Space Exploration
Two Weeks
Social Studies
Lesson Plan
Teacher:
th
8 Grade Social Studies Teacher
Grade:
8th Grade
Lesson Title:
A Nation Divided
STRANDS
Economics
Geography
Governance and Civics
History
LESSON OVERVIEW
Summary of the task, challenge, investigation, career-related scenario, problem, or community link.
Students will begin the unit examining the rising tensions between both North and South brought about in part by the diverse economies of each. Students will learn
why the North embraced a more industrialized economy as opposed to the South’s agrarian economy. Also, students will analyze the effects of territorial expansion and
how the question of slavery dominated American politics at both the national and state levels. Students will learn about the Underground Railroad and how
constellations actually provided slaves a map in which to escape North to freedom. Special emphasis will be placed on the 1860 presidential election, which introduced
Abraham Lincoln as the nations sixteenth president and causes South Carolina to secede thus initiating the Civil War. Next, students will study some of the Civil War’s
more notable battles, including Ft. Sumter, Bull Run, Shiloh, New Orleans, and Antietam. Students will also compare and contrast the strategies for North and South
based upon the respective strengths and weaknesses of each.
The project for this unit will involve storytelling. Individually, students will be required to choose one person from a list provided by all four disciplines and create a story
that tells how their person became a “change-agent” and led humanity down paths where no man has gone before.
Hook for the week unit or supplemental resources used throughout the week. (PBL scenarios, video clips, websites, literature)
MOTIVATOR
Day 1: Civil War Intro.
This video clip explains some of the background information leading up to the Civil War. It begins by describing how the economies of both the North and the South
evolve over the time period of the Industrial Revolution allowing the North to concentrate more on factory based means of production while the South capitalizes on
the invention of the cotton gin, thus increasing its overall demand for slave labor. It explains how the question of slavery eventually polarizes both North and South and
helps to rip the nation apart leading America into its bloodiest war ever fought.
DAY
Objectives
(I can….)
1
I can
summarize
the effects of
territorial
expansion on
the debate
over slavery.
I can analyze
how the
Compromise
of 1850
fueled the
Union’s
crisis.
Materials &
Resources
I-Pads, dry
erase board
Instructional Procedures
Differentiated
Instruction
Essential Question:
Remediation:
What issues and events shattered the nation’s unity and pushed America to civil
war?
Abbreviated
Assignment-Allow
students to
complete the time
line beginning with
Wilmot Proviso and
ending with the
Kansas-Nebraska
Act.
1/2 Project Day – See Unit Plan
Going Where No Man Has Gone Before- Introduction
Set: Students will use their i-pads and come up with a list at their tables of people
associated with the Civil War. Students may move about the room and look at any
posters hanging in the classroom that might help, but will only have 45 seconds to
do so. After the 45 seconds is up, students will go back to their tables and continue
the list for an additional three minutes. Once time is called, call on tables to airplay
their results and discuss.
Enrichment:
Brainstorm issues
that divide the
United States
today. Students
will write a speech
Assessment
Formative
Assessment:
Students will
choose both I
can statements
and write a
paragraph on
each.
Teaching Strategy(s):
1. Students will view a brief PowerPoint presentation on the Wilmot Proviso,
Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the
Kansas-Nebraska Act.
2. Students will create a timeline of events. Students will begin with the 1846 war
with Mexico and end with the formation of the Confederate States of America
in 1861.
3. Students will be certain to include explanations of each of the following
events: Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, publishing of
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Kansas-Nebraska Act and effects, 1857 Dred Scott ruling,
1860 presidential election, and South Carolina’s secession in 1861.
to Congress,
offering a
compromise
solution to one
such issue of their
choice. Ask
volunteers to
present their
speeches to class.
Summarizing Strategy: Students will create a Compare/Contrast chart using their
i-pads. Using the chart, students will answer the following question: How did the
Northern response to the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin compare among white
Southerners?
2
I can explain
how the
issue of
slavery
brought the
nation to
crisis.
I can
summarize
the Supreme
Court’s
decision in
the Dred
Scott v.
Sandford
I-Pad, The Dred
Scott case
summary with
questions.
(Appendix A)
Essential Question:
Remediation:
Why did the Dred Scott decision anger free-soilers and abolitionists?
Students may
choose either a
Southerner or
abolitionist point of
view and write one
editorial instead of
two.
Set: Dred Scott Clip
This video clip introduces students to the Dred Scott decision of 1857, which is in
effect the last true effort at abolishing slavery and perhaps avoiding a civil war.
Chief Justice Taney and the court hands down its historic ruling and deepens the
divide between both North and South and paves the way for the American Civil
War.
Teaching Strategy(s):
1. Students will open up the Dred Scott case summary and questions
(Appendix A) on their i-pads.
2. Students will view a brief PowerPoint presentation about the Dred Scott
case of 1857 and discuss the Supreme Court’s justification for ruling
Enrichment:
Students will
create a political
cartoon depicting
the Dred Scott
decision. Students
will also research
Formative
Assessment:
Students will be
asked if they
could answer
today’s I can
statements by
showing thumbs
up or thumbs
down.
against Dred Scott.
case. (1857)
Summarizing Strategy: Students will write two editorials in response to the Dred
Scott decision; one from a pro-slavery Southern perspective, the other from an
anti-slavery or abolitionist Northern perspective. Students should title their
editorials with headlines phrased similar to how newspaper articles are titled.
3
I can explain
the events
that led up to
the first
shots fired at
Fort Sumter.
I can
summarize
the
significance
of the Battle
of Bull Run
for both the
North and
South.
I-Pads, Apple
TV, The Union
Blockade
Discussion
Questions
(Appendix B),
Blockade
Documents.
(Appendix C)
recent Supreme
Court cases that
have been depicted
in political cartoons
and share in small
groups.
Essential Question:
Remediation:
What were the strategies for both North and South to win the war?
Students may write
one paragraph on
one of the
strengths of either
the Union army or
the Confederate
Army.
Set: Fort Sumter 1861
Students will view a brief video explaining the first shots fired, thus beginning the
Civil War. Students will learn about the people involved and the ironic fact that no
person was killed or wounded in what was about to become America’s deadliest
war ever fought.
Teaching Strategy(s):
1. Students will view a PowerPoint presentation on the siege of Fort
Sumter, the Confederate States of America, Strategies for both North
and South, and the Battle of Bull Run (1861).
2. Students will use their i-pads and access the Union Blockade questions
(Appendix B) and the Blockade Documents (Appendix C). Students will
read and analyze the documents then answer the discussion
questions.
3. Students will be asked randomly to airplay answers to the questions
Enrichment:
Students will draw
a sketch map of the
Anaconda Plan.
Students should
write brief
annotations that
summarize each
point on the map.
Formative
Assessment:
Students will
answer both of
today’s I can
statements on an
index card
before exiting
the classroom.
and class discussion will follow.
Summarizing Strategy: Students will create a graphic organizer using their i-pads
that displays the strategies for both North and South. Students will write a letter
from either a Confederate soldiers point of view or a Union soldiers point of view
describing the advantage or disadvantage the other side has and how they think it
will affect the overall outcome of the Civil War.
4
Project Day – See Unit Plan
Going Where No Man has Gone Before – Learning from a STEM
Professional
5
Project Day – See Unit Plan
Going Where No Man has Gone Before – Research Day
6
I can explain
why so many
volunteers
signed up to
fight in the
Civil War.
I can
describe the
correlation
between
advanced
Civil War
weaponry
and the high
number of
casualties.
I-Pads, dry
erase board,
Apple TV, Mac
Books.
Essential Question:
Remediation:
Formative:
How did the Civil War differ from previous American conflicts?
Students will be
paired
heterogeneously in
their groups.
Students will
answer both I
can statements
as an exit-ticket
before leaving
class.
Set: Civil War Technology
Students will view a short clip describing some of the new weapons of warfare first
utilized during the Civil War. The video clip includes information on the new rifles,
the ironclad warships, railroads, and battlefield tactics. Students will also examine
some of the reasons why someone would volunteer to fight for either the North or
South during the Civil War.
Teaching Strategy(s):
1. Students will be placed in groups of two and given a specific
technological advancement: repeating rifles, ironclad ships,
telegraph, railroads, mini-ball, steam ships, hot-air balloons,
grenades, and Ager or “coffee mill guns”.
2. Students will create a Prezi or PowerPoint presentation describing
the new technology, explaining how it affected the way the war
was fought and summarizing its impact on military strategy.
3. Students will also create a diagram of their new technology
showing how their new weapon of warfare worked.
Summarizing Strategy: Students will create a pamphlet that illustrates both the
pros and cons of the new technology and explains the various ways in which the
new technology changed how war was fought. Each pamphlet will also include the
estimated number of casualties that their weapon was responsible for during the
Civil War.
Enrichment:
Allow students to
research the
casualty figures of
the Civil War and
create a graph to
display their
findings. Students
may also wish to
create a graph
showing the
casualties of some
of the more
famous battles of
the Civil War.
7
I can explain
why Ulysses
S. Grant
became
popular with
President
Lincoln as his
choice of
command of
all Union
troops.
I can explain
why General
Lee decided
to invade the
North at the
Battle of
Antietam.
I-Pads, Apple
TV,
Proclamation
to the People
of Maryland
document.
(Appendix D)
Special Order
#191
document.
(Appendix E)
Battle of
Antietam map
(Appendix F).
Essential Question:
Remediation:
In 1862, how close did the South come to winning the Civil War?
Students may
create a newspaper
article in place of a
written letter.
Students should
have an attentiongrabbing headline
and a summary of
the Battle of
Antietam.
Set: Antietam Clip
Students will view a video clip describing the bloodiest battle of the entire Civil
War…Antietam. The video clip informs the viewers who the major generals were at
Antietam and explains the interesting fact that General Lee makes a terrible
military blunder-losing four days worth of battle plans. General McClellan is able to
capitalize by finding Lee’s plans and initiate the famous Battle of Antietam.
Teaching Strategy:
1. Students will view a brief PowerPoint presentation on the battles of
Shiloh, New Orleans, and Antietam.
2. Students will analyze General Lee’s Proclamation to the People of
Maryland (Appendix D). A class discussion will revolve around the
reasons why Lee decides to invade then and why he chooses the state
of Maryland.
3. Students will then analyze Lee’s Special Order #191. Students will
come up with their own battle plan against Lee’s army as if Special
Order #191 had never been found. Students will use the map of the
Battle of Antietam (Appendix F).
Summarizing Strategy: Students will write a letter to President Jefferson Davis
outlining their reasons for supporting or not supporting Lee’s decision to invade
the North and whether or not they believe the Confederacy is winning the war at
present.
Enrichment:
Divide students
into groups. One
group will prepare
arguments
supporting the idea
that the Union is
closer to victory
and the other
group will prepare
arguments that the
Formative
Assessment:
Students will
answer today’s I
can statements
on an index card
before leaving
class.
Confederacy is
closer to victory.
8
Project Day – See Unit Plan
Going Where No Man has Gone Before – Finalize Story
9
Project Day – See Unit Plan
Going Where No Man has Gone Before – Peer and Teacher
Review
10
Project Day – See Unit Plan
Going Where No Man has Gone Before – Storytelling Festival
STANDARDS
Identify what you want to teach. Reference State, Common Core, ACT
College Readiness Standards and/or State Competencies.
GLE 8.2.01 Understand fundamental economic concepts and their application to a variety of economic systems.
GLE 8.2.02 Understand global economic connections, conflicts, and interdependence.
GLE 8.2.03 Understand the potential costs and benefits of individual economic choices in the market economy.
GLE 8.2.04 Understand the interactions of individuals, businesses, and the government in a market economy.
GLE 8.3.03 Recognize the interaction between human and physical systems.
GLE 8.3.04 Understand the geographic factors that determined the locations and patterns of settlements in the United States and Tennessee.
GLE 8.4.01 Appreciate the development of people's need to organize them into a system of governance.
GLE 8.4.02 Recognize the purposes and structure of governments.
GLE 8.4.03 Understand the relationship between a place's physical, political, and cultural characteristics and the type of government that emerges from that
relationship.
GLE 8.4.04 Discuss how cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of resources, rights, and privileges.
GLE 8.4.05 Understand the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of citizens living in a democratic society.
GLE 8.4.06 Understand the role the Constitution of the United States plays in the lives of Americans.
GLE 8.4.07 Understand the role that Tennessee's government plays in Tennessean’s lives.
GLE 8.5.15 Discuss sectional differences brought on by the Western movement, expansion of slavery, and emerging industrialization.
GLE 8.5.18 Recognize the causes, course, and consequences of the Civil War.
SPI 8.2.9. Analyze in economic terms, (i.e., climate, triangle trade, infrastructure, topography), why slavery flourished in the South as opposed to the North.
SPI 8.3.1. Recognize the causes and examples of migration and immigration in early America (i.e., land, religion, money, pioneer spirit, indentured servitude,
displacement, and slavery).
SPI 8.4.3. Recognize the purpose of government and how its powers are acquired, used, and justified.
SPI 8.4.4. Recognize the rights and responsibilities of individuals throughout the development of the United States.
SPI 8.4.5. Identify how conditions, actions, and motivations contributed to conflict and cooperation between states, regions and nations.
SPI 8.4.7. Recognize the impact of major court decisions have had on American life, (i.e., Marbury v Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Dred Scott v. Sandford).
SPI 8.5.5. Recognize consequences of the westward expansion of the United States.
SPI 8.5.6. Classify the characteristics of major historic events into causes and effects (i.e., exploration, colonization, revolution, expansion, and Civil War).
SPI 8.5.8. Determine the social, political, and economic factors that contribute to the institution of slavery in America.
SPI 8.5.9. Interpret a timeline, detailing the development of political parties in the United States to the Civil War.
SPI 8.5.10. Interpret maps, time lines and charts that illustrate key elements of history (i.e., expansion, economics, politics, society).
SPI 8.5.11. Identify conclusions about historical events using primary and secondary sources.
SPI 8.5.12. Differentiate between primary and secondary source documents.
SPI 8.5.13. Examine the demographic changes brought about by westward movement (i.e., slavery, industrialization, and Native American relocation).