Course overview

7th Grade American History
Essential Learning’s

1.Students will be able to identify regions, physical features and political units on a variety of maps representing historical periods.

2. Students will be able to identify and explain the economic principles of trade, supply/demand and scarcity.

3. Students will be able to identify and organize in logical order the key themes and patterns of events that lead to conflicts and change.

4. Students will be able to apply knowledge of past actions in order to predict future events.

5. Students will be able to analyze the reasons for and consequence of the immigration.

6. Students will be able to understand and demonstrate their knowledge of the impact that scientific and technological developments have on individuals and society.

7. Students will be able to analyze life in early America and draw conclusions about its impact on the future.

8.  Students will describe the elements needed to create a Democratic government and how it changes over time.

9. Students will be able to identify how political power has been acquired, maintained and used.

10. Students will be able to analyze the relationships between America and other countries to determine the foreign policy of pre-Civil War America

Unit 1:Introduction/ mapping
Key information
•    Demonstrate full understanding of 5+2 themes of geography.

•    Applying knowledge of latitude and longitude to locate places and understand the division between hemispheres.

•    Illustrate the use of symbols and all information used on maps.

•    Trace the advancements in mapping during the Renaissance.

Major assignments and assessment
•    Creation of parking lot map using all skills learned about mapping

•    Explanation of 5+2 themes of geography using pictures and words

•    Short answer test to include: importance of the advances made during the Renaissance

Unit 2:Exploration (chapter 2)
Key information
•    Articulate the reasons behind and the events that happened during the conquistadores search for gold.

•    Compare/contrast the reasons for settlements of colonies.

•    Analyze the race between countries to discover natural resources.

•    Illustrate the Columbian exchange.

•    Appraise the importance of African slaves introduced in the Americas.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Flow chart from Renaissance into exploration and settlement of the “New World”

•    Creation of chart showing the reasons for exploration and areas explored

•    Flow chart of Columbian Exchange

•    Short answer and essay test about each countries roll in the exploration of “The New World”


Unit 3:Colonies (chapters 3&4)
Key information
•    Understand and analyze the reasons for colonization.

•    Analyze the early colonial regions.

•    Understand European’s settlement and the effect it had on Native
Americans.

•    Describe life in the early colonies.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Journal of life in the colonies

•    Test consisting of: Reasons for colonization, early regions, colonist’s relationship with Native American groups

Unit 4:Revolutionary War (chapters 5,6,7)
Key Information
•    Determine King George's attempt to control the American colonies and England’s attempt at military occupation of colonies.

•    Research and analyze the events leading into the Revolutionary War.

•    Compare/contrast strengths and weakness between the colonies and the English at the start of and during the war.

•    Illustrate the tactics and strategies used during the war.

•    Describe the reasons for writing the Declaration of Independence and analyze it’s meaning.

•    Analyze the reasons behind and the repercussions of using African American’s in the war.

•    Understand the need for an alliance and the role France played in the revolution.

•    Evaluate the effect the American Revolution had on the French.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Timeline of major events leading up to the War turned into a song (using primary source as example)

•    Creation of class DOI
•    ABC Book of Revolutionary War
 
  Unit 5:Constitution (chapters 8-10)
Key information
•    Analyze the reasons behind the creation of the Articles of Confederation and why they failed.

•    Illustrate the Division of north/south and big/little states during the writing of the Constitution.

•    Analyze the issue of Slavery within the Constitution.

•    Understand the reasons and process behind the creation of the American government.

•    Explain the role American citizens have in a democratic society.

•    Analyze the reasons behind the Bill of Rights and explain their importance.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Debate Small states vs. big states

•    Constitutional law bar exam

•    Lawyer day

•    Test consisting of short answer and essay questions dealing with the Constitution and the Bill of Right

America as a young nation (chapters 11-14)
Key information
•    Identify and explain the early precedents set within the government.

•    Examine the development of national pride within America.

•    Explain the start of political parties within America and analyze the far-reaching effect they have had.

•    Breakdown what life in the early 1800's was like.

•    Understand the Kentucky-Virginia resolution and its effect on the future. (States rights).

•    Track the Movement from isolationism to full involvement in world politics.

•    Analyze the changes Jackson brought about in government and the effectiveness of his policies.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Journal explaining life in the early 1800’s

•    Flow chart examining how America went from isolationism to full involvement in world affairs
•    Political cartoons showing Jacksonian Democracy
 
Westward Expansion (chapters 15-17)
Key Information
•    Identify the groups of people who moved west and analyze their reasons.

•    Understand the impact that the Chinese Irish and German immigrants played during this time in history.

•    Identify the reasons for and the effect of the industrial revolution.

•    Identify the process in which America Annexed new lands during westward expansion.

•    Recognize the effect that westward expansion had on America.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Primary source analysis on groups that moved west.

•    Mapping of new territories gained and how they were acquired.

•    Short answer and essay test about what each group brought to western America and what their impact was and how the new territories affected the nation.

North and South (chapters 19-22)
Key information
•    Understand the treatment of African Americans in the North and South.

•    Explain how the, steel plow, scythe and cotton gin affected slave labor.

•    Recognize the reasons that the south needed to have slaves for economic growth.

•    Identify the regional difference between the North and South and how they helped lead to the Civil War.

•    Analyze the State's Rights argument between North and South. 

•    Explain the effect that the publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin” had in he North.

•    Explain the role that the election of Lincoln played in the succession by the south.

•    Identify similarities and differences between tactics and mechanics of war used in the North and South.

•    Trace the fighting of the Civil War through major events until the end of the War.

•    Illustrate the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address.

Major assignments and assessments
•    Slave journal

•    States rights debate

•    Timeline of events leading to succession

•    Comparison between tactics and weapons used in the Revolution to ones used in the Civil War

•    Analysis of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address

•    Civil War video/pod cast project



***Throughout the year students will be doing additional work including, but not limited to: notes, primary source analysis, DBQ’s (Document Based Questions), worksheets, class discussions, review guides, cooperative learning projects, quizzes and current event journaling.


Last Modified: Friday, Aug. 07, 2009
 
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