American Diversity & Identity

September

• What does it mean to be an American?  

• How does immigration impact change in a community?  

• What are the causes and consequences of prejudice and injustice? 

Students will:

• Discuss changing perceptions of the United States and who is / has been included in “We the people”.

Assessments include:

•  American Identity Exploration project 

Indigenous Peoples

September - October

• How does culture influence how people live?

• How does colonization affect the lives of indigenous peoples?

Students will:

• Research the indigenous peoples of North America at the time of first European contacts.

• Analyze the consequences of settlement and the continuing westward expansion of the American people for Native peoples. 

Assessments include:

• Native Tribe Research project

• Indigenous Peoples Module Assessment

American Promise & Working for Change

November- January

• What were the reasons/goals behind the creation of the United States through the revolution and its founding documents? 

• What responsibilities are given to both  the federal government and citizens through these founding documents and how have those powers been used and/or abused? 

• What movements/protests for change have risen in response to abuses of power / limiting the rights of individuals?

Students will:

• Explain how British policies and actions led to colonial resistance and independence.

• Discuss the philosophical foundations of the revolution and the Founding Documents

• Research 19th century reform movements and their impact(s) upon American government and society.

Assessments include:

• Constitution Museum Exhibit project

• Constitution Module Assessment

Slavery & Its Legacies in North America

January- March

• What is slavery? What is life like for the enslaved? 

• How did the enslaved seek freedom/emancipation? 

• What social and economic opportunities did freed slaves have in the post-war period? 

• What can be learned from the writings, possessions, and artifacts of the formerly enslaved?

Students will:

• Describe the historical roots of slavery in North America and the treatment of slavery during the Founding Era (i.e. the Declaration of Independence and Constitution)

• Analyze the short and long-term consequences of continued westward expansion and industrialization for enslaved peoples.

• Research how enslaved peoples resisted the “peculiar institution”  and fought for their rights and freedom(s).

• Analyze the short and long term consequences of the Civil War and the Jim Crow era.

Assessments include:

• Slavery Painting Analysis Module Assessment

Immigration across American History

April-May

• What does it mean to be an American at different points in American history? 

• How does immigration impact change in a community? 

• Why do people move?

•  How do people respond/adapt to new environments?

Students will:

• Describe the causes of the immigration of in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and evaluate the contributions of immigrants to the growth of the United States.

• Research 19th and early 20th century anti-immigrant responses and compare their causes/consequences.

Assessments include:

• Personal identity / narrative project

• Nativism Module Assessment

Technology, War & the State

May-June

• How has technology shaped society & the way that we live, move, communicate, and fight?

Students will:

• Analyze the impact and consequences of 19th century industrial growth

• Discuss the growing assertiveness and growing role of the United States in world affairs.

Assessments include:

• Student Choice Culminating project