America at the turn of the Century
A Curriculum Plan and Teaching Guide

Aim/Purpose Statement
The aim of the “America at the Turn of the Century” curriculum web is the advance the students’ understanding of the movement of people in America, conflicts within and outside of the Unite States, and beneficial inventions of the time period by exploring a variety of media and applications.

Rationale
Through careful participation of this curriculum web, students will gain a broader understanding of how Americans’ Ways of Life changed at the turn of the century. Four broad, long-term understandings include:

• How industrialization changed the way people communicated, traveled, and lived,
• How Westward Expansion continued to reshape the geography of the United States in the West,
• How globalization changed America’s role in the world including the building of the Panama Canal and the Spanish-American War,
• How and why people emigrated and settled throughout the United States during this time period.

These understandings will assist students in comprehending the impact of people’s migrations, inventions, and actions during this time period and the lasting effects of them.

General Education Goals
This curriculum web was created by a Library Media Specialist to be used as a unit of teaching or as a supplement for specific concepts not covered by the classroom teacher. The unit could be used to provide a broad overview of the turn of the century in America and its continual impact on America or to investigate particular concepts within the state standard.

Subject Matter Description
This curriculum is centered on the subject matter relevant to American History from 1880 to 1914.  Topics will include:

• Westward expansion
• Inventions
• Expansion related to the Spanish-American war
• Emigration/immigration

Concepts and skills include:

• Use of word processing and other publishing programs
• Map reading
• Use of the Web for research
• Information Literacy
• Teamwork/Cooperation

Learner Description
This Curriculum web targets students in the fifth grade who have little or no prior knowledge of American History during the turn of the century.

Prerequisites
Before using the “America at the Turn of the Century” curriculum web, students should be able to:

• Read on a fourth-grade level
• Use a web browser and search provided sites or databases
• Be able to create a “Word” or “Publisher” document and a “PowerPoint” presentation
• Be able to work cooperatively on teams

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of “America at the Turn of the Century” Curriculum web, students will be able to:

• Locate or label on a map the cattle trails of the late 1800s
• Describe the Black Cowboys of Texas including how they became black cowboys, where they came from, and general details about their livelihood
• Indicate the invention(s) created by the Wright Brothers, George Washington Carver, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison
• Evaluate the impact that these inventions had on Americans’ lives then and now by writing about the invention that they believe has been the most important to people
• Explain the affects of the Spanish-American war and the building of the Panama Canal by creating newspaper-style articles related to specified events
• Distinguish the different countries or general areas from which people emigrated and why through the creation of an illustrated map
• Judge the impact of Western Expansion on Native Americans and the events surrounding the Battle of Little Bighorn and the relocation of Native Americans to reservations through the development of a journal based upon real personalities of the time period

Materials

• Computer with internet access
• Pen, pencil, paper for notetaking
• Publishing software such as Microsoft “Publisher”
• Word processing software such as Microsoft “Word”
• Presentation software such as Microsoft “PowerPoint”
• Mp3 player such as iTunes, Quicktime, or Windows Media Player
• Media player for PC and MAC: Windows Media Player or Quicktime player
• Flash Players: Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player
• PDF reader: Adobe acrobat
• Sound: Internal or external speakers
• Inspiration software or Gliffy (www.gliffy.com)

Websites:
www.pbs.org
www.howstuffworks.org
www.unitedstreaming.com
www.google.com (google docs, utilization of forms)
www.glogster.com
www.galileo.usg.edu/welcome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_drives_in_the_United_States#Cattle_drive_era
http://www.thechisholmtrail.com/
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/places/trails_ter/cattle.htm
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/WW/ayw2.html
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/G/GR019.html
http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/trail-info/
http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/trail-info/tales-from-the-trail/
http://www.onthechisholmtrail.com/trail-info/trail-markings/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ranchhouse/pop_blackcowboy.html
http://www.blackcowboys.com/blackcowboys.htm

Instructional Plan
This module is built around the use of cooperative learning groups, pairs, and individual learning. Choice is provided through some of the activities so that students have opportunities to work with others OR complete the work alone.  This module should be completed over a four week time period. Divide students into groups of four for the group work.  These groups may remain the same throughout this module unless change is required for better group performance.  It would be best to ensure that each group contains at least one strong reader and one student with advanced computer skills for this age group.  For the pairs, the same considerations should be made when possible. The groups of four could be assigned specific roles such as a Computer specialist to layout the designs of projects, a recorder and secretary to collect and store the information, and project manager to assist with all aspects of the project and ensure that it will be completed on time. The curriculum web has been divided into week-long modules.

• Week #1 will consist of concept of the movement of people during this time period.  Students will discover the patterns of immigration of people from Europe to America and the forced movement of Native Americans to reservations. Individual assignments consist of watching the provided videos and answering the questions.  The questions are provided through a Google Doc “form” for easy grading and can be used to assess students’ learning quickly and provide feedback to them if necessary. The individual assignment for this week's project is the creation of ajournal entry. The entry will be submitted through a Google doc form. Students should follow the rubric to understand the grading. The pairs assignments for this week’s work include the creation of a PowerPoint presentation and the design of a Historical Marker.  Both assignments’ assessment criteria will be provided through a rubric to guide the students.  The individual assignment of a journal entry will also follow a rubric to guide its creation and assessment.  Related links will be provided to gather pertinent information for all projects. A questionnaire will be provided to students through Google docs as a way to assess one another’s participation. 
  
  
• Week #2 consists of a group project.  This week’s content will cover the Cattle trails of the late 1800s. The students will work as a group to complete a brochure about the Western cattle trails and black cowboys.  A rubric will be used for student guidance and final assessment.  Related links will be provided to gather pertinent information. A questionnaire will be provided to students through Google docs as a way to assess one another’s participation. 
  
  
• Week #3 will cover the Spanish-American War and the building of the Panama Canal. For the coverage of the Spanish-American war, students will have a choice between a group or individual assignment.  The group project will be the creation of a front page newspaper similar to those created during the “yellow journalism” style of time period.  A rubric will be provided to guide its creation and its assessment. The individual assignment will be to listen to a podcast over the war and answer questions. The second phase of week 3 will be a pairs assignment to create a presentation about the building of a Panama Canal.  A rubric will be provided to guide its creation and its assessment.  Related links will be provided to gather pertinent information.
  A questionnaire will be provided to students through Google docs as a way to assess one another’s participation. 
  
  
• Week #4 will cover the inventors of the time period and their impact on humans today.  Students will read the provided information focusing on the definitions provided. They will then be directed to "Quizlet" to review the inventors and definitions and play a game. Students will aslo be provided with links to movie clips about the Industrial Revolution. For this week's main assignment, students will answer an open-ended question about their opinion of the most significant invention and why they think it has been the most important to mankind. Students will be using a wiki so that they have an opportunity to reply to one another's statements.

Assessment Plan
A variety of assessments will be utilized throughout the curriculum web.  Students will be assessed through online quizzes, individual projects, and group projects.  All projects will be evaluated through the use of rubrics.  Students will be required to complete individual work and/or group work each week.  Built-in quizzes and rubrics within each week will determine if students have mastered the objectives.  Online quizzes will consist of multiple choice or short answer questions such as:

“What was the major reason that Irish people emigrated to America?”
A. they were kicked out of their country
B. potato famine
C. they wanted to move to a dryer/warmer climate

Rubrics will be created using a 4- point scale containing multiple categories for content such as the following example:

Evaluation Plan
An evaluation of the Curriculum plan will be provided through both formative and summative formats.  Teachers familiar with the subject matter and grade level will be asked to review the curriculum web before publication. The evaluation provided to the teachers or experts will review the effectiveness and design of the curriculum web. This “expert” evaluation will be considered a summative evaluation because they are reviewing it after its completion.  However, this evaluation will allow for edits to take place before the curriculum web is used and therefore might also be considered formative in nature.  Students will be asked to complete an evaluation upon completion of each week’s work.  This will be the ongoing formative evaluation of the curriculum web. Students will be evaluating the content and design of the module with an opportunity to provide suggestions for improvement.

Expert Summative Evaluation Form

Weekly Student Formative Evaluation Form

Teaching Plan
Curriculum Web presentation
This curriculum web would best be initially presented in a computer lab with a projector and screen for an introduction by the teacher. A walk through of the module would be helpful to orient students to the organization and weekly expectations of work. An introduction at the beginning of each week might also be a good policy because of the young age of the learners.  Reinforcing the organization, explaining the assignments and setting up the groups or pairs needed for assignments on a weekly basis might be beneficial.

Computers
This module will be most effective when taught in a one-to-one computer to student ratio. The use of a computer lab or mobile cart lab can provide this ratio.  There is also a mini lab where the ratio can be two students to a computer.  The classroom is also an option but the ratio will be four students to a computer with five computers in the classroom and an average class size of 20 students. This will be the biggest obstacle; having enough computer time for each student.  Teachers must be diligent in signing up for the labs in order to achieve the best student to computer ratio.  Also consider that a few of the students will be able to complete the individual assignments in their homes.  Contacting or surveying parents to find out who has computer with internet access will be helpful in determining how much can be expected from home.
Connectivity, filtering, or software issues should not pose a problem.  Most of the work requires a computer with internet access and basic software, such as Microsoft publishing software, to complete the work. If technical problems arise you can ask the Media Specialist about general troubleshooting and contact county technical services for more in-depth problem solving and assistance. If all technology fails or is unavailable for an extended period of time, students can complete the work in paper-pencil fashion by drawing and writing to complete projects.  The embedded quizzes could be printed and provided in “Scantron” form for quick grading.  The Social Studies textbooks, encyclopedias, and other book-based references can be used to acquire information needed for quizzes and projects.

Students
This module is built around the use of cooperative learning groups, pairs, and individual learning. Choice is provided through some of the activities so that students have opportunities to work with others OR complete the work alone.  This module should be completed over a four week time period.
Divide students into groups of four for the group work.  These groups will remain the same throughout this module unless change is required for better group performance.  It would be best to ensure that each group contains at least one strong reader and one student with advanced computer skills for this age group.  For the pairs, the same considerations should be made when possible. The groups of four could be assigned specific roles such as a Computer specialist to layout the designs of projects, a recorder and secretary to collect and store the information, and project manager to assist with all aspects of the project and ensure that it will be completed on time.
For pairs work, ensure that at least one is a strong reader and one has adequate computer skills.
For behavior issues, follow school protocol for referrals.  For the work, the student who misbehaves may need to complete all projects individually with no option for group work if he or she obstructs other students’ learning time.

Last updated December 5, 2010 by Amy Crosby