20th CENTURY HISTORY - LESSON PLAN - Unit 1
1896 to 1912 - The Modern Era Begins
Textbook Chapters & Sections: 19 (1,2,3), 36
Objective Test Section
KNOWLEDGE
A
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
William McKinley
Grandfather Clause
Trust
Frederick Remington
Xenophobia
White Slavery
Isthmus
Pogrom
William Howard Taft
Titanic
Max Planck
John Dewey
Ferdinand von Zeppelin
Oscar Wilde
William Sidney Porter
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
Enrico Caruso
B
C
D
William Jennings Bryan
Bimetallism
Gold Standard
Boll Weevil
Piecework
Labor Movement
Mark Hanna
Klondike
Yellow Journalism
USS Maine
Spanish-American War
Open Door Policy
Boxer Rebellion
Queen Liliuokalani
Boer War
Leon Czolgosz
Anarchist
Theodore Roosevelt
Conservation
Melting Pot
J.P. Morgan
Muckraker
Upton Sinclair
Eugene V. Debs
Niagara Movement
Anna Jarvis
Typhoid Mary
Psychoanalysis
Marie Curie
Karl Landsteiner
Quantum Theory
James Herrick
Ivan Pavlov
Paul Ehrlich
Alfred Nobel
Orville & Wilbur Wright
Guglielmo Marconi
Henry Ford
H. G. Wells
Arthur Conan Doyle
Jack London
Zane Grey
Pablo Picasso
Georges Braque
Erich Weiss
John Philip Sousa
Johann Strauss
Johannes Brahms
Copyright Laws
Tinker to Evers to Chance
Ty Cobb
COMPREHENSION
1
2
3
4
5
6
How did the Election of 1896 indicate our entry into a new era?
What were the real causes, supposed causes, major battles, and results of the Spanish-American War?
What was the importance of Manchuria to China, Japan, and Russia?
Why did Teddy Roosevelt win a Nobel Peace Prize?
What was the significance of the Potemkin Mutiny?
How difficult was the work done by Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen?
APPLICATION
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
What was the worldwide significance of the Russo-Japanese War?
Can a person speak softly, carry a big stick, and still be effective?
How did Ida Tarbell's History of Standard Oil change the face of American business?
Is Carrie Nation like the "Just Say No" program?
10
11
12
What characteristics made "The Great Train Robbery" such an important film?
What is the importance of the growth of spectator sports?
What are the pros and cons of making Conservation a national issue?
Find examples to prove or disprove the assertions of Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class.
What does the interest in patent medicines and aspirin tell you about life at this time?
What was the significance of Albert Einstein's 4 major propositions?
What kind of effects has this era's development of frozen and packaged foods had on our lives?
In what ways would each of the AHA's be effected by the development and popularization of the
automobile?
Subjective Test Section
ANALYSIS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Are muckrakers a necessary evil in American society?
What factors may have contributed to the rise of Socialism in the U.S.?
Can dreams be interpreted logically? Would Sigmund Freud and Joseph (of the many-colored
coat) have similar opinions on this?
Compare newspaper excerpts from the late 1890's with those of the 1990's. Are newspapers more
ethical & responsible today?
Read the poem "White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. What is his message? Is he effective?
What images does he use to get us involved in his issue?
Listen to Maple Leaf Rag or other pieces by Scott Joplin. What techniques does he use? What
constitutes the "ragtime" style?
Read William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech. What points is he trying to make?
Which people would agree and disagree with him? Is his style similar to that used by politicians
today to
draw attention to issues they care deeply about? (Prove it)
Are the characters in L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz REALLY allegories for characters and
issues of this era?
How would China's AHA's change due to U.S. and European influence?
Compare and contrast the lives and work of Adolph Ochs, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Pulitzer.
Is Bram Stoker's Dracula a scary book by today's standards?
Trace the present-day effects on our workplaces of the Lowe v. Lawlor & Muller v. Oregon
Supreme Court cases and the Triangle Factory fire.
Analyze the principles of the "method" proposed by Maria Montessori. Are they being used in
modern education?
Is assassination an inevitable side-effect of anarchic movements?
Explore the effects of authors and newspapermen on public policy. Do they still have the kind of
impact they had in this era?
Read Call of the Wild by Jack London, and think if it inspires you to seek adventure in the world.
Can you find evidence that Cubism really explores the idea of the Theory of Relativity in artistic terms?
Is Cubism a valid art form?
Read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Of what abuses does he accuse the meatpacking industry?
Has it changed much today?
Investigate the goals of the Progressive Party. How many of their goals have become reality? Are
we still working on others?
When legislation like the Heyburn Bill so obviously improves our lives, why do so many people fight it?
How does the passage of the Mann-Elkins Act show that our government actually demonstrates
good sense sometimes?
Has the 17th Amendment been effective in accomplishing its purpose?
Make a list of contributions of the NAACP to our society, as well as any negative effects of its existence.
Create a chart to identify each of the muckrakers, their areas of interest, and influence in creating change.
How did Harlem change from a model community into a stereotypical ghetto?
What is the validity of Georges Santayana's assertion that "those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it"?
EVALUATION
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
How does H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man (or other stories) compare to today's science fiction?
Can you find examples of his influence on modern writers?
Are unions inherently Communist? Why do people say that?
Is our present economy more or less volatile, weaker or stronger than when it was on the gold standard?
Which AHA's provided motivation for Spain to go to war with the US? Which ones motivated the
US? Did this war make sense?
Why does "Pop" history perpetuate stories like those about the "Rough Riders" that aren't
historically accurate? Does it diminish our society when we tell the truth about these events?
Compare and contrast the Boer War with the Vietnam War. Would veterans of these two wars
have much in common?
Was the U.S. acquisition of Panama ethical?
Are trusts inherently bad? Does the market economy lend itself to this kind of abuse too easily?
Do you live a Life of Reason as described by George Santayana in his book of that name?
Did Emile Coué have an accurate and effective method, or was he just a crackpot? Even if he was
right, does this open up possibilities that we might NOT want to discover?
Did Jim Thorpe cheat, or was he a victim of circumstances? Is the IOC today hypocritical for
punishing him and now allowing professional athletes to compete?
SYNTHESIS
1
2
Write an editorial objectively discussing the pro's and con's of our annexation of Hawaii.
3
As a member of the Chinese Boxer party, write a diary entry describing your feelings on hearing
about the Open Door Policy.
Develop an experiment to test whether the work of Ivan Pavlov is applicable to human behavior.
Draw a contraption in the style of Rube Goldberg to solve a modern-day problem.
Imagine how your life would be different today if the styles and presentation of music was still the
same as it was at this time.
Write your own story in the style of O. Henry, including an ironic twist at the end.
4
5
6
7
Based on the "Ballad of Reading Gaol" by Oscar Wilde, write a letter to the editor calling for prison
reform.