HSE Social Studies Curriculum Unit Descriptions UNIT ONE: Colonialism and the Road to Revolution
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HSE Social Studies Curriculum Unit Descriptions UNIT ONE: Colonialism and the Road to Revolution Content Covered in Lesson Plan 1 he origins of the United States are often taught as a tale of heroics— Toppressed colonists revolt against an unreasonable English king, somehow conceiving of noble ideals of freedom and equality all on their own. The lessons in this unit focus on economic factors and incentives for colonialism. They also seek to introduce students to Enlightenment figures and ideas so that students understand that the ideas made so famous by the Declaration of Independence—equality, freedom—had their origins in thinking quite prevalent in Europe at the time. In other words, Thomas Jefferson did not think this up all by himself. Before diving into all of this content, students need to feel motivated and understand the rationale behind the approach. The very first activity, therefore, centers upon a text that discussed the “brain science” justification for learning content. It’s best to find out what students know about major events in U.S. history before embarking on a series of lessons. In Lesson One, students brainstorm major events they know about and predict where each event belongs on a timeline. The class’s knowledge is pooled, and the teacher finds out what students already know. The timeline introduced in the first lesson will be returned to continually throughout the curriculum, so that students can situate the particular events they are learning about within a larger frame. I try to use maps as often as possible so that students become familiar with the world and U.S. map and gain map-reading skills. The places that they are reading about may seem fairly abstract; locating them on a map helps them become more real. Map-work in Lesson One introduces students to the concept of colonialism. Students start by labeling the continents to get their bearings on a world map before diving into historical maps. The lesson then guides students to consider the geography of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies, and how physical features like climate, soil, navigable rivers, and ports shaped the economies of each region—New England focusing on the sea because of poor soil and proximity to the sea, while the Southern colonies were, from the THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW UNIT DESCRIPTIONS 33 beginning, focused on cash crops due to a good growing climate and rich soil. The relationship between geography, settlement patterns, and economics is a foundational concept in social studies. This part of the lesson is also intended to set the stage for what comes later, when students look at cotton and slavery in the 19th century. Content Covered in Lesson Plan 2 tudents look at two features of colonial economics: mercantilism and Striangular trade. Reading about mercantilism introduces students to two important terms, raw goods and finished or manufactured goods, that will be revisited later in the curriculum. It also sets the stage for understanding why the relationship between Great Britain and its colonists changed when Britain reversed the policy of salutary neglect after the French and Indian war. In teaching history, I try to get students to think about not just the “what,” but the why. Why does the past matter? An ongoing source of conflict in our society is that of race relations, so one of the most obvious reasons the past matters is in the connection between slavery and racism. This is the discussion we have before reading “Since 1619,” a poem which takes a sweeping historical view of the legacy of slavery. Because this is a history-focused curriculum, students are necessarily engaged in reading a lot of expository text. However, to be college-ready, students must also develop skill in reading more difficult texts, like poetry. In Lesson Two, students grapple with “Since 1619,” a challenging poem. This activity is supported by the teacher through discussions the form of poetry, the difficulties in comprehending poetry, and the strategies readers can draw upon. To see the classroom video, Strategies for Understanding Poetry, visit the CUNY HSE Curriculum Framework web site at http://literacy.cuny.edu/hseframework. Content Covered in Lesson Plan 3 n Lesson Three, students consider the two Enlightenment thinkers ILocke and Hobbes on government. How did each philosopher conceive of human nature? How did this view of human nature inform each man’s view of government? This provides a frame for understanding a basic division between forms of governments that are more autocratic and those that are based on distribution of powers among different sectors of a society. It is also important for students to grasp natural rights philosophy— where do rights come from? What is “consent of the governed?” Students 34 UNIT DESCRIPTIONS THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW read about the two philosophies, practice paraphrasing to better understand, and then look for Locke’s natural rights philosophy as it is expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Finally, students read about events that led up to the American Revolution and write summaries of each to be placed on the class timeline. One “thread” in the fabric of the curriculum is that of aspiration—what will you do after you get your HSE diploma? Will you go to college? What career will you choose? How does school, connect to your future? Adult students tend to know very little about the world of work, the broad array of careers available in different fields, or ways to research careers. This lesson ends with a letter from a teacher who has decided to change careers and attend medical school in order to become a doctor. The letter explains the stages of her decisions in detail, and provides a model for students in terms of exploring interests, considering different aspects of a career, and also having the confidence to pursue their own interests. After reading, students write about their own future plans. Yet another thread in the curriculum is an ongoing discussion about what makes writing “good.” To become better writers, students need to internalize an inner standard for writing and to understand that effective writing is more than “correctness,” but conveys an idea, mood, or emotion in a way that makes an impact on the reader. The letter from a teacher is used as a springboard for students to write about their own career plans, but is first discussed in terms of favorite lines and what it is about these lines that “speak” to them as readers. What, then, can we generally say about what makes a personal piece of writing effective? UNIT TWO: The Constitution and the Structure of the U.S. Government Content Covered in Lesson Plan 4 hile the lessons in this curriculum focus on U.S. history, they Ware also intended to foster reading and writing skills. For both the TASC, TABE, and college placement exams, students need to build an understanding of genre, the reading strategies helpful for comprehending different text types and author’s purposes in writing them. It is also extremely important for students at this level to read a lot in order to learn new words and increase their reading speed. The “theme” of the first part of Lesson Four, therefore, is reading. Students write reflectively about themselves as readers, then look at graphs about time spent reading and reading achievement. THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK • SS/RW UNIT DESCRIPTIONS 35 With the Common Core, there is a much greater emphasis on nonfiction texts, but some nonfiction, like memoir, requires practice with inference. Sherman Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me” provides ample opportunity to practice that skill. It is also an easy text for students to connect to, as Alexie talks about the low expectations that most teachers had for Native American children and their self-concept as learners. What I like most about it is that education is not just presented as a means to an end, but a deeply passionate pursuit. Students are asked to pick out their favorite lines; through class discussion these lines are “unpacked” for what Alexie is saying “between the lines.” Students then write in response. After writing, students pick up where they left off with the ideas of Locke and Hobbes in order to return to a discussion of forms of government. They read about governments in different countries and discuss whether Locke or Hobbes would approve. Content Covered in Lesson Plan 5 esson Five picks up where Lesson Four left off. Students once again Lreview forms of government, finding countries on the world map, reading short descriptions of governance in those countries and applying definitions of different forms of government to those descriptions. It’s worth noting that while in textbooks we often read neat descriptions of different forms of government and the countries that operate within these frameworks, reality is more nuanced. A country may have one kind of government on paper and yet another in reality. Descriptions of a government’s structure don’t always fit neatly with a textbook definition. Nevertheless, students can get some ideas. We’ve all learned about the three branches of the federal government and the function of each—to make laws; to execute laws; to interpret laws…but what does that really mean? Lesson Five is intended to help students connect these abstract concepts to current events. The teacher begins by asking them to name some of the most prominent politicians they know, using this as a starting point for creating separate categories on the board for local, state, and federal government. The first concept that is introduced is federalism. Next, students consider the three branches of the federal government, the members of each branch, and what they do.