second Quarter
· Students
will respond to primary source documents and photographs, interpreting child
labor conditions and identify reasons why corresponding reform movements were
enacted [SOL's USII.3c, USII.3e].
· Students
will describe the women's suffrage and temperance movements and their impact on
society.
· Muckraking
literature will be analyzed to describe working conditions in America.
· Enrichment: Students will read
selections of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle to better understand the
meatpacking industry.
Imperialism/Spanish-American
War (2 weeks: Chapter 22 in The
American Nation)
· Students
will analyze the changing role of the United States in world affairs between
1898 and 1930 with an emphasis on:
A. The Spanish-American War
B. The Panama Canal
C. Big Stick Diplomacy [SOL USII.4a]
· Enrichment: Students will
create a live news broadcast to document the events of the Spanish-American
war.
World War I (4 weeks:
Chapter 22 in The American Nation)
· Students
will study the causes and effects of the United States' role in World War I,
the League of Nations, and tariff barriers to world trade [SOL USII.4b].
· The
student will describe the lifestyles of the 1920's with emphasis on:
A. music, dance, and entertainment
B. The Harlem Renaissance
C. Prohibition, speakeasies, and bootlegging
D. Racial tensions [SOL 6.4, 6.10]
· Enrichment: Students will
learn songs of the 1920's and read poetry by Langston Hughes.
The Great Depression [3
weeks: Chapter 25 in The American
Nation]
· Students
will explain the Great Depression and its effects with emphasis on:
A. weaknesses of the economy and collapse of financial
markets
B. the extent and depth of business failures, unemployment,
and poverty
C. the New Deal and its impact on the Depression and future
role of government in the economy.
· Enrichment: Students will simulate the Stock Market
crash of 1929 by buying and tracking $10,000 of imaginary stocks [SOL's
USII.3e, 5b, c, d]
· Students
will identify the causes and effects of World War II to include:
A. the rise of Fascism, Nazism, and Communism, and the
resulting response of Europe and the United States.
B. Aggression in Europe and the Pacific.
C. Failure of the appeasement policy
D. The Holocaust
E. Major battles of WWII and the reasons for Allied
Victory; and
F. Major changes in Eastern Europe, China, Southeast Asia,
and Africa following the war [SOL USII.6a, b]
· Enrichment: Students will create a scrapbook from the
life of a family member who either served during the war or lived during the
war.
[
Post-War
America/1950's/McCarthyism (2 weeks:
Chapter 27 in The American Nation)
· The
student will describe the economic, social, and political transformation of the
United States since WWII with an emphasis on:
A. The impact of governmental, social, and economic
programs and the Cold War on the growth of federal income tax revenues and
government spending of the Federal Reserve System
B. Political leaders of the Period
C. Nuclear weapons and the arms race
D. McCarthyism and the fear of communist influence within
the United States
E. NATO and other alliances, and our role in the United
Nations [SOL USII.6c, 7a, b, c]
· Korean
War:
A. The student will describe the Cold War and the policy of
communist containment
B. The student will describe U.S. foreign policy toward
military conflicts in Korea.
· Enrichment: The student will
view examples of television during the 1950's (e.g. I Love Lucy) and
will simulate a 1950's ice cream shop with dances of the 50's, the hula hoop
craze, and other cultural phenomena.
The Civil Rights Movement (2
weeks: Chapter 28 in The American
Nation)
· The
student will describe the causes and effects of segregation and desegregation
in American society.
· Court
cases such as Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. the Board of Education will be
analyzed to determine their impact.
· The
student will compare and contrast violent versus non-violent protests [Black
Panthers versus Martin Luther King's movement] and the effects of each.
· Enrichment: The student will
interpret Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech [SOL USII.8a]
· The
student will compare and contrast Kennedy and Johnson's political decisions to
include:
A. The Cuban Missile Crisis
B. America's Involvement in Vietnam and its impact [SOL
USII.7c]
Enrichment: Students will
review examples of American protest music during the 1960's to interpret the
lack of support regarding Vietnam
· 1970's/Watergate
Crisis
A. Students will
describe Nixon's diplomatic policies toward China and the arms race
B. Enrichment:
Students will debate whether or not Nixon should have been indicted in
the Watergate incident, using the primary source documents from the
Congressional Investigation Committee
· Students
will describe President Carter's foreign policies in the Camp David Accords and
the American Hostage Crisis
· Students
will describe the impact of supply-side economics in the consumer economy and
increasing global market [SOL USII.7d, 8b].
· Students
will explain the technology revolution and its impact on communication,
transportation, and new industries
· Students
will describe the collapse of communism in Europe and the rise of new
challenges
Quizzes
30%
Homework
10%
Class
worksheets, Notebooks Participation 20%
· Being
prepared with materials--pens, paper, writing pieces
· Engaging
in classroom and small group discussions
· Following classroom rules