This full curriculum class will be the the ultimate US history adventure! Join us on a thrilling journey from ancient America all the way to the Civil War with other middle school students from around the country. 

Get ready to explore the amazing civilizations that flourished long before Europeans set foot on American soil. We'll learn about the incredible achievements of ancient North American civilizations, and discover details of their ancient cultures.  

But that's just the beginning!

🔹We'll investigate the disappearance of the first British Colony
🔹Interview the soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre
🔹Create art to commemorate the Cherokee Nation on the Trail of Tears
🔹Support the abolitionists in their fight to end slavery
🔹And witness the many ups and downs of the nation as it headed towards the Civil War

This class will not be just a dry lecture! All the lessons are taught on Nearpod to engage students and provide them with real-time feedback on their work. Nearpod is extremely easy (and free) to access. If technology makes you stressed, have no fear! I'll provide everything you need to easily access and incorporate Nearpod into our learning. Our lessons include interactive discussions, quiz games, drawing, and many other engaging activities that will keep you on your toes and help you truly connect with the material.

You will leave this class with much more than memorized facts about US history...

Students leaving this class will:

✅ Recognize credible information and distinguish bias
✅ Convey opinions through evidence-based arguments
✅ Have gratitude for the rights enjoyed in the United States
✅ Know how to take action in their communities

Each class of this unit will focus on at least one of the following skills to help students achieve the above goals:

1. Source: analyzing the origin of an artifact
2. Summarize: synthesizing difficult reading passages
3. Determine Context: challenging and recognizing bias
4. Challenge Credibility: determining if a source is trustworthy
5. Argue: creating logical arguments and supporting them with evidence
6. Sequence: understanding the relationship of events

⭐ The full curriculum class spans the entire school year from September-May. It is split into three sections, which each have two units. 
⭐ This class is section one which covers units 1 & 2 (see below for class schedule). 

Following is the topics we will cover each class:

⭐SECTION 1: UNIT ONE (ANCIENT AMERICA AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES) & UNIT TWO (EARLY AMERICAN COLONIES)⭐

Class 1: Welcome to U.S. History & Historical Thinking Skills
- Why is it important to study history? What will we learn about in this class?
- Class procedures including introducing Nearpod and Google Classroom

Class 2: Historical Thinking Skills
- What skills do I need to succeed in studying history? How do I decide if I can trust a source?
- Skill introduction and practice: sourcing, determining context, challenging credibility, cross checking, summarizing, arguing, sequencing

Class 3: Northeast Woodland Native Tribes
- What was the basic culture of the Northeast Woodland Native American Tribes?

Class 4: Southwest Native Tribes
- What was the basic culture of the Southwest Native American Tribes? How did their culture differ from the previous tribes discussed?

Class 5: Northwest Coast Native Tribes
- What was the basic culture of the Northwest Coast Native American Tribes? How did their culture differ from the previous tribes discussed? Why was the social structure of the Northwest Coast different than other tribes?

Class 6: Motivations for European Exploration: Medieval & Renaissance Europe
- What does Gold God and Glory mean? 
- What motivates people to travel to new places? What were the individual motivations of European Explorers? Were some motivations better than others? Can we learn from mistakes they made?

Class 7: European Colonization of the Americas: Christopher Columbus
- Who was Christopher Columbus? Were is motives pure or not? Was he a hero or a villain? 
- Primary source skill practice: How can I decide if I trust a source? 

Class 8: Columbian Exchange and Effects of Exploration: Food 
- How did the world change because of the Columbian Exchange? How would your life be different if the world had never connected?

Class 9: Columbian Exchange and Effects of Exploration: Disease 
- Effect of exploration on South and North American Native tribes
- Why were Europeans able to conquer South American Native Tribes such as the Mayan, Inca, and Aztec so easily? How did disease affect the daily lives of Native Americans?

Class 10: Effects of Exploration on Africa, Caribbean, North and South America
- How did the customs and beliefs of Native Americans and Europeans differ? How did these differences affect their interactions?

Class 11: END OF UNIT 1
- Review & final exam

Class 12: UNIT 2 BEGINS: The Lost Colony of Roanoke
- Why did European colonies settle where they did? What made a colony successful?

Class 13: Early Colonies: The Colonies Jamestown and Plymouth
- What were the motivations for settling Jamestown and Plymouth. What led to their eventual success?

Class 14: The Pilgrims & The Mayflower Compact
- What was the Mayflower compact and why is it significant? What struggles did early colonists face?

Class 15: The First Thanksgiving Investigation
- Historical thinking skills practice: what makes a source reliable? How can I corroborate sources to decide if I trust them?  How can I back up an argument with evidence?
- What happened at the first Thanksgiving? Why are there multiple stories of what happened?

Class 16: 13 Colonies & Colony Regions
- What regions were created among the first colonies? What similarities did they have?
- Argument practice: What colony would I most liked to have lived in?

Class 17: Atlantic Slave Trade
- This is a brief overview of the Atlantic Slave Trade (we cover slavery in the US in much greater depth in unit 6).
- What was the middle passage? Who was enslaved and why? When were enslaved Africans first brought to the United States?

Class 18: END OF UNIT 2
- Review & final exam

At the end of each unit, students will complete a final assessment on their own time.

So, what are you waiting for? Join us on this epic journey through time and discover the incredible history of the United States like never before!