SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson “THE AGE OF JACKSON” A unit for Grade8 social studies Unit Consultants: Margaret Jamison Program Specialist Pasadena ISD and Debra Williams Education Specialist Education Service Center Region IV Note Explanations of unit components from Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe appear in boxes throughout the unit. Understanding by Design Unit Plan Overview • Begin with the end in mind by identifying what students should know and be able to do through: o Enduring understandings – Overarching – Topical o Essential questions – Overarching – Topical o Social Studies TEKS as objectives • Establish evidence of student understanding through: o Performance tasks o Other assessments • Create learning experiences and instruction that promote student understanding through the WHERE process. o Where o Hook o Explore/Enable/Equip o Rethink/Reflect o Exhibit/Evaluate SUMMARY OF THE UNIT This unit describes Jacksonian democracy and explores the change in political beliefs which dominated the political issues of his presidency. 111 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson What are Enduring Understandings? They are unit concepts that: • • • • Have lasting value beyond the classroom Reside at the heart of the discipline and involve “doing” the subject Require uncoverage of abstract or often misunderstood ideas Offer potential for engaging students Overarching Enduring Understandings • Transcend the content knowledge of the unit • Could appropriately express a given social studies concept found in most grade levels and courses Overarching enduring understandings for this unit: • Ideas of democracy reflect the values, beliefs, and political realities of a particular time and people. • Sectionalism both reflected and contributed to changes in the American political system. Topical Enduring Understandings Topical enduring understandings for this unit: • Are specific to the unit topic • Involve generalizations derived from the specific content knowledge and skills of the unit • The Jacksonian Era redefined and expanded American democracy and changed political parties and practices. What Are Essential Questions? As guides for the unit, they: • • • • Go to the heart of the discipline Recur naturally throughout one’s learning and in the history of a field Raise other important questions Provide subject- and topic-specific doorways to enduring understandings • Have no obvious “right” answer • Are deliberately framed to provoke and sustain student interest 112 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson Overarching Essential Questions Overarching essential questions for this unit: • Point beyond a unit to big ideas and enduring understandings • Do not mention specific topics or events • How and why has the American democratic system changed over time? • Is a more democratic system a better system? Topical Essential Questions Topical essential questions for this unit: • Transcend the content knowledge of the unit • Could appropriately express a given social studies concept found in most grade levels and courses • Why did sectional differences develop during the Jacksonian era, and how did they influence political beliefs and dominate political decision -making. • How did Andrew Jackson’s concept of democracy differ from that of Thomas Jefferson, and how did it affect the political system? • How were Jackson’s personality and political views reflected in his response to the political issues of his presidency. • What lasting changes were produced in the American political system during the Jacksonian Era? Special notations for this unit: For the successful completion of this unit, students need a solid understanding of the Industrial Revolution, particularly the resulting technological advances in the United States and their influence on the economic development of each section of the country. They should also be thoroughly familiar with the political characteristics of “The Era of Good Feelings.” Performance Task Summary In the performance task, the student takes on the role of a writer for a teen magazine. The assignment is to write a commentary on the state of U.S. democracy at the beginning of the 21st century. Data will be collected using a questionnaire. This data combined with the student’s knowledge of democracy, as it evolved during the Jacksonian Era, enables the student to answer a variety of questions creating the commentary for the magazine. 113 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson SUGGESTED RESOURCES Books • • • • • • • • Current World Almanac Benson, L. (1961) The concept of Jacksonian democracy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. DiClarico, R. E., and Hammock, A.S. (Eds), Points of view, reading in American government and politics, 3rd Edition, New York: Random House, (pp 2-33, “How Democratic Is America?”) Remini, R. V. (1990) The life of Andrew Jackson. New York, NY: Harper Collins. Ward, J. W. (1995). Andrew Jackson: Symbol for an age. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Rogin, M. P. (1975). Fathers and children: Andrew Jackson and the Destruction of American Indians. New York, NY: Vintage. Ward, J. W. (1995). Andrew Jackson: Symbol for an age. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Watson, H. (1990). Liberty and power. New York, NY: Hill and Wang. Web Sites • • • • • Teaching: Introduction to Documents http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/exercise.html Document Analysis Worksheets http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/analysis/analysis.html Executive summary of Project Vote Smart National Survey on Youth – 23 page report available for downloading http://www.vote-smart.org/youthsurvey.phtml?style= A listing of Indian treaties by year http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/toc.htm Search Sites: www.historychannel.com www.thehistorynet.com Videos Many good videos are available; here are two: • • The Jackson Years: New American. The Shaping of the American Nation Series. New York: Learning Corporation of America, 1978. The Jackson Years: Toward Civil War, The Shaping of the American Nation Series. Northbrook, IL: Learning Corporation of America, 1970. 114 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson MATERIALS NEEDED • • • • • • • • Data retrieval chart on regions Vocabulary (two column note taking) colored pencils outline map of the U.S. in 1828 Portrait of Andrew Jackson chart paper graph paper Venn diagram of Jacksonian and Jeffersonian democracy SOCIAL STUDIES TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS (TEKS): THE OBJECTIVES FOR THIS UNIT Grade 8 Social Studies (8.1) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S. history through 1877. The student is expected to: (8.5 ) History. The student understands the challenges confronted by the government and its leaders in the early years of the Republic. The student is expected to: (A) describe major domestic problems faced by the leaders of the new Republic such as maintaining national security, creating a stable economic system, setting up the court system, and defining the authority of the central government; (B) summarize arguments regarding protective tariffs, taxation, and the banking system; (C) explain the origin and development of American political parties; (F) explain the impact of the election of Andrew Jackson, including the beginning of the modern Democratic Party; (A) identify the major eras in U.S. history through 1877 and describe their defining characteristics; (B) apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods; (C) explain the significance of the following dates: 1607, 1776, 1787, 1803, and 1861-1865. 115 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson (G) analyze federal and state Indian policies and the removal and resettlement of Cherokee Indians during the Jacksonian Era. (8.11) Geography. The student understands the location and characteristics of places and regions of the United States, past and present. The student is expected to: (8.22) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of the expression of different points of view in a democratic society. The student is expected to: (8.31) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to: (A) locate places and regions important in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries; (B) compare places and regions of the United States in terms of physical and human characteristics; (C) analyze the effects of physical and human geographical factors on major historical and contemporary events in the United States. (A) identify different points of view of political parties and interest groups on important historical and contemporary issues; (B) describe the importance of free speech and press in a democratic society; (C) summarize a historical event in which compromise resulted in a peaceful resolution. (A) use social studies terminology correctly; (B) use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation; (C) transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate; (D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information. 116 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNIT WHERE: Sequencing the Unit What is the acronym WHERE? The acronym WHERE stands for where the student is headed from the beginning to the end of the unit; hook the student; explore the subject and equip the student; rethink work and ideas; and evaluate results. Elements of WHERE Use of the acronym WHERE in this Unit Where • Outline where the unit is headed. • Make students aware of expectations from the beginning of the unit. • The teacher posts quotations from the Declaration of Independence (http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/declaration/de claration.html) and the United States Constitution. (http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/co nstitution.html) on the bulletin board, along with the unit’s essential questions. Examples of quotations are: “Governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .” and “We, the People of the United States . . .” • The teacher reviews the major features of the “Era of Good Feelings”: few political differences and no political parties. Explain that the Jacksonian Era was a time when sectional differences emerged that led to conflicts over government policies. Each section produced leaders who represented their section rather than the country or the people as a whole. At the same time, one of those sections, the West, produced a very popular president, Andrew Jackson, who believed that the common people themselves are the most important source of power in a democratic government. 117 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson • The teacher: (1) Refers to the posted quotations from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. (2) Asks students to predict changes in the political system that would move the country in the direction of the popular power suggested in the quotations. (3) Points to the essential questions as the “what” and “how” of the political changes. (4) Explains that students themselves will determine what the changes have meant and whether our democracy is stronger today because of those changes. Hook • Apply a thought provoking focus point. • Use issues, oddities, problems, and challenges that point toward enduring understandings, essential questions, core ideas, and a final performance task. • Introduce a new and very stringent set of classroom rules to students designed to arouse their protest (examples: no trips to water fountain, no questions about assignments, no communication with other students). Ask how much voice they believe they should have in establishing the rules that govern their classroom. Should they have a vote? Point out the analogy with the idea of popular participation in a democratic government. • Review the groups excluded (women, those without property, Native Americans, slaves) at the time the Constitution was adopted and introduce the idea that a major change of the Jacksonian Era was an increase in popular political participation. Explore/Enable/Equip • Provide learning experiences that allow students to research and explore the big ideas of the unit. • Equip students for the final performance through guided instruction and coaching. • Explore with students how sectionalism developed, how it influenced political issues, how it helped to elect Andrew Jackson, how President Jackson responded to sectional issues. To do this exploration, have students: (1) Complete an outline map of the United States of 1828 showing the names of the states and color-coded to indicate the West, Northeast, and South. (2) Read the textbook section describing these sections and detailing their characteristics. Complete a data retrieval chart showing the geographic, economic, and cultural characteristics of each region. 118 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson (3) Take part in a lecture/discussion with twocolumn note taking (teacher points on right, student responses on left) on major issues of this period: Western land (price, settlement), federally funded internal improvements, protective tariffs, money and banking, and labor. (4) Do a Point of View Activity in which students role play panel participants taking roles of the Western Farmer, Southern Planter, or Northern Industrialist and telling how they would want their legislators to vote on each major issue of the time. Panel discussion preparation: divide the class into 3 groups. Each group uses textbook and teacher notes to prepare for one of the roles. The group outlines the point of view represented and selects one student, or several students alternating, as the panel participant. Instructions to panel participants: (a) make an initial speech when the teacher moderator calls on you, (b) know information well enough to tell the point of view in your own words,(c) be ready to respond to questions from other class members, (d) speak slowly and clearly so that all can hear,(e) look at your audience. (5) Students read textbook sections and view videos on the election of Andrew Jackson and the major political issues he faced. Organize students into cooperative groups and use a jigsaw technique to answer questions, with one question assigned per group. Examples of questions are: a) Why did Andrew Jackson lose the election of 1824 and win the election of 1828? b) How did Jackson represent the spirit and character of the West, and what new ideas of democracy did Jackson introduce? c) How did Jackson respond to the issue of the National Bank? d) How did Jackson deal with the tariff question and the Nullification Crisis? e) What was Jackson’s policy on the removal of the Indians? Each group reports to the class. Each student is responsible for all of the information provided. 119 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson (6) Students create a “Presidential Profile of Andrew Jackson.” The teacher will distribute to each student an 11X17 shadow portrait of Andrew Jackson or an outline of Jackson’s head (either one can be produced by copying and enlarging a picture of Jackson - the shadow portrait is produced by lightening the picture until only a faint background shadow remains). Students fill in the outline of the shadow portrait with short summary phrases representing the personality, political views, and actions of President Jackson. The profile must include a phrase for each of the following terms: Old Hickory, common man, spoils system, kitchen cabinet, people’s president, hard money, pet banks, bank veto, Supreme Court, Indian Removal, modern democracy. Example: Common Man - The common sense of the common man is all that is needed for government leaders. After completing the shadow portrait, student writes a two paragraph biographical sketch of Andrew Jackson. Reflect/Rethink • Provide ways to get students to use and rethink concepts. • Revise, rehearse, and refine as needed. • The teacher works with students to: o Summarize and refine their understanding of the impact of Jacksonian Era democracy on political values, processes, and parties. o Begin to consider whether a more democratic system is necessarily a better system in the eyes of the voter, measured by the standard of political involvement and participation. • Some ways to reflect include (1) The teacher, through lecture/class discussion/ brainstorming, helps students to summarize the expansion of democracy of the period, being sure to bring to student’s attention specific evidence such as: (a) opportunity for popular participation - more white males could vote; in 1800, 9 of 16 states had property qualifications but by 1830 only 6 of 24 did; 120 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson (b) more direct participation - by 1830, more officials were elected rather than appointed; presidential electors were chosen by the people rather than by legislators in all but two states; (c) presidential candidates were selected by nominating conventions rather than by party caucuses; presidential candidates appealed directly to the voters for their support rather than allowing their supporters to campaign for them; (d) in opposition, personalities rather then issues often dominated political campaigns. Elements of political patronage (spoils system) continued. (2) The teacher asks students, in a Think/Pair/Share activity, to: (a) Tell which of the reforms could be traced directly to Jackson’s ideas and which were only accelerated by Jacksonian ideas. (b) Discuss whether issues associated with sectionalism such as protective tariffs, sectional or group affiliations (special interests), states rights, or the balance in federalism were satisfactorily resolved. (c) Make predictions whether the issues associated with sectionalism will cause serious conflicts in the periods of history not yet studied and speculate about strength of the ideas today. (3) Using textbook information and/or knowledge from prior instruction, students construct a Venn diagram comparing Jeffersonian and Jacksonian ideas of democracy. (4) In cooperative groups, students use textbook information to construct a wall chart tracing the development of political parties from Washington through Jackson including for each party: the name of the party, party leaders, major beliefs, and the time period the party flourished. Compare the charts produced. Post in the classroom. (5) Students use information from the political party wall chart to write a paragraph telling which party best represents their own political convictions and why. 121 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson (6) The teacher presents a hypothetical situation to help students understand the consequences of not participating in political processes. Example: On the issue of youth curfew, it is likely that 18 year old voters would be opposed while 60 year old voters would favor the curfew. Suppose that the voter population to be 20,000 eligible 18 year old voters and 10,000 eligible 60 year old voters. If only 20% of 18 year olds vote (4,000), but 80% of 60 year olds vote (8,000), the curfew passes even though it does not represent the majority opinion. *If students have access to the Internet, have them study the survey of 18-25 year olds regarding voter participation and reasons for non-participation among the age group (http://www.vote-smart.org/youthsurvey.phtml ?style=). (7) Students use the most recent edition of a World Almanac to find out the percentage of eligible voters who voted in the last 10 presidential elections. Graph the results. (8) Remind students of the performance task given to them at the beginning of the unit. Brainstorm items for a survey on political involvement and participation. Remind students that they are to determine for themselves whether the Jacksonian Era reforms have created a better system in terms of taking advantage of the opportunities for broad popular participation. What is the state of democracy as we enter the 21st century? Exhibit/Evaluate • Assess student work for quality and effectiveness. • Reveal what students understand through final performances and other assessments. Students reveal what they understand about the Age of Jackson through a performance task and other assessments detailed in the unit. 122 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson What are Facets of Understanding? These are six ways of analyzing the enduring understandings of a unit to achieve mature understanding. An explanation of each facet appears in boxes below. Facets of Understanding Use of Facets in this Unit Explanation Sophisticated and apt explanations and theories which provide justifiable accounts of events, actions, and ideas How did democracy expand during the Jacksonian Era? Interpretation Interpretations, narratives, and translations that provide meaning Have Americans taken advantage of their opportunities for broad participation in democratic processes? If so, how? Application Ability to use knowledge effectively in new situations and diverse contexts Write a commentary on the state of United States democracy as we enter the 21st century. Perspective Critical and insightful points of view Is there evidence that Americans believe a more democratic system is a better system than others? Empathy The ability to get inside another person’s feelings and worldview Assume the role of an Indian affected by President Jackson's Indian policy. Describe how your life has changed and how you feel about this change. Self-knowledge The wisdom to know one’s ignorance and how one’s patterns of thought and action inform as well as prejudice understanding Do you believe that a more democratic system is a better system? Why or why not? 123 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson What is a Performance Task? A performance task is a complex scenario that provides students an opportunity to demonstrate what they know and are able to do concerning a given concept. The components of the framework for the performance task are outlined in the acronym GRASPS. The goal states the purpose of the task; the role explains student involvement in the scenario; the audience identifies the people the students address; the situation explains the scenario; the product is the tangible evidence of student understanding; and the standards/criteria describes how students can complete the task successfully. GRASPS: Outlining the Performance Task GRASPS Use of GRASPS in this Unit Goal • Provide a statement of the task. • Establish the goal, problem, challenge, or obstacle in the task. Using the results of a survey of a wide variety of citizens, students draw conclusions regarding issues involving the democratic system. Role • Define the role of the students in the task. • State the job of the students for the task. You are a writer for a teen magazine. Audience • Identify the target audience within the context of the scenario. • Example audiences might include a client or a committee. Contemporary readers of a teen magazine make up the audience. 124 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson Situation • Set the context of the scenario. • Explain the situation. Writers of a contemporary teen magazine investigate the state of American Democracy through a survey of a variety of citizens. Using the survey results, the writers compose a commentary article about the state of democracy in America. Product • Clarify what the students will create and why they will create it. A commentary article for a teen magazine on the state of United States democracy as we enter the 21st century. Standards and Criteria • Provide students with a clear picture of success. • Identify specific standards for success. • Issue rubrics to the students. • As students conduct the performance task, they complete the following: o survey of a variety of citizens o article on the state of democracy in America • Students use guidelines in the Performance Task Details section and the rubric for the performance task as guidelines for creating a quality product. PERFORMANCE TASK DETAILS Give the class the following instructions: You are a writer for a teen magazine. Write a commentary article on the state of United States democracy as we enter the 21st century. First, you will gather data using the class-developed questionnaire on voter involvement and political participation. Survey a group of 10 to 15 eligible voters. Your respondents must include a variety in age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, and socioeconomic level so that they reflect the voting population of the nation. Use the data gathered and your knowledge of democracy as it evolved during the Jacksonian Era as the basis of your commentary. Address specifically the issue of political participation. How did democracy expand during the Jacksonian Era? Have Americans taken advantage of their opportunities for broad participation in democratic processes? Is there evidence that they believe a more democratic system is a better system? Do you believe that a more democratic system is a better system? Use data from your survey to support your conclusions. 125 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson The “Survey On American Democracy As We Enter the 21st Century” could ask: • Are you a member of a political party? • Have you ever attended a political party meeting? • Do you vote in most elections? • Do you know who your state’s U.S. Senators are? • Do you know the number of your congressional district? • Do you know the name of the U.S. Representative from your congressional district? • Have you ever attended a presidential nominating convention or watched one on television? • Do you plan to vote in the next presidential election? • Do you believe that personalities have become more important than issues in presidential elections? • Do you believe voters are sometimes asked to elect too many officials (such as long lists of judges) or decide on issues that are too complicated for the average person to be informed about? Include the results of your survey as a graphic. What is a Rubric? A rubric is a scoring guide that enables assessors to make reliable judgements about student work and helps students self-assess. The rubric answers the question: What does mastery (and varying degrees of mastery) for an achievement target look like? RUBRIC FOR THE PERFORMANCE TASK Highest level performance first: CONTENT (60 points) LEVEL 4 – Shows thorough understanding of the impact of Jacksonian democracy on the American political system. Gives an insightful evaluation of current popular participation in the democratic processes. Supports conclusions with extensive and compelling evidence from the survey. Shows thoughtful self-awareness in personal reaction to conclusions. LEVEL 3 – Shows some understanding of the impact of Jacksonian democracy on the American political system. Gives an effective evaluation of current popular participation in democratic processes. Supports conclusions with some evidence from the survey. Shows self-awareness in a personal reaction to conclusions about the system. 126 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Grade 8 - Jackson LEVEL 2 – Shows a somewhat limited understanding of the impact of Jacksonian democracy on the American democratic system. Gives a minimal evaluation of current popular participation in the democratic processes. Supports conclusions with at least one appropriate, effective reference to survey results. Shows weak personal reaction to conclusions. LEVEL 1 - Shows little apparent understanding of the impact of Jacksonian democracy on the American political system. Makes only a meager attempt to evaluate current popular participation in the democratic processes. Supports conclusions with survey results ineffectively or not at all. COMMUNICATION (40 points ) Highest level performance first: LEVEL 4 – Organizes and explains ideas clearly and effectively. Uses highly effective techniques to create reader interest. No errors in grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation. Graphic is informative, clear, and easy to read. LEVEL 3 – Organizes and explains important ideas clearly. Uses techniques to create reader interest. Few errors in grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation. Graphic is less informative or harder to read. LEVEL 2 – Organization and explanations lack clarity and effectiveness. Uses ineffective techniques to create reader interest. Frequent errors in grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation. Graphic relates poorly to the commentary. LEVEL 1 - Shows little apparent understanding of the impact of Jacksonian democracy What are Other Assessments? Some examples in addition to the performance task include: • Observation/dialogue – class discussions, conference, monitoring • Quiz/test – Multiple choice, pop quizzes, open book, essay, oral exam, reports • Projects – long term, research based with multiple tasks OTHER ASSESSMENTS • • • Outline Section Map of the United States – Complete outline map of the U.S. showing names of states, color-coded to indicate West, Northeast, and South. Data Retrieval Chart: U.S. in 1828 – Complete a data retrieval chart showing geographic, economic, and cultural characteristics of each region/section of the U.S. in 1828. 127 SSCED Tool Kit, 6-8, Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment • • • • • • • Grade 8 - Jackson Where Do I Live? – This is a quiz on hypothetical statements by speakers from one of the three regions studied: West, Northeast, South. Identify the region. Examples: “I live in a section where log cabins are common on the frontier.” “I am a small cotton farmer, but one day I hope to have grand plantation home.” “I live in a region of bustling seaports and large cities.” “I work in the largest manufacturing section in the nation.” “My name is John Quincy Adams and I live in this region.” “I live on a large plantation and own 100 slaves.” “Andrew Jackson is my hero in this region.” Letter to President Jackson on Indian Policy: Assume the role of an Indian affected by President Jackson's Indian policy. Describe how your life has changed and how you feel about this change. *Students should be assigned some primary reading sources such as: President Jackson’s 1835 letter to the Seminole tribe; Congressman Edward Everett’s 1831 speech to Congress on removing the Cherokee Indians; comments of Choctaw Chief George M. Hawkins at the signing of the Treaty at Dancing Rabbit Creek. (http://www.peaknet.net/~aardvark/treaty.html) http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/wpages/wpgs620/removal.htm Andrew Jackson’s 1835 speech on Indian Removal. Biographical Sketch of President Andrew Jackson – After completing the shadow portrait of Andrew Jackson, students write a two paragraph biographical sketch of President Jackson for a book on American presidents. Be sure to mention issues of his presidency. Use a title that summarizes Jackson’s idea(s) of democracy. Graph on Voters – Using a recent World Almanac, show on a graph the percentage of voters who voted in the last 10 presidential elections. International comparisons available at http://www.fairvote.org/turnout/index.html Paragraph On Personal Political Views – Write a paragraph telling which political party, from parties that you have included on your party wall chart (tracing the development of parties from Washington through Jackson), best represents your own political convictions and why. Objective Test on the Jacksonian Era – This test is a comprehensive check of knowledge and understanding in a multiple-choice format. 128