One Land Many Trails
This unit focuses on Westward Expansion and the changes throughout the United States after the Civil War. We will, again, spend some time building background knowledge. We will look at how our country grew in size with the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark's Expedition to map the frontier. We will also spend time learning about the Homestead Act and how settlers were lured to the midwest (prairie). Our texts in this unit focus on biographies. Students will be making predictions, inferring, drawing conclusions, questioning, evaluating authors use of words, making judgments, and comparing and contrasting.
Texts in Anthology:
"A Boy Called Slow" - about Sitting Bull, the infamous Lakota Sioux chief. This story focuses on his childhood and how the Native Americans gain and change their names. Strategy focus: predict/infer; drawing conclusions
"Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" - about Bob Lemmons, a man born into slavery that gained his freedom after the Civil War and became one of the best known "mustangers" in the business. Strategy focus: evaluate effectiveness of figurative/vivid language in painting a picture for the reader; thinking beyond the text
"Home on the Range" - this is a social studies link telling about a modern day ranch in Texas that uses technology to make a cowboy's life a little easier - but not much. Strategy focus: SQ3R - survey, question, read, recite, review
"Pioneer Girl" - a biography, based on a memoir written by Grace McCance Snyder. This text focuses on young Grace's experiences as she and her family settle in Nebraska. Strategy focus: questioning; compare/contrast; drawing conclusions; making judgments; inferring
Where are we?
March 20: Launch Unit - One Land, Many Trails (linking westward expansion with the end of the Revolutionary War)
March 21-22: Building our background knowledge about westward expansion
March 25: Louisiana Purchase
March 26: Comparing/contrasting the Ohio River Valley and the Great Plains
April 3: Indian Removal Act
April 4-5: A Boy Called Slow (about the early life of Sitting Bull)
April 9: The Homestead Act
April 16-19: Pioneer Girl (focusing on what life was like on the Great Plains for these first settlers)
April 24: Industrial Revolution
April 29-30: Stealing Freedom (historic fiction in our social studies text)
May 7: Linking the economies of the North and the South prior to the Civil War
May 8-9: Understanding differing perspectives - North vs. South: Industry, Strategy, Reinforcements
May 10: Video review: Causes of the Civil War
May 13-31: Opinion vs. Argument writing (our focus will be on writing and gathering research for our debate on June 3rd. See below for information about the debate. Students will be writing an argument piece to use during the debate.)
Texts in Anthology:
"A Boy Called Slow" - about Sitting Bull, the infamous Lakota Sioux chief. This story focuses on his childhood and how the Native Americans gain and change their names. Strategy focus: predict/infer; drawing conclusions
"Black Cowboy, Wild Horses" - about Bob Lemmons, a man born into slavery that gained his freedom after the Civil War and became one of the best known "mustangers" in the business. Strategy focus: evaluate effectiveness of figurative/vivid language in painting a picture for the reader; thinking beyond the text
"Home on the Range" - this is a social studies link telling about a modern day ranch in Texas that uses technology to make a cowboy's life a little easier - but not much. Strategy focus: SQ3R - survey, question, read, recite, review
"Pioneer Girl" - a biography, based on a memoir written by Grace McCance Snyder. This text focuses on young Grace's experiences as she and her family settle in Nebraska. Strategy focus: questioning; compare/contrast; drawing conclusions; making judgments; inferring
Where are we?
March 20: Launch Unit - One Land, Many Trails (linking westward expansion with the end of the Revolutionary War)
March 21-22: Building our background knowledge about westward expansion
March 25: Louisiana Purchase
March 26: Comparing/contrasting the Ohio River Valley and the Great Plains
April 3: Indian Removal Act
April 4-5: A Boy Called Slow (about the early life of Sitting Bull)
April 9: The Homestead Act
April 16-19: Pioneer Girl (focusing on what life was like on the Great Plains for these first settlers)
April 24: Industrial Revolution
April 29-30: Stealing Freedom (historic fiction in our social studies text)
May 7: Linking the economies of the North and the South prior to the Civil War
May 8-9: Understanding differing perspectives - North vs. South: Industry, Strategy, Reinforcements
May 10: Video review: Causes of the Civil War
May 13-31: Opinion vs. Argument writing (our focus will be on writing and gathering research for our debate on June 3rd. See below for information about the debate. Students will be writing an argument piece to use during the debate.)
debate_rubric.doc | |
File Size: | 38 kb |
File Type: | doc |
debate_notes.doc | |
File Size: | 26 kb |
File Type: | doc |
civil_war_possible_debate_statements.doc | |
File Size: | 25 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Civil War Websites
www.ushistory.org/us/27f.asp
www.civilwarhome.com/statesrights.htm
www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=251
www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/statesrights.html
http://mrnussbaum.com/civilwarpage
http://americancivilwar.com/kids_zone/causes.html
www.slavenorth.com/slavenorth.htm
www.ushistory.org/us/33b.asp
www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlincoln
www.ushistory.org/us/27f.asp
www.civilwarhome.com/statesrights.htm
www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=251
www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/statesrights.html
http://mrnussbaum.com/civilwarpage
http://americancivilwar.com/kids_zone/causes.html
www.slavenorth.com/slavenorth.htm
www.ushistory.org/us/33b.asp
www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlincoln