Fifth Grade Social StudiesFifth Grade Social StudiesLooking at Unit 9

Understanding the News:What is America’s role in the 21st century world?

March17, 2009

US involvement in the worldUS involvement in the world• World Wars & Cold War

led to increased involvement in conflicts around the world:– Korean– Vietnam– Middle East

• How have beliefs of US citizens changed because of these involvements?

What do people in Vietnam today What do people in Vietnam today call this conflict?call this conflict?

•Who’s Who of the Vietnam conflict: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/whos/index.html •Timeline of US involvement (teacher reference: http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/timeline.htm•Information for teachers (from a Vietnam Veterans’ Organization) & a “virtual Wall”: http://www.teachvietnam.org/ •Photographic story of the conflict from the National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/vietnam-photos/.

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/vietnam-photos/images/marines-on-tank.gif

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/vietnam-photos/images/marines-on-tank.gif

Middle East Peace EffortsMiddle East Peace Efforts

http://www.cartercenter.org/resources/images/gallery/main/jimmy_carter_sadat_begin.jpg

Students DO NOT need to memorize every peace-related

meeting, treaty, etc. related to the Middle East.

Instead, have them notice overall themes of U.S. involvement in

Middle Eastern conflicts.

Images and contemporary news articles/reports can be very helpful.

Possible EQ: Why have the various peace efforts in the Middle

East not been successful long-term?

Collapse of the USSRCollapse of the USSR

http://gulaghistory.org/nps/onlineexhibit/after/fall-src/images/yeltsin-detail.jpg

• NY Times article: http://tinyurl.com/da7j5k

• Did not happen overnight• Discuss US desire for increased

communication w/the Soviet Union, gradual opening of the country, and economic changes

• Berlin Wall fell in 1989 – Soviet Union ended in 1991 – end of sphere of influence

• Technology tie-in: “revolution” was, in fact, televised

Persian Gulf WarPersian Gulf War

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/txu-oclc-192062619-middle_east_pol_2008.jpg

• Iraq invaded Kuwait (8/2/1990)

• US & allies gave deadline for withdrawal

• When Iraq did not acquiesce, US & allies invaded

• Official conflict ended (2/28/1991)

• Emphasis on technology

September 11, 2001September 11, 2001• Students DO NOT need a

graphic play-by-play of the events of 9/11.

• Instead, focus on the impact of the attacks on both American beliefs and world affairs.

• Be very cautious when sharing images with your students – many websites are NOT appropriate for use in school.

Invasion of Afghanistan / War in IraqInvasion of Afghanistan / War in Iraq• Before beginning this conversation,

be careful to think about the range of experiences present in your class (students who have immigrated, students whose parents are serving in the military, etc.

• Discuss the invasion of Afghanistan by the US as a response to the events of 9/11.

• Address the ensuing invasion of Iraq & its results in a straightforward way – address controversy when/if it arises.

• Great time for students to learn that they can respect the opinions of others without agreeing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/world/middleeast/24museum.html

Impact of Computers & the InternetImpact of Computers & the Internet• In Ben Franklin’s day, mail could take two weeks to travel between

New York & Philadelphia. Transatlantic mail took months, and often never arrived.

• In the days of the Pony Express, mail could travel from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast in about ten days. Upon the completion of the transcontinental telegraph in 1861, communication became almost instantaneous.

• The telephone increased the amount of speedy communication available, and mail services improved, as well.

• Modern computer technology, following World War Two, rapidly increased the amount of information that could be transmitted, and the development of the Internet in the 1990s made a virtually limitless amount of information accessible instantly.

Impact of Computers & the InternetImpact of Computers & the Internet• As computers became more & more central to worldwide

businesses, they also became important components of many electronic devices.

Great potential Essential Question: Why is the Computer History Museum

located in San Jose, California?

{Visit the Computer History Museum for more details than you ever knew

you wanted to know: http://www.computerhistory.org/. }

Great potential Essential Question: Why is the Computer History Museum

located in San Jose, California?

{Visit the Computer History Museum for more details than you ever knew

you wanted to know: http://www.computerhistory.org/. }

http://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-0351.jpghttp://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/BRL61-0351.jpg

http://img.nytstore.com/IMAGES/NSAPST4_LARGE.JPGhttp://img.nytstore.com/IMAGES/NSAPST4_LARGE.JPG

Performance TaskPerformance Task

Trade & Economic ActivityTrade & Economic Activity

• Excellent lesson plan linking trade & geographic growth in the United States: http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lesson=NN719&page=teacher.

Costs to Transport One Ton(Cents per Mile)

Land1815 Mode of Transportation 186030 ¢ Road 15¢ or more

Railroad 2¢ or more

Water

1/3¢ or more

6¢

River•River Raft downstream •Boat upstream •Steam boat

1/3¢ or more

Canal 1¢ or more Great Lakes 1/10¢

1¢ or less Ocean 1/2¢ or less

Source: George Rogers Taylor, The Transportation Revolution (New York: Holt, Rinehart, 1962) Appendix A, Table 2

Fifth Grade Social StudiesFifth Grade Social StudiesLooking at Unit 10

Effective Citizenship

March17, 2009

1212thth & 17 & 17thth Amendments Amendments

Twelfth:• Ratified 1804 (following

contested election of 1800)• Electors from each state

would separately elect President & Vice-President (see Election of 2000 for example ).

Seventeenth:• Ratified 1913• Population would directly

elect US senators, rather than having state legislatures elect them.

How do these two amendments help maintain a representative democracy for the United States?

2323rdrd & 24 & 24thth Amendments Amendments

Twenty-Third• Ratified 1961• Allows District of Columbia

(Washington, D. C.) to have electors for Presidential/ Vice-Presidential elections

Twenty-Fourth• Ratified 1964 (in response to

Civil Rights Movement)• Guaranteed right to vote

regardless of payment of any sort of tax; specifically, the poll tax.

How do these two amendments help maintain a representative democracy for the United States?

Functions: Businesses, Banks, & Functions: Businesses, Banks, & GovernmentGovernment

http://econ161.berkeley.edu/multimedia/circular.html

http://econ161.berkeley.edu/multimedia/circular.html

What is the function of business in our economy?

What are the functions of banks in our economy?

What is the function of government in our economy?

How do these three interact?

What is the function of business in our economy?

What are the functions of banks in our economy?

What is the function of government in our economy?

How do these three interact?

Personal FinancePersonal Finance

• Feed the Pig! Great personal finance site with lots of interactive components: http://www.feedthepig.org/.

• Holiday Savings Calculatorhttp://www.kidsbank.com/calculators/holiday/hol_calc.asp :

Resources!• http://www.samanthasmith.info

– Homepage dedicated to Samantha Smith, who traveled as a child ambassador to the Soviet Union, and worked for world peace toward the end of the Cold War

• http://www.fireboat.org/ – Homepage of the John J. Harvey fireboat, which provided firefighting support to the New

York Fire Department on September 11th

• http://www.gcee.org– Georgia Council on Economic Education – workshops, materials, & more

• http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1884100,00.html – Great photo essay about changes in American retail – good for discussions of shifting

economic AND geographic patterns in our country• http://www.jumpstart.org/links.cfm

– Gigantic list of personal-finance related websites – be sure to preview, as some are corporate, and others not age-appropriate

– Related games: http://www.uen.org/financial_lit/student/kids_activities.shtml. • http://www.kidseconposters.com/keb/Literature%20Connection.htm

– Literature links to economics from the Indiana Council on Economic Education

Remember! These are only suggested resources. Make sure to preview these sites before sharing them with your students. You know your students better than I do!

Resources for IntegrationResources for Integration

Captain Abdul’s Pirate School

Colin McNaughton

The Librarian of BasraJeanette Winter

Alia’s MissionMark Alan Stamaty

10,000 Days of ThunderPhilip Caputo

Uncle Jed’s BarbershopMargaree King Mitchell

Two BobbiesKirby Larson & Mary

Nethery

The BreadwinnerDeborah Ellis

Listen to the WindSusan Roth & Greg

Mortenson