United States History to 1877

Skills

USI.1

The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis, including the ability to

a) identify and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history to 1877;
b) make connections between the past and the present;
c) sequence events in United States history from pre-Columbian times to 1877;
d) interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives;
e) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
f) analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events;
g) distinguish between parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude;
h) interpret patriotic slogans and excerpts from notable speeches and documents.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Explain the sequence of events task to the students. They will be collecting graphics from the Internet and using their knowledge of important events from their study of U.S. history to construct a chronological timeline using a spreadsheet. The events will be entered into the spreadsheet. The events will be formatted to make a pleasant reading experience. The graphics will be added as an enhancement and motivation for the student.
Have the students use the Internet to find and download appropriate graphics to enhance their timelines. Have them make note of the names of the files they download.
Have them begin entering the dates and descriptions of events. Have them leave room at the top for the title, name, date, etc. Have them use their spreadsheet formatting skills to enhance the readability of the final product with color, font, and highlighting choices. (i.e. They could color all the event in the 1700's in blue) The graphics should probably be added last. You may need to review how to add graphics that are not a part of the program's clip art feature.
Printing is optional but probably desirable for evaluation and sharing.
Complete an additional sequence activity if time allows.
Have students select any specific number of dates/ events from a time period in American History (the 1600's and 1700's).
Make a rough draft of their dates/events with an appropriate symbol for each event.
Arrange each date/event with appropriate symbol on a timeline with 4 dates/events above the timeline and 4 dates/events below the timeline (i.e. if using 8 dates/events) or simply divide a paper into equal parts and put dates/events into each part in correct sequence.
Color in dates/events and symbol.
Have the students discuss and explain their timeline.

WEB SITES

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/
The Library of Congress American Memory Project

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
This Web site was designed and developed to support the teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges and is supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at the University of Houston.

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History maintains this Web site to serve as a portal for American history on the Web; to offer high-quality educational material for teachers, students, historians, and the public; and to provide up-to-the-minute information about the Institute's programs and activities.

http://www.cr.nps.gov
Links to the Past from the National Park Service is rich in American history and culture, which The National Park Service is responsible for preserving and protecting. This web site contains vast amounts of information on these important topics.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/fw.html
Library of Congress Learning Page: Framework for Using Primary Sources with Students

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
Resources for grades kindergarten through 12 from James Madison University about Colonial America from 1600-1775

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
This Web site is brought to you from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the largest library in the world and the nation's library.

http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=3
"EDSITEment" is a World Wide Website for humanities education developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal government agency, in partnership with WorldCom Foundation, a corporation, The Council of the Great City Schools, a non-profit corporation, and the National Trust for the Humanities, a non-profit corporation (collectively "the sponsors") for the benefit of parents, students, and teachers.

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