US History for 6th Through 8th Grades Part 2: Democracy Put to the Test
Over thirteen weeks, students will learn the history of the United States from Reconstruction following the Civil War through the Great Recession of 2008.
Lindsay Eyre
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(137)
What's included
13 live meetings
16 hrs 15 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
This course will cover the second half of United States history from Reconstruction through the Great Recession of 2008. Using primary sources, multi-media resources, historical fiction, The American Yawp (an open U.S. History Textbook published by Stanford University and available for free online), and research from the students, we will pour over the lives of all Americans living from 1860 through 2008 while also examining the role of the United States in the world. Students will do their own research to aid in class discussion, they will complete small writing assignments, do outside reading of primary resources, read two historical fiction texts, one nonfiction text, and complete a project of their choice about life for Americans during the period of World War I through World War II. This is a survey class, so we will not be able to go into great depth in any of these topics, but we will use events and their effects on Americans to paint a picture we can remember. For example, we will not be able to go into great depth about the Civil Rights Era, but we will discuss the reasons for the Civil Rights Movement, the most important events during that Era and its lasting effects today. For example, to prepare for our class on the 1960s that will include the Civil Rights Movement, students will be asked to read portions of "I Have a Dream" and "I Have Been to the Mountaintop", both speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students should come prepared that day to do the following: share what stood out to them from these two speeches, work as a class to make connections to the events surrounding the speeches, and to ask questions. We will be sure to discuss both the Voting Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr's fight against poverty in the context of these two speeches. We will cover Bloody Sunday, the Detroit Riots, and the events leading up to King's death. We will work to develop a big picture of the movement as a whole and its lasting effects on the American people and on our political system. At the end of each class, students will come up with a question they would like to try and answer for their short writing assignment of the week. For example, they might ask the question, why did the federal government allow segregation to continue for so long after it had been made illegal? We will discuss how they could find answers to these questions, and what resources they might turn to such as primary sources versus secondary. This pattern will continue throughout our twelve weeks. We will do our best to touch on the lives of the voiceless throughout this period of history including African Americans, Native Americans, and other minority groups, immigrants, women, and children. We will discuss the problems of poverty and the devastating effects of war. We will discuss America's role in the world, including the United States' attempts to stop communism and its efforts at protecting the United States' trade interests (as we discover that money dictates much of the events of history). As we cover World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War, we will discuss the decisions made to enter these wars and how long we stayed, plus our relationships with allies both before and after. I believe students latch firmly onto the lives of individuals, so when good primary resources are available for a subject, such as Cesar Chavez, we will tell their stories to give students a picture of the times they lived in. I am hoping for vibrant discussions in every class. Students should leave each class period with either an event, a person, or a concept in their minds to think about throughout the week. For example, on our first day, students might leave class with the question, why did money determine so much reconstruction policy, and what policies might have been different the government had prioritized people more than money? Or they might ask, how did the New Deal provide more than just hope for impoverished families? They might focus on a group of people: what were the lives of formerly enslaved peoples like immediately following the Civil War? How might their lives have been made better? These are difficult questions to answer, but students will hopefully think about these big questions throughout the week and discuss possible answers at home with their families. Our schedule will follow along with the pacing of The American Yawp, though we will not be directly reading from the text: Week 1: Reconstruction and Capital and Labor Week 2: The West Week 3: Life in Industrial America Week 4: The American Empire Week 5: The Progressive Era Week 6: World War I and Its Aftermath Week 7: The New Era Week 8: The Great Depression Week 9: World War II Week 10: The Cold War Week 11: The Affluent Society and The Sixties Week 12: The Unraveling and The Triumph of the Right Week 13: The Recent Past and Project Presentations
Learning Goals
Students will learn the history of the United States from 1860 through 2008. They will also learn about primary sources versus secondary sources versus historical fiction. They will improve their writing and presentation skills as they complete writing assignments and present their semester project to the class.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The second half of US History was a violent one. We will not watch or read about any gratuitous violence, and we will not go into graphic detail about any disturbing topics or events. These issues will be discussed but without unnecessary detail. I am always open to listening to parental concerns about anything they consider inappropriate and welcome feedback on this issue. There are many issues of race and discrimination in United States history. Students will be taught to look at historical events from the perspective of those marginalized, such as Native American peoples, African Americans, and immigrants. We will cover the wrongs done to these marginalized groups and what the effects may have been. We will use primary sources and first person accounts of marginalized groups.
Supply List
Students will need copies of three books: THE JOURNEY OF LITTLE CHARLIE by Christopher Paul Curtis; BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson; and BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD—AND STEAL—THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON by Steve Sheinkin. They can be purchased or checked out from the library. There is no textbook for this course. Students may also need supplies for their projects, but these supplies will be up to the student and their families as they are to design their project on their own.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
As a framework for my teaching, I will use The American Yawp: a Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook from Stanford University Press. This text is used in many AP U.S. History classrooms, and was written in collaboration by hundreds of respected historians from across the country. As this text is too advanced for most middle schoolers, it will be primarily used to guide us through time and important events and peoples. Students will not be reading directly from the text. We will make use of its list of primary resources whenever possible. The American Yawp is free and available for anyone to read online. Students will not have homework assignments from the textbook, though they may use it to aid them in their writing assignments. One of the main purposes of our class will be to distinguish between primary and secondary sources and to examine how historians came up with theories and explanations of events. We will avoid inaccuracies and biases in any secondary sources, but when they come up, we will address them and discuss other possible explanations from different perspectives.
We will also read two historical fiction works: THE JOURNEY OF LITTLE CHARLIE by Christopher Paul Curtis and BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson. We will be careful as we read these books to identify them both as historical fiction rather than nonfiction. We will also read Steve Sheinkin's riveting story of the creation of the atomic bomb: BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD—AND STEAL—THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON.
Joined May, 2020
5.0
137reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have taught the topic of war and revolution to children of various ages, and I am very careful to discuss only what is age appropriate, while being careful to share as clear a picture of the history as possible. I have a Bachelor's degree in History, and during my studies, I took several courses on Native American history, and wrote a part of my thesis on the movements of several tribes from the eastern United States to the west for their survival.Reviews
Live Group Class
$160
for 13 classes1x per week, 13 weeks
75 min
Completed by 17 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 11-14
3-10 learners per class
