HASKELL
Middle / High School
Middle / High School
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Monday and Tuesday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Wednesday-Friday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
World History
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Monday
Students will read the following handout
The War is Finished
This chapter tells the story of the collapse of the South Vietnamese army and government. It raises
the question whether the U.S. deserted its ally at the end of a noble, if unsuccessful, effort or if it
simply had made a serious mistake from the beginning.
Readers will remember that the final peace agreement signed on January 27, 1973, allowed
President Thieu and his government to remain in power during the U.S. withdrawal. The treaty also
allowed the North Vietnamese to stay in South Vietnam, and called for an election to unite North and
South Vietnam. The election would be supervised by a 'National Council of Reconciliation', and not the
present government of South Vietnam. This Council was to be set up 'immediately after the cease-fire.'
North Vietnamese government officials were prepared to use the election to take control of South
Vietnam. They gave orders for their followers in the south to prepare for a political campaign. If they did
not win, of course, North Vietnam still had a 145,000-man army in South Vietnam.
President Thieu, however, never planned to allow a communist take over of South Vietnam by way
of an election. "If we allow the communists to operate," he said, "we will lose control of the country." That
explains his order to his police the day after he signed the Paris Peace Accord, to kill Vietnamese "who
suddenly begin taking a communist tone."
Violations of the Cease Fire
As it turned out, both sides cheated on the peace agreement before it even went into effect. Shortly
after he accepted the in-place cease-fire, Henry Kissinger telegraphed Thieu to take more territory from
the Vietcong. The day before the agreement was signed, the Vietcong took over some 300 villages
controlled by South Vietnam. On the first day of the peace agreement the South Vietnamese government
started attacking these villages to drive the Vietcong out.
From the winter of 1973 to the spring of 1975, the South Vietnamese government more or less
followed the orders given by President Thieu. Communists were arrested and put in jail. No steps were
taken to form the National Council of Reconciliation that was supposed to prepare for an election. And no
elections were held.
Corruption in South Vietnam
According to an old Vietnamese expression, 'a house leaks from the top.' President Thieu promoted
military officers based on their loyalty to him, and not their ability and performance as soldiers. He did
nothing to stop the corruption in his government. Thieu' s wife and her friends made millions of US
dollars buying and selling real estate in Saigon. They made their purchases based on what they knew the
government wanted to buy. Generals kept the money that was supposed to pay their soldiers. Army
officers sold weapons and ammunition to the Vietcong. Soldiers who were supposed to deliver military
supplies to the ARVN sold them on the black market. People who criticized the government were
arrested and thrown in jail. At the very bottom of this chain of corruption, the South Vietnamese soldier
did not have enough money to feed his family. Poorly motivated, led, trained, and fed, when the time
came, he was not prepared to fight.
Stage 3 of Guerrilla War
The South Vietnamese had failed to take the first steps that were supposed to lead to the Council of
National Reconciliation that would run free and democratic elections. The North Vietnamese
subsequently prepared for their final military campaign. After years of guerrilla warfare, North Vietnam
was prepared for Stage 3 — large unit attacks. The famous Ho Chi Minh trail, that for years had been
used to infiltrate men and supplies into South Vietnam, was a narrow jungle trail under protective
covering of trees. North Vietnam converted the trail into an all-weather highway. It stretched from North
Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia and into the Mekong delta, south of Saigon. With its various
feeder roads, it covered 12,000 miles. A 3,000-mile long pipeline was built to supply needed gas for the
North Vietnamese army. The road even had rest, service and repair stations. Anti-aircraft guns guarded
the roadway. Trucks, tanks and armed cars drove south down these roads. The Vietnamese had come a
long way from their guerrilla war days, and when the time came, they would be ready to strike.
Stage 3 of guerrilla warfare, full army attacks, began on March 10, 1975. First the South Vietnamese
Air Force was chased off by Russian anti-aircraft guns. Then North Vietnamese tanks poured in to their
first targeted town, Banmethout. Suddenly confronted by Russian tanks and a well-armed enemy, South
Vietnamese troops panicked and fled.
President Thieu decided to give up all of his positions near the North Vietnam border to
concentrate his troops in the southern region around Saigon. Then he changed his mind and ordered a
defense of the North. But the army general defending Pleiku fled by plane, leaving his soldiers and their
families to escape on their own. Before long some 200,000 leaderless men, women, and children were
fleeing toward Danang on the coast. But Danang itself was under attack. Soon, the South Vietnamese
army had turned into a terrorized mob of fleeing men. They used their weapons, if at all, to shoot
civilians in their path. Reaching the water's edge:
the soldiers went down to the beach, where some threw away their weapons and their uniforms
and dived into the sea to swim out to waiting American ships, while others commandeered boats
and then began firing at one another on the open water. Soon the scenes in Danang were repeated
in cities through most of South Vietnam. In one city, the soldiers were shooting at the owners of
the restaurants where they ate. Something deeper than the collapse of an army's discipline was
taking place. It was the disintegration of a society that had been pulverized by war and corrupted
by foreign invaders for thirty years. A society that had lost all sense of self-respect and that
despised itself for its subservience to one foreign master after another — a society that had been
turned into a literal brothel for millions of soldiers from foreign countries — was tearing itself
apart in a fury of self-destruction.23
Similar scenes were taking place in other cities. Thieu's million-man army equipped with excellent
American weapons simply self-destructed seeking some kind of safety, somewhere other than in
Vietnam.
The Last Days of Saigon
This spreading panic threatened Saigon as that city prepared to defend itself. Gerald Ford, formerly
Nixon’s vice-President, became commander in chief in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned because of his
23 The New Yorker, (April 14, 1975), pp. 27-28.
involvement in the cover up of a break-in of the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate. President
Ford and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, asked Congress for another $700 million to defend the
rest of South Vietnam. But Congress, by this time tired of the long war, refused. Kissinger, Thieu and
others later blamed the U.S. Congress for the defeat, which followed.
One month after the fall of
Danang the North Vietnamese army
marched into Saigon. As the enemy army
approached the capital, the ARVN
collapsed completely and surrendered
with hardly a fight. With it, billions of
dollars of U.S. equipment fell into the
hands of North Vietnam. Meanwhile
men, women and children tried
desperately to escape the enemy. Fifty
thousand people fled Saigon the week
before the communist forces arrived.
Seven thousand were air lifted by
helicopter to waiting U.S. ships off shore
in the last 18 hours. The million
Vietnamese who had depended on the
U.S. had good reason to fear living under
control of the victorious communist army
after 29 years of brutal warfare.
Although the outcome certainly could not please the U.S., at least the long war was finally over.
Assessment/Formal and Summative
Start discussion centered around topics outlined below. Students will then begin formal assessment.
Student Exercises:
1. Describe and try to account for the failure of the 1973 peace agreement and the subsequent collapse of
the South Vietnamese government in the Spring of 1975.
2. Do you think that Congress made the right decision not to vote for an additional $700 million to defend
Saigon? Why or why not?
3. Given the final outcome of the war, evaluate U.S. policy in Vietnam - a mistake from the beginning or a
noble, but unsuccessful effort. Explain. (Note: last chapter focuses totally on this question).
World History
Bill Nobles
4-16-18 to 4-20-18
Tuesday and Wednesday
Students will review unit exam on the 1960’s and the Vietnam War and then take the examon the following day.
World History
Bill Nobles
Thursday and Friday
Journey through the United States Domestic and Foreign Policy from 1970 to 199
Performance Expectations:
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
c. describe the various forms institutions take, and explain how they develop and change over time
VI. Power Authority, & Governance
i. evaluate the extent to which governments achieve their stated ideals and policies at home and abroad;
What is the student going to learn and why?
The student will learn about domestic and foreign policy in the United States throughout the 1970s until the fall of the Soviet Union. They will be addressing the challenges and opportunities that exist for the United States as we enter the 21st century as well. These two initiatives address two standards and give the students the opportunity to create an understanding of domestic and foreign policy. The student will be focusing their energy on researching the United States domestic policy as it relates to the ever-changing stance that our government takes on Environmentalism. Their research will begin in the 1970's while they look at the birth of Environmentalism, and it will move chronologically through the next three decades as they look at how different Presidents and different Congresses change our policies concerning the Environment. This is important because it will help to show the students how while we might value the environment during one decade, after a Presidential change, the nation may turn their domestic concerns to other topics. The students will complete this learning objective by creating an interactive timeline and completing a shortened essay in order to tie the information together. From this point, the students will look into the foreign policy and its evolution since the 1970s. Students will be using the information regarding the evolution of foreign policy to then diagnose challenges that the United States may experience, as the 21st century gets under way, and recognize opportunity that exists for the United States as well.
How does this project affect life outside of school?
The student researches the nation's past, recent, and future policy decisions. The student will begin to recognize patterns in policy and notice that much of their life today is influenced by the
decisions made regarding domestic or foreign US policy. As the students are listening to the news after completing this project, it may result in a better understanding of current events. By this point, many high school students have also formulated opinions regarding the environment, and the United States' foreign involvement. Upon completion of this project, students are granted the opportunity to formulate more authoritative, educated opinions regarding the two topics.
What makes this project important to the community or the world around the student?
When individuals are more aware of the political world around them, they are more active citizens and participants in their community. If we as educators are working to develop global citizens and participants, we must provide an opportunity for the student to understand the United States position of policy both historically and currently as well as domestic and foreign.
Questions that the student will be able to answer by doing this project:
- How did domestic policy evolved through the 20 years in question?
- How did foreign policy evolved throughout the 20 years in question?
- In the future, what challenges does United States policy face?
- In the future, what opportunities does the United States policy have for positive change?
Tasks and activities:
Part A: PowerPoint Presentation
- The history of domestic policy slide show:
ï‚· The PowerPoint will guide the students through the past 40 years and the domestic policy regarding the environment. They will need to create 1-2 slides per decade and explain important policy changes that occurred during that time period. (see student handout attached for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Part B: Essay
- Domestic policy essay
ï‚· The essay will consist of an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The essay will be spiraling through the slideshow information. They will need to explain how the domestic policy regarding the environment has evolved throughout the last 40 years to begin the essay. They will then
continue to outline the challenges that the United States faces with its environmental policies in the near future. To complete the essay they will synthesize what they believe are opportunities for betterment that the United States has in their near future.(see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 45 minutes
Part C: Essay
- Foreign policy essay
ï‚· This final essay will be three sections. The first section will be explaining foreign policy in each decade. The second section will begin by explaining the evolution of foreign policy through the four decades and end discussing the current foreign policies that the United States is working with. The third section is similar to the essay on domestic policy and they will once again be using three challenges and three opportunities. To conclude the essay, they will choose one of the selected quotes and explain what they believe is better plan for future United States foreign policy. (see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Assessment-Formative
Essay
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 3/12 to Thursday 3/15
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Monday, Mar. 12
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Mar. 13
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday, Mar. 14
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Thursday, Mar.. 15
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Noble
Thursday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
|
World History The Cold War
Tuesday and Wednesday Objectives: 1) Compare and contrast the causes and courses of World Wars I and II; 2) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 3) Explain the United States' policy of containment Class Work: Document-Based Question; paragraph writing; guided reading
Thursday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie, Atomic Cafe
Friday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 2) Analyze the role of nuclear weapons in keeping the conflict between the US and USSR "cold" Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie; Analyze political cartoon
Government American Government Bill Nobles Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6
Description This lesson is designed to examine the formal amendment process for the U.S. Constitution
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 2: The student will describe the historic and philosophical foundations of the United States republican system of government. 6. Analyze the steps of the constitutional amendment process including examples of recent attempts to amend the United States Constitution as exemplified in the issues of the Equal Rights Amendment and flag desecration.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials -Pen -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Assign the section and the graphic organizer in the text, p. 79-83.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Introduction of the topic: the students will be informed that today the class will discuss the formal amendment process. The discussion will center around the following discussion questions; A. What has been the most often used method for ratification and why? B. How many of the amendments were ratified this way? C. What method was used to ratify the 21st Amendment and why? D. Describe the other two methods for ratification. 4. Class discussion.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on the class discussion.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 85-88, then complete the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles Date: Thursday, Feb. 08
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will re-read the section, p. 85-88, then finish the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 09
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how federal and state governments interact and share powers over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the Federal and State governments use expressed and implied powers.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 90-95, then engage in discussion.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will discuss the use of implied and expressed powers at the State and Federal levels.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on their response to discussion questions. |
World History
World War II
Monday-The Home Front
During World War II African Americans found themselves with conflicting feelings about supporting the war effort when their own country did not offer them the freedom America was fighting for overseas. The Double Victory - Double V - campaign, begun by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1942, helped to address this issue. It encouraged African Americans to participate at every level in winning the war abroad, while simultaneously fighting for their civil rights at home.
Tuesday-Nazism and Fascism
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators pursued a program to systematically persecute and destroy six million Jews. Nazi ideology identified other enemies; they were targeted for racial, ethnic or political reasons.
During this lesson, high school students will understand the German National Socialism (Nazi) extermination campaign against European Jewry and other targeted groups within the context of World War II history; appraise responses to the Holocaust by governments and individuals; reflect on racism and stereotyping; and reflect on responsibility and remembrance
Wednesday-D Day
General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote his “order of the day” on D-Day, the Allied invasion of France, which spelled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich and Nazi domination of Europe. These confident words were given to every person involved in the operation. However, very few, including Eisenhower himself, had absolute confidence in the mission. In fact, unknown even to Eisenhower’s inner circle, Ike had already written an announcement the invasion had failed, and that he accepted the blame.
In this lesson, students will investigate the complex aspects of Operation Overlord, including the commanders, geography and history, political, and technological challenges that made this one of the most difficult military operations in history
Thursday and Friday The Pacific War
In this lesson, students will review the historic significance of a controversy involving the Chicago Tribune, which published a series of stories inferring that the US had broken a secret Japanese code, which significantly assisted the US Navy in winning one of the biggest battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Battle of Midway. Did the Tribune go beyond the First Amendment right of freedom of the press in this instance?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
1-22-18 to 1-26-18
Date: Monday, Tuesday Jan. 22-23
Description
This lesson is designed to identify and define the basic concepts of democracy.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
4. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the major ways governmental power is distributed, shared, and structured in unitary, federal, and confederal systems in terms of effectiveness, prevention of abuse of power, and responsiveness to the popular will.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Objectives; Students will-
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will use a Bellringer worksheet which includes a passage on the Internet and Democracy. Students will read the passage and answer the questions.
3. Students will read Ch. 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24. .
4. Students will complete the graphic organizer on p. 20 and the reading comprehension worksheet handout.
5. Students will share and discuss their answers from the bellringer exercise.
Assessments-Summative
Students will be assessed through the Understanding of Main Ideas worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday-Friday, 1-24-14 to 1-26-1
Description
This lesson is designed to gather required benchmarks and reinforces the previous lesson on the basic concepts of democracy through the use of Jigsaw collaborative learning.
Objectives; Students will-
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
Procedures
Quote of the Day and Today in History
Assessment-Formative
Students understanding will be assessed based on a guided discussion on the five concepts of democracy.
Class: Periods 2-5 Topic: The Rise of Fascism
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Tuesday Political Upheaval in the 1920’s Instructional Objectives: Knowledge: The pupils
Understanding The pupils
Critical Thinking: The pupils
Skill: The pupils
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Thursday and Friday
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Lesson and Question: |
HOW CAN WE AVOID THE TRAP OF TYRANNY THAT SURVIVES IN THE REALM OF “ISMS”? |
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Concept Terminology: |
Tyranny, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, Marxism, Terrorism, Capitalism, Rule-of-Law, Oligarchy, Paramilitary, Great Terror, Einsatzgruppen, The Great Action, Fahrenheit 451, Orwell 1984, Vaclav Havel, Post-Truth, Solidary Labor Movement, Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Intellectual Property, Extremism, Perpetual State of Emergency, Reichstag Fire, Historical Generation |
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Warm Up:
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VIDEO – On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century – Author Interview – Timothy Snyder at the Wilson Center (11:16 mins)
According to author, what are the “isms” associated with Tyranny?
Quotation Interpretation: “We don’t recognize history until it knocks on our door” – Timothy Snyder
Do you agree/disagree? Be specific with your response. |
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Lesson Procedure:
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WARM UP: Above
INTRODUCTION: Timothy Snyder gives us a new translation and interpretation to historical experiences, including Nazism, Fascism, Communism and Terrorism as precursors to Tyranny focusing on our need to recognize the structures of disaster as they unfold, as well as society stopping and thinking before we accept a new reality or ideology. Tyrants are known to crafting alternative realities that people have readily adopted rather than questioned.
ACTIVITY:
Students will analyze, evaluate, annotate and synthesize excerpted secondary source based on Timothy Snyder’s book entitled On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century using Silent Sustainable Reading Strategy. Students will formulate a THESIS and support with evidence from the text. Upon completion they will engage in a Conversation With Yourself before Turn and Talk to discuss the following Critical Thinking Questions in a Share Out format:
According to the author:
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Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-16-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Monday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formmative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will copy a list from the Smart Board; direct democracy, indirect democracy, dictatorship, unitary government, federal government, confederation, presidential government, and parliamentary government. They will then circle each term that describes the U.S. government, then define each circled term.
3. Students will share and discuss their classifications that define The U.S. government.
4. Students will read pp. 12-14 on Participation and participate in Guided Discussion
5. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT-- Guided Discussion-(Where is the Power?)--UNITARY- a centralized government where all powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. (Most gov'ts are unitary in form) Federal government-one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. CONFEDERATE GOV'T-an alliance of independent states. Most power is held by independent states leaving the central government weak. Explain the relationship between legislative & executive agencies--Presidential: separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government. Parliamentary: Executive is made up of the prime minister or premier and that of officials’ cabinet. They themselves are members of the legislative branch, the parliament. Dictatorship exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.-dictatorship is probably the oldest & most common form of government known..
6. Discuss dictatorships based on the following; Why do dictatorships tend to endure for decades? Why do dictatorships tend to go hand in hand with military power? What circumstances are likely to create a dictatorship?
Assessments-Formative
Student understanding will be based on a class discussion on why Dictatorships adopt some form of democratic governments, such as popular election and elected legislative bodies?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-1618 to 1-19-18
Date: Tuesday and Wednesday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Objectives
3. Define governments based on who can participate
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
Students will be given a reading comprehension worksheet to complete. The students will read Ch. 1 Section 2, pp. 12-18. Students will complete the worksheet and then as a separate assignment answer the Section 2 Assessment questions #2, #3, and #5.
Assessment-Summative
Students understanding will be assessed based on the Reading Comprehension Worksheet and the Section assessment questions on p. 18.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1-18-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Thursday and Friday
Description
This lesson will identify and explain the five concepts of democracy by using a graphic organizer and teach students to identify real-world examples of the five concepts.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparation
Assign Chapter 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24 and the graphic organizer in the text.
Procedure
Today in History and Quote of the Day
Assessment-Summative and Formative
Students graphic organizers
World History Lesson Plans
Monday-Thursday 11/13 to 11/17
World History
Monday-Wednesday
Inventors of the Industrial Revolution
Interactive Powerepoint presentation
Have students complete the Inventor Chart and also require that they write questions they would like to know more about---one for each invention category. Do NOT have them take the quiz right away. Reconvene the class to share these questions for discussion and clarification purposes. Then have students return to the laptops for the quiz.
As a class discussion and lesson, have each student hypothesize what would have happened without a certain inventor by “subtracting” from the classroom, describing of things we use today traced back to the Industrial Revolution. For example, Betty says, “I subtract everything woven. We would all be wearing handwoven or hand-knit clothing if it weren’t for the Power Loom. If the class is split into two teams, they can earn points and compete by coming up with valid ideas.
Monday and Tuesday
Islamic Contributions to the World
Drinking industry and Distilled liquids
It was Muslim chemists who first invented pure distillation processes, which could fully purify chemical substances.
Purified distilled alcohol by Jabir ibn Hayyan in the 8th century
Hygiene industries
True soap made of vegetable oils (such as olive oil) or with
aromatics (such as thyme oil)were invented by al-Razi Rhazes. Perfumed and colored soaps and liquid and solid soaps were also invented by Muslim chemists as well.
Islamic Astronomy: Astronomical instruments
Muslim astronomers developed a number of astronomical instruments, These instruments were used by Muslims for a variety of purposes related to astronomy, astrology, horoscopes, navigation, surveying, and timekeeping.
Analog Machines (or Computers)
The Plate of Conjunctions, a computing instrument used to determine the time of day invented by al-Kashi in the 15th century. A mechanical planetary computer called the Plate of Zones could predict the true positions in longitude of the Sun and Moon, and the planets in terms of elliptical orbits.
Parachute
In 9th century Islamic Spain, Abbas Ibn Firnas (Armen Firnas) invented a primitive version of the parachute and the hand glider.
Camera
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), the "father of optics" and pioneer of the modern scientific method, invented the camera obscura and pinhole camera.He was the first person to realize that rays of light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, The word "camera" comes from the Arabic word qamara for a dark or private room. Ibn al-Haytham first described pinhole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters.
Chemical technology
Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), the father of chemistry, invented the alembic still and many chemicals, including distilled alcohol, and established the perfume industry.
Street lighting and litter collection facilities

The first street lamps were built in the Arab Empire, especially in Cordoba, which also had the first facilities and waste containers for litter collection.
Clock technology


Astronomical clocks
Muslim astronomers and engineers constructed a variety of highly accurate astronomical clocks for use in their observatories.
Mechanical clocks

The first mechanical clocks driven by weights, and gears and were invented by Muslim engineers. The first geared mechanical clocks were invented by the 11th century Arab engineer Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi from Islamic Spain.
Paper mill
Paper was introduced to the Muslim world by Chinese prisoners after the Battle of Talas. Muslims made several improvements to papermaking and built the first paper mills in Baghdad, Iraq, as early as 794.
Sugar refinery

The first sugar refineries were built by Muslim engineers. They were first driven by water mills, and then windmills from the 9th and 10th centuries in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
Fountain pen
The earliest historical record of a reservoir fountain pen dates back to the 10th century. In 953, Ma'ad al-Mu'izz, the caliph of Egypt, demanded a pen, which would not stain his hands or clothes, and was provided with a pen, which held ink in a reservoir.
On/off switch

The on and off switch was invented by Muslim engineers between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was employed in a variety of automatic and water clocks. The mechanism later had an influence on the development of the electric on/off switch, which appeared in the 1950s
Medical Technology

Muslim physicians pioneered a number of medical treatments, including: Tracheotomy by Ibn Zuhr in the 12th century. Muslim anesthesiologist invented inoculations, modern oral and inhalant anesthesia as well as the first smallpox vaccine in the form of cowpox. At least 2,000 medicinal substances were invented by Muslim technology.
Medical university and public hospital

The Islamic hospital-universities were the first free public hospitals, the first medical schools, and the first universities to issue diplomas. The first of these institutions was opened in Baghdad. They then appeared in Egypt from 872 and then in Islamic Spain, Persia and the Maghreb thereafter. Physicians and surgeons at Islamic hospital-universities gave lectures to medical students and a diploma would be issued to any student who completed his/her education and was qualified to be a doctor of Medicine.
Military technology

After the spread of early gunpowder from China to the Muslim world, Muslim chemists and engineers developed compositions for explosive gunpowder and their own weapons for use in gunpowder warfare.
Hand cannon, handgun, portable firearms
The first portable hand cannons (midfa) loaded with explosive gunpowder, the first example of a handgun and portable firearms were used by the Egyptians to repel the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, and again in 1304.
Wednesday and Thursday
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Until the late 1700’s, people of France accepted the fact that their king ruled by divine right, that Church teachings were correct, and that well-to-do nobles had privileges not enjoyed by the poor. But by the end of the century, Frenchmen no longer accepted these beliefs. This change in attitude came about as the result of writings by a group know as the ‘philisophes’. The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
John Locke 1. All men are free and equal at birth. 2. Everyone has the right to life liberty, & property. 3. Citizens have the right to overthrow the government when their natural rights are violated. 4. Rulers receive the right to govern from the people and unfair rulers can be forced from power. 5. Man is not born to be a good or evil person – he is made one way or other by his life experiences and society around him. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an undesirable leader because one-man rule limits basic freedoms such as speech, press, and religion. 2. There should be a ‘separation of powers’ in government between legislative, executive and judicial. 3. Slavery, torture, religious persecution, and censorship are all wrong. 4. A man is innocent until proven guilty. 5. When one country increases its military power, so do other countries; therefore all nations should limit their military strength in order to reduce the chances of war. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
Voltaire 1. A man should not be persecuted because of his religious beliefs. 2. Religious myths and ceremonies do nothing to make men better and should therefore be ignored. 3. Clergymen are more interested in increasing the power of the Church that they are in making man better. 4. A scientist is a greater person then a conquering general. 5. All men should be treated as equals and should have freedom of the speech and of the press. 6. Democracy is not a good form of government because the common people are not capable of governing themselves; the best government is one headed by a good and fair king. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. _______
Rousseau 1. It is unfair that some people are rich while other people are poor. 2. The rich should not enjoy special privileges. 3. Compared to man during the Stone Age, modern man is unhappy, insecure, and greedy. 4. Social and political reforms must be made before man can be a good person. 5. Democracy is a good form of government. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
QUESTIONS: 1. In the philosophes were alive today, do you think they would be generally satisfied or dissatisfied with social conditions and the type of government we have today. EXPLAIN! _______________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which three statements by the philosophes do you believe are of the greatest importance to mankind? a. ___________________________________________________________________ b. ___________________________________________________________________ c. ___________________________________________________________________
3. Choose one of the statements and tell why you disagree with it. a. Statement: __________________________________________________________ b. Reason for disagreement ________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Not all the philosophes held the same beliefs, but most agreed that: a. Reason should be used at all times b. The search for new knowledge and ideas should continue c. Improvements must be made in the system of justice to end unfair jail sentences, the torture of prisoners, and terrible conditions in prisons. d. Slavery and warfare should be done away with e. Freedom of religion, speech and press must be given to all f. Everyone should enjoy liberty and equality. g. There should be public education for all, not just schools for children of the wealthy.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Monday and Tuesday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Wednesday-Friday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
World History
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Monday
Students will read the following handout
The War is Finished
This chapter tells the story of the collapse of the South Vietnamese army and government. It raises
the question whether the U.S. deserted its ally at the end of a noble, if unsuccessful, effort or if it
simply had made a serious mistake from the beginning.
Readers will remember that the final peace agreement signed on January 27, 1973, allowed
President Thieu and his government to remain in power during the U.S. withdrawal. The treaty also
allowed the North Vietnamese to stay in South Vietnam, and called for an election to unite North and
South Vietnam. The election would be supervised by a 'National Council of Reconciliation', and not the
present government of South Vietnam. This Council was to be set up 'immediately after the cease-fire.'
North Vietnamese government officials were prepared to use the election to take control of South
Vietnam. They gave orders for their followers in the south to prepare for a political campaign. If they did
not win, of course, North Vietnam still had a 145,000-man army in South Vietnam.
President Thieu, however, never planned to allow a communist take over of South Vietnam by way
of an election. "If we allow the communists to operate," he said, "we will lose control of the country." That
explains his order to his police the day after he signed the Paris Peace Accord, to kill Vietnamese "who
suddenly begin taking a communist tone."
Violations of the Cease Fire
As it turned out, both sides cheated on the peace agreement before it even went into effect. Shortly
after he accepted the in-place cease-fire, Henry Kissinger telegraphed Thieu to take more territory from
the Vietcong. The day before the agreement was signed, the Vietcong took over some 300 villages
controlled by South Vietnam. On the first day of the peace agreement the South Vietnamese government
started attacking these villages to drive the Vietcong out.
From the winter of 1973 to the spring of 1975, the South Vietnamese government more or less
followed the orders given by President Thieu. Communists were arrested and put in jail. No steps were
taken to form the National Council of Reconciliation that was supposed to prepare for an election. And no
elections were held.
Corruption in South Vietnam
According to an old Vietnamese expression, 'a house leaks from the top.' President Thieu promoted
military officers based on their loyalty to him, and not their ability and performance as soldiers. He did
nothing to stop the corruption in his government. Thieu' s wife and her friends made millions of US
dollars buying and selling real estate in Saigon. They made their purchases based on what they knew the
government wanted to buy. Generals kept the money that was supposed to pay their soldiers. Army
officers sold weapons and ammunition to the Vietcong. Soldiers who were supposed to deliver military
supplies to the ARVN sold them on the black market. People who criticized the government were
arrested and thrown in jail. At the very bottom of this chain of corruption, the South Vietnamese soldier
did not have enough money to feed his family. Poorly motivated, led, trained, and fed, when the time
came, he was not prepared to fight.
Stage 3 of Guerrilla War
The South Vietnamese had failed to take the first steps that were supposed to lead to the Council of
National Reconciliation that would run free and democratic elections. The North Vietnamese
subsequently prepared for their final military campaign. After years of guerrilla warfare, North Vietnam
was prepared for Stage 3 — large unit attacks. The famous Ho Chi Minh trail, that for years had been
used to infiltrate men and supplies into South Vietnam, was a narrow jungle trail under protective
covering of trees. North Vietnam converted the trail into an all-weather highway. It stretched from North
Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia and into the Mekong delta, south of Saigon. With its various
feeder roads, it covered 12,000 miles. A 3,000-mile long pipeline was built to supply needed gas for the
North Vietnamese army. The road even had rest, service and repair stations. Anti-aircraft guns guarded
the roadway. Trucks, tanks and armed cars drove south down these roads. The Vietnamese had come a
long way from their guerrilla war days, and when the time came, they would be ready to strike.
Stage 3 of guerrilla warfare, full army attacks, began on March 10, 1975. First the South Vietnamese
Air Force was chased off by Russian anti-aircraft guns. Then North Vietnamese tanks poured in to their
first targeted town, Banmethout. Suddenly confronted by Russian tanks and a well-armed enemy, South
Vietnamese troops panicked and fled.
President Thieu decided to give up all of his positions near the North Vietnam border to
concentrate his troops in the southern region around Saigon. Then he changed his mind and ordered a
defense of the North. But the army general defending Pleiku fled by plane, leaving his soldiers and their
families to escape on their own. Before long some 200,000 leaderless men, women, and children were
fleeing toward Danang on the coast. But Danang itself was under attack. Soon, the South Vietnamese
army had turned into a terrorized mob of fleeing men. They used their weapons, if at all, to shoot
civilians in their path. Reaching the water's edge:
the soldiers went down to the beach, where some threw away their weapons and their uniforms
and dived into the sea to swim out to waiting American ships, while others commandeered boats
and then began firing at one another on the open water. Soon the scenes in Danang were repeated
in cities through most of South Vietnam. In one city, the soldiers were shooting at the owners of
the restaurants where they ate. Something deeper than the collapse of an army's discipline was
taking place. It was the disintegration of a society that had been pulverized by war and corrupted
by foreign invaders for thirty years. A society that had lost all sense of self-respect and that
despised itself for its subservience to one foreign master after another — a society that had been
turned into a literal brothel for millions of soldiers from foreign countries — was tearing itself
apart in a fury of self-destruction.23
Similar scenes were taking place in other cities. Thieu's million-man army equipped with excellent
American weapons simply self-destructed seeking some kind of safety, somewhere other than in
Vietnam.
The Last Days of Saigon
This spreading panic threatened Saigon as that city prepared to defend itself. Gerald Ford, formerly
Nixon’s vice-President, became commander in chief in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned because of his
23 The New Yorker, (April 14, 1975), pp. 27-28.
involvement in the cover up of a break-in of the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate. President
Ford and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, asked Congress for another $700 million to defend the
rest of South Vietnam. But Congress, by this time tired of the long war, refused. Kissinger, Thieu and
others later blamed the U.S. Congress for the defeat, which followed.
One month after the fall of
Danang the North Vietnamese army
marched into Saigon. As the enemy army
approached the capital, the ARVN
collapsed completely and surrendered
with hardly a fight. With it, billions of
dollars of U.S. equipment fell into the
hands of North Vietnam. Meanwhile
men, women and children tried
desperately to escape the enemy. Fifty
thousand people fled Saigon the week
before the communist forces arrived.
Seven thousand were air lifted by
helicopter to waiting U.S. ships off shore
in the last 18 hours. The million
Vietnamese who had depended on the
U.S. had good reason to fear living under
control of the victorious communist army
after 29 years of brutal warfare.
Although the outcome certainly could not please the U.S., at least the long war was finally over.
Assessment/Formal and Summative
Start discussion centered around topics outlined below. Students will then begin formal assessment.
Student Exercises:
1. Describe and try to account for the failure of the 1973 peace agreement and the subsequent collapse of
the South Vietnamese government in the Spring of 1975.
2. Do you think that Congress made the right decision not to vote for an additional $700 million to defend
Saigon? Why or why not?
3. Given the final outcome of the war, evaluate U.S. policy in Vietnam - a mistake from the beginning or a
noble, but unsuccessful effort. Explain. (Note: last chapter focuses totally on this question).
World History
Bill Nobles
4-16-18 to 4-20-18
Tuesday and Wednesday
Students will review unit exam on the 1960’s and the Vietnam War and then take the examon the following day.
World History
Bill Nobles
Thursday and Friday
Journey through the United States Domestic and Foreign Policy from 1970 to 199
Performance Expectations:
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
c. describe the various forms institutions take, and explain how they develop and change over time
VI. Power Authority, & Governance
i. evaluate the extent to which governments achieve their stated ideals and policies at home and abroad;
What is the student going to learn and why?
The student will learn about domestic and foreign policy in the United States throughout the 1970s until the fall of the Soviet Union. They will be addressing the challenges and opportunities that exist for the United States as we enter the 21st century as well. These two initiatives address two standards and give the students the opportunity to create an understanding of domestic and foreign policy. The student will be focusing their energy on researching the United States domestic policy as it relates to the ever-changing stance that our government takes on Environmentalism. Their research will begin in the 1970's while they look at the birth of Environmentalism, and it will move chronologically through the next three decades as they look at how different Presidents and different Congresses change our policies concerning the Environment. This is important because it will help to show the students how while we might value the environment during one decade, after a Presidential change, the nation may turn their domestic concerns to other topics. The students will complete this learning objective by creating an interactive timeline and completing a shortened essay in order to tie the information together. From this point, the students will look into the foreign policy and its evolution since the 1970s. Students will be using the information regarding the evolution of foreign policy to then diagnose challenges that the United States may experience, as the 21st century gets under way, and recognize opportunity that exists for the United States as well.
How does this project affect life outside of school?
The student researches the nation's past, recent, and future policy decisions. The student will begin to recognize patterns in policy and notice that much of their life today is influenced by the
decisions made regarding domestic or foreign US policy. As the students are listening to the news after completing this project, it may result in a better understanding of current events. By this point, many high school students have also formulated opinions regarding the environment, and the United States' foreign involvement. Upon completion of this project, students are granted the opportunity to formulate more authoritative, educated opinions regarding the two topics.
What makes this project important to the community or the world around the student?
When individuals are more aware of the political world around them, they are more active citizens and participants in their community. If we as educators are working to develop global citizens and participants, we must provide an opportunity for the student to understand the United States position of policy both historically and currently as well as domestic and foreign.
Questions that the student will be able to answer by doing this project:
- How did domestic policy evolved through the 20 years in question?
- How did foreign policy evolved throughout the 20 years in question?
- In the future, what challenges does United States policy face?
- In the future, what opportunities does the United States policy have for positive change?
Tasks and activities:
Part A: PowerPoint Presentation
- The history of domestic policy slide show:
ï‚· The PowerPoint will guide the students through the past 40 years and the domestic policy regarding the environment. They will need to create 1-2 slides per decade and explain important policy changes that occurred during that time period. (see student handout attached for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Part B: Essay
- Domestic policy essay
ï‚· The essay will consist of an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The essay will be spiraling through the slideshow information. They will need to explain how the domestic policy regarding the environment has evolved throughout the last 40 years to begin the essay. They will then
continue to outline the challenges that the United States faces with its environmental policies in the near future. To complete the essay they will synthesize what they believe are opportunities for betterment that the United States has in their near future.(see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 45 minutes
Part C: Essay
- Foreign policy essay
ï‚· This final essay will be three sections. The first section will be explaining foreign policy in each decade. The second section will begin by explaining the evolution of foreign policy through the four decades and end discussing the current foreign policies that the United States is working with. The third section is similar to the essay on domestic policy and they will once again be using three challenges and three opportunities. To conclude the essay, they will choose one of the selected quotes and explain what they believe is better plan for future United States foreign policy. (see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Assessment-Formative
Essay
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 3/12 to Thursday 3/15
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Monday, Mar. 12
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Mar. 13
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday, Mar. 14
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Thursday, Mar.. 15
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Noble
Thursday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
|
World History The Cold War
Tuesday and Wednesday Objectives: 1) Compare and contrast the causes and courses of World Wars I and II; 2) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 3) Explain the United States' policy of containment Class Work: Document-Based Question; paragraph writing; guided reading
Thursday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie, Atomic Cafe
Friday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 2) Analyze the role of nuclear weapons in keeping the conflict between the US and USSR "cold" Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie; Analyze political cartoon
Government American Government Bill Nobles Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6
Description This lesson is designed to examine the formal amendment process for the U.S. Constitution
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 2: The student will describe the historic and philosophical foundations of the United States republican system of government. 6. Analyze the steps of the constitutional amendment process including examples of recent attempts to amend the United States Constitution as exemplified in the issues of the Equal Rights Amendment and flag desecration.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials -Pen -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Assign the section and the graphic organizer in the text, p. 79-83.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Introduction of the topic: the students will be informed that today the class will discuss the formal amendment process. The discussion will center around the following discussion questions; A. What has been the most often used method for ratification and why? B. How many of the amendments were ratified this way? C. What method was used to ratify the 21st Amendment and why? D. Describe the other two methods for ratification. 4. Class discussion.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on the class discussion.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 85-88, then complete the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles Date: Thursday, Feb. 08
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will re-read the section, p. 85-88, then finish the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 09
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how federal and state governments interact and share powers over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the Federal and State governments use expressed and implied powers.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 90-95, then engage in discussion.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will discuss the use of implied and expressed powers at the State and Federal levels.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on their response to discussion questions. |
World History
World War II
Monday-The Home Front
During World War II African Americans found themselves with conflicting feelings about supporting the war effort when their own country did not offer them the freedom America was fighting for overseas. The Double Victory - Double V - campaign, begun by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1942, helped to address this issue. It encouraged African Americans to participate at every level in winning the war abroad, while simultaneously fighting for their civil rights at home.
Tuesday-Nazism and Fascism
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators pursued a program to systematically persecute and destroy six million Jews. Nazi ideology identified other enemies; they were targeted for racial, ethnic or political reasons.
During this lesson, high school students will understand the German National Socialism (Nazi) extermination campaign against European Jewry and other targeted groups within the context of World War II history; appraise responses to the Holocaust by governments and individuals; reflect on racism and stereotyping; and reflect on responsibility and remembrance
Wednesday-D Day
General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote his “order of the day” on D-Day, the Allied invasion of France, which spelled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich and Nazi domination of Europe. These confident words were given to every person involved in the operation. However, very few, including Eisenhower himself, had absolute confidence in the mission. In fact, unknown even to Eisenhower’s inner circle, Ike had already written an announcement the invasion had failed, and that he accepted the blame.
In this lesson, students will investigate the complex aspects of Operation Overlord, including the commanders, geography and history, political, and technological challenges that made this one of the most difficult military operations in history
Thursday and Friday The Pacific War
In this lesson, students will review the historic significance of a controversy involving the Chicago Tribune, which published a series of stories inferring that the US had broken a secret Japanese code, which significantly assisted the US Navy in winning one of the biggest battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Battle of Midway. Did the Tribune go beyond the First Amendment right of freedom of the press in this instance?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
1-22-18 to 1-26-18
Date: Monday, Tuesday Jan. 22-23
Description
This lesson is designed to identify and define the basic concepts of democracy.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
4. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the major ways governmental power is distributed, shared, and structured in unitary, federal, and confederal systems in terms of effectiveness, prevention of abuse of power, and responsiveness to the popular will.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Objectives; Students will-
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will use a Bellringer worksheet which includes a passage on the Internet and Democracy. Students will read the passage and answer the questions.
3. Students will read Ch. 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24. .
4. Students will complete the graphic organizer on p. 20 and the reading comprehension worksheet handout.
5. Students will share and discuss their answers from the bellringer exercise.
Assessments-Summative
Students will be assessed through the Understanding of Main Ideas worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday-Friday, 1-24-14 to 1-26-1
Description
This lesson is designed to gather required benchmarks and reinforces the previous lesson on the basic concepts of democracy through the use of Jigsaw collaborative learning.
Objectives; Students will-
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
Procedures
Quote of the Day and Today in History
Assessment-Formative
Students understanding will be assessed based on a guided discussion on the five concepts of democracy.
Class: Periods 2-5 Topic: The Rise of Fascism
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Tuesday Political Upheaval in the 1920’s Instructional Objectives: Knowledge: The pupils
Understanding The pupils
Critical Thinking: The pupils
Skill: The pupils
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Thursday and Friday
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Lesson and Question: |
HOW CAN WE AVOID THE TRAP OF TYRANNY THAT SURVIVES IN THE REALM OF “ISMS”? |
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Concept Terminology: |
Tyranny, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, Marxism, Terrorism, Capitalism, Rule-of-Law, Oligarchy, Paramilitary, Great Terror, Einsatzgruppen, The Great Action, Fahrenheit 451, Orwell 1984, Vaclav Havel, Post-Truth, Solidary Labor Movement, Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Intellectual Property, Extremism, Perpetual State of Emergency, Reichstag Fire, Historical Generation |
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Warm Up:
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VIDEO – On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century – Author Interview – Timothy Snyder at the Wilson Center (11:16 mins)
According to author, what are the “isms” associated with Tyranny?
Quotation Interpretation: “We don’t recognize history until it knocks on our door” – Timothy Snyder
Do you agree/disagree? Be specific with your response. |
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Lesson Procedure:
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WARM UP: Above
INTRODUCTION: Timothy Snyder gives us a new translation and interpretation to historical experiences, including Nazism, Fascism, Communism and Terrorism as precursors to Tyranny focusing on our need to recognize the structures of disaster as they unfold, as well as society stopping and thinking before we accept a new reality or ideology. Tyrants are known to crafting alternative realities that people have readily adopted rather than questioned.
ACTIVITY:
Students will analyze, evaluate, annotate and synthesize excerpted secondary source based on Timothy Snyder’s book entitled On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century using Silent Sustainable Reading Strategy. Students will formulate a THESIS and support with evidence from the text. Upon completion they will engage in a Conversation With Yourself before Turn and Talk to discuss the following Critical Thinking Questions in a Share Out format:
According to the author:
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Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-16-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Monday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formmative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will copy a list from the Smart Board; direct democracy, indirect democracy, dictatorship, unitary government, federal government, confederation, presidential government, and parliamentary government. They will then circle each term that describes the U.S. government, then define each circled term.
3. Students will share and discuss their classifications that define The U.S. government.
4. Students will read pp. 12-14 on Participation and participate in Guided Discussion
5. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT-- Guided Discussion-(Where is the Power?)--UNITARY- a centralized government where all powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. (Most gov'ts are unitary in form) Federal government-one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. CONFEDERATE GOV'T-an alliance of independent states. Most power is held by independent states leaving the central government weak. Explain the relationship between legislative & executive agencies--Presidential: separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government. Parliamentary: Executive is made up of the prime minister or premier and that of officials’ cabinet. They themselves are members of the legislative branch, the parliament. Dictatorship exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.-dictatorship is probably the oldest & most common form of government known..
6. Discuss dictatorships based on the following; Why do dictatorships tend to endure for decades? Why do dictatorships tend to go hand in hand with military power? What circumstances are likely to create a dictatorship?
Assessments-Formative
Student understanding will be based on a class discussion on why Dictatorships adopt some form of democratic governments, such as popular election and elected legislative bodies?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-1618 to 1-19-18
Date: Tuesday and Wednesday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Objectives
3. Define governments based on who can participate
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
Students will be given a reading comprehension worksheet to complete. The students will read Ch. 1 Section 2, pp. 12-18. Students will complete the worksheet and then as a separate assignment answer the Section 2 Assessment questions #2, #3, and #5.
Assessment-Summative
Students understanding will be assessed based on the Reading Comprehension Worksheet and the Section assessment questions on p. 18.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1-18-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Thursday and Friday
Description
This lesson will identify and explain the five concepts of democracy by using a graphic organizer and teach students to identify real-world examples of the five concepts.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparation
Assign Chapter 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24 and the graphic organizer in the text.
Procedure
Today in History and Quote of the Day
Assessment-Summative and Formative
Students graphic organizers
World History Lesson Plans
Monday-Thursday 11/13 to 11/17
World History
Monday-Wednesday
Inventors of the Industrial Revolution
Interactive Powerepoint presentation
Have students complete the Inventor Chart and also require that they write questions they would like to know more about---one for each invention category. Do NOT have them take the quiz right away. Reconvene the class to share these questions for discussion and clarification purposes. Then have students return to the laptops for the quiz.
As a class discussion and lesson, have each student hypothesize what would have happened without a certain inventor by “subtracting” from the classroom, describing of things we use today traced back to the Industrial Revolution. For example, Betty says, “I subtract everything woven. We would all be wearing handwoven or hand-knit clothing if it weren’t for the Power Loom. If the class is split into two teams, they can earn points and compete by coming up with valid ideas.
Monday and Tuesday
Islamic Contributions to the World
Drinking industry and Distilled liquids
It was Muslim chemists who first invented pure distillation processes, which could fully purify chemical substances.
Purified distilled alcohol by Jabir ibn Hayyan in the 8th century
Hygiene industries
True soap made of vegetable oils (such as olive oil) or with
aromatics (such as thyme oil)were invented by al-Razi Rhazes. Perfumed and colored soaps and liquid and solid soaps were also invented by Muslim chemists as well.
Islamic Astronomy: Astronomical instruments
Muslim astronomers developed a number of astronomical instruments, These instruments were used by Muslims for a variety of purposes related to astronomy, astrology, horoscopes, navigation, surveying, and timekeeping.
Analog Machines (or Computers)
The Plate of Conjunctions, a computing instrument used to determine the time of day invented by al-Kashi in the 15th century. A mechanical planetary computer called the Plate of Zones could predict the true positions in longitude of the Sun and Moon, and the planets in terms of elliptical orbits.
Parachute
In 9th century Islamic Spain, Abbas Ibn Firnas (Armen Firnas) invented a primitive version of the parachute and the hand glider.
Camera
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), the "father of optics" and pioneer of the modern scientific method, invented the camera obscura and pinhole camera.He was the first person to realize that rays of light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, The word "camera" comes from the Arabic word qamara for a dark or private room. Ibn al-Haytham first described pinhole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters.
Chemical technology
Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), the father of chemistry, invented the alembic still and many chemicals, including distilled alcohol, and established the perfume industry.
Street lighting and litter collection facilities

The first street lamps were built in the Arab Empire, especially in Cordoba, which also had the first facilities and waste containers for litter collection.
Clock technology


Astronomical clocks
Muslim astronomers and engineers constructed a variety of highly accurate astronomical clocks for use in their observatories.
Mechanical clocks

The first mechanical clocks driven by weights, and gears and were invented by Muslim engineers. The first geared mechanical clocks were invented by the 11th century Arab engineer Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi from Islamic Spain.
Paper mill
Paper was introduced to the Muslim world by Chinese prisoners after the Battle of Talas. Muslims made several improvements to papermaking and built the first paper mills in Baghdad, Iraq, as early as 794.
Sugar refinery

The first sugar refineries were built by Muslim engineers. They were first driven by water mills, and then windmills from the 9th and 10th centuries in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
Fountain pen
The earliest historical record of a reservoir fountain pen dates back to the 10th century. In 953, Ma'ad al-Mu'izz, the caliph of Egypt, demanded a pen, which would not stain his hands or clothes, and was provided with a pen, which held ink in a reservoir.
On/off switch

The on and off switch was invented by Muslim engineers between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was employed in a variety of automatic and water clocks. The mechanism later had an influence on the development of the electric on/off switch, which appeared in the 1950s
Medical Technology

Muslim physicians pioneered a number of medical treatments, including: Tracheotomy by Ibn Zuhr in the 12th century. Muslim anesthesiologist invented inoculations, modern oral and inhalant anesthesia as well as the first smallpox vaccine in the form of cowpox. At least 2,000 medicinal substances were invented by Muslim technology.
Medical university and public hospital

The Islamic hospital-universities were the first free public hospitals, the first medical schools, and the first universities to issue diplomas. The first of these institutions was opened in Baghdad. They then appeared in Egypt from 872 and then in Islamic Spain, Persia and the Maghreb thereafter. Physicians and surgeons at Islamic hospital-universities gave lectures to medical students and a diploma would be issued to any student who completed his/her education and was qualified to be a doctor of Medicine.
Military technology

After the spread of early gunpowder from China to the Muslim world, Muslim chemists and engineers developed compositions for explosive gunpowder and their own weapons for use in gunpowder warfare.
Hand cannon, handgun, portable firearms
The first portable hand cannons (midfa) loaded with explosive gunpowder, the first example of a handgun and portable firearms were used by the Egyptians to repel the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, and again in 1304.
Wednesday and Thursday
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Until the late 1700’s, people of France accepted the fact that their king ruled by divine right, that Church teachings were correct, and that well-to-do nobles had privileges not enjoyed by the poor. But by the end of the century, Frenchmen no longer accepted these beliefs. This change in attitude came about as the result of writings by a group know as the ‘philisophes’. The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
John Locke 1. All men are free and equal at birth. 2. Everyone has the right to life liberty, & property. 3. Citizens have the right to overthrow the government when their natural rights are violated. 4. Rulers receive the right to govern from the people and unfair rulers can be forced from power. 5. Man is not born to be a good or evil person – he is made one way or other by his life experiences and society around him. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an undesirable leader because one-man rule limits basic freedoms such as speech, press, and religion. 2. There should be a ‘separation of powers’ in government between legislative, executive and judicial. 3. Slavery, torture, religious persecution, and censorship are all wrong. 4. A man is innocent until proven guilty. 5. When one country increases its military power, so do other countries; therefore all nations should limit their military strength in order to reduce the chances of war. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
Voltaire 1. A man should not be persecuted because of his religious beliefs. 2. Religious myths and ceremonies do nothing to make men better and should therefore be ignored. 3. Clergymen are more interested in increasing the power of the Church that they are in making man better. 4. A scientist is a greater person then a conquering general. 5. All men should be treated as equals and should have freedom of the speech and of the press. 6. Democracy is not a good form of government because the common people are not capable of governing themselves; the best government is one headed by a good and fair king. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. _______
Rousseau 1. It is unfair that some people are rich while other people are poor. 2. The rich should not enjoy special privileges. 3. Compared to man during the Stone Age, modern man is unhappy, insecure, and greedy. 4. Social and political reforms must be made before man can be a good person. 5. Democracy is a good form of government. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
QUESTIONS: 1. In the philosophes were alive today, do you think they would be generally satisfied or dissatisfied with social conditions and the type of government we have today. EXPLAIN! _______________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which three statements by the philosophes do you believe are of the greatest importance to mankind? a. ___________________________________________________________________ b. ___________________________________________________________________ c. ___________________________________________________________________
3. Choose one of the statements and tell why you disagree with it. a. Statement: __________________________________________________________ b. Reason for disagreement ________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Not all the philosophes held the same beliefs, but most agreed that: a. Reason should be used at all times b. The search for new knowledge and ideas should continue c. Improvements must be made in the system of justice to end unfair jail sentences, the torture of prisoners, and terrible conditions in prisons. d. Slavery and warfare should be done away with e. Freedom of religion, speech and press must be given to all f. Everyone should enjoy liberty and equality. g. There should be public education for all, not just schools for children of the wealthy.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Monday and Tuesday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Wednesday-Friday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
World History
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Monday
Students will read the following handout
The War is Finished
This chapter tells the story of the collapse of the South Vietnamese army and government. It raises
the question whether the U.S. deserted its ally at the end of a noble, if unsuccessful, effort or if it
simply had made a serious mistake from the beginning.
Readers will remember that the final peace agreement signed on January 27, 1973, allowed
President Thieu and his government to remain in power during the U.S. withdrawal. The treaty also
allowed the North Vietnamese to stay in South Vietnam, and called for an election to unite North and
South Vietnam. The election would be supervised by a 'National Council of Reconciliation', and not the
present government of South Vietnam. This Council was to be set up 'immediately after the cease-fire.'
North Vietnamese government officials were prepared to use the election to take control of South
Vietnam. They gave orders for their followers in the south to prepare for a political campaign. If they did
not win, of course, North Vietnam still had a 145,000-man army in South Vietnam.
President Thieu, however, never planned to allow a communist take over of South Vietnam by way
of an election. "If we allow the communists to operate," he said, "we will lose control of the country." That
explains his order to his police the day after he signed the Paris Peace Accord, to kill Vietnamese "who
suddenly begin taking a communist tone."
Violations of the Cease Fire
As it turned out, both sides cheated on the peace agreement before it even went into effect. Shortly
after he accepted the in-place cease-fire, Henry Kissinger telegraphed Thieu to take more territory from
the Vietcong. The day before the agreement was signed, the Vietcong took over some 300 villages
controlled by South Vietnam. On the first day of the peace agreement the South Vietnamese government
started attacking these villages to drive the Vietcong out.
From the winter of 1973 to the spring of 1975, the South Vietnamese government more or less
followed the orders given by President Thieu. Communists were arrested and put in jail. No steps were
taken to form the National Council of Reconciliation that was supposed to prepare for an election. And no
elections were held.
Corruption in South Vietnam
According to an old Vietnamese expression, 'a house leaks from the top.' President Thieu promoted
military officers based on their loyalty to him, and not their ability and performance as soldiers. He did
nothing to stop the corruption in his government. Thieu' s wife and her friends made millions of US
dollars buying and selling real estate in Saigon. They made their purchases based on what they knew the
government wanted to buy. Generals kept the money that was supposed to pay their soldiers. Army
officers sold weapons and ammunition to the Vietcong. Soldiers who were supposed to deliver military
supplies to the ARVN sold them on the black market. People who criticized the government were
arrested and thrown in jail. At the very bottom of this chain of corruption, the South Vietnamese soldier
did not have enough money to feed his family. Poorly motivated, led, trained, and fed, when the time
came, he was not prepared to fight.
Stage 3 of Guerrilla War
The South Vietnamese had failed to take the first steps that were supposed to lead to the Council of
National Reconciliation that would run free and democratic elections. The North Vietnamese
subsequently prepared for their final military campaign. After years of guerrilla warfare, North Vietnam
was prepared for Stage 3 — large unit attacks. The famous Ho Chi Minh trail, that for years had been
used to infiltrate men and supplies into South Vietnam, was a narrow jungle trail under protective
covering of trees. North Vietnam converted the trail into an all-weather highway. It stretched from North
Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia and into the Mekong delta, south of Saigon. With its various
feeder roads, it covered 12,000 miles. A 3,000-mile long pipeline was built to supply needed gas for the
North Vietnamese army. The road even had rest, service and repair stations. Anti-aircraft guns guarded
the roadway. Trucks, tanks and armed cars drove south down these roads. The Vietnamese had come a
long way from their guerrilla war days, and when the time came, they would be ready to strike.
Stage 3 of guerrilla warfare, full army attacks, began on March 10, 1975. First the South Vietnamese
Air Force was chased off by Russian anti-aircraft guns. Then North Vietnamese tanks poured in to their
first targeted town, Banmethout. Suddenly confronted by Russian tanks and a well-armed enemy, South
Vietnamese troops panicked and fled.
President Thieu decided to give up all of his positions near the North Vietnam border to
concentrate his troops in the southern region around Saigon. Then he changed his mind and ordered a
defense of the North. But the army general defending Pleiku fled by plane, leaving his soldiers and their
families to escape on their own. Before long some 200,000 leaderless men, women, and children were
fleeing toward Danang on the coast. But Danang itself was under attack. Soon, the South Vietnamese
army had turned into a terrorized mob of fleeing men. They used their weapons, if at all, to shoot
civilians in their path. Reaching the water's edge:
the soldiers went down to the beach, where some threw away their weapons and their uniforms
and dived into the sea to swim out to waiting American ships, while others commandeered boats
and then began firing at one another on the open water. Soon the scenes in Danang were repeated
in cities through most of South Vietnam. In one city, the soldiers were shooting at the owners of
the restaurants where they ate. Something deeper than the collapse of an army's discipline was
taking place. It was the disintegration of a society that had been pulverized by war and corrupted
by foreign invaders for thirty years. A society that had lost all sense of self-respect and that
despised itself for its subservience to one foreign master after another — a society that had been
turned into a literal brothel for millions of soldiers from foreign countries — was tearing itself
apart in a fury of self-destruction.23
Similar scenes were taking place in other cities. Thieu's million-man army equipped with excellent
American weapons simply self-destructed seeking some kind of safety, somewhere other than in
Vietnam.
The Last Days of Saigon
This spreading panic threatened Saigon as that city prepared to defend itself. Gerald Ford, formerly
Nixon’s vice-President, became commander in chief in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned because of his
23 The New Yorker, (April 14, 1975), pp. 27-28.
involvement in the cover up of a break-in of the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate. President
Ford and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, asked Congress for another $700 million to defend the
rest of South Vietnam. But Congress, by this time tired of the long war, refused. Kissinger, Thieu and
others later blamed the U.S. Congress for the defeat, which followed.
One month after the fall of
Danang the North Vietnamese army
marched into Saigon. As the enemy army
approached the capital, the ARVN
collapsed completely and surrendered
with hardly a fight. With it, billions of
dollars of U.S. equipment fell into the
hands of North Vietnam. Meanwhile
men, women and children tried
desperately to escape the enemy. Fifty
thousand people fled Saigon the week
before the communist forces arrived.
Seven thousand were air lifted by
helicopter to waiting U.S. ships off shore
in the last 18 hours. The million
Vietnamese who had depended on the
U.S. had good reason to fear living under
control of the victorious communist army
after 29 years of brutal warfare.
Although the outcome certainly could not please the U.S., at least the long war was finally over.
Assessment/Formal and Summative
Start discussion centered around topics outlined below. Students will then begin formal assessment.
Student Exercises:
1. Describe and try to account for the failure of the 1973 peace agreement and the subsequent collapse of
the South Vietnamese government in the Spring of 1975.
2. Do you think that Congress made the right decision not to vote for an additional $700 million to defend
Saigon? Why or why not?
3. Given the final outcome of the war, evaluate U.S. policy in Vietnam - a mistake from the beginning or a
noble, but unsuccessful effort. Explain. (Note: last chapter focuses totally on this question).
World History
Bill Nobles
4-16-18 to 4-20-18
Tuesday and Wednesday
Students will review unit exam on the 1960’s and the Vietnam War and then take the examon the following day.
World History
Bill Nobles
Thursday and Friday
Journey through the United States Domestic and Foreign Policy from 1970 to 199
Performance Expectations:
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
c. describe the various forms institutions take, and explain how they develop and change over time
VI. Power Authority, & Governance
i. evaluate the extent to which governments achieve their stated ideals and policies at home and abroad;
What is the student going to learn and why?
The student will learn about domestic and foreign policy in the United States throughout the 1970s until the fall of the Soviet Union. They will be addressing the challenges and opportunities that exist for the United States as we enter the 21st century as well. These two initiatives address two standards and give the students the opportunity to create an understanding of domestic and foreign policy. The student will be focusing their energy on researching the United States domestic policy as it relates to the ever-changing stance that our government takes on Environmentalism. Their research will begin in the 1970's while they look at the birth of Environmentalism, and it will move chronologically through the next three decades as they look at how different Presidents and different Congresses change our policies concerning the Environment. This is important because it will help to show the students how while we might value the environment during one decade, after a Presidential change, the nation may turn their domestic concerns to other topics. The students will complete this learning objective by creating an interactive timeline and completing a shortened essay in order to tie the information together. From this point, the students will look into the foreign policy and its evolution since the 1970s. Students will be using the information regarding the evolution of foreign policy to then diagnose challenges that the United States may experience, as the 21st century gets under way, and recognize opportunity that exists for the United States as well.
How does this project affect life outside of school?
The student researches the nation's past, recent, and future policy decisions. The student will begin to recognize patterns in policy and notice that much of their life today is influenced by the
decisions made regarding domestic or foreign US policy. As the students are listening to the news after completing this project, it may result in a better understanding of current events. By this point, many high school students have also formulated opinions regarding the environment, and the United States' foreign involvement. Upon completion of this project, students are granted the opportunity to formulate more authoritative, educated opinions regarding the two topics.
What makes this project important to the community or the world around the student?
When individuals are more aware of the political world around them, they are more active citizens and participants in their community. If we as educators are working to develop global citizens and participants, we must provide an opportunity for the student to understand the United States position of policy both historically and currently as well as domestic and foreign.
Questions that the student will be able to answer by doing this project:
- How did domestic policy evolved through the 20 years in question?
- How did foreign policy evolved throughout the 20 years in question?
- In the future, what challenges does United States policy face?
- In the future, what opportunities does the United States policy have for positive change?
Tasks and activities:
Part A: PowerPoint Presentation
- The history of domestic policy slide show:
ï‚· The PowerPoint will guide the students through the past 40 years and the domestic policy regarding the environment. They will need to create 1-2 slides per decade and explain important policy changes that occurred during that time period. (see student handout attached for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Part B: Essay
- Domestic policy essay
ï‚· The essay will consist of an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The essay will be spiraling through the slideshow information. They will need to explain how the domestic policy regarding the environment has evolved throughout the last 40 years to begin the essay. They will then
continue to outline the challenges that the United States faces with its environmental policies in the near future. To complete the essay they will synthesize what they believe are opportunities for betterment that the United States has in their near future.(see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 45 minutes
Part C: Essay
- Foreign policy essay
ï‚· This final essay will be three sections. The first section will be explaining foreign policy in each decade. The second section will begin by explaining the evolution of foreign policy through the four decades and end discussing the current foreign policies that the United States is working with. The third section is similar to the essay on domestic policy and they will once again be using three challenges and three opportunities. To conclude the essay, they will choose one of the selected quotes and explain what they believe is better plan for future United States foreign policy. (see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Assessment-Formative
Essay
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 3/12 to Thursday 3/15
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Monday, Mar. 12
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Mar. 13
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday, Mar. 14
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Thursday, Mar.. 15
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Noble
Thursday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
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World History The Cold War
Tuesday and Wednesday Objectives: 1) Compare and contrast the causes and courses of World Wars I and II; 2) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 3) Explain the United States' policy of containment Class Work: Document-Based Question; paragraph writing; guided reading
Thursday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie, Atomic Cafe
Friday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 2) Analyze the role of nuclear weapons in keeping the conflict between the US and USSR "cold" Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie; Analyze political cartoon
Government American Government Bill Nobles Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6
Description This lesson is designed to examine the formal amendment process for the U.S. Constitution
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 2: The student will describe the historic and philosophical foundations of the United States republican system of government. 6. Analyze the steps of the constitutional amendment process including examples of recent attempts to amend the United States Constitution as exemplified in the issues of the Equal Rights Amendment and flag desecration.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials -Pen -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Assign the section and the graphic organizer in the text, p. 79-83.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Introduction of the topic: the students will be informed that today the class will discuss the formal amendment process. The discussion will center around the following discussion questions; A. What has been the most often used method for ratification and why? B. How many of the amendments were ratified this way? C. What method was used to ratify the 21st Amendment and why? D. Describe the other two methods for ratification. 4. Class discussion.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on the class discussion.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 85-88, then complete the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles Date: Thursday, Feb. 08
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will re-read the section, p. 85-88, then finish the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 09
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how federal and state governments interact and share powers over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the Federal and State governments use expressed and implied powers.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 90-95, then engage in discussion.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will discuss the use of implied and expressed powers at the State and Federal levels.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on their response to discussion questions. |
World History
World War II
Monday-The Home Front
During World War II African Americans found themselves with conflicting feelings about supporting the war effort when their own country did not offer them the freedom America was fighting for overseas. The Double Victory - Double V - campaign, begun by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1942, helped to address this issue. It encouraged African Americans to participate at every level in winning the war abroad, while simultaneously fighting for their civil rights at home.
Tuesday-Nazism and Fascism
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators pursued a program to systematically persecute and destroy six million Jews. Nazi ideology identified other enemies; they were targeted for racial, ethnic or political reasons.
During this lesson, high school students will understand the German National Socialism (Nazi) extermination campaign against European Jewry and other targeted groups within the context of World War II history; appraise responses to the Holocaust by governments and individuals; reflect on racism and stereotyping; and reflect on responsibility and remembrance
Wednesday-D Day
General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote his “order of the day” on D-Day, the Allied invasion of France, which spelled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich and Nazi domination of Europe. These confident words were given to every person involved in the operation. However, very few, including Eisenhower himself, had absolute confidence in the mission. In fact, unknown even to Eisenhower’s inner circle, Ike had already written an announcement the invasion had failed, and that he accepted the blame.
In this lesson, students will investigate the complex aspects of Operation Overlord, including the commanders, geography and history, political, and technological challenges that made this one of the most difficult military operations in history
Thursday and Friday The Pacific War
In this lesson, students will review the historic significance of a controversy involving the Chicago Tribune, which published a series of stories inferring that the US had broken a secret Japanese code, which significantly assisted the US Navy in winning one of the biggest battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Battle of Midway. Did the Tribune go beyond the First Amendment right of freedom of the press in this instance?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
1-22-18 to 1-26-18
Date: Monday, Tuesday Jan. 22-23
Description
This lesson is designed to identify and define the basic concepts of democracy.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
4. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the major ways governmental power is distributed, shared, and structured in unitary, federal, and confederal systems in terms of effectiveness, prevention of abuse of power, and responsiveness to the popular will.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Objectives; Students will-
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will use a Bellringer worksheet which includes a passage on the Internet and Democracy. Students will read the passage and answer the questions.
3. Students will read Ch. 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24. .
4. Students will complete the graphic organizer on p. 20 and the reading comprehension worksheet handout.
5. Students will share and discuss their answers from the bellringer exercise.
Assessments-Summative
Students will be assessed through the Understanding of Main Ideas worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday-Friday, 1-24-14 to 1-26-1
Description
This lesson is designed to gather required benchmarks and reinforces the previous lesson on the basic concepts of democracy through the use of Jigsaw collaborative learning.
Objectives; Students will-
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
Procedures
Quote of the Day and Today in History
Assessment-Formative
Students understanding will be assessed based on a guided discussion on the five concepts of democracy.
Class: Periods 2-5 Topic: The Rise of Fascism
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Tuesday Political Upheaval in the 1920’s Instructional Objectives: Knowledge: The pupils
Understanding The pupils
Critical Thinking: The pupils
Skill: The pupils
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Thursday and Friday
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Lesson and Question: |
HOW CAN WE AVOID THE TRAP OF TYRANNY THAT SURVIVES IN THE REALM OF “ISMS”? |
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Concept Terminology: |
Tyranny, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, Marxism, Terrorism, Capitalism, Rule-of-Law, Oligarchy, Paramilitary, Great Terror, Einsatzgruppen, The Great Action, Fahrenheit 451, Orwell 1984, Vaclav Havel, Post-Truth, Solidary Labor Movement, Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Intellectual Property, Extremism, Perpetual State of Emergency, Reichstag Fire, Historical Generation |
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Warm Up:
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VIDEO – On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century – Author Interview – Timothy Snyder at the Wilson Center (11:16 mins)
According to author, what are the “isms” associated with Tyranny?
Quotation Interpretation: “We don’t recognize history until it knocks on our door” – Timothy Snyder
Do you agree/disagree? Be specific with your response. |
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Lesson Procedure:
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WARM UP: Above
INTRODUCTION: Timothy Snyder gives us a new translation and interpretation to historical experiences, including Nazism, Fascism, Communism and Terrorism as precursors to Tyranny focusing on our need to recognize the structures of disaster as they unfold, as well as society stopping and thinking before we accept a new reality or ideology. Tyrants are known to crafting alternative realities that people have readily adopted rather than questioned.
ACTIVITY:
Students will analyze, evaluate, annotate and synthesize excerpted secondary source based on Timothy Snyder’s book entitled On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century using Silent Sustainable Reading Strategy. Students will formulate a THESIS and support with evidence from the text. Upon completion they will engage in a Conversation With Yourself before Turn and Talk to discuss the following Critical Thinking Questions in a Share Out format:
According to the author:
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Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-16-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Monday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formmative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will copy a list from the Smart Board; direct democracy, indirect democracy, dictatorship, unitary government, federal government, confederation, presidential government, and parliamentary government. They will then circle each term that describes the U.S. government, then define each circled term.
3. Students will share and discuss their classifications that define The U.S. government.
4. Students will read pp. 12-14 on Participation and participate in Guided Discussion
5. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT-- Guided Discussion-(Where is the Power?)--UNITARY- a centralized government where all powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. (Most gov'ts are unitary in form) Federal government-one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. CONFEDERATE GOV'T-an alliance of independent states. Most power is held by independent states leaving the central government weak. Explain the relationship between legislative & executive agencies--Presidential: separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government. Parliamentary: Executive is made up of the prime minister or premier and that of officials’ cabinet. They themselves are members of the legislative branch, the parliament. Dictatorship exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.-dictatorship is probably the oldest & most common form of government known..
6. Discuss dictatorships based on the following; Why do dictatorships tend to endure for decades? Why do dictatorships tend to go hand in hand with military power? What circumstances are likely to create a dictatorship?
Assessments-Formative
Student understanding will be based on a class discussion on why Dictatorships adopt some form of democratic governments, such as popular election and elected legislative bodies?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-1618 to 1-19-18
Date: Tuesday and Wednesday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Objectives
3. Define governments based on who can participate
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
Students will be given a reading comprehension worksheet to complete. The students will read Ch. 1 Section 2, pp. 12-18. Students will complete the worksheet and then as a separate assignment answer the Section 2 Assessment questions #2, #3, and #5.
Assessment-Summative
Students understanding will be assessed based on the Reading Comprehension Worksheet and the Section assessment questions on p. 18.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1-18-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Thursday and Friday
Description
This lesson will identify and explain the five concepts of democracy by using a graphic organizer and teach students to identify real-world examples of the five concepts.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparation
Assign Chapter 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24 and the graphic organizer in the text.
Procedure
Today in History and Quote of the Day
Assessment-Summative and Formative
Students graphic organizers
World History Lesson Plans
Monday-Thursday 11/13 to 11/17
World History
Monday-Wednesday
Inventors of the Industrial Revolution
Interactive Powerepoint presentation
Have students complete the Inventor Chart and also require that they write questions they would like to know more about---one for each invention category. Do NOT have them take the quiz right away. Reconvene the class to share these questions for discussion and clarification purposes. Then have students return to the laptops for the quiz.
As a class discussion and lesson, have each student hypothesize what would have happened without a certain inventor by “subtracting” from the classroom, describing of things we use today traced back to the Industrial Revolution. For example, Betty says, “I subtract everything woven. We would all be wearing handwoven or hand-knit clothing if it weren’t for the Power Loom. If the class is split into two teams, they can earn points and compete by coming up with valid ideas.
Monday and Tuesday
Islamic Contributions to the World
Drinking industry and Distilled liquids
It was Muslim chemists who first invented pure distillation processes, which could fully purify chemical substances.
Purified distilled alcohol by Jabir ibn Hayyan in the 8th century
Hygiene industries
True soap made of vegetable oils (such as olive oil) or with
aromatics (such as thyme oil)were invented by al-Razi Rhazes. Perfumed and colored soaps and liquid and solid soaps were also invented by Muslim chemists as well.
Islamic Astronomy: Astronomical instruments
Muslim astronomers developed a number of astronomical instruments, These instruments were used by Muslims for a variety of purposes related to astronomy, astrology, horoscopes, navigation, surveying, and timekeeping.
Analog Machines (or Computers)
The Plate of Conjunctions, a computing instrument used to determine the time of day invented by al-Kashi in the 15th century. A mechanical planetary computer called the Plate of Zones could predict the true positions in longitude of the Sun and Moon, and the planets in terms of elliptical orbits.
Parachute
In 9th century Islamic Spain, Abbas Ibn Firnas (Armen Firnas) invented a primitive version of the parachute and the hand glider.
Camera
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), the "father of optics" and pioneer of the modern scientific method, invented the camera obscura and pinhole camera.He was the first person to realize that rays of light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, The word "camera" comes from the Arabic word qamara for a dark or private room. Ibn al-Haytham first described pinhole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters.
Chemical technology
Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), the father of chemistry, invented the alembic still and many chemicals, including distilled alcohol, and established the perfume industry.
Street lighting and litter collection facilities

The first street lamps were built in the Arab Empire, especially in Cordoba, which also had the first facilities and waste containers for litter collection.
Clock technology


Astronomical clocks
Muslim astronomers and engineers constructed a variety of highly accurate astronomical clocks for use in their observatories.
Mechanical clocks

The first mechanical clocks driven by weights, and gears and were invented by Muslim engineers. The first geared mechanical clocks were invented by the 11th century Arab engineer Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi from Islamic Spain.
Paper mill
Paper was introduced to the Muslim world by Chinese prisoners after the Battle of Talas. Muslims made several improvements to papermaking and built the first paper mills in Baghdad, Iraq, as early as 794.
Sugar refinery

The first sugar refineries were built by Muslim engineers. They were first driven by water mills, and then windmills from the 9th and 10th centuries in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
Fountain pen
The earliest historical record of a reservoir fountain pen dates back to the 10th century. In 953, Ma'ad al-Mu'izz, the caliph of Egypt, demanded a pen, which would not stain his hands or clothes, and was provided with a pen, which held ink in a reservoir.
On/off switch

The on and off switch was invented by Muslim engineers between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was employed in a variety of automatic and water clocks. The mechanism later had an influence on the development of the electric on/off switch, which appeared in the 1950s
Medical Technology

Muslim physicians pioneered a number of medical treatments, including: Tracheotomy by Ibn Zuhr in the 12th century. Muslim anesthesiologist invented inoculations, modern oral and inhalant anesthesia as well as the first smallpox vaccine in the form of cowpox. At least 2,000 medicinal substances were invented by Muslim technology.
Medical university and public hospital

The Islamic hospital-universities were the first free public hospitals, the first medical schools, and the first universities to issue diplomas. The first of these institutions was opened in Baghdad. They then appeared in Egypt from 872 and then in Islamic Spain, Persia and the Maghreb thereafter. Physicians and surgeons at Islamic hospital-universities gave lectures to medical students and a diploma would be issued to any student who completed his/her education and was qualified to be a doctor of Medicine.
Military technology

After the spread of early gunpowder from China to the Muslim world, Muslim chemists and engineers developed compositions for explosive gunpowder and their own weapons for use in gunpowder warfare.
Hand cannon, handgun, portable firearms
The first portable hand cannons (midfa) loaded with explosive gunpowder, the first example of a handgun and portable firearms were used by the Egyptians to repel the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, and again in 1304.
Wednesday and Thursday
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Until the late 1700’s, people of France accepted the fact that their king ruled by divine right, that Church teachings were correct, and that well-to-do nobles had privileges not enjoyed by the poor. But by the end of the century, Frenchmen no longer accepted these beliefs. This change in attitude came about as the result of writings by a group know as the ‘philisophes’. The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
John Locke 1. All men are free and equal at birth. 2. Everyone has the right to life liberty, & property. 3. Citizens have the right to overthrow the government when their natural rights are violated. 4. Rulers receive the right to govern from the people and unfair rulers can be forced from power. 5. Man is not born to be a good or evil person – he is made one way or other by his life experiences and society around him. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an undesirable leader because one-man rule limits basic freedoms such as speech, press, and religion. 2. There should be a ‘separation of powers’ in government between legislative, executive and judicial. 3. Slavery, torture, religious persecution, and censorship are all wrong. 4. A man is innocent until proven guilty. 5. When one country increases its military power, so do other countries; therefore all nations should limit their military strength in order to reduce the chances of war. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
Voltaire 1. A man should not be persecuted because of his religious beliefs. 2. Religious myths and ceremonies do nothing to make men better and should therefore be ignored. 3. Clergymen are more interested in increasing the power of the Church that they are in making man better. 4. A scientist is a greater person then a conquering general. 5. All men should be treated as equals and should have freedom of the speech and of the press. 6. Democracy is not a good form of government because the common people are not capable of governing themselves; the best government is one headed by a good and fair king. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. _______
Rousseau 1. It is unfair that some people are rich while other people are poor. 2. The rich should not enjoy special privileges. 3. Compared to man during the Stone Age, modern man is unhappy, insecure, and greedy. 4. Social and political reforms must be made before man can be a good person. 5. Democracy is a good form of government. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
QUESTIONS: 1. In the philosophes were alive today, do you think they would be generally satisfied or dissatisfied with social conditions and the type of government we have today. EXPLAIN! _______________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which three statements by the philosophes do you believe are of the greatest importance to mankind? a. ___________________________________________________________________ b. ___________________________________________________________________ c. ___________________________________________________________________
3. Choose one of the statements and tell why you disagree with it. a. Statement: __________________________________________________________ b. Reason for disagreement ________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Not all the philosophes held the same beliefs, but most agreed that: a. Reason should be used at all times b. The search for new knowledge and ideas should continue c. Improvements must be made in the system of justice to end unfair jail sentences, the torture of prisoners, and terrible conditions in prisons. d. Slavery and warfare should be done away with e. Freedom of religion, speech and press must be given to all f. Everyone should enjoy liberty and equality. g. There should be public education for all, not just schools for children of the wealthy.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Monday and Tuesday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Date: Wednesday-Friday
Description
This lesson will identify how much power should the President have?
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 4: The student will examine the United States Constitution by comparing the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as they form and transform American society.
2. Examine the makeup, organization, functions, and authority exercised by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
A. Identify constitutional qualifications for holding public office, the terms of office, and the expressed powers delegated to each branch of the national government including the numbers of members comprising the United States Congress and United States Supreme Court.
B. Evaluate the extent to which each branch of government reflects the people’s sovereignty including current issues concerning representation such as term limitations and legislative redistricting.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Assign the section, the graphic organizer in the text, and the Reading Comprehension Worksheet before class. L2 Differentiate Reading Comprehension Worksheet.
3. Write the following on the board: Examine the two political cartoons on page 402 of your textbook. Answer the questions in the feature in your notebook.
4. Have students discuss their responses to the Bellringer activity. Possible answers: (left cartoon: strong presidential powers are shown controlling the smaller, weaker Congress; right cartoon: a perceived weak and meek President subtly uses his authority to gain power over a willing Congress) Write common aspects of students’ analyses on the board. Have students look at the section’s "The Means of Gaining Power." Ask: Should the President’s power have limits? List students’ opinions on the board under "Reasons For" and "Reasons Against."
Assessments-Summative
Have students complete the Core Worksheet by identifying the power granted by the Constitution to the President as it applies to each scenario. Then, have students determine whether the situation described is within or beyond the prescribed powers and explain their reasoning in their charts.
World History
Bill Nobles
Haskell High School
4-23-18 to 4-27-18
Monday
Students will read the following handout
The War is Finished
This chapter tells the story of the collapse of the South Vietnamese army and government. It raises
the question whether the U.S. deserted its ally at the end of a noble, if unsuccessful, effort or if it
simply had made a serious mistake from the beginning.
Readers will remember that the final peace agreement signed on January 27, 1973, allowed
President Thieu and his government to remain in power during the U.S. withdrawal. The treaty also
allowed the North Vietnamese to stay in South Vietnam, and called for an election to unite North and
South Vietnam. The election would be supervised by a 'National Council of Reconciliation', and not the
present government of South Vietnam. This Council was to be set up 'immediately after the cease-fire.'
North Vietnamese government officials were prepared to use the election to take control of South
Vietnam. They gave orders for their followers in the south to prepare for a political campaign. If they did
not win, of course, North Vietnam still had a 145,000-man army in South Vietnam.
President Thieu, however, never planned to allow a communist take over of South Vietnam by way
of an election. "If we allow the communists to operate," he said, "we will lose control of the country." That
explains his order to his police the day after he signed the Paris Peace Accord, to kill Vietnamese "who
suddenly begin taking a communist tone."
Violations of the Cease Fire
As it turned out, both sides cheated on the peace agreement before it even went into effect. Shortly
after he accepted the in-place cease-fire, Henry Kissinger telegraphed Thieu to take more territory from
the Vietcong. The day before the agreement was signed, the Vietcong took over some 300 villages
controlled by South Vietnam. On the first day of the peace agreement the South Vietnamese government
started attacking these villages to drive the Vietcong out.
From the winter of 1973 to the spring of 1975, the South Vietnamese government more or less
followed the orders given by President Thieu. Communists were arrested and put in jail. No steps were
taken to form the National Council of Reconciliation that was supposed to prepare for an election. And no
elections were held.
Corruption in South Vietnam
According to an old Vietnamese expression, 'a house leaks from the top.' President Thieu promoted
military officers based on their loyalty to him, and not their ability and performance as soldiers. He did
nothing to stop the corruption in his government. Thieu' s wife and her friends made millions of US
dollars buying and selling real estate in Saigon. They made their purchases based on what they knew the
government wanted to buy. Generals kept the money that was supposed to pay their soldiers. Army
officers sold weapons and ammunition to the Vietcong. Soldiers who were supposed to deliver military
supplies to the ARVN sold them on the black market. People who criticized the government were
arrested and thrown in jail. At the very bottom of this chain of corruption, the South Vietnamese soldier
did not have enough money to feed his family. Poorly motivated, led, trained, and fed, when the time
came, he was not prepared to fight.
Stage 3 of Guerrilla War
The South Vietnamese had failed to take the first steps that were supposed to lead to the Council of
National Reconciliation that would run free and democratic elections. The North Vietnamese
subsequently prepared for their final military campaign. After years of guerrilla warfare, North Vietnam
was prepared for Stage 3 — large unit attacks. The famous Ho Chi Minh trail, that for years had been
used to infiltrate men and supplies into South Vietnam, was a narrow jungle trail under protective
covering of trees. North Vietnam converted the trail into an all-weather highway. It stretched from North
Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia and into the Mekong delta, south of Saigon. With its various
feeder roads, it covered 12,000 miles. A 3,000-mile long pipeline was built to supply needed gas for the
North Vietnamese army. The road even had rest, service and repair stations. Anti-aircraft guns guarded
the roadway. Trucks, tanks and armed cars drove south down these roads. The Vietnamese had come a
long way from their guerrilla war days, and when the time came, they would be ready to strike.
Stage 3 of guerrilla warfare, full army attacks, began on March 10, 1975. First the South Vietnamese
Air Force was chased off by Russian anti-aircraft guns. Then North Vietnamese tanks poured in to their
first targeted town, Banmethout. Suddenly confronted by Russian tanks and a well-armed enemy, South
Vietnamese troops panicked and fled.
President Thieu decided to give up all of his positions near the North Vietnam border to
concentrate his troops in the southern region around Saigon. Then he changed his mind and ordered a
defense of the North. But the army general defending Pleiku fled by plane, leaving his soldiers and their
families to escape on their own. Before long some 200,000 leaderless men, women, and children were
fleeing toward Danang on the coast. But Danang itself was under attack. Soon, the South Vietnamese
army had turned into a terrorized mob of fleeing men. They used their weapons, if at all, to shoot
civilians in their path. Reaching the water's edge:
the soldiers went down to the beach, where some threw away their weapons and their uniforms
and dived into the sea to swim out to waiting American ships, while others commandeered boats
and then began firing at one another on the open water. Soon the scenes in Danang were repeated
in cities through most of South Vietnam. In one city, the soldiers were shooting at the owners of
the restaurants where they ate. Something deeper than the collapse of an army's discipline was
taking place. It was the disintegration of a society that had been pulverized by war and corrupted
by foreign invaders for thirty years. A society that had lost all sense of self-respect and that
despised itself for its subservience to one foreign master after another — a society that had been
turned into a literal brothel for millions of soldiers from foreign countries — was tearing itself
apart in a fury of self-destruction.23
Similar scenes were taking place in other cities. Thieu's million-man army equipped with excellent
American weapons simply self-destructed seeking some kind of safety, somewhere other than in
Vietnam.
The Last Days of Saigon
This spreading panic threatened Saigon as that city prepared to defend itself. Gerald Ford, formerly
Nixon’s vice-President, became commander in chief in 1974 after Richard Nixon resigned because of his
23 The New Yorker, (April 14, 1975), pp. 27-28.
involvement in the cover up of a break-in of the Democratic Party headquarters in Watergate. President
Ford and his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, asked Congress for another $700 million to defend the
rest of South Vietnam. But Congress, by this time tired of the long war, refused. Kissinger, Thieu and
others later blamed the U.S. Congress for the defeat, which followed.
One month after the fall of
Danang the North Vietnamese army
marched into Saigon. As the enemy army
approached the capital, the ARVN
collapsed completely and surrendered
with hardly a fight. With it, billions of
dollars of U.S. equipment fell into the
hands of North Vietnam. Meanwhile
men, women and children tried
desperately to escape the enemy. Fifty
thousand people fled Saigon the week
before the communist forces arrived.
Seven thousand were air lifted by
helicopter to waiting U.S. ships off shore
in the last 18 hours. The million
Vietnamese who had depended on the
U.S. had good reason to fear living under
control of the victorious communist army
after 29 years of brutal warfare.
Although the outcome certainly could not please the U.S., at least the long war was finally over.
Assessment/Formal and Summative
Start discussion centered around topics outlined below. Students will then begin formal assessment.
Student Exercises:
1. Describe and try to account for the failure of the 1973 peace agreement and the subsequent collapse of
the South Vietnamese government in the Spring of 1975.
2. Do you think that Congress made the right decision not to vote for an additional $700 million to defend
Saigon? Why or why not?
3. Given the final outcome of the war, evaluate U.S. policy in Vietnam - a mistake from the beginning or a
noble, but unsuccessful effort. Explain. (Note: last chapter focuses totally on this question).
World History
Bill Nobles
4-16-18 to 4-20-18
Tuesday and Wednesday
Students will review unit exam on the 1960’s and the Vietnam War and then take the examon the following day.
World History
Bill Nobles
Thursday and Friday
Journey through the United States Domestic and Foreign Policy from 1970 to 199
Performance Expectations:
V. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
c. describe the various forms institutions take, and explain how they develop and change over time
VI. Power Authority, & Governance
i. evaluate the extent to which governments achieve their stated ideals and policies at home and abroad;
What is the student going to learn and why?
The student will learn about domestic and foreign policy in the United States throughout the 1970s until the fall of the Soviet Union. They will be addressing the challenges and opportunities that exist for the United States as we enter the 21st century as well. These two initiatives address two standards and give the students the opportunity to create an understanding of domestic and foreign policy. The student will be focusing their energy on researching the United States domestic policy as it relates to the ever-changing stance that our government takes on Environmentalism. Their research will begin in the 1970's while they look at the birth of Environmentalism, and it will move chronologically through the next three decades as they look at how different Presidents and different Congresses change our policies concerning the Environment. This is important because it will help to show the students how while we might value the environment during one decade, after a Presidential change, the nation may turn their domestic concerns to other topics. The students will complete this learning objective by creating an interactive timeline and completing a shortened essay in order to tie the information together. From this point, the students will look into the foreign policy and its evolution since the 1970s. Students will be using the information regarding the evolution of foreign policy to then diagnose challenges that the United States may experience, as the 21st century gets under way, and recognize opportunity that exists for the United States as well.
How does this project affect life outside of school?
The student researches the nation's past, recent, and future policy decisions. The student will begin to recognize patterns in policy and notice that much of their life today is influenced by the
decisions made regarding domestic or foreign US policy. As the students are listening to the news after completing this project, it may result in a better understanding of current events. By this point, many high school students have also formulated opinions regarding the environment, and the United States' foreign involvement. Upon completion of this project, students are granted the opportunity to formulate more authoritative, educated opinions regarding the two topics.
What makes this project important to the community or the world around the student?
When individuals are more aware of the political world around them, they are more active citizens and participants in their community. If we as educators are working to develop global citizens and participants, we must provide an opportunity for the student to understand the United States position of policy both historically and currently as well as domestic and foreign.
Questions that the student will be able to answer by doing this project:
- How did domestic policy evolved through the 20 years in question?
- How did foreign policy evolved throughout the 20 years in question?
- In the future, what challenges does United States policy face?
- In the future, what opportunities does the United States policy have for positive change?
Tasks and activities:
Part A: PowerPoint Presentation
- The history of domestic policy slide show:
ï‚· The PowerPoint will guide the students through the past 40 years and the domestic policy regarding the environment. They will need to create 1-2 slides per decade and explain important policy changes that occurred during that time period. (see student handout attached for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Part B: Essay
- Domestic policy essay
ï‚· The essay will consist of an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The essay will be spiraling through the slideshow information. They will need to explain how the domestic policy regarding the environment has evolved throughout the last 40 years to begin the essay. They will then
continue to outline the challenges that the United States faces with its environmental policies in the near future. To complete the essay they will synthesize what they believe are opportunities for betterment that the United States has in their near future.(see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 45 minutes
Part C: Essay
- Foreign policy essay
ï‚· This final essay will be three sections. The first section will be explaining foreign policy in each decade. The second section will begin by explaining the evolution of foreign policy through the four decades and end discussing the current foreign policies that the United States is working with. The third section is similar to the essay on domestic policy and they will once again be using three challenges and three opportunities. To conclude the essay, they will choose one of the selected quotes and explain what they believe is better plan for future United States foreign policy. (see student handout for further details)
o Time necessary to complete: 120 minutes
Assessment-Formative
Essay
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 3/12 to Thursday 3/15
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Monday, Mar. 12
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Mar. 13
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday, Mar. 14
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Thursday, Mar.. 15
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
World History Lesson Plans
Monday 2/20 to Friday 2/23
Cold War America: The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Major Topics:
• Origins of the Vietnam War
• Tonkin Gulf & Escalation
• A War of Attrition
• The War’s Legacies
• Anti-War Movement
• End of the War
What did the United States lose in Vietnam?
This lesson teaches students that American involvement in Vietnam must be understood in the context of the Cold War. Students will draw from their earlier explorations of how Containment was implemented abroad and at home and use this knowledge to understand the roots and consequences of American intervention in Vietnam. The lesson spans several decades that cover the colonial history of Vietnam, the independence movement during World War II, the French-Vietnamese War, the country’s division at the 17th parallel, the escalation of the war following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, specific strategies and battles in fighting the war, the divisions that the war caused abroad and at home, the American loss and its consequences for the nation. Along the way, a range of perspectives teaches students that America’s longest war (up until that point) went through a number of transformations on the battlefield and in public support. Students will study the agency of ordinary Americans that both participated in and protested the war, diplomatic leaders across the world, and the important role played by the media in turning the tide of opinion in the war.
Step 1: Introduction to the Vietnam War (Class Time: 20 minutes)
Begin this lesson by immersing students in the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War. Project the Vietnam War Powerpoint presentation, accompanied by appropriate music from the period, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?”, or “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. (Alternatively, clips from films like Letters Home from Vietnam can provide an engaging introduction for students).
Step 2: Origins of the Vietnam War (Class Time: 55 minutes)
Begin this lesson by briefly asking students if they know how long the Vietnam War lasted. When did it begin and end? Tell students that the answers to these questions are not as simple as it would seem. Explain to students that although direct American involvement in what was to become the Vietnam War began in 1964 and lasted until 1975, the roots of the War were varied and can be traced back to the mid-1800s when the region became a colony of France. Introduce the focus question for the unit: What did the United States lose in Vietnam? Explain to the class that in order to really understand the conflict and the role it played in the larger Cold War, they’ll need to develop multiple explanations to answer the question. In this first part of the lesson, however, tell students that they will learn first about the origins of the Vietnam War by considering the following question from a variety of perspectives: Why did we fight the Vietnam War? Distribute Origins of the Vietnam War (CWA 4.1), a secondary source that provides historical context for the events leading up to U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. This document teaches students about the history of colonization and anti-colonialism in Vietnam and America’s containment policies post-World War II. The text can be read aloud as a class or in small groups. Note that this secondary source includes a number of time markers which detail a chronology of events leading to war. In order to help students understand and track the chronology, have them annotate and complete the text questions row by row together (or in small groups), carefully underlining dates and other time markers in order to build their own timeline of events. Project and distribute Southeast Asia Map (CWA 4.2) to reinforce the sequence of key events and to learn more about the region.
Distribute Why Fight the Vietnam War? (CWA 4.3) and tell students that they will now hear from four participants in the conflict: Ho Chi Minh, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using the source analysis tool (CWA 4.3), have students work in groups to first source each document and then summarize briefly how each historical actor would explain their answer to the focus question: Why fight the Vietnam War?
Step 3: Escalation - The Gulf of Tonkin (Class Time: 100 minutes) Origins of the War Review: In groups of two or three, have students quickly jot down their answers to the following two questions: Why did the United States fight the Vietnam War? Ask for volunteers to share their answers, which will likely vary, but should include mention of the U.S. commitment to its containment policies and the Vietnamese struggle, both North and South, for independence and self-determination.
Next, divide the class into groups of three or four. Distribute two copies of CWA 4.5 – The Tonkin Gulf Resolution to each group (students can share to save paper). Following the directions on the student handout, have the class first read and discuss the first historical context paragraph, and then listen to the audiotaped recordings of phone conversations between President Lyndon Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (transcripts are included for each conversation in CWA 4.5). Finally, have students discuss with their group the questions listed on page 22. Repeat this process with the second conversation, starting on page 26, and Johnson’s Tonkin Gulf Speech, which starts on page 29. As students discuss, circulate around the room to make sure they understand what happened on both August 2 and 4, and how the president’s team responded to those events.
Next, distribute or project CWA 4.6 – Vietnam Troop Escalation. Ask students what they notice from this chart to make sure they understand that after 1964, troop levels increased dramatically. Make sure students take note of the term “escalation” and understand what it means in the Vietnam context. Finally, distribute CWA 4.7 – Who Was Responsible? In groups, have students decide who they believed to be most responsible for the US’ military intervention in Vietnam, using the directions and rubric included in the student handout.
Step 4: A War of Attrition (Homework or Class Time: 30 minutes)
Inform students the warfare in Vietnam, both ground and air, is the focus today. They will study how the war was fought, from the military strategies employed to the impact of the fighting. Tell the class they will analyze for themselves why some historians, politicians, and veterans alike have called the Vietnam War a war of attrition, one in which traditional methods of fighting would not work. Distribute A War of Attrition (CWA 4.8) and have students either read it for homework or as a full class. This reading provides the class an overview of the ground and air war in Vietnam. As students read, have them circle in the text or images examples of non-traditional fighting methods that made the war difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Review as a class.
Step 6: What Happened at My Lai? (Class Time: 50 minutes)
Another key turning point during the Vietnam War was the My Lai massacre. The mass killing of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. soldiers took place on March 16, 1968, but did not become public until late 1969, when Seymour Hersh, journalist, reported the story. At the same time, the military tried Lieutenant William Calley with murder. Tell students that they will study the varying responses to the killing of over 300 unarmed women, men, and children. In particular, they will view the massacre at My Lai from five different perspectives: (1) Army Photographer William Haeberle and LIFE magazine journalists, (2) Lieutenant William Calley; (3) Lewis B. Puller Jr, a Vietnam veteran who wrote about the massacre in his autobiography; (4) Nguyen Hieu, an eye-witness, at My Lai; and (5) the Peers Commission report, the Army’s official investigation of the My Lai massacre and cover up. At the end of class, they will discuss the focus questions, What happened at My Lai? and Why is My Lai important?
First, distribute What Happened at My Lai (CWA 4.10). Each student should have one copy of the source analysis chart (pages 41- 42) and each group should have one copy of each primary source (pages 43 – 46). Depending on how much time you want to spend on the activity, you can either have each student review one or two sources and then share their findings with the group as a jigsaw activity, or have each student review each source and complete their charts independently, following the directions on the source analysis chart. Debrief the activity as a full class, asking students for their answers to the two focus questions: What happened at My Lai? Why was My Lai Important? Make sure all students have evidence to support their interpretations and that they consider the historical significance of the event to both the course of the Vietnam conflict and the larger Cold War battle, such as the following: • Many Americans believed that Lt. Calley was a scapegoat during the trial: the brutality of combat and war in general led American soldiers (the average age was 19) to commit atrocities otherwise unthinkable. The stress of war and the pain from losing friends inevitably led to the massacre. • Moreover, many believed low ranking soldiers took the blame even though they were just following orders from their superiors. • Others agreed with Lewis Puller, who took offense to the argument that war, rather than an individual, was to blame for the massacre. Puller, who also experienced vicious combat, took pride in his ability to control his emotions.
Step 7: Who Fought in Vietnam? (Class Time: 15 minutes)
Previously, students learned that My Lai massacre and cover-up, the Tet Offensive, and Walter Cronkite’s reaction to the Tet Offensive led many Americans to be skeptical about the war. Further inflaming the public, but most especially students, was the draft. The purpose of this lesson is 1) for students to understand how the draft worked, 2) to think about what they would have done if they were drafted, and 3) to analyze the significance of the draft. Students will investigate the following questions: Who fought in Vietnam? How were those men selected? Was the draft equitable? Distribute CWA 4.11 – Who Fought in Vietnam? Review the background information detailed on the first page. Next, project the Draft Lottery Chart on the second page of the handout. In groups, have students first determine if they would have been selected in that 1969 draft and then, what they would do if they were or weren’t selected, following the discussion questions listed on the first page.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 20
Description
This lesson will analyze how the two party system has affected American history.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Assign the section and the Venn graphic organizer in the text, p. 94-102.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Bellringer: Students will view the two party symbols in a Thomas Nast Political cartoon and write down the qualities associated with these animals. Discussion will be based on these and what students believe Nast’s purpose was using these two principals.
3. Introduce topic: Analyzing political parties through political cartoons.
4. Students will read Ch. 5 Section 2 and complete the political cartoon worksheet.
5. Students will discuss the last question on the worksheet on the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 might affect party balance and how events such as new technology, major historical events and cultural change can affect attitudes about political parties.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on the political party worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 21
Description
This lesson is designed to suffrage rights, voting requirements, and the historical relationship between voting and Civil Rights.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under
the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Examine the reasons for expansion of voting rights.
2. Analyze how voting qualification have changed over time.
3. Identify historical barriers and voter discrimination trends that have affected African-Americans historically.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Preparations
Organize the class into three groups and assign each group a section from the chapter.
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students groups will create a presentation detailing the main points of the section.
3. As the groups give their presentations they will create a study guide on the Smart Board outlining each section’s main points.
Assessments-Summative
Student understanding will be evaluated on class presentations
Foundations of American Government
Bill Noble
Thursday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 23
Description
This lesson is a review of the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will review the required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the oral review questions.
Foundations of American Government
Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Description
This lesson the Unit 2 exam covering Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Standards
Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government.
1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority.
2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time.
3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers.
4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
7. Analyze the United States government’s responsibility to protect minority rights while legitimizing majority rule including the rights of due process and equality under the law.
8. Cite specific textual and visual evidence and compare points of view regarding the shared values and ideals of American political culture as set forth in basic documents and speeches including the Declaration of Sentiments, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,
Franklin Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
Objectives-Students will:
1. Review the test items from the required chapters
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
-Textbook
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History.
2. Students will complete required test items
Assessment-Formative
Students answers to the exam
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World History The Cold War
Tuesday and Wednesday Objectives: 1) Compare and contrast the causes and courses of World Wars I and II; 2) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 3) Explain the United States' policy of containment Class Work: Document-Based Question; paragraph writing; guided reading
Thursday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie, Atomic Cafe
Friday Objectives: 1) Explain how mutual distrust developed into open hostility between the US and USSR after World War II; 2) Analyze the role of nuclear weapons in keeping the conflict between the US and USSR "cold" Class Work: Guided note-taking on movie; Analyze political cartoon
Government American Government Bill Nobles Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6
Description This lesson is designed to examine the formal amendment process for the U.S. Constitution
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 2: The student will describe the historic and philosophical foundations of the United States republican system of government. 6. Analyze the steps of the constitutional amendment process including examples of recent attempts to amend the United States Constitution as exemplified in the issues of the Equal Rights Amendment and flag desecration.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials -Pen -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Assign the section and the graphic organizer in the text, p. 79-83.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Introduction of the topic: the students will be informed that today the class will discuss the formal amendment process. The discussion will center around the following discussion questions; A. What has been the most often used method for ratification and why? B. How many of the amendments were ratified this way? C. What method was used to ratify the 21st Amendment and why? D. Describe the other two methods for ratification. 4. Class discussion.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on the class discussion.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 85-88, then complete the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles Date: Thursday, Feb. 08
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how basic legislation has added to our understanding of the Constitution over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the executive and legislative branches have interpreted the Constitution. 3. Analyze the role of party practices and custom in interpreting the Constitution.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will re-read the section, p. 85-88, then finish the cause and effect chart on p. 85.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will identify and discuss the five methods in which change occurs. 4. Students will hand in their cause and effects charts as an assessment.
Assessments-Summative Student understanding will be evaluated on their completion of the graphic organizer on p. 85. This is a two column cause and effect chart that must include separate items for each column.
American Government Bill Nobles
Date: Friday, Feb. 09
Description This lesson is designed to analyze the cause and effects of the day to day workings of the government the interpretation of the Constitution.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills. Content Standard 3: The student will analyze the fundamental principles of the American system of government. 1. Explain the concept of popular sovereignty as exercised by the nation’s people who possess the ultimate source of authority. 2. Examine the American system of federalism and evaluate the changes that have occurred in the relationship between the states and the national government over time. 3. Analyze the enumerated powers delegated to the federal government by the states in the United States Constitution, the limits placed on the powers of the national government, and the powers of the states including the reserved and concurrent powers. 4. Summarize and explain the relationships and the responsibilities between national and state governments, tribal and local governments.
Objectives-Students will: 1. Identify how federal and state governments interact and share powers over time. 2. Describe the ways in which the Federal and State governments use expressed and implied powers.
Materials -Pen -Class Notebooks -Smart Board and Internet Access -Textbook
Preparations Prior to instruction the students will read the section, p. 90-95, then engage in discussion.
Procedures 1. Quote of the Day and Today in History. 2. Students will read the section. 3. Students will discuss the use of implied and expressed powers at the State and Federal levels.
Assessments-Formative Student understanding will be evaluated on their response to discussion questions. |
World History
World War II
Monday-The Home Front
During World War II African Americans found themselves with conflicting feelings about supporting the war effort when their own country did not offer them the freedom America was fighting for overseas. The Double Victory - Double V - campaign, begun by the Pittsburgh Courier newspaper in 1942, helped to address this issue. It encouraged African Americans to participate at every level in winning the war abroad, while simultaneously fighting for their civil rights at home.
Tuesday-Nazism and Fascism
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators pursued a program to systematically persecute and destroy six million Jews. Nazi ideology identified other enemies; they were targeted for racial, ethnic or political reasons.
During this lesson, high school students will understand the German National Socialism (Nazi) extermination campaign against European Jewry and other targeted groups within the context of World War II history; appraise responses to the Holocaust by governments and individuals; reflect on racism and stereotyping; and reflect on responsibility and remembrance
Wednesday-D Day
General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote his “order of the day” on D-Day, the Allied invasion of France, which spelled the beginning of the end of the Third Reich and Nazi domination of Europe. These confident words were given to every person involved in the operation. However, very few, including Eisenhower himself, had absolute confidence in the mission. In fact, unknown even to Eisenhower’s inner circle, Ike had already written an announcement the invasion had failed, and that he accepted the blame.
In this lesson, students will investigate the complex aspects of Operation Overlord, including the commanders, geography and history, political, and technological challenges that made this one of the most difficult military operations in history
Thursday and Friday The Pacific War
In this lesson, students will review the historic significance of a controversy involving the Chicago Tribune, which published a series of stories inferring that the US had broken a secret Japanese code, which significantly assisted the US Navy in winning one of the biggest battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Battle of Midway. Did the Tribune go beyond the First Amendment right of freedom of the press in this instance?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
1-22-18 to 1-26-18
Date: Monday, Tuesday Jan. 22-23
Description
This lesson is designed to identify and define the basic concepts of democracy.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
4. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of the major ways governmental power is distributed, shared, and structured in unitary, federal, and confederal systems in terms of effectiveness, prevention of abuse of power, and responsiveness to the popular will.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Objectives; Students will-
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will use a Bellringer worksheet which includes a passage on the Internet and Democracy. Students will read the passage and answer the questions.
3. Students will read Ch. 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24. .
4. Students will complete the graphic organizer on p. 20 and the reading comprehension worksheet handout.
5. Students will share and discuss their answers from the bellringer exercise.
Assessments-Summative
Students will be assessed through the Understanding of Main Ideas worksheet.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Wednesday-Friday, 1-24-14 to 1-26-1
Description
This lesson is designed to gather required benchmarks and reinforces the previous lesson on the basic concepts of democracy through the use of Jigsaw collaborative learning.
Objectives; Students will-
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
3. Summarize and explain how the American system is a representative republic in which the citizenry is sovereign.
Procedures
Quote of the Day and Today in History
Assessment-Formative
Students understanding will be assessed based on a guided discussion on the five concepts of democracy.
Class: Periods 2-5 Topic: The Rise of Fascism
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Tuesday Political Upheaval in the 1920’s Instructional Objectives: Knowledge: The pupils
Understanding The pupils
Critical Thinking: The pupils
Skill: The pupils
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Thursday and Friday
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Lesson and Question: |
HOW CAN WE AVOID THE TRAP OF TYRANNY THAT SURVIVES IN THE REALM OF “ISMS”? |
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Concept Terminology: |
Tyranny, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, Marxism, Terrorism, Capitalism, Rule-of-Law, Oligarchy, Paramilitary, Great Terror, Einsatzgruppen, The Great Action, Fahrenheit 451, Orwell 1984, Vaclav Havel, Post-Truth, Solidary Labor Movement, Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Intellectual Property, Extremism, Perpetual State of Emergency, Reichstag Fire, Historical Generation |
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Warm Up:
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VIDEO – On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century – Author Interview – Timothy Snyder at the Wilson Center (11:16 mins)
According to author, what are the “isms” associated with Tyranny?
Quotation Interpretation: “We don’t recognize history until it knocks on our door” – Timothy Snyder
Do you agree/disagree? Be specific with your response. |
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Lesson Procedure:
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WARM UP: Above
INTRODUCTION: Timothy Snyder gives us a new translation and interpretation to historical experiences, including Nazism, Fascism, Communism and Terrorism as precursors to Tyranny focusing on our need to recognize the structures of disaster as they unfold, as well as society stopping and thinking before we accept a new reality or ideology. Tyrants are known to crafting alternative realities that people have readily adopted rather than questioned.
ACTIVITY:
Students will analyze, evaluate, annotate and synthesize excerpted secondary source based on Timothy Snyder’s book entitled On Tyranny: Lessons From the 20th Century using Silent Sustainable Reading Strategy. Students will formulate a THESIS and support with evidence from the text. Upon completion they will engage in a Conversation With Yourself before Turn and Talk to discuss the following Critical Thinking Questions in a Share Out format:
According to the author:
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Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-16-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Monday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Standards
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formmative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
1. Quote of the Day and Today in History
2. Bellringer: Students will copy a list from the Smart Board; direct democracy, indirect democracy, dictatorship, unitary government, federal government, confederation, presidential government, and parliamentary government. They will then circle each term that describes the U.S. government, then define each circled term.
3. Students will share and discuss their classifications that define The U.S. government.
4. Students will read pp. 12-14 on Participation and participate in Guided Discussion
5. FORMS OF GOVERNMENT-- Guided Discussion-(Where is the Power?)--UNITARY- a centralized government where all powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency. (Most gov'ts are unitary in form) Federal government-one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments. CONFEDERATE GOV'T-an alliance of independent states. Most power is held by independent states leaving the central government weak. Explain the relationship between legislative & executive agencies--Presidential: separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government. Parliamentary: Executive is made up of the prime minister or premier and that of officials’ cabinet. They themselves are members of the legislative branch, the parliament. Dictatorship exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.-dictatorship is probably the oldest & most common form of government known..
6. Discuss dictatorships based on the following; Why do dictatorships tend to endure for decades? Why do dictatorships tend to go hand in hand with military power? What circumstances are likely to create a dictatorship?
Assessments-Formative
Student understanding will be based on a class discussion on why Dictatorships adopt some form of democratic governments, such as popular election and elected legislative bodies?
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Periods-4, Monday-Friday, 1-1618 to 1-19-18
Date: Tuesday and Wednesday
Description
This lesson is designed to identify, compare, and contrast differing forms of government in the world today.
Objectives
3. Define governments based on who can participate
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics
Preparations
Prepare information using examples of different governments throughout the world for comparisons. MacGruder's American Government by Prentice Hall. Have students read Chapter 1 Section 2,pp. 12-18, followed by a formative assessment (Forms of government and concepts of democracy).
Procedures
Students will be given a reading comprehension worksheet to complete. The students will read Ch. 1 Section 2, pp. 12-18. Students will complete the worksheet and then as a separate assignment answer the Section 2 Assessment questions #2, #3, and #5.
Assessment-Summative
Students understanding will be assessed based on the Reading Comprehension Worksheet and the Section assessment questions on p. 18.
Foundations of American Government
American Government
Bill Nobles
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1-18-18 to 1-19-18
Date: Thursday and Friday
Description
This lesson will identify and explain the five concepts of democracy by using a graphic organizer and teach students to identify real-world examples of the five concepts.
Standards Process and Literacy Standard 1: Reading Skills. The student will develop and demonstrate social studies Common Core reading literacy skills.
Content Standard 1: The student will compare the formation of contemporary governments in terms of access, use, and justification of power.
CS 1.2. Cite specific textual and visual evidence to compare and contrast historic and contemporary examples of unlimited governments, known as authoritarian or totalitarian systems including dictatorships, theocracies, and absolute monarchies to examples of limited systems including direct democracies, representative democracies, constitutional monarchies, and republics.
Objectives-Students will:
Materials
-Pen
-Class Notebooks
-Smart Board and Internet Access
Preparation
Assign Chapter 1 Section 3, pp. 20-24 and the graphic organizer in the text.
Procedure
Today in History and Quote of the Day
Assessment-Summative and Formative
Students graphic organizers
World History Lesson Plans
Monday-Thursday 11/13 to 11/17
World History
Monday-Wednesday
Inventors of the Industrial Revolution
Interactive Powerepoint presentation
Have students complete the Inventor Chart and also require that they write questions they would like to know more about---one for each invention category. Do NOT have them take the quiz right away. Reconvene the class to share these questions for discussion and clarification purposes. Then have students return to the laptops for the quiz.
As a class discussion and lesson, have each student hypothesize what would have happened without a certain inventor by “subtracting” from the classroom, describing of things we use today traced back to the Industrial Revolution. For example, Betty says, “I subtract everything woven. We would all be wearing handwoven or hand-knit clothing if it weren’t for the Power Loom. If the class is split into two teams, they can earn points and compete by coming up with valid ideas.
Monday and Tuesday
Islamic Contributions to the World
Drinking industry and Distilled liquids
It was Muslim chemists who first invented pure distillation processes, which could fully purify chemical substances.
Purified distilled alcohol by Jabir ibn Hayyan in the 8th century
Hygiene industries
True soap made of vegetable oils (such as olive oil) or with
aromatics (such as thyme oil)were invented by al-Razi Rhazes. Perfumed and colored soaps and liquid and solid soaps were also invented by Muslim chemists as well.
Islamic Astronomy: Astronomical instruments
Muslim astronomers developed a number of astronomical instruments, These instruments were used by Muslims for a variety of purposes related to astronomy, astrology, horoscopes, navigation, surveying, and timekeeping.
Analog Machines (or Computers)
The Plate of Conjunctions, a computing instrument used to determine the time of day invented by al-Kashi in the 15th century. A mechanical planetary computer called the Plate of Zones could predict the true positions in longitude of the Sun and Moon, and the planets in terms of elliptical orbits.
Parachute
In 9th century Islamic Spain, Abbas Ibn Firnas (Armen Firnas) invented a primitive version of the parachute and the hand glider.
Camera
Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), the "father of optics" and pioneer of the modern scientific method, invented the camera obscura and pinhole camera.He was the first person to realize that rays of light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, The word "camera" comes from the Arabic word qamara for a dark or private room. Ibn al-Haytham first described pinhole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters.
Chemical technology
Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber), the father of chemistry, invented the alembic still and many chemicals, including distilled alcohol, and established the perfume industry.
Street lighting and litter collection facilities

The first street lamps were built in the Arab Empire, especially in Cordoba, which also had the first facilities and waste containers for litter collection.
Clock technology


Astronomical clocks
Muslim astronomers and engineers constructed a variety of highly accurate astronomical clocks for use in their observatories.
Mechanical clocks

The first mechanical clocks driven by weights, and gears and were invented by Muslim engineers. The first geared mechanical clocks were invented by the 11th century Arab engineer Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi from Islamic Spain.
Paper mill
Paper was introduced to the Muslim world by Chinese prisoners after the Battle of Talas. Muslims made several improvements to papermaking and built the first paper mills in Baghdad, Iraq, as early as 794.
Sugar refinery

The first sugar refineries were built by Muslim engineers. They were first driven by water mills, and then windmills from the 9th and 10th centuries in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.
Fountain pen
The earliest historical record of a reservoir fountain pen dates back to the 10th century. In 953, Ma'ad al-Mu'izz, the caliph of Egypt, demanded a pen, which would not stain his hands or clothes, and was provided with a pen, which held ink in a reservoir.
On/off switch

The on and off switch was invented by Muslim engineers between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was employed in a variety of automatic and water clocks. The mechanism later had an influence on the development of the electric on/off switch, which appeared in the 1950s
Medical Technology

Muslim physicians pioneered a number of medical treatments, including: Tracheotomy by Ibn Zuhr in the 12th century. Muslim anesthesiologist invented inoculations, modern oral and inhalant anesthesia as well as the first smallpox vaccine in the form of cowpox. At least 2,000 medicinal substances were invented by Muslim technology.
Medical university and public hospital

The Islamic hospital-universities were the first free public hospitals, the first medical schools, and the first universities to issue diplomas. The first of these institutions was opened in Baghdad. They then appeared in Egypt from 872 and then in Islamic Spain, Persia and the Maghreb thereafter. Physicians and surgeons at Islamic hospital-universities gave lectures to medical students and a diploma would be issued to any student who completed his/her education and was qualified to be a doctor of Medicine.
Military technology

After the spread of early gunpowder from China to the Muslim world, Muslim chemists and engineers developed compositions for explosive gunpowder and their own weapons for use in gunpowder warfare.
Hand cannon, handgun, portable firearms
The first portable hand cannons (midfa) loaded with explosive gunpowder, the first example of a handgun and portable firearms were used by the Egyptians to repel the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, and again in 1304.
Wednesday and Thursday
THE ENLIGHTENMENT
Until the late 1700’s, people of France accepted the fact that their king ruled by divine right, that Church teachings were correct, and that well-to-do nobles had privileges not enjoyed by the poor. But by the end of the century, Frenchmen no longer accepted these beliefs. This change in attitude came about as the result of writings by a group know as the ‘philisophes’. The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
The philisophes were intelligent, reasonable men who felt there was much about life in Europe that was unfair and unjust. Since most philosophes were from France and since France was ruled by an absolute monarchy surrounded by a privileged nobility, the French way of life came under particular attack. The chart which follows lists four leading thinkers of the 1700’s. They published writings during a perid called the Age of Reason, or Enlightenment. Many ideas from the Enlightenment were eventually adopted by countries in Europe and around the world. Ideas even spread to the United States and are today a part of our way of life. Read each statement by the philisophes given on the chart and decide whether the statement is a true description of present American life. If it is true of the United States today, fill in the space with yes. If the ideas or attitude is not true of present life in the U.S., put no in the space.
John Locke 1. All men are free and equal at birth. 2. Everyone has the right to life liberty, & property. 3. Citizens have the right to overthrow the government when their natural rights are violated. 4. Rulers receive the right to govern from the people and unfair rulers can be forced from power. 5. Man is not born to be a good or evil person – he is made one way or other by his life experiences and society around him. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an Baron de Montesquieu 1. An absolute ruler in an undesirable leader because one-man rule limits basic freedoms such as speech, press, and religion. 2. There should be a ‘separation of powers’ in government between legislative, executive and judicial. 3. Slavery, torture, religious persecution, and censorship are all wrong. 4. A man is innocent until proven guilty. 5. When one country increases its military power, so do other countries; therefore all nations should limit their military strength in order to reduce the chances of war. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
Voltaire 1. A man should not be persecuted because of his religious beliefs. 2. Religious myths and ceremonies do nothing to make men better and should therefore be ignored. 3. Clergymen are more interested in increasing the power of the Church that they are in making man better. 4. A scientist is a greater person then a conquering general. 5. All men should be treated as equals and should have freedom of the speech and of the press. 6. Democracy is not a good form of government because the common people are not capable of governing themselves; the best government is one headed by a good and fair king. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______ 6. _______
Rousseau 1. It is unfair that some people are rich while other people are poor. 2. The rich should not enjoy special privileges. 3. Compared to man during the Stone Age, modern man is unhappy, insecure, and greedy. 4. Social and political reforms must be made before man can be a good person. 5. Democracy is a good form of government. 1. _______ 2. _______ 3. _______ 4. _______ 5. _______
QUESTIONS: 1. In the philosophes were alive today, do you think they would be generally satisfied or dissatisfied with social conditions and the type of government we have today. EXPLAIN! _______________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Which three statements by the philosophes do you believe are of the greatest importance to mankind? a. ___________________________________________________________________ b. ___________________________________________________________________ c. ___________________________________________________________________
3. Choose one of the statements and tell why you disagree with it. a. Statement: __________________________________________________________ b. Reason for disagreement ________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Not all the philosophes held the same beliefs, but most agreed that: a. Reason should be used at all times b. The search for new knowledge and ideas should continue c. Improvements must be made in the system of justice to end unfair jail sentences, the torture of prisoners, and terrible conditions in prisons. d. Slavery and warfare should be done away with e. Freedom of religion, speech and press must be given to all f. Everyone should enjoy liberty and equality. g. There should be public education for all, not just schools for children of the wealthy.
After working together to defeat the Axis Powers in Europe and in the Pacific, relations between the Soviet Union and its western Allies quickly soured. The first cracks in the relationship appeared before the war ended at the Potsdam Conference, where Allied leaders found common ground on the future of Germany but clashed over Soviet demands for friendly "buffer" states between it and its enemy in two devastating world wars. This hairline fracture soon became a gaping chasm as East and West sought to shore up allies, first in Europe and then in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It was, in fact, in the Third World, which was emerging from centuries of European domination, that the Cold War became "hot." Unwilling to risk the nuclear Armageddon that a direct conflict would surely bring, the superpowers instead focused their military efforts on establishing friendly states around the globe. So while the poles of the Cold War were centered in the US and Soviet Union, the magnetic field of the conflict encompassed the entire world. It is this global nature of the conflict that provides the context for the unit's essential question: How did Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union impact the economic, social and political development of former European colonies in the Third World?