Pottsgrove School District
Unit Planning Organizer
Subjects
Social Studies
Grade / Course 7 American History
Unit of Study
Unit Type(s)
Pacing
Dominant Focus: Causes of the Civil War, the Civil War
A Nation Divided
Topical
Skills-based
Thematic
Weeks: 4 weeks
Current Priority State Standards and/or Common Core Standards
List the priority standards (written out in bold) that will be taught during this unit of study.
CAPITALIZE the SKILLS and underline the important concepts for all priority standards addressed in this unit.
8.3.7.D. EXAMINE conflict and cooperation among groups and organizations in U.S. history.
- Ethnicity and race
- Working conditions
- Immigration
- Military conflict
- Economic stability
8.3.7.A. CLASSIFY the social, political, cultural, and economic contributions of individuals and groups throughout United States history.
Current Supporting State Standards and/or Common Core Standards
List the supporting standards (written out in non-bold) that will be taught during this unit of study. Supporting standards should not be unwrapped.
8.3.7.B. Examine the importance of significant historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to United States history.
8.1.7.A. Demonstrate continuity and change over time using sequential order and context of events.
Priority
Standard
s
“Unwrapped” Concepts
“Unwrapped” Skills
(Students need to know)
(Students need to be able to do)
Ex: 8.12.U.D
May also include concepts in unit but not specified in
standard
Ex: Verb (concept)
Bloom’s II
Taxonomy
Ex: 4 - Analyzing
Conflict Among Groups and Organizations
- Ethnicity and Race
(e.g. Slave Owners and Abolitionists, Dred Scott
Decision)
- Working Conditions
(e.g. Slavery, Industrial Workers, Agricultural Workers)
- Military Conflict
(e.g. Civil War)
8.3.7.D.
Examine (conflict among groups and
organizations)
- Economic Stability
(e.g. Plantation System, Cotton Diplomacy)
Cooperation Among Groups and Organizations
- Ethnicity and Race
(e.g. Abolitionist Movement, Free Soil Party, Republican
Party)
- Working Conditions
(e.g. Organized Labor)
- Economic Stability
(e.g. Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act)
4 - Analyzing
Examine (cooperation among
groups and organizations)
8.3.7.A.
Contributions of Individuals and Groups
- Social: Abolitionists, Barton
- Political: Lincoln, Republicans/Democrats, Free Soil
Party, Know Nothings
- Cultural: Stowe, Garrison, Walker, Douglass
- Economic: Stanton, Underground Railroad, Sherman
Classify (social, political, cultural and
economic contributions of individuals
and groups)
4 - Analyzing
Essential Questions
Corresponding Big Ideas
Essential Questions are engaging, open-ended questions that educators use to spark
initial student interest in learning the content of the unit about to commence.
Big ideas are what you want your students to discover on their own as a result of
instruction and learning activities.
Identify the Essential Questions that will be used throughout this unit to focus your
instruction and assessment. For consideration, ask yourself the following about each
essential question:
Identify the Big Ideas for each corresponding essential question.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Is this question written in student friendly language?
Can this question be answered with one of the Big Ideas?
Does the question lead the students to discovery of the Big Ideas?
Does the question go beyond who, what, where, when and ask the students to
explain how and why?
The goal is for students to effectively be able to respond to the teacher’s essential
questions with the big ideas, stated in their
1. What effect did anti-slavery literature and the annexation of new
lands contribute to the debate over slavery?
1. Publications, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Liberator, opened
many people’s eyes to the horrors of slavery. Legislation, such as
the Wilmot Proviso, the Compromise of 1850, and the KansasNebraska Act, brought issues like popular sovereignty and the
expansion of slavery into public debate.
2. Compare and contrast the economic and military advantages of
the North and the South during the Civil War.
2. South: fighting a defensive war, had brilliant and more
experienced officers, farms to provide food for their armies,
anticipated foreign aid (Cotton Diplomacy)
North: large population from which to draw soldiers, huge
industrial capacity, extensive transportation network, a navy
3. Evaluate Lincoln’s effectiveness as President of the United States
during the Civil War.
3. Lincoln was extremely effective as President during the Civil War.
He managed to continually rally Northern support, effectively
change the focus of the war (Emancipation Proclamation), keep
civilian control of the military, and still maintain his initial goal of
preserving the Union.
4.
4.
5.
5.
Plan for Instruction
Make connections between learning experiences and teaching strategies.
Engaging Learning Experiences
(Authentic Performance Tasks)
 Slavery Performance Task
 Evaluating Primary Sources

Researched-based Effective Teaching Strategies
 Vocabulary
 Summarizing and Note-Taking
 Generating and testing hypotheses

 Homework and practice

 Reinforcing effort and giving praise.

Engaging Learning Experiences for Honors
(Authentic Performance Tasks)
Researched-based Effective Teaching Strategies
for Honors
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Common Assessments
Note to Curriculum Designers:
Review grade-or course-specific state standardized assessments for the types of questions directly related to the “unwrapped” Priority Standards' concepts and skills in
focus for this unit of study.
2. Identify the vocabulary used and frequency of these questions.
3. Compare/contrast this information with the “unwrapped” concepts and skills listed above to determine how closely the two are aligned.
4. Create the Post Assessment using the Common Formative Assessment Template (Appendix A).
5. Create the Pre Assessment. Decide whether the pre-assessment will be aligned (directly matched to post-assessment but with fewer questions) or mirrored (exact
number and type of questions as post-assessment.
Create Informal Progress Monitoring Checks. Create short, ungraded “checks for student understanding” for the educator to administer throughout the unit of study that are
directly aligned to the post-assessment questions (selected-, short-, extended-response, and/or performance-based) and that coincide with learning progressions—the “building
block chunks” of instruction.
1.
Post and Pre Assessment:
Unit 6 Test
1) Identify from the choices below, which was a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Nat Turner
Frederick Douglass
Harriet Stowe
Harriet Tubman
2) The Dred Scott Decision resulted in which of the following?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The unconstitutionality of the Missouri Compromise
The outlawing of the Underground Railroad
The idea of popular sovereignty in Kansas
The passage of the Fugitive Slave Act
3) Which of the following best describes the impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
a) It encouraged James Buchannan to run for president in 1856
b) It encouraged southerners to increase cotton production
c) It encouraged popular sovereignty in new territories
d) It encouraged the growth of the abolitionist movement
4) Which of the following was an outcome of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates?
a)
b)
c)
d)
It made Lincoln well known nationally
It led to Lincoln’s Senate victory in the election
Douglas was elected the next president
The south seceded from the union
5) The Kansas – Nebraska Act led to which of the following?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Bloodshed in Kansas
The Wilmot Proviso
Bloodshed in Nebraska
Creation of the Know Nothing Party
6) Which of the following was a direct result of the election of Abraham
Lincoln?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The Republican Party lost power
Slavery expanded into more western states
James Buchannan resigned his office
Several states seceded from the Union
7) Identify from the choices below which is not a result of the fighting at Fort
Sumter.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Lincoln called up 75,000 troops to save the Union
The Union soldiers were forced to surrender
There were a high number of casualties on both sides
The southerners took control of the fort
8) The events at Appomattox resulted in which of the following.
a)
b)
c)
d)
The biggest battle of the Civil War
Clara Barton founding the Red Cross
The surrender of General Lee and his Army
Lincoln replacing McClellan as the Union’s Commanding General
9) Which of the following battles is considered the turning point of the Civil
War?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Shiloh
Gettysburg
Antietam
Bull Run
10) Which of the following decisions made by Lincoln prevented southerners
from getting aid from Europe?
a) Resupplying Fort Sumter
b) Adopting the Anaconda Plan
c) Issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
d) Rejecting the idea of Cotton Diplomacy
11) The most violent slave revolt in American history was led by which of the
following people?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Nat Turner
George Pickett
William Garrison
Frederick Douglas
12) Which of the following would be considered a major cause of the Civil
War?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Crittenden Compromise
New York City Riots
John Brown’s Raid
The Gettysburg Address
Open Ended Question:
Explain how provisions of the Compromise of 1850 delayed the coming of the Civil War.
Informal Progress Monitoring Checks:
-Vocabulary Builder Worksheets
-Know It Notes Activities
-Map Activities
-Question and Answer secessions
Unit Vocabulary
Tier 3
Tier 2
Literary Terms

 secession
 Dred Scott Decision
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 abolition
 William Lloyd Garrison
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 cotton gin
 The Liberator

 planters
 Frederick Douglass
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 cotton belt
 Underground Railroad
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 spirituals
 Harriet Tubman
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 popular sovereignty
 Fugitive Slave Act

 border states
 Nat Turner
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 cotton diplomacy
 Compromise of 1850
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 emancipation
 Uncle Tom’s Cabin
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 contrabands
 Bleeding Kansas
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 Abraham Lincoln
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 John Brown
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 Fort Sumter
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 Robert E. Lee
 Antietam
 Bull Run
 U. S. Grant
 Vicksburg
 Gettysburg
 George Pickett
 Appomattox Courthouse
Instructional Resources and Materials
Technology
Program / Text
Teacher Created
 United States History
 United Streaming
 Historical Plays
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 Computers
 Performance Task
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 Google Docs
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