lessons on reconstruction

7th grade reconstruction lesson plans

1. Reparations Students will discuss if African American’s should be given reparations (repaid) for past slavery and discriminated. There are online resources available to help students with their research. 2. Affirmative action and Free Speech This worksheet discusses affirmative action and should Americans, even extremist groups (KKK, neo-nazis) have freedom of speech. This great for Socratic seminars. Has online resources to help students answer questions 3.Busing The worksheet with the video included discusses busing issue that occurred in the 1970's in Boston. Students will examine the perspectives of African Americans, whites and the elected leaders involved.

Attached is a Powerpoint, links to videos and a webquest on the Cuban missile crisis and future of nuclear war. This webquest has students explore the threat of nuclear war during the cold war era in conjunction with the threat today and how countries are attempting to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Terrorists. *Technology is needed for this assignment.

"Give Us the Ballot, We Will Transform the South" This video guide will demand students use their critical thinking and writing skills to look at the perspectives of key figures in African American's quest for the right to vote. Included is essay questions as well as video questions that follow the movie.

Students will investigate the construction and fall of the Berlin Wall as well as comparing and contrasting speeches by both President Kennedy and President Reagan made at the Berlin Wall. There are links for the videos they will be watching as well as a 2 page worksheet. Total Pages 3 Teaching Duration 45 Minutes

This activity involves both videos and a reading that explores why the Soviet Union collapsed. Students read and then answer questions on the subject. I did this with my students when I we were studying the differences between communism and capitalism.

These two video guides will help students compare and contrast the similarities of Apartheid laws in South Africa and Jim Crow laws in the Southern United States. I used these to finish up my 8th grade Civil Rights unit. I have provided links to both videos. The Color of Friendship is on google play. 1. The first video guide goes into detail about apartheid in South Africa and briefly reviews Jim Crow laws in the South 2. The second video guide follows a Disney movie titled: The Color of Friendship. This is a film about a relationship between a white South African girl and a African American girl. The film is based on actual events. At the end of this unit students can write an essay on the similarities and differences of Jim Crow laws and Apartheid. They can do a compare and contrast diagram and label the following: Jim Crow Apartheid Summary Timeline Classifications Location Examples of Segregation Overturned Total Pages-4 Teaching Duration-3 hours

In groups of three or four, students will study a pivotal Civil War battle and technology that made the Civil War one of the first modern war. There are 10 key battles and new technologies that students can select from. There are three roles in this project: Historian, Artist and Thespian. The Historian will study the battle and answer 10 questions relating the the battle. They should put this on a powerpoint presentation or a Prezi. The Artist will draw an overhead view of the battle, so students can have a visual of the battle that occurred. Make sure they include arrows and directions for troop movement. The Thespian is in charge of creating a 45 second play of the battle as well as studying the technology. Recommended-Students will need technology for this project.

Provided is three video guides designed for the movies American Genius on Netflix.com. I designed these videos for my 7th and 8th classes, however they may be able to be applied for high school. Video guides: Gates vs. Jobs- follows video and ask students what they think it means to be "think different" Apples slogan Space race-Soviet Union vs. USA Edison vs. Tesla- AC vs. Direct Current

1. Religious Freedom: Engel vs. Vitale-School Prayer This activity is very excellent when studying the first amendment, religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Students will be researching and having a Socratic seminar on whether prayer should be allowed in school. Provided is videos, resources and links to scaffold student research etc... Students will also have a worksheet to help them fill out arguments for their respective side. -3 day assignment with debate 2. Four Supreme Court cases Students will examine four Supreme Court cases and research how they relate to the Bill of Rights. Great homework assignment! -1.5 hour assignment

Students will have an opportunity to choose from 14 major events of the Cold War. They will research the event and it's consequences during this hostile and politically charged period . Provided are instructions for their presentation, a rubric and online links to help students gather information for their project. For my 8th grade students I gave them 2 to 2.5 hours to research, create and practice their presentation. I then had students take notes on why each event was significant. -Your students will need technology for this assignment -I would suggest you have students do this in pairs and that you assign them topics. -Make sure you check for understanding and preview what students said was significant.

Students will be brainstorming ideas and creating a Bill to make their school a better place. Students will put their knowledge of the process of how laws are created and ultimately submit their ideas to the Principle if their Bill is chosen. A very fun 3 day assignment. Great essay assignment on how to change your school. This was my final benchmark for my 8th graders, after we had finished studying Constitution, US government and the democratic process of how ideas become laws.

Students will have opportunity to choose and research one of 13 important events that have occurred over the last 25 years in the United States and the World. Examples: September 11th, Dot.com boom, Great Recession. Students will be analyzing the impact and the ramifications these events had on they had on history. For my 8th grade class I gave them 2.5 hours of class time to research and create a presentation, I then had students introduce and present their topic to the class. In total the project took about 3.5 hours of class time. Provided in this project outline with guided questions and a grading rubric.

1.Roaring 20's/causes of Great Depression Powerpoint PowerPoint discusses the culture of the 1920's and the causes of the Great Depression. Includes videos Bank Run, Great Depression etc... 2.1920's research project This is a highly interactive project based learning activity that allows students to research and explore important events and the culture of the 1920's. Students have the opportunity to explore one of 14 different topics of the 1920's and become experts on that particular topic. Involves subjects such as: crime, sports, fashion, entertainment etc.... Total Pages-2 Teaching Duration-3 Days 3.Dust Bowl Powerpoint/Grapes of Wrath video guide This Powerpoint discusses the Dustbowl that swept across middle America in the 1930's and it's repercussions. It also discusses modern day dust bowls and it's effect. Has videos and links Also included: Grapes of Wrath video link with video guide. Great to use when talking about the Great Depression. 3 hours in length if video is included. Total Pages-6 Teaching Duration:3 hours Vocabulary and notes on the 1920's are also included

Students will look up an adjective or verb that can be used to describe a positive characteristic that has been displayed in history. Students will be researching examples in history and will be drawing a poster to illustrate what this word means. There are also a series of questions students need to answer on the back of their paper. This is an excellent back to school project! Total Pages-2 Teaching Duration- 90 Minutes

In this bundle there are 8 World War 2 activities. I tried to gear these towards my 8th grade students Products WW1 Propaganda Poster project- Students will create their own World War1 propaganda poster Tora Tora Tora- This video guide follows the Pearl Harbor film Tora, Tora, Tora. It has the time of the questions so students can follow along. Two separate video guides: From the History Channel and PBS. The videos answer the essential question: How did Hitler rise to power and what were his goals? The Kristallnacht worksheet has a video as well as an activity exploring the Nuremberg laws. total pages-5 The Manhattan Project video guide The short video guide from the history channel discusses the story of the Atomic bomb from it's conception to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 15-20 minute assignment Total Pages-1 The wave movie video guide and questions This movie follows the 1960's classroom experiment of teacher Ron Jones and how he implemented Nazi Fascism in classroom. The movie explores if a radical like Hitler could rise to power today? Link to movie and questions are provided. Very engaging Total pages-1 WW2 vocabulary This activity asks students to define over 30 key terms involving World War 2. Total Pages-3 WW2 test with notes for students

This bundle has 7 activities for your students to do. The total allotted time I gave my 7th graders to complete all these activities was 12 days in class. WW1 technology project: Students for this project will be researching the new technological advancements that were used during the first World War. Students will pretend to be a war profiteer/salesman trying to pitch your weapon to the nations fighting in Europe. Their goal is persuade (classmates who are the leaders of Europe and the USA) that your weapon will be instrumental to winning the war. There is a list of 18 weapons and technological advancements for students to research, along with online links to aid in their research. WW1 timeline interactive activity Students will create their own timeline on this website, or they can create it on a sheet of paper. For the assignment they need to: There are 23 Events that student need to be covered in your timeline. For the timeline they need to label the date (month/year) it took place, the event and in 1-3 sentences explain what happened or why it was significant. You need to insert and least 7 pictures on your timeline. There are excellent website resources that will provide the students the information to complete this project. Total Pages-2 World War 1 Map Project- Map, web quest This project is great to introduce your students to World War 1, help them gain background knowledge and to generate excitement about your upcoming unit. To do this project, students will need access to an electronic device with the internet The Bundle contains: 1. Blank Map of Europe for students to fill out 2. Places on the Map that are geography and WW1 related. eg: Bodies of Water, Eastern Front, Western Front, Naval Blockades, Schlieffen Plan, Battle of Somme, Battle of Gallipoli etc.. 3. Online Resource links to assist them in finding answers. 4. A Web quest with six questions regarding WW1 Total Pages-5 Teaching Duration-2 hours Influenza epidemic Video guide: educates students about the origins of the Influenza virus is, what a pandemic is and the threat of a future World-wide outbreak. Web quest: Students will research how the public reacted and how the pandemic was treated. There are also links for how your state reacted. Project: After students have done the following activities, they will asked to write a newspaper article through the lens as if they were living in 1918. Or they can choose to be a historian and write an essay about what we know today about the pandemic in 1918. Links are provided throughout the assignment, just click on them. Project is on the 4th page Propaganda Project: Students create propaganda posters to encourage patriotism and to help fight the enemy Video guide-This video guide discussed the end of WW1

For this project, Students team up individually or in pairs and become modern day “muckrakers”. Their mission will be to investigate a problem that currently exists and is causing damage or harm to some sector of our modern-day society. The problem must relate to something that is happening today. Students will learn what it is like to be an investigative journalist. I have brainstormed 20-25 topics for your students to the project on. There are 6 questions that will help scaffold your student's research. You can make this into a essay paper, brochure, Prezi or PowerPoint presentation. My students loved pretending to be journalist and investigating topics that were of fascinating to them. -Students will need access to internet to research for this project Total Pages 2 Teaching Duration 3 Days

For this comprehensive web quest, students will explore the reforms and changes that occurred during the progressive era. This 25 question web quest delves into many different moral and political issues that occurred during this time period and is an excellent Segway to transition from teaching the Industrial revolution to the early 20th century. Topics students will study include: Muckrakers and progressives Women's Suffrage Conservation Temperance-prohibition hygiene and sanitation-the jungle, pure food and drug act I have provided links that take your students to the website that provides the answers. Total Pages 6 Teaching Duration-2 hours Shirt-waist-triangle factory video guide: This video documents the tragedy of the shirtwaist factory in which 146 immigrant girls died after a fire started and they were not able to get out because all the doors were locked from the outside to keep them working. The tragedy helped to usher in the progressive era and reforms to protect workers. This video guide is great when you discuss the history of conflict between big business and the workers union. There are 11 questions from the video and one follow up analysis question. The link to the video is provided. Total Pages 2