FMS History Department Curriculum and Textbook Information
6th Grade The Ancient World
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Early Humans and the Rise of Civilization
1. Investigating the Past
Essential Question: How do social scientists interpret the past?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn how social scientists reconstruct the lives of prehistoric humans by examining images of cave paintings and other artifacts.
2. Early Hominins
Essential Question: What capabilities helped hominins survive?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze images of various hominid groups and explore how physical and cultural adaptations gave later hominid groups advantages over earlier groups.
3. From Hunter Gatherers to Farmers
Essential Question: How did the development of agriculture change daily life in the Neolithic Age?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students learn how the Neolithic development of agriculture led to a stable food supply, permanent shelters, larger communities, specialized jobs, and trade.
4. The Rise of Sumerian City-States
Essential Question: How did geographic challenges lead to the rise of city-states in Mesopotamia?
In a Response Group activity, students learn how responses to geographic challenges resulted in the formation of complex Sumerian city-states
5. Ancient Sumer
Essential Question: How did geographic challenges lead to the rise of city-states in Mesopotamia?
In a Response Group activity, students learn how responses to geographic challenges resulted in the formation of complex Sumerian city-states
6. Exploring Four Empires of Mesopotamia
Essential Question: What were the most important achievements of the Mesopotamian empires?
Students work in small groups in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to create “mechanical dioramas” that illustrate major achievements of the Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Neo-Babylonian empires that ruled Mesopotamia from approximately 2300 to 539 B.C.E.
Unit 2: Ancient Egypt and the Middle East
7. Geography and the Early Settlement of Egypt, Kush, and Canaan
Essential Question: How did geography affect early settlement in Egypt, Kush, and Canaan?
In an Experiential Exercise, students use their bodies to recreate the physical geography of ancient Egypt, Kush, and Canaan to learn about how environmental factors influenced early settlement in these areas.
8. The Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs
Essential Question: What did the pharaohs of ancient Egypt accomplish, and how did they do it?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students board an Egyptian sailing boat and “visit” monuments along the Nile River, to learn about four ancient Egyptian pharaohs and their important accomplishments.
9. Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
Essential Question: How did social class affect daily life in ancient Egypt?
Students create and perform interactive dramatizations in a Problem Solving Groupwork activity to learn about the social structure of ancient Egypt and its effect on daily life for members of each social class.
10. The Kingdom of Kush
Essential Question: How did location influence the history of Kush?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze images of significant events and leaders from four periods in the history of ancient Kush to learn about the development of the independent kingdom of Kush and its changing relationship with ancient Egypt.
11. The Origins of Judaism
Essential Question: How did Judaism originate and develop?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students identify key historical leaders of the ancient Israelites and explain their role in the development of Judaism.
12. Learning about World Religions: Judaism
Essential Question: What are the central teachings of Judaism, and why did they survive to modern day?
In an Experiential Exercise, students identify the central teachings of Judaism as they explore ways in which these traditions have survived throughout history.
Unit 3: Ancient India
13. Geography and the Early Settlement of India
Essential Question: How did geography affect early settlement in India?
In a Response Group activity, students identify physical features of the Indian subcontinent and explain how geography influenced the location of early settlement in India.
14. Unlocking the Secrets of Mohenjodaro
Essential Question: What can artifacts tell us about daily life in Mohenjodaro?
Students act as archaeologists in an Experiential Exercise and examine artifacts from Mohenjodaro to learn about daily life in the Indus valley civilization.
15. Learning about World Religions: Hinduism
Essential Question: What are the origins and beliefs of Hinduism?
In a Response group activity, students analyze images representing important beliefs in Hinduism to discover the religion’s origins in ancient traditions and discuss how these beliefs affect life in ancient India and today.
16. Learning about World Religions: Buddhism
Essential Question: What are the main beliefs and teachings of Buddhism?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze images to learn about the life of Siddhartha Gautama and how his teachings became the basis of Buddhism.
17. The Unification of India
Essential Question: How did Ashoka unify the Mauryan Empire and spread Buddhist values?
Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to interpret excerpts from King Ashoka’s edicts to analyze how he unified the Mauryan Empire during his rule.
18. The Achievements of the Gupta Empire
Essential Question: Why is the period during the Gupta Empire known as the “golden age”?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students “visit” seven sites around the Gupta Empire that highlight important cultural and intellectual achievements and explain in writing why this period was a “golden age” in ancient India.
Unit 4: Ancient China
19. Geography and the Early Settlement of China
Essential Question: How did geography affect life in ancient China?
In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create a relief map and a geographic poster of China’s five regions and support hypotheses about the influence of geography on settlement and ways of life in ancient China.
20. The Shang Dynasty
Essential Question: What do Shang artifacts reveal about this civilization?
Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to “excavate” a tomb to learn about the government, social structure, religion, writing, art, and technology of the Shang dynasty.
21. Three Chinese Philosophies
Essential Question: How did Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism influence political rule in ancient China?
In an Experiential Exercise, students learn about Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism under classroom conditions that reflect the main beliefs of each philosophy.
22. The First Emperor of China
Essential Question: Was the Emperor of Qin an effective leader?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze and bring to life images about Qin Shihuangdi’s political and cultural unification of China, his efforts to protect China’s northern boundaries, and his dispute with Confucian scholars.
23. The Han Dynasty
Essential Question: In what ways did the Han dynasty improve government and daily life in China?
Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder and visit seven stations to learn about Han achievements in the fields of warfare, government, agriculture, industry, art, medicine, and science.
24. The Silk Road
Essential Question: How did the Silk Road promote an exchange of goods and ideas?
Students travel along a simulated Silk Road in an Experiential Exercise to learn about facing obstacles, trading products, and absorbing cultural exchanges that occurred along the Silk Road during the Han dynasty.
Unit 5: Ancient Greece
25. Geography and the Early Settlement of Greece
Essential Question: How did geography influence settlement and way of life in ancient Greece?
Students examine and analyze thematic maps in a Visual Discovery activity to learn about the physical geography of ancient Greece and how it influenced the development of Greek civilization.
26. The Rise of Democracy
Essential Question: How did democracy develop in ancient Greece?
In an Experiential Exercise, students use the principles of monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy to select and play music for the class, as a way to examine the various forms of government in ancient Greece that led to the development of democracy.
27. Life in Two City-States: Athens and Sparta
Essential Question: What were the major differences between Athens and Sparta?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students examine the major differences between Athens and Sparta by working in pairs to create placards with illustrations and challenge questions about each city-state.
28. Fighting the Persian Wars
Essential Question: What factors influenced the outcome of the Persian wars?
In a Response Group activity, students learn about the wars between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire by dramatizing key events and debating which factors contributed to the eventual outcome of the wars.
29. The Golden Age of Athens
Essential Question: What were the major cultural achievements of Athens?
In a Response Group activity, students learn about the wars between the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire by dramatizing key events and debating which factors contributed to the eventual outcome of the wars.
30. Alexander the Great and His Empire
Essential Question: How did Alexander build his empire?
In a Response Group activity, students learn about the rise of Macedonia after the Peloponnesian War and debate the degree of success Alexander the Great had in uniting the diverse peoples of his empire.
31. The Legacy of Ancient Greece
Essential Question: How did ancient Greece contribute to the modern world?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about the enduring contributions of the ancient Greeks by matching descriptions of modern life to images of Greek achievements in language, literature, government, the arts, the sciences, and sports.
Unit 6: Ancient Rome
32. Geography and the Early Development of Rome
Essential Question: How did the Etruscans and Greeks influence the development of Rome?
In a Response Group Activity, students learn about the founding of Rome, and examine images to identify evidence of Etruscan and Greek influences on Rome.
33. The Rise of the Roman Republic
Essential Question: What were the characteristics of the Roman Republic and how did they change over time?
In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the roles of patricians and plebeians to learn how the struggle between these two groups led to a more democratic government in the Roman Republic.
34. From Republic to Empire
Essential Question: Did the benefits of Roman expansion outweigh the costs?
In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students explore and record events leading to the expansion of Roman territory and the creation of the empire.
35. Daily Life in the Roman Empire
Essential Question: How did wealth affect daily life in the Roman Empire?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs and read about eight aspects of ancient Roman life—such as education and family life—and explore how a teenager might have experienced each.
36. The Origins and Spread of Christianity
Essential Question: How did Christianity originate and spread?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about the development and spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, and analyze parables to understand the teachings of Jesus.
37. Learning about World Religions: Christianity
Essential Question: How do the beliefs and practices of Christianity shape Christians’ lives?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze images of Christian sacraments, worship, and holidays to learn about the key beliefs and practices of Christianity.
38. The Legacy of Rome in the Modern World
Essential Question: To what extent does ancient Rome influence us today?
In a Response Group activity, students play the “Rome to Home” game to discover how aspects of Roman culture, such as art and language, influence modern life.
7th Grade The Medieval World and Beyond
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Europe During Medieval Times
1. The Legacy of the Roman Empire
Essential Question: To what extent have the contributions of ancient Rome influenced modern society?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. They examine contributions of ancient Rome and assess their influences on modern society.
2. The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe
Essential Question: How well did feudalism establish order in Europe in the Middle Ages?
In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the roles of serfs, knights, lords, and a monarch to understand the various inter-connections, responsibilities, and vassal-lord relationships that defined European feudal society.
3. The Roman Catholic Church in Medieval Europe
Essential Question: How influential was the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe?
In an Experiential Exercise, students “visit” six medieval sites, such as Chartres Cathedral in France and the University of Bologna in Italy, to analyze the influence of the Catholic Church in medieval Europe.
4. Life in Medieval Towns
Essential Question: What was life like in medieval European towns?
In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create six dramatizations to learn about aspects of life in medieval European towns.
5.The Decline of Feudalism
Essential Question: How did events in Europe contribute to the decline of feudalism and the rise of democratic thought?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze key events in Europe between the 12th and 15th centuries to understand contributing factors to the decline of feudalism and the rise of democratic thought.
6. The Byzantine Empire
Essential Question: How did the Byzantine Empire develop and form its own distinctive church?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students act out images that represent Constantinople, Justinian’s rule, the development of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the schism between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians in 1054.
Unit 2: Islam in Medieval Times
7. The Origins and Spread of Islam
Essential Question: How did Islam originate and spread?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students explore the origins and spread of Islam by taking on the role of Arab nomads, listening to a recording about the origins of Islam, and creating an illuminated manuscript retelling the story of the origins of Islam.
8. Learning About World Religions: Islam
Essential Question: How do the beliefs and practices of Islam shape Muslims’ lives?
In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students read, create illustrations, and make presentations to demonstrate an understanding of eight main beliefs and practices of Islam.
9. Muslim Innovations and Adaptations
Essential Question: What important innovations and adaptations did medieval Muslims make?
Pairs of students visit nine stations in a Social Studies Skill Builder to read and learn about Muslim innovations and adaptations in fields such as science, geography, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, art, and literature.
10. From the Crusades to New Muslim Empires
Essential Question: How did the Crusades affect the lives of Christians, Muslims, and Jews?
In an Experiential Exercise, students experience the challenges facing various groups as they compete to acquire and control the same territory, and compare their experience to the competition over Jerusalem during the Middle Ages.
Unit 3: The Culture and Kingdoms of West Africa
11. Early Societies in West Africa
Essential Question: What was the most significant factor in the development of early West Africa?
In a Response Group activity, students respond to three possible situations faced by early West African societies, and then read to learn what really happened in each situation.
12. Ghana: A West African Trading Empire
Essential Question: To what extent did trans-Saharan trade lead to Ghana’s wealth and success?
In an Experiential Exercise, students role-play trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt, using the silent-barter system to explore how it helped to make Ghana a powerful empire.
13. The Influence of Islam on West Africa
Essential Question: In what ways did Islam influence West African society?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to learn about various Islamic influences during the Middle Ages and use this knowledge to identify Islamic influences on West Africa today.
14. The Cultural Legacy of West Africa
Essential Question: In what ways do the cultural achievements of West Africa influence our culture today?
In a Problem Solving Group activity, students listen to a griot tell the story of Sundjata and create a griot performance of scenes from the story.
Unit 4: Imperial China
15. The Political Development of Imperial China
Essential Question: Which method of selecting officials led to the best leaders for China?
In an Experiential Exercise, students role-play figures from medieval China as they debate the advantages and disadvantages of three methods used by rulers to select government officials.
16. China Develops a New Economy
Essential Question: How did the Chinese improve their economy during the Tang and Song dynasties?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze images of advancements in agriculture and trade and commerce in medieval China, and evaluate their influence on China’s economy.
17. Chinese Discoveries and Inventions
Essential Question: How have medieval Chinese discoveries and inventions influenced the modern world?
Students work in pairs in a Social Studies Skill Builder to investigate Chinese discoveries and inventions to determine their influence on the modern world.
18. China’s Contacts with the Outside World
Essential Question: How did the foreign-contact policies of three medieval Chinese dynasties affect China?
In a Response Group activity, students consider the benefits and drawbacks of foreign contact during three Chinese dynasties and evaluate the effects on China of their foreign-contact policies.
Unit 5: Japan During Medieval Times
19. The Influence of Neighboring Cultures on Japan
Essential Question: In what ways did neighboring cultures influence Japan?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students create playing cards to study the influences of India, China, and Korea on the development of Japanese culture, and play a game to learn about cultural diffusion in medieval Japan.
20. Heian-kyo: The Heart of Japan’s Golden Age
Essential Question: What was life like for aristocrats during the Heian period?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students learn about aristocratic life and the cultural accomplishments of Japan during the Heian period by “visiting” the home of a Japanese aristocrat. They learn how a Japanese aristocrat might act in certain situations, and then write a diary entry describing a day in the life of a Heian noble.
21. The Rise of the Warrior Class in Japan
Essential Question: What was the role of the samurai in the military society of medieval Japan?
In an Experiential Exercise, students learn about the rise of a warrior class and the pivotal role these samurai played from the end of the 12th century to the 19th century.
Unit 6: Civilizations of the Americas
22. The Mayas
Essential Question: What led to the rise, flourishing, and fall of the Mayan civilization?
In a Response Group activity, students use a Sacred Round to solve problems related to four aspects of Mayan culture.
23. The Aztecs
Essential Question: How did the Aztecs rise to power?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students learn about the origins of the Aztecs and the growth of their empire by analyzing images representing key stages in the development of the Aztec Empire and by using information they have learned through historical reenactments.
24. Daily Life in Tenochtitlán
Essential Question: What was daily life like for Aztecs in Tenochtitlán?
In a Writing for Understanding activity, students”visit” the Great Market of Tenochtitlán and barter for information about additional aspects of daily life before creating illustrated journal entries from the perspective of a fictional Aztec character.
25. The Incas
Essential Question: How did the Incas manage their large and remote empire?
In an Experiential Exercise, students work in groups to role-play Incan chasquis (messengers) to communicate information about aspects of Incan culture to their classmates.
26. Achievements of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas
Essential Question: What were the significant achievements of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about important achievements of the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas by identifying and categorizing a series of artifacts representing achievements of the three civilizations that they “discover” in a fictitious museum.
Unit 7: Europe’s Renaissance and Reformation
27. The Renaissance Begins
Essential Question: What changes in Europe led to the Renaissance?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students trace the changes in Europe that led to the birth of the Renaissance, and then create a live Renaissance tableau.
28. Florence: The Cradle of the Renaissance
Essential Question: What advances were made during the Renaissance?
In an Experiential Exercise, Students take a “walking tour” of Florence, visiting seven sites to learn about various aspects of the Renaissance. Students apply their knowledge by creating a scrapbook page about their visit to Florence.
29. Leading Figures of the Renaissance
Essential Question: In what ways have various leading figures of the Renaissance affected modern society?
In a Response Group activity, students create illustrated pedestals for ten prominent Renaissance figures that highlight their lives and achievements. Groups then examine the pedestals in the class “gallery,” identify which Renaissance figure each represents, and discuss two critical thinking questions related to these figures.
30. The Reformation Begins
Essential Question: What factors led to the weakening of the Catholic Church and the beginning of the Reformation?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students explore the factors that contributed to the weakening of the Catholic Church and then examine the leaders whose ideas led to Reformation.
31. The Spread and Impact of the Reformation
Essential Question: What were the effects of the Reformation?
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students work in pairs to explore the beliefs and practices of three denominations of Protestantism, and then create an illustrated cause-and-effect poster to show how the Reformation affected Europe and the world.
Unit 8: Europe Enters the Modern Age
32. The Age of Exploration
Essential Question: How did the Age of Exploration change the way Europeans viewed the world?
In an Experiential Exercise, students explore “uncharted territory” to discover some of the rewards, challenges, and dangers during the Age of Exploration. Students then compare their experience to those of actual European explorers.
33. The Scientific Revolution
Essential Question: How did the Scientific Revolution change the way people understood the world?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze a series of images that represent key scientists, inventions, and discoveries of the Scientific Revolution. They “step into” these images to bring them to life.
34. The Enlightenment
Essential Question: How have the ideas of the Enlightenment influenced modern government?
In a Response Group activity, students “visit” an Enlightenment-era salon to learn about the ideas of five important Enlightenment thinkers. Students then analyze excerpts from significant historical documents and try to match them to the correct source.
8th Grade The United States Through Industrialism
Table of Contents
Unit 1: Our Colonial Heritage
1. The First Americans
Essential Question: How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?
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.
2. European Exploration and Settlement
Essential Question: How did Europeans explore and establish settlements in the Americas?
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.
3. The English Colonies in North America
Essential Question: What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?
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.”
4. Life in the Colonies
Essential Question: What was life really like in the colonies?
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.
Unit 2: Revolution in the Colonies
5. Toward Independence
Essential Question: Why was there an American Revolution?
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.
6. The Declaration of Independence
Essential Question: What principles of government are expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
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.
7. The American Revolution
Essential Question: How was the Continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?
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.
Unit 3: Forming a New Nation
8. Creating the Constitution
Essential Question: What compromises emerged from the Constitutional Convention?
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.
9. The Constitution: A More Perfect Union
Essential Question: How has the Constitution created “a more perfect Union”?
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.
10. The Bill of Rights Essential Question: What freedoms does the Bill of Rights protect and why are they important?
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.
Unit 4: Launching the New Republic
11. Political Developments in the Early Republic
Essential Question: How did the Federalist and Republican visions for the United States differ?
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.
12. Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation
Essential Question: To what extent should the United States have become involved in world affairs in the early 1800s?
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.
13. A Growing Sense of Nationhood
Essential Question: What did it mean to be an American in the early 1800s?
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.
14. Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American Democracy
Essential Question: How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?
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.
Unit 5: An Expanding Nation
15. Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation
Essential Question: How justifiable was U.S. expansion in the 1800s?
In a Response Group activity, students re-create each territorial acquisition of the 1800s and then evaluate whether the nation’s actions were justifiable.
16. Life in the West
Essential Question: What were the motives, hardships, and legacies of the groups that moved west in the 1800s?
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.
17. Mexicano Contributions to the Southwest
Essential Question: How have Mexicano contributions influenced life in the United States?
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.
Unit 6: Americans in the Mid-1800s
18. An Era of Reform
Essential Question: To what extent did the reform movements of the mid-1800s improve life for Americans?
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.
19. The Worlds of North and South
Essential Question: How was life in the North different from life in the South?
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.
20. African Americans in the Mid-1800s
Essential Question: How did African Americans face slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s?
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.
Unit 7: The Union Challenged
21. A Dividing Nation
Essential Question: Which events of the mid-1800s kept the nation together and which events pulled it apart?
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.
22. The Civil War
Essential Question: What factors and events influenced the outcome of the Civil War?
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.
23. The Reconstruction Era
Essential Question: To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze primary source images to evaluate how close African Americans came to full citizenship during Reconstruction.
Unit 8: Migration and Industry
24. Tensions in the West
Essential Question: How did settlers change the West and affect American Indians?
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.
25. The Rise of Industry
Essential Question: Did the benefits of industrialization outweigh the costs?
In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of workers on an assembly line to experience the costs and benefits of industrialization.
26. The Great Wave of Immigration
Essential Question: What was life like for immigrants in the early 1900s? In a Writing for Understanding activity, students create scrapbooks illustrating what life was like for immigrants in the early 1900s.
Unit 9: A Modern Nation Emerges
27. The Progressive Era
Essential Question: Did the progressives improve life in the United States?
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.
28. The United States Becomes a World Power
Essential Question: Should U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century be praised or condemned?
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.
29. Linking Past to Present
Essential Question: What changes since 1914 have shaped how we live today?
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.
ial Heritage
1. The First Americans
Essential Question: How did the first Americans adapt to their environments?
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.
2. European Exploration and Settlement
Essential Question: How did Europeans explore and establish settlements in the Americas?
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.
3. The English Colonies in North America
Essential Question: What were the similarities and differences among the colonies in North America?
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.”
4. Life in the Colonies
Essential Question: What was life really like in the colonies?
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.
Unit 2: Revolution in the Colonies
5. Toward Independence
Essential Question: Why was there an American Revolution?
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.
6. The Declaration of Independence
Essential Question: What principles of government are expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
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.
7. The American Revolution
Essential Question: How was the Continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?
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.
Unit 3: Forming a New Nation
8. Creating the Constitution
Essential Question: What compromises emerged from the Constitutional Convention?
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.
9. The Constitution: A More Perfect Union
Essential Question: How has the Constitution created “a more perfect Union”?
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.
10. The Bill of Rights Essential Question: What freedoms does the Bill of Rights protect and why are they important?
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.
Unit 4: Launching the New Republic
11. Political Developments in the Early Republic
Essential Question: How did the Federalist and Republican visions for the United States differ?
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.
12. Foreign Affairs in the Young Nation
Essential Question: To what extent should the United States have become involved in world affairs in the early 1800s?
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.
13. A Growing Sense of Nationhood
Essential Question: What did it mean to be an American in the early 1800s?
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.
14. Andrew Jackson and the Growth of American Democracy
Essential Question: How well did President Andrew Jackson promote democracy?
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.
Unit 5: An Expanding Nation
15. Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation
Essential Question: How justifiable was U.S. expansion in the 1800s?
In a Response Group activity, students re-create each territorial acquisition of the 1800s and then evaluate whether the nation’s actions were justifiable.
16. Life in the West
Essential Question: What were the motives, hardships, and legacies of the groups that moved west in the 1800s?
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.
17. Mexicano Contributions to the Southwest
Essential Question: How have Mexicano contributions influenced life in the United States?
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.
Unit 6: Americans in the Mid-1800s
18. An Era of Reform
Essential Question: To what extent did the reform movements of the mid-1800s improve life for Americans?
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.
19. The Worlds of North and South
Essential Question: How was life in the North different from life in the South?
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.
20. African Americans in the Mid-1800s
Essential Question: How did African Americans face slavery and discrimination in the mid-1800s?
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.
Unit 7: The Union Challenged
21. A Dividing Nation
Essential Question: Which events of the mid-1800s kept the nation together and which events pulled it apart?
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.
22. The Civil War
Essential Question: What factors and events influenced the outcome of the Civil War?
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.
23. The Reconstruction Era
Essential Question: To what extent did Reconstruction bring African Americans closer to full citizenship?
In a Visual Discovery activity, students analyze primary source images to evaluate how close African Americans came to full citizenship during Reconstruction.
Unit 8: Migration and Industry
24. Tensions in the West
Essential Question: How did settlers change the West and affect American Indians?
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.
25. The Rise of Industry
Essential Question: Did the benefits of industrialization outweigh the costs?
In an Experiential Exercise, students take on the role of workers on an assembly line to experience the costs and benefits of industrialization.
26. The Great Wave of Immigration
Essential Question: What was life like for immigrants in the early 1900s? In a Writing for Understanding activity, students create scrapbooks illustrating what life was like for immigrants in the early 1900s.
Unit 9: A Modern Nation Emerges
27. The Progressive Era
Essential Question: Did the progressives improve life in the United States?
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.
28. The United States Becomes a World Power
Essential Question: Should U.S. actions in world affairs around the turn of the 20th century be praised or condemned?
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.
29. Linking Past to Present
Essential Question: What changes since 1914 have shaped how we live today?
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.