As members of teaching teams, you will plan, present, and teach your
classmates new historical topics twice during the semester. This project will not
only teach you more about world history, it will also help you develop and
practice life skills that will make you a very desirable college applicant and
employee. Each teaching team will be
comprised of 4-6 students. There will
be individual accountability (through confidential anonymous peer assessment)
as well as group accountability.
Group projects will be assigned with predetermined presentation dates
and student groups will be determined through a sign-up process (first-come,
first-serve). Each group will then be
responsible for researching and effectively teaching the topic to “their"
class. When teaching, all members of the teaching team
will take an active role in the lesson.
Because individual accountability will also be assessed during the
presentation, all group members must be prepared to answer questions and
present the information (yes, even in the absence of one or more team
members). The lesson should be at least 20
minutes in length. While
other groups are teaching, each person in class will take notes on the
information being presented as the information will be important to future
projects and/or exams.
Criteria for Grading Lessons: Grades
will be awarded on several levels.
Presentation will be worth a possible 80 points. These points can be subdivided into 4 areas:
5 possible points for creativity, 50 possible points for topic information, 15
points for individual accountability [to be determined by performance &
peer evaluation], and 10 points for professionalism. Lesson plans will also be required of each
teaching team. These lesson plans will
be worth up to 20 points and must include explanations regarding your teaching
strategy (i.e. why and how did you decide upon the teaching strategy
utilized?) a
typed outline of your presentation, and use of resources in addition to the
course text, (a bibliography must be turned in). As added incentive, up to 5 bonus points may
also be awarded for creating props, handouts, typed information, and/or an
exceptional presentation.
Note: Possible teaching
styles include:
1.
Verbal/Linguistic: This style consists mainly of giving out information and calling for
it to be repeated to you. Ask questions,
use riddles, what if 's, graphic organizers such as webbing or compare &
contrast visuals, charts, ranking ladders, outlines, debates, acronyms, or word
associations. Your information should be
clear, to-the-point, and easy to read.
2.
Musical/Rhythmic: This technique incorporates music.
Use musical associations, create songs, teach
an
informative rap, tell stories with a chorus for your students to repeat, use
jingles.
3.
Kinesthetic: Use your bodies to get your point across. Play charades, do role plays, use puppets,
location spectrums, game shows.
Involving your students in some kind of physical activity is always
helpful.
4.
Visual: if they can see it, your students will be more likely to understand
it. Create posters, drawings, pictures,
cartoons, diagrams, or jigsaw puzzles to teach your topic. You may even use video as long as it is appropriate
for the classroom.
Grading
Breakdown:
Possible
Presentation:
Creativity: 5
points
Information:
50
points
Individual
Accountability (determined by performance & peer evaluation)
15
points
Professionalism 10
points
Lesson
Plans (to be turned in)
Justification
of (reasons for) teaching strategy 5
points
Outline
of Lesson information (typed) 5
points
Outside
Information (beyond text book: work cited & copies required): 10 points
Bonus Points
Creating
props,
handouts,
typed info,
exceptional presentation (up
to) 5 points
Total: 100
points
Group Debate Projects:
Twice
during the year, students will participate in major group debates. Which side
of the debate each group will argue will be decided by the instructor on the
day of the debate. Therefore, each group must be
prepared to argue either side of the issue. These debates constitute major
group projects for the 1st and 3rd quarters and will be
worth 10% of the quarter grade. The requirements for each debate are listed
below.
Debate Topic #1: “The Original
Activity:
(Day 1 & 2)
Research & Debate Prep:
Materials: Text: pp. 123-142
Handouts:
Federalist &
Anti-federalist Papers
1) Class will be
divided into 4 groups
2) Each group will
a) research the position of Federalists regarding the original
Constitution (without Bill of Rights)
1) identify & list as many arguments in favor of the
Constitution as possible
b) research the position of Anti-federalists regarding the
original Constitution (without Bill of Rights)
1) identify & list as many arguments against the
Constitution as possible
c) prepare arguments for both sides of the debate
(the instructor will choose which side each group will take
on the day of the debate)
1)
prepare to argue that the Constitution
should be ratifies as is (without the Bill of Rights)
order (include arguments
against the Anti-federalist position)
2)
prepare to argue that
the Constitution (without the Bill of Rights) should not be ratified (include
arguments
against the Federalist position)
Day 3: (Debate):
1) There will be 2
debates during the class. One will take
place, then the other.
(Groups A & B will debate, then Groups C & D)
2) Each group member
must
a) present at least 1 argument in favor of the group position
& defend against its criticism
b) criticize at least one argument presented by the opposing
group
3) Debate structure
a) Each group debating will make introductory remarks
i.
Stating the position of the group in
the debate
ii.
Stating in very general terms how it
will go about proving this point
b) Group A will make its 1st point directly in favor of its
position
c) Group B will criticize this point, offering an argument against it
d) Group A will respond to Group B’s criticism
e) Group B will make its 1st point directly in favor of its
position
f)
Group A will criticize this point,
offering an argument against it
g) Group B will respond to Group A’s criticism
h) After both teams are out of arguments, each will give a brief
concluding summary
4) Following the
debate, the audience will vote for the group that they feel won the debate
** judgment
will be based on the following criteria
1)
Accuracy of Information
2)
Quality of arguments in favor of group
position
3)
Quality of criticism of opponent’s
position
4)
Professionalism
5)
Preparation
5)
Each group will submit a sheet listing
a.
Arguments in favor of group’s assigned
position
b.
Arguments against opponent’s assigned
position
Debate Topic #2: “Immigration at the Start of the 20th Century: Unrestricted
vs. Restricted.”
Day 1 & 2: (Research & Debate Prep):
Materials: Text, pp. 467-472; 479-480
Handouts:
primary source materials regarding immigration at turn of 20th
Century.
1)
Class will be divided into 4 groups
2)
Each group will
a.
Research the potential benefits of
immigration
i.
Collect as many arguments in favor of unrestricted
immigration policy as possible
b.
Research the potential costs of
immigration
i.
Collect as many arguments in favor of
restricted immigration policy as possible
c.
Prepare arguments for both sides of the
debate [note: the instructor will choose which side you will take]
i.
Prepare to argue that immigration
should be restricted (include arguments against the opposing position).
ii.
Prepare to argue that immigration
should be unrestricted (include arguments against the opposing
position).
Day 3: (Debate):
1) There will be 2
debates during the class. One will take
place, then the other.
(Groups A & B
will debate, then Groups C & D)
2) Each group member
must
a) present
at least 1 argument in favor of the group position & defend against its
criticism
b)
criticize at least one argument presented by the
opposing group
3) Debate structure
a.
Each group debating will make
introductory remarks
i.
Stating the position of the group in
the debate
ii.
Stating in very general terms how it will
go about proving this point
b. Group A will make its 1st point directly in favor of its
position
c.
Group B will criticize this point,
offering an argument against it
d. Group A will respond to Group B’s criticism
e.
Group B will make its 1st
point directly in favor of its position
f.
Group A will criticize this point,
offering an argument against it
g. Group B will respond to Group A’s criticism
h. After both teams are out of arguments, each will give a brief
concluding summary
4) Following the debate, the audience will vote for the group that they
feel won the debate
** judgment
will be based on the following criteria
a)
Accuracy of Information
b)
Quality of arguments in favor of group
position
c)
Quality of criticism of opponent’s
position
d)
Professionalism
e)
Preparation
6)
Each group will submit a sheet listing
a. Arguments in favor of group’s assigned position
b. Arguments against opponent’s assigned position
News Program Projects:
Toward the end of the first semester, student groups
will present news programs dealing with the Reconstruction Era. Two (2) groups
will create their programs around the issues treated in Chapter 13 section 1
(“Presidential Reconstruction”), two (2) groups will create their programs
around the issues treated in Chapter 13, section 2 (“Congressional
Reconstruction”), and two (2) groups will create their programs around the
issues treated in Chapter 13, section 3 (“The Birth of the New South”). News
programs may be formatted either, as an “Evening News” broadcast, OR a “News
Magazine” broadcast. Such “broadcasts” may be videotaped or performed/acted
“live” in class. In either case, they must meet the criteria listed below.
Grades will be determined using a grading rubric.
1)
Programs must be 15 minutes in length
2)
Programs must be presented as if they
were being broadcast in the 1870’s (present tense please).
3)
Programs must present news stories that
answer questions below
a.
For Chapter 13:1 [Groups 1-2]
i.
How did the Civil War impact the
following in the South?
1.
physical conditions
2.
human conditions
3.
social conditions
4.
economic conditions
ii.
What was Lincoln’s plan for
reconstruction?
iii.
What was Johnson’s plan for
reconstruction?
iv.
How did Lincoln’s reconstruction plan
differ from Johnson’s?
v.
How was Lincoln’s reconstruction plan
similar to Johnson’s?
vi.
How were the lives of newly emancipated
slaves changed immediately after the war in terms of
1.
mobility?
2.
property ownership?
3.
religious expression?
4.
education?
5.
government support?
b.
For Chapter 13:2 [Groups 3-4]
i.
What was the 14th Amendment?
ii.
What issues/events led to the
ratification of the 14th Amendment?
iii.
What issues/events occurred because of
the 14th Amendment?
iv.
What was the 15th Amendment?
v.
What issues/events led to the
ratification of the 15th Amendment?
vi.
What issues/events occurred because of
the ratification of the 15th Amendment?
vii.
What was Radical Reconstruction?
viii.
What issues/events led to Radical
Reconstruction?
ix.
What issues/events occurred because of
Radical Reconstruction
c.
For Chapter 13:3 [Groups 5-6]
i.
How did Southern farming change after
the Civil War?
ii.
Why did these changes take place?
iii.
What were the effects of these changes
in Southern farming?
iv.
How did Southern cities change after
the Civil War?
v.
Why did these changes take place?
vi.
What were the effects of these changes?
4)
Programs must create two (2) editorial
pieces expressing an opinion regarding two (2) different issues dealt with in
the newscast.
5)
Programs must use at least two (2)
visual aids to increase audience understanding of news stories &/or editorial
positions.
At the end of the second semester, student
groups will present news programs dealing with the 1980’s. Two (2) groups will
create their programs around the issues treated in Chapter 34 sections 1 &
2 (“The Reagan Revolution”), two (2) groups will create their programs around
the issues treated in Chapter 34, section 3 (“Reagan’s Second Term”), and two
(2) groups will create their programs around the issues treated in Chapter 34,
section 4 and Ch 35, section 1 (“The Bush Presidency”). News programs may be
formatted either, as an “Evening News” broadcast, OR a “News Magazine”
broadcast. Such “broadcasts” may be videotaped or performed/acted “live” in
class. In either case, they must meet the criteria listed below. Grades will be
determined using a grading rubric.
1)
Programs must be 15 minutes in length
2)
Programs must be presented as if they
were being broadcast in the 1980’s (present tense please).
3)
Programs must present news stories that
answer questions below
a.
For Chapter 34.1-2 pp. 957-963 [Groups
1-2]
1.
Why did Ronald Reagan win the
presidency in 1980?
2.
Explain Reagan’s economic plan for the
U.S. and how it differed from previous economic plans.
3.
What actions did the Reagan
administration take too implement his economic plan and what were the results?
4.
How did Reagan propose to change the
American government and why?
5.
What steps did he take to achieve these
goals?
6.
What was “New Federalism” and how
successful was it?
7.
What was Reagan’s Cold War policy and
what actions did it lead him to take?
8.
Describe the U.S. economy during
Reagan’s first term
9.
In what ways were Reagan’s economic
plans a success? In what ways a failure?
b.
For Chapter 34.3 pp. 964-968 [Groups
3-4]
1.
Why did Reagan win reelection by such a
wide margin in 1984?
2.
How did the Reagan administration
influence the income of Americans during the 1980’s?
3.
How successful were advocates of Civil
Rights and Women’s rights during the Reagan years?
4.
How did Reagan influence the Supreme
Court during his presidency?
5.
Describe the Iran-Contra affair.
6.
To what extent was Reagan responsible
for Iran-Contra? Explain.
7.
How did Reagan handle relations with
the Soviets during his second term?
8.
Based upon his foreign policy and
domestic policy achievements/failures, rate Ronald Reagan as a president. Was
he a “great”, “above average,” “average,” “below average,” or “poor” president?
Explain.
c.
For Chapter 34.4; 35.1 pp. 970-974;
979-980 [Groups 5-6]
1.
Why was George Bush an “underdog” in
the presidential campaign of 1988?
2.
How did he overcome this problem?
3.
Describe the role that events in Poland
played in ending the Cold War.
4.
Why and how did the Berlin Wall come
down?
5.
What role did Mikhail Gorbachev play in
the collapse of the Soviet Union?
6.
Why did Bush go to war with Iraq in
1991?
7.
What were the results of the war?
8.
Why did Bush lose his reelection bid in
1992?
9.
Based upon his foreign policy and
domestic policy achievements/failures, rate George H.W. Bush as a president.
Was he a “great”, “above average,” “average,” “below average,” or “poor”
president? Explain.
4) Programs must create two (2) editorial pieces expressing an opinion
regarding two (2) different issues dealt with in the newscast.
5) Programs must use at least two (2) visual aids to increase audience
understanding of news stories &/or editorial positions.
National
History Day Documentary/Exhibit Project:
In
an effort to foster historical research, analysis, and interpretation while
developing student creativity and technology skills, students groups (of 3-5 students)
will create U.S. History oriented video documentaries as a first semester
research project. These documentaries, because they are based upon the National
History Day documentary category requirements, will be eligible for entry into
the Archbishop McCarthy Social Studies Fair in January and may subsequently
earn a trip to Social Studies competitions at the County, State, and National
levels. Documentaries must meet the
following general and documentary-specific criteria as outlined in the National History Day Contest Rule Book 2008-2009:
**Please
note that the following requirements have been developed +/or reproduced from
the National History Day Contest Rule
Book 2008-2009:
[General
Guidelines for Documentaries and Exhibits]
Annual Theme: Your entry must be clearly related to the
annual theme and explain your topic’s significance in history. ** This year’s
Theme is “Conflict and
Compromise in History”
Group Entries: All students in a group entry must be
involved in the research and interpretation of the group’s topic.
Construction of
Entry: You are responsible for the research,
design, and creation of your entry. You may receive help and advice from teachers and parents on the
mechanical aspects creating your entry.
Title: Your entry must have a title that is
clearly visible on all written materials.
Title Page: Required as the
first page of submitted written material.
Process Paper: A process paper is a
description of no more than 500 words explaining how you conducted your research and created your documentary.
Annotated
Bibliography: An
annotated bibliography is required for all documentaries. It should contain all
sources that provided usable information
or new perspectives in preparing your entry. You will look at many more sources
than you actually use. You
should list only those sources that contributed to the development of your
entry. Sources of visual
materials and oral interview must be included. The annotation for each source must
explain how you used the source
and how it helped you understand your topic. Annotations of web sites should
include a description of who sponsors the
site.
***
Please note that you must separate your
bibliography into primary and secondary sources. Some sources
may be considered as either primary or secondary.
Use your annotations to explain your reasoning for classifying any
sources that are not clearly primary or
secondary. Listing a source under both primary and secondary is
inappropriate.
Sample
Bibliographic Reference:
Bates, Daisy. The Long Shadow of
Sample
Annotation associated with the sample reference above
Daisy
Bates was the president of the Arkansas NAACP and the one who met and listened
to the students each day. This first
hand account was very important to our documentary because it made us more
aware of the feelings of the people
involved.
Style
Guides: Style
for citations and bibliographic references must follow MLA format
[Documentary Specific Guidelines]
A
documentary should reflect your ability to use audiovisual equipment to
communicate your topic’s significance, much as professional documentaries do. The documentary
category will help you develop skills in using photographs, film, video,
audiotapes, computers, and graphic presentations. Your presentation should
include primary materials but must also be an original production.
Time
Requirements: Documentaries may not exceed 10 minutes in
length!!! Timing will begin when the first visual image of the presentation appears and/or the first sound of the
presentation is heard. Color bars and other visual leads in a video will be counted in the time
limit. Timing will end when the last visual image or sound of the presentation concludes (this includes
credits).
Introduction: You must announce only the title of
your presentation and names of the participants. Live narration and
comments prior to or during the presentation are prohibited.
Student Production: All entries must be student-produced.
You must operate all equipment. You must provide the
narration, voice-over, and dramatization. Only those
students listed as group members (entrants) may participate in the
production or appear on camera. **Note: this does not
include interviews of participants in a historical event or of experts.
Entry Production: Your entry must be an original
production. You may use professional photographs, film, slides,
recorded music, etc. within your presentation. However, you
must integrate such items into your presentation and give
proper credit within the presentation as well as in your
annotated bibliography. You must operate all editing
equipment used in the production of your presentation. (**Note:
Using material created by others specifically for use
in your project (entry) violates this rule, except that
which already exists).
Credits: At the conclusion of the documentary,
you should provide a general list of acknowledgements and credits for all sources. These credits should
be a brief list and not full bibliographic citations. All sources (music,
images, film/media clips, interviews,
books, websites) used in the making of the documentary should be properly cited
in the annotated bibliography.
Displays: Stand alone displays are prohibited.
Exhibit Specific Guidelines:
An exhibit is a visual representation of your research and
interpretation of your topic’s significance in history, much like a small
museum exhibit. The analysis and interpretation of your topic must be clear and
evident to the viewer. Labels and captions should be used creatively with
visual images and objects to enhance the message of your exhibit.
Size Requirments: The overall size of your exhibit when displayed
for judging must be no larger than 40 inches
wide, 30 inches deep and 6 feet high. Measurement of the
exhibit does not include the table/platform on which it rests; however it would include and
stand that you create and any table drapes. Circular or rotating exhibits or
those meant to be viewed from all sides
must be no more than 30 inches in diameter.
Media
Devices: While media devices are approved by the
National History Day contest (for a total of 3 minutes), such will not be the case for the purposes
of this course. Should student groups wish to add media devices for the Social
Studies Fair, they may consult with the instructor for all relevant
requirements and limitations.
Word Limit: There is a 500 word limit that applies to all text created by the
student group that appears on or is part of an exhibit entry. This includes the
text you write fro titles, subtitles, captions, graphs, timelines, or
supplemental materials (e.g. photo albums, scrapbooks, etc.) where you use your
own words.
** note:
1)
a date counts as one word, while each word in a name is individually
counted.
2)
words such as “a,” “the,” and “of” are counted as on word each.
3)
Brief citations crediting the sources of
illustrations or quotations included in the exhibit DO NOT count toward the
500-word limit.
Current
Events/Historical Lessons Project Requirements:
Because one of the
most important reasons for studying history is its ability to provide lessons for
the present and future, student groups will be required to develop a
research/technology projects during the second semester that combines the study
of American history and current events. During the second semester, students
will choose one of the following broad categories that provide significant
challenges to the
After choosing one
of the following topics, student groups will spend the 3rd quarter researching
and familiarizing themselves with the current events
issue. This will require them to research current articles from major news
organizations. Students should be reading at least two articles per week
related to their topic during the 3rd quarter of the second semester. The main
goals of this research are to (1) define the problem/challenge and its
relationship to the
The following is a
preferred list of major news publications that students should be using for
their current events articles:
Wall Street Journal
New York Times
Time Magazine
Newsweek Magazine
The Economist
Forbes
National Review
**Note: most of
these publications have associated websites where articles may also be obtained.
Articles may also be
found online at the following preferred websites
CNN.com
MSNBC.com
Foxnews.com
Once the groups have
become more familiar with the chosen current events issue, they will be more
prepared to take on the historical element of the project during the fourth
quarter of the year (Q4). Researching American history, student groups will
have a choice to do either of the following:
Students will use
research and evaluation of above issues to create a presentation that meets the
following criteria:
Current
Events/Historical Lessons Project Rubric:
Powerpoint Presentation must be no longer than 15 minutes (while there is no specific
minimum time requirement, groups must thoroughly address specific requirements
as described below.
All presentations
must include:
I.
Section defining/describing
current problem/challenge [with
appropriate parenthetical citations identifying sources of information]
a.
Causes of problem/history of
problem
b. Obstacles standing in the way of the problem’s resolution
c.
Current solutions being proposed
by politicians and pundits
d. Costs of NOT fixing the problem
II.
Section identifying the historical
event or person that holds the key to solving this modern problem [with appropriate parenthetical citations
identifying sources]
a.
Background (either of the
following depending upon student’s choice mentioned above)
i.
regarding the historical event
and the lessons to be learned from it
ii.
regarding the historical person
and what the individual has to offer in terms of character, leadership skills,
and or experience
b. Solution(s)
i.
How would this event or person
suggest the problem be addressed/solved?
ii.
Supporting evidence for student’s
claims regarding solution.
III.
PowerPoint Slides wth:
a.
Images/visuals
b. Text (minimum 1000 words) – must be large enough to see from back of
classroom
i.
Section I (above)
ii.
Section II (above)
1.
Thesis – student’s position
regarding the event or person’s connection to solution
2.
Supporting information
a.
Evidence from research
b. Supporting analysis/logic
c.
Bibliography/Works Cited
i.
You should have at least 10 sources in your bibliography. At
least one (1) of the HISTORY-related sources must be a PRIMARY
SOURCE. NO
ENCYCLOPEDIAS will be accepted as sources (whether on the
web, CD-Rom, or hard copy), though you may use
encyclopedias to help you find other sources.
ii.
Half of your sources must be
related to historical publications. ONLY 3 INTERNET sources will be acceptable for historical sources unless prior approval
is obtained from the instructor. In addition, only internet sources ending in
suffixes “.edu” and “.gov”
will be accepted for historical sources unless prior approval is obtained from
the instructor (NO
“DOT-COM’s, DOT.
iii.
Half of your sources must be
related to current events. Since all of the news
publications listed above have associated websites, there is no website
restriction from such publications.
iv.
Create a separate bibliography
for visual images used in your presentation
Paperwork (to be turned in): black
and white printouts of the PowerPoint slides presented in class