sample
experiencing
our past an american history curriculum teacher’s manual
by lindsay huth
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unit 3
re
vol
ut ion
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unit 3 revolution Our nation was founded through a revolution, so students grow up thinking that revolutions are phenomena reserved for history books. Yet, in light of modern revolutions in Libya, Egypt and elsewhere, it is obviously that revolutionary forces still play a major role in the world today. And because our own revolution continues to affect our attitudes today, Americans are often supportive of international revolts that aim to establish democracies. Yet, diplomats must balance this sentiment with the desire to maintain global stability and the sobering realization that most revolutions to not end as well as ours did. Foreign policy is just one area that is still molded by our revolutionary past. Our concepts of freedom, individuality and personal responsibility are all deeply entrenched in America’s fight for independence and her founding documents. In this unit, we’ll explore how the American Revolution still impacts modern American political life and recognize how the story of revolution continues to play out on the world stage.
entry event Several options exist for entry events that will intrigue students about the long-term effects of the American Revolution and our relationship with revolutions across the globe.
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Create a map of global revolutions just during the 2000s and briefly discuss the each. Do you already see any similarities or differences between these revolutions and the American Revolution?
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Read documents of the both the Patriots and Loyalists trying to convince people to either support or reject the revolutionary efforts. Do you think you would revolt, even if you believed in the cause? What makes someone willing to risk his or her life?
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Read part or all of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” Then research the effect social media had on the revolutions in the Arab Spring. Compare and contrast the two methods of spreading revolutionary ideas. 3
background While the goal of project-based learning is for students to discover information on their own throughout the project, it is important to provide certain background information to give context to the project’s inquiries. Rather than dispensing this information through a traditional textbook, we recommend a class discussion or activity. It is important to build a basic timeline of events so that students understand the order of events that comprised the revolution. As a class, tell the revolution as a story, and as each event occurs, call on a student to write/draw the event on the timeline. Be sure to engage the students with questions throughout; structure it as a discussion, helping them to see the cause and guess the effect of events.
Suggestions for events to include on the timeline:
1765 1767 1770 1773 1774 1775
Stamp Act Quartering Act
Boston Massacre
Declaration of Independence Battle of Long Island
Townshend Revenue Act
Battle of Harlem Heights Battle of Trenton
1777
Battle of Saratoga Winter at Valley Forge
Tea Act Boston Tea Party Intolerable Acts First Continental Congress Lexington and Concord Second Continental Congress George Washington named Commander in Chief Battle of Bunker Hill
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1776
“Common Sense”
1778 1779 1781 1783
France allies with the Patriots Battle of Barren Hill Spain declares war on Great Britain Tappan Massacre Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown
U.S. and Britain sign Treaty of Paris
Other activities can supplement or replace the suggested background activity. Suggestions include:
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View a film surveying the American Revolution, including its causes, major events, and effects. Create a class scrapbook of newspaper clippings from the war to highlight major events and learn to interpret primary source documents.
driving question Now that students have grasped the context of their study and its importance, they are ready to embark on the actual project. Their work is guided by a driving question, the problem they are attempting to solve through their study.
For Unit 3: Revolution, the driving question:
In light of our revolutionary history, how should U.S. foreign policy respond to international revolutions? It may seem that this question reaches far beyond the confines of early American history. And, to an extent, it does. Traditionally, when revolutionary history is taught, it is just present as a list of events that occurred during the war that students should memorize. This question gets at the heart of why we learn about history: what happened in the past affects our lives today. Our attitudes about revolution were shaped because our nation was born out of arguably the most successful revolution in modern history. And revolutions continue to occur today, all following a similar pattern to ours: people experience injustice, they unite, they revolt. These revolutions vary in their success, but the desire for freedom is a part of humanity. These ideas are important to instill in students. Students will choose another modern revolution, such as one in the Arab Spring, the Iranian Revolution of 1979, or the revolutions within the USSR. They will answer the question through a comparison between the American Revolution and their other revolution of choice.
Within this overarching question, students will be researching the following topics:
What did the American Revolution look like? Causes, major events, outcomes?
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What did your other revolution look like? Similarities and differences between it and the American Revolution?
How should the U.S. balance its belief in democracy with its desire for global stability?
What is your foreign policy recommendation?
Is this similar or different from the U.S.’s current policy?
project structure One of the main features of this project is that very little structure is mandated. The teacher should work with students - who may work individually or in teams - to develop a research and presentation method that aligns with the driving question, project goals and student interests. All students must produce a policy proposal based in historical research, but the methods may differ. Some common projects could include a website, video, paper, or display. Ultimately, whatever the students produce must be presented.
Requirements for each project:
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Must be driven by student research through primary and secondary sources
Must produce a tangible end-product that can be presented
Must answer all of the questions outlined above, with significant emphasis on analyzing the American Revolution
Meet appropriate standards of rigor for grade and ability level
Because projects are student-directed and seek to provide students with the ability to take ownership of their work, we recommend rubrics are created individually, in collaboration with each student or team. Turn to the next page to see a sample rubric form to be filled out.
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Rubric Overall goals
9-10
6-8
3-5
0-2
Project answers driving question successfully and thoroughly
Project demonstrates understanding of American Revolution
Project presently knowledgeably and thorougly
Individual goals
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presentation Presenting a project serves several purposes. It allows students to learn from the work others have done and projects they have created. It allows them to reflect on the success of their own work and identify areas for improvement. Perhaps most importantly, presentations, especially to people from otuside the classroom, serve as intrinsic motivation to create a successful project.
Several options exist for the presentation of this particular topic:
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Students present to their classmates, explaining their projects and policy proposals. The teacher can then facilitiate a debate between groups regarding the best policy strategy. Students present to history teachers from other grade levels who act as diplomats in the state department. They will question the students about their proposals.
Students present to an actual person involved in diplomacy, if the school has such connections. Allowing the students to interact with someone working in this field would bring the project to life. Students publish their projects online (on a class website) and must view and comment on one another’s proposals.
assessment The clear method of assessment is through the rubric evaluating the final product. Teachers should also evaluate the final presentation. It is important, however, to evaluate students’ progress in small ways throughout the project. This should occur through “learning checkpoints.” Depending on the design of the projects, the students’ success and the point they are at in the project, the format of learning checkpoints can differ. Checkpoints during the entry events and background information sessions should focus more on student participation and understanding of material.
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Sample questions:
List and explain three major events from the timeline of the American Revolution.
Explain the similarities and differences between the use of pamphlets in the American Revolution and the use of social media in modern revolutions.
List and describe two revolutions that have occurred since 2000.
As student begin to work on their actual projects, learning checkpoints become more self-reflective and help the students to assess their own progress on their projects.
Sample questions:
Explain your biggest goal for this project. Did you accomplish this goal in the last project?
What facts about the American Revolution are most helpful to your completion of the project?
Summarize your policy proposal in one to three sentences.
How will your project benefit from the product you chose to create?
Students will log these answers in their journals, which they will keep throughout the course. Journals can be kept for personal reflection or turned in periodically to be graded.
reflection Student’s final entry in their journals for each project is a short reflective essay. Students will spend a few paragraphs answering the following questions:
What is your general opinion of the outcome of your project?
What did you like most about it?
What will you do differently during the next project?
What is the biggest lesson(s) you learned?
Once again, students may keep these essays for reflection or turn them in for completion points.
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calendar While it is not necessary to follow it exactly, this calendar provides a general guideline for how long each section is intended to take.
Of course, the addition or replacement of activities could alter the schedule.
week one
Background Information
Entry Event
week two Driving Question Introduced
Individual Projects Created
Research Focus: American Revolution
week three
week four Research Focus: Modern Revolution
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Research Focus: Foreign Policy
week five
Creation of Projects
week six
Presentation Preparation
Presentations
Reflection
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