Description

This multiple unit bundle covers US history from the ratification of the Constitution up to the start of the Civil War. This is a “warts and all” examination of this period of history; it is both a story of triumph and tragedy as well as one of heroes and villains – some of whom were both, depending on how one looks at them. The bundle is comprised of three separate units, each focusing on a specific aspect of this period of US history. All three units are based upon and complement my textbook, “We Take Nothing by Conquest”, and are designed for both the novice and experienced classroom teacher as each contains everything needed for the full course, including the textbook. All the included materials have been extensively field tested in my own eighth grade classroom.

The first unit, a 14 day complete unit, entitled “Growing Pains,” covers the political and economic developments of the early years of the new American Republic, from the Washington through the Jackson presidencies. Besides the political histories of these various administrations, the unit also covers the War of 1812. The materials for this first unit include:

*a 53 page Teacher’s Guide which provides day-by-day and step-by-step instructions how to teach the unit and use all of the materials;
*36 pages of informative and interesting text, divided into seven chapters (the complete seventh unit of the textbook);
*an inquiry based study guide for each chapter to focus students on the main points and supporting details;
*quizzes for each chapter;
*PowerPoints with answers to the study guides for review, and including pictures and maps to stimulate discussion and enhance understanding;
*a Cloze activity for one of chapter;
*a PowerPoint Quiz Show on the Road to the War of 1812;
*in class activities focusing on the differences between the first political parties, and the expansion of suffrage for white males;
*an Election of 1800 Campaign Poster project, complete with instructions and a sample poster;
*a PowerPoint Quiz Show review game;
*a test prep study guide;
*and a unit test (with answers).

The second included unit, a 13 day complete unit entitled “Westward Ho!”, covers the country’s geographic expansion from the Ohio Valley to the Pacific Ocean in fulfilling its “Manifest Destiny” during the first 60 years of the new American Republic, both the various means by which the new territories were acquired and incorporated into the nation’s boundaries as well as the impact of white settlement onto native lands in the Ohio Valley during that time period. The unit covers the Northwest Ordinance, the Northwest Indian Wars, the Trails of Tears, and the acquisitions of Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, and the Mexican-American War, which added California and the Southwest to the national boundaries. The materials for this second unit include:

*a 60 page Teacher’s Guide which provides day-by-day and step-by-step instructions how to teach the unit and use all of the materials;
*43 pages of informative and interesting text, divided into nine chapters (the complete eighth unit of the textbook);
*an inquiry based study guide for each chapter to focus students on the main points and supporting details;
*quizzes for each chapter;
*PowerPoints with answers to the study guides for review, and including pictures and maps to stimulate discussion and enhance understanding;
*a Cloze activity for one chapter;
*two primary source activities: one on the Louisiana Purchase, and one on the Treaty of Greeneville;
*two competitive and educational games: one translating Lewis and Clark’s journal, using a cypher, and one racing to settle the Old Northwest;
*a Continental U.S. Map poster project, complete with instructions and a sample poster;
*a PowerPoint Quiz Show review game;
*a test prep study guide;
*and a unit test (with answers).

The third and final included unit, a 15 day complete unit entitled “The Wolf by the Ears,” covers the country’s growing economic, social, and political split over the spread of slavery in the first half of the 19th century, which eventually led to the secession of most of the Southern states, the bombardment of Fort Sumter, and the start of the Civil War. The unit covers: the development of the different economic systems in the North and South, examining the Industrial Revolution in the North and “King Cotton” in the South; the political compromises which attempted (unsuccessfully) to keep the North and South together; the Abolition movement; Bleeding Kansas; the Dred Scott decision; John Brown; and the Election of 1860. The materials for this third unit include:

*a 70 page Teacher’s Guide which provides day-by-day and step-by-step instructions how to teach the unit and use all of the materials;
*45 pages of informative and interesting text, divided into eight chapters (the complete ninth unit of the textbook);
*an inquiry based study guide for each chapter to focus students on the main points and supporting details;
*quizzes for each chapter;
*PowerPoints with answers to the study guides for review, and including pictures and maps to stimulate discussion and enhance understanding;
*a Cloze activity for one chapter;
*two primary source activities: one on the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, and one on slave life, including narratives, pro-slavery arguments, and an abolitionist speech;
*an activity analyzing the Election of 1860;
*a flowchart activity to enhance understanding of the Kansas-Nebraska Act;
*a Slave Life poster/PowerPoint project, complete with instructions and a sample poster and PowerPoint presentation;
*a PowerPoint Quiz Show review game;
*a test prep study guide;
*and a unit test (with answers).

Answer keys and grading guides for all study guides, activities, quizzes, tests, and projects are included in the Teacher’s Guides. Materials are provided as word documents and PDFs in one zip file.