MDUSD > Teaching American History For All > Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans: 2010 Summer Institute NEW- 08/18/10
Classroom-tested American history lessons
The following multi-day lesson plans were created using primary sources and the textbook. Each standards-based lesson includes several guided reading strategies with worksheets for students and a scaffolded writing strategy.
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Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 8	Grade 11
Grade 4.1.1 Regions of California Lesson Working Thesis: California has four main geographical regions, each with distinct climates and natural resources. Grade 4 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 5.1.2: Technology and Exploration Unit Working Thesis: Europeans explored North America in search for a more direct water route to Asia; while theseexplorations gave Europeans access to land, trade and resources, these explorations had a very negative impact on the native people. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 8.1.1: “ Geography and Colonial America” Unit Working Thesis: The colonies varied in geography, economy, and government from each other, which led to vital regional differences in the U.S. Grade 8 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 11.1.1 “ The Declaration of Independence and the Founding of the Nation.” Lesson Working Thesis: The American colonies asserted their right to declare independence from the British crown on the basis of violated enlightenment ideals. Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word
Grade 4.1.1 Regions of California Unit Working Thesis: Native Americans adapted to their environments as shown by housing, food, clothing, trade, tribal structures and beliefs. Grade 4 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 5.1.2 : “New France” Unit Working Thesis: Only a relatively very small number of Frenchmen colonized North America, although the French claimed a very large geographical area. They formed very few permanent settlements. Most French immigrants were single men who worked as trappers or had trading posts where they traded with the local Indians. They did not form any kind of self-government, but looked to the Crown for guidance. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 8.1.1: “Boston Massacre” Unit Working Thesis: The Patriots turned the killings on King Street in Boston on March 5, 1770 into the Boston Massacre by using propaganda to unite the colonists in opposition to British policies. Grade 8 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 11.1.1.5: “Abolition leads to Woman’s Suffrage” Unit Working Thesis: While creating the framework of the Constitution, conflicts between state rights and federal laws broke out between federalists and anti-federalists which led to the creation of the Bill of Rights which would protect individual freedoms. As time progressed, further conflicts arose creating the necessity to adapt these laws and create new amendments that would further encompass a greater selection of American citizens. Americans continued to adopt laws that would protect the rights of individuals and support the functioning of the new nation. Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word
Grade 4.1.3: Gold Rush Unit Working Thesis: People came to California during the Mexican rule period and Gold Rush for these economic reasons: to trap animals for fur, for land, and for gold. Grade 4 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 5.1.3: “Early English Colonization of North America” Unit Working Thesis: Europeans settled in North America for a variety of reasons. The Spanish settlers came seeking wealth, power, and the spread of religion. The French settled to establish forts to protect their interests in fur trade from other Europeans. Early English settlers settled to establish a working trade relationship with the Algonquin people. Later English settlers came to find religious freedom. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 8.1.2: “The First Amendment- Freedom of Expression is Vital in a Democracy” Unit Working Thesis: The challenges in the development of the US government forced the founding fathers to develop a stronger national government with a system of checks and balances between the branches, to establish guidelines for citizen participation, and to create the Bill of Rights to protect individual rights. Grade 8 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 11.1.2: "Immigration: Why did the government pass the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?” Unit Working Thesis: Waves of immigration changed American society by dramatically increasing the urban population which led to ethnic diversity, racial and cultural tensions, and an overburdened civic infrastructure. Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word
	Grade 5.1.3: “Proclamation of 1763” Unit Working Thesis: Anger over the British policies led most of the colonists to demand representation in Parliament and protest what they thought were unfair laws and taxation, which ultimately led them to come together and push for independence. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 8.1.4: "Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper” Unit Working Thesis: Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper created and inspired new forms of literature and art. Grade 8 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 11.1.2: “Industrialization” Unit Focus Question: How did the United States change as a result of urbanization, industrialization, and the end of Reconstruction? Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word
	Grade 5.1.7: “The Preamble” Unit Working Thesis: The Constitution divided the government into three branches with a system of checks and balances, and protected individual states rights from a strong federal government. The Bill of Rights was later added to further protect the rights of the people from the federal government. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 8.1.10: "Lincoln: How a face tells the story of War” Lesson Working Thesis: How did Lincoln’s appearance and words - from the Cooper’s Union Speech in February of 1860 to the Second Inaugural Address in March of 1865 – reflect his changing sentiments in regards to the Civil War? Grade 8 Lesson Plan MS Word	Grade 11.1.3: “The Second Great Awakening, Abolitionism and Women’s Rights” Unit Working Thesis: Urbanization and industrialization triggered reform projects directed toward workers, consumers, citydwellers, and voters. At the same time, however, Reconstruction-era reforms were reversed with the establishment of the Jim Crow system. Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word
	Grade 5.4.4 : "The Great Awakening” Unit Working Thesis: The First Great Awakening marked a shift in religious ideas, practice, and allegiances in the colonial period, fostering the growth of religious toleration and the free exercise of religion. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word		Grade 11.1.5: "The 1920's" Unit Working Thesis: The 1920s can be seen as a period in which American society was revolutionized. By the end of this unit students should be able state the importance of the 18th and 19th Amendments, how the ‘roles’ and ‘images’ of women had changed. Students should also be able explain the importance of mass production of consumer goods through the use of assembly lines. Students should also be able to describe The Great immigration, why it was important and the impact it brought. Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word
	Grade 5.5 : "The Stamp Act” Unit Working Thesis: Anger over the British policies led most of the colonist to demand representation in parliament and protest what they thought were unfair laws and taxation, which ultimately led them to come together. Grade 5 Lesson Plan MS Word		Grade 11.2.: The Origins of the Progressive Era” Lesson Working Thesis: Political corruption, moral degradation and deteriorated conditions for factory workers sparked an era of great reform at the dawn of the Twentieth Century. Grade 11 Lesson Plan MS Word