The Early Nation2nd grade Social Studies Unit

Brainstorming the Topic The Early Nation : 2nd GradeWhat we know: -Constitution-Declaration of Independence -Thomas Jefferson-George Washington-Small communities-Loyalists-West-ward Expansion-Slavery-Native Americans (land taken away)-Women: nucleus offamily-Colonies/Statehood

What we want to know:-Laws that were created-What kinds of people moved west?-How did life change for Native Americans?-Where was there slavery?-What did the country look like after the war?-What things did people do for fun?-Who were important leaders? Who were their wives?

**Students could complete the Learned aspect of the chart after completing the unit.

Unit: The Early Nation

Subtopics: The Purpose and Role of the Constitution Changing/Unchanging Ways of Life Mapping the Early Nation and the Nation Today President’s Day / Washington’s Birthday

Key Perspectives

This Unit helps students to address the following Key Perspectives: Imagining and constructing the future Changing lifestyles – work and leisure Cultural heritage Time, Place, and Space

How This Unit Addresses the Key Perspectives: For our unit, we would like to focus on the changing ways of life.

In our “Want to Know” column, our questions all center around the way the nation changed as a result of the Revolutionary War. As we focus on the changes that occurred in the early nation, the Key Perspectives of 1) imagining and constructing the future, 2) cultural heritage, 3) time, place, and space and 4) changing lifestyles, can all be analyzed. The study of our early nation is important for students in that change is how we as a nation have progressed and learned. Understanding the lives and challenges people in the past encountered helps us today as we deal with issues of multiculturalism and diversity. Finally, it is essential that students have an awareness of the law making process, as today we as a society function within the same boundaries created at the start of the nation.

Why is This Important?

As our nation has developed, people groups, places, and policies have changed. It is important that students are aware of events in the past, and how such events help to shape their future.

Only after understanding and analyzing the occurrences of the past, can students learn from them. Teaching about the early nation is important.

Students can then make wise

decisions based on their knowledge of what occurred in the past.

Background Information on Topic

When researching the topic of the Early Nation, we found that currently, students are not studying this time period. Instead, the events concerning the early nation are tied into the Revolutionary War.

Unfortunately, students are not presented with multiple perspectives as they study the revolution. In our unit, we want to incorporate the voices of many people, in order to help students to think critically about past events.

Rationale – Why teach this information?

We believe it is essential that this unit is taught, as students need a basic understanding of the development of our country as displayed through the changes the nation underwent.

As students are aware of events in the past, they can begin to analyze current events and draw comparisons to what is similar/different about each situation.

Instructional Strategies For our unit on the early nation, instructional

methods will be varied. At times direct instruction might be used. Read-alouds or demonstrations will be best served through direct instruction. For other activities, groups or pairs of students might work together. Some lessons might require individual student work. Our goal is to vary the form of instruction throughout the unit to attempt to meet the unique needs of each student. As instruction is varied, different channels or learning types are accessed, and every student should have opportunities to learn in a manner that is tailored specifically to them.

Instructional Strategies

Other Instructional Strategies will include: Integrating the arts Using interviews Incorporating current events Field Trips Using role play

Literacy Links

Students will use a variety of sources to understand the material presented in the unit. Nonfiction, fiction, newspapers, magazines, drama and video will be presented to help students gain a critical interpretation of the events that occurred within the early nation. (See reference list for further information)

Unit Sketch

Essential Question: What are the changes that occurred in the early nation?

As students learn the material presented in the unit, they will be asked to continually reference the essential question. The focus of the unit will be to help students understand the changes that occurred during the development of the early nation.

Unit Standards

The Unit on the Early Nation will target the following ISBE standards: 17.D.1   Identify changes in geographic characteristics of a local region

(e.g., town, community). 17.A.1a   Identify physical characteristics of places, both local and global

(e.g., locations, roads, regions, bodies of water).   16.A.1b  Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical

sources (e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other visual or electronic sources).

16.A.1c  Describe how people in different times and places viewed the world in different ways

16.B.1b (US)  Explain why individuals, groups, issues and events are celebrated with local, state or national holidays or days of recognition (e.g., Lincoln’s Birthday, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Pulaski Day, Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving

Unit Standards

Our unit will meet the standards as follows:

17.D.1 : The map activities will help students identify geographic characteristics and changes. 17.A.1a   The study of the postal service/road will help students to identify physical characteristics of places. 16.A.1b  The Washington lesson will assist students in learning how to ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources.16.A.1c  The study of Sacagawea enables students to describe how people in different times and places viewed the world in different ways 16.B.1b (US)  The study of President’s Day and George Washington allows students to explain why individuals, groups, issues and events are celebrated with local, state or national holidays or days of recognition.

Please see lesson ideas for further explanation

Unit Sketch: Activities/Lessons

The following activities can be completed to help students learn about the changes that occurred within the early nation. Keep in mind: Key perspectives and the essential question should

be referenced in each lesson. Students could be encouraged to interview family or

community members to gain further information on the topic.

Current events that pertain to topics discussed can be shared at the beginning of each lesson.

The Purpose and Role of a Constitution

Key Perspective Addressed: Imagining and Constructing the Future

Instructional Strategy: simulation/using documents and primary sources

Activities: Create a classroom constitution Simulate the constitutional convention Looking at parts of the constitution

i.e.. Bill of rights

Changing/Unchanging Ways of Life

Key Perspective Addressed: changing Lifestyles; Work and Leisure

Instructional Strategy: Whole Class discussion

Activities Study Sacagawea

Read about Sacagawea and other pioneering women Compare/Contrast roles of women today and those of

the past

Mapping the Early Nation and the Nation Today

Key Perspective Addressed: Time, Place, and Space Instructional Strategy: Community Resources,

Geographical Surveys of Students’ community Activities

Study Roads and Postal Service Compare/Contrast Maps (Today and of the Past) Study Purchase of Northwest Territory Have students map their houses/communities

Washington’s Birthday

Key Perspective Addressed: Cultural Heritage Instructional Strategy: Integrating Arts (Role Play) Activities:

Study Washington (See Lesson Plan included) Aspects of lesson will include:

KWL chart Role Play Student Research

President’s Day

Key Perspective Addressed: Cultural Heritage Instructional Strategy: Oral History, Interview Activities

Making President’s Day “Birthday Cards” for one of the presidents (Students choose president)

Have students talk with parents concerning presidents parents remember

Play Jeopardy Game concerned with events,

years, accomplishments of presidents

Lesson Plan: George Washington

Topic: Assisting Students in Learning about George Washington

Purpose: As students learn about key persons of the past, they will develop an understanding of the contributions such individuals made. Students will then have the ability to see how such contributions impact them and their lives today.

*If teacher desires, this lesson is provided in a document format and can be accessed from the 448 Early

Nation.doc file*

Essential/Driving Question:

As students work through the lesson, they will view materials through the lense of the essential question : “What are the changes that occurred in the early nation?”

Students will also answer the Lesson Question: “What do you want to know about George Washington?”

Enduring Understandings

As students study Washington, they should leave the lesson with enduring understandings. Such topics might include: How to write questions How to research to find answers to questions Facts about George Washington Important contributions Washington made to the

United States of America

Standards Alignment

The lesson on George Washington meets the following ISBE standards: STATE GOAL 16: Understand events, trends, individuals and

movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States and other nations.

-16.A.1a Explain the difference between past, present and future time; place themselves in time

-16.A.1b Ask historical questions and seek out answers from historical sources (e.g., myths, biographies, stories, old photographs, artwork, other visual or electronic sources).

16.B.1a (US) Identify key individuals and events in the development of the local commu nity (e.g., Founders days, names of parks, streets, public buildings).

Standards Alignment

George Washington Lesson meets unit standards as research and investigate why a particular individual was important to our nation’s history.

Students will also understand the importance of asking questions and finding answers from historical events. In this case, students will use such skills to learn more about George Washington.

Materials

The following is needed for the George Washington lesson: Books about George Washington (see

reference list) Pencils Paper White Wig Various Library/research materials

Procedure

Opening of lesson/motivators: First, the teacher will introduce the topic to the students and find out what they know about George Washington. The teacher will record all of the known information on the board/overhead in a brainstorming fashion (web, concept map, cart, etc).

Implementation: Day One

Students will derive questions that they want to know about George Washington. Anything that interests them is acceptable. The teacher will record the questions on chart paper. Students will then choose their four questions that they want to research in order to find answers. The end of the lesson will be spent reviewing all of the questions and placing the students into research groups based on the questions they have chosen.

Day Two:

Students will be given the opportunity to break in to the research groups assigned and find research materials to help them answer their questions. Planning ahead and reserving library time for the class on this day would be helpful. When students find relevant information they can record answers in their journals. Complete sentences are not necessary at this stage of the lesson (students can also use books noted on the materials list that are provided by teacher or librarian.)

Day Three:

Students will finish any remaining research that is needed to answer their questions. Once all research is complete, the students will record (in their journals) the answers underneath the appropriate question in complete sentences. The teacher will then check the journals to make sure all work is completed and done correctly. Lastly, the students will copy the questions and answers to the George Washington Q&A worksheet for a final product.

Day Four: Students will partner up with a student from a

different research group and sit face to face. Students will exchange the George Washington Q&A sheets and conduct interviews with each other. The first student will ask the questions from the second student’s sheet, the second student will reply as if he/she is George Washington. Students will then switch roles, and the first student will respond to the questions posed by the second student. (While students are working, a white wig can be passed around the classroom. Students can take turns wearing the wig so that each child has a chance to “look like Washington”).

Summary and/or closing

At the end of day four and/or during day five, students will review the interesting information they have learned about George Washington. The teacher can return to the initial question sheet and have the groups share the information they acquired during their research. Follow up lesson can include other presidents, President’s Day, the actual job of the president etc.

Accommodations for individual needs

In order to assist students with disabilities, the following accommodations could be made:

-physical disabilities: the student will be assigned a particular station or group that will complete activities in which this student can participate. The teacher will also ensure the student has access (wheelchair/walker/etc) to necessary materials.

Accommodations:

reading/writing disabilities: students can be assigned particular roles. When writing is necessary the student could dictate ideas while a partner writes necessary information. The student might also be given a tape recorder on which to record questions/answers/research orally. Finally, the student could be given a partially complete worksheet on which to record answers.

behavioral/attention disabilities: the teacher can place the

student with behavioral/attention disabilities with peers who have a calming effect on the child. The student can also be situated near the teacher if need be to help him continue to focus on his work. A “quite table/desk” (quite location away from other students and distractions) might be provided for the student so he/she is able to concentrate on the task assigned.

Accommodations: -students with learning disabilities: students with learning

disabilities will be attended to as specified on their IEP. However, because this particular activity revolves around group work, the teacher will place the student in a group where he will most likely be able to succeed. The student can then work to the best of his ability within the group. The student might also receive books/information directly from the teacher. The teacher can then ensure the materials are at the appropriate reading level and contain information that is relevant to the child’s research needs.

-Gifted Students: In order to accommodate students who are gifted:-More detailed responses will be expected. Students could

also be encouraged to develop and research a greater number of questions. Students might also be asked to research other presidents of the time period, and then share results with the class. *Additional supports will be provided based on the needs of each particular student*

Assessment: Students’ final George Washington Q&A sheet will be

used to assess their writing. The teacher will grade each worksheet to ensure correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation were used in writing the questions and answers. The teacher will also circulate around the room and monitor interviews to make sure all students are participating orally and that the information shared is pertinent to the questions asked. Finally, the teacher will note student responses and participation during classroom discussion. Student comments should demonstrate they have found and understand pertinent information concerning George Washington.

Assessment/Accommodations

Because each lesson in the unit is unique and requires various instructional methods and materials, other assessment and accommodation strategies will be implemented on an individual lesson basis. For example, the George Washington lesson included specific strategies that would assist the teacher in effectively teaching and assessing what the students have learned. Similarly, assessment and accommodations will need to be tailored to the needs of the students as the other lesson formats vary.

Reflections: Through this unit, we desired to make the study of the

Early Nation accessible to young elementary aged students. We found that planning is important, as such a the events within such a general time period can be difficult for students to comprehend as a whole. By outlining specific aspects of importance, we were able to highlight key events and persons that had an influential role in the development of our early nation. Through this unit, students will be able to learn and develop an appreciation for differentiated perspectives and changes that have occurred throughout our nation’s history.

References for Unit

Washington and President’s Day (President’s Day/Washington)

Nelson, Robin. President's Day. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2003.

Ford, Clarin. Heroes of American History: George Washington. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publisher Inc, 2003.

Sacagawea (Changing ways of Life Women) Elaine, Raphael, and Don Bolognese. Sacajawea: The Journey West. :

Scholastic Inc., 1994. Rowland, Della. The Story of Sacajawea: Guide to Lewis and Clark.

Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 1995. Krenskey, Stephen. Sacagawea. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2000. McLeese, Don. Native American Legends: Sacagawea. Vero Beach:

Rourke Publishing, 2004. Alter, Judy. Sacagawea: Native American Interpreter. Chanhassen: The

Child's World, 2003.

References (Continued)

Other Roads/Postal Service (Westward Expansion)

Nicola, Baxter. Roads. New York: Franklin Watts, 2000. Kole, Elaine. The US Mail. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers

Inc, 2002. McNeese, Tim. From Trails to Turnpikes. New York: Crestwood

House, 2002. Changing Ways of Life Reynolds, Helen. Fashionable History of Coats and Pants.

Chicago: David West Children's Books, 2003. Reynolds, Helen . Fashionable History of Dresses and Skirts.

Chicago: David West Children's Books, 2003.