Curriculum Center Suggestions & Activities
Grades Seven through Twelve
Objectives
(will differ for you depending upon grade
and ability level of your students)
To help you:
- Easily locate World Wide Web sites and links
on this topic.
- Integrate technology into classroom activities.
- With a few suggestions for classroom activities
and lessons.
To help your students:
- Appreciate the information online about the
United States, its people, its lands, its flag, and its government.
- Use telecommunications for research.
- Use the suggested Internet sites as springboards
for finding additional resources.
- Develop thinking and problem-solving skills
by using traditional and online resources and learning to make
use of these resources.
- Use links to widen searches for information.
- Better understand differing opinions among
people in the same nation.
- Have fun by Celebrating America!
Curricular Extensions, Projects, Ideas
Here are a few ideas on how to help students
with this study:
1. Because a number of sites offer K-12 lesson
plans, we encourage you to spend some time reviewing what is
available in order to find appropriate lessons for your classes.
To get you started, try these:
2. Have students discuss the following:
Why were people were willing to leave Europe
in the 1600 and 1700s to undertake a hazardous trip across the
ocean only to step ashore on a land with few rules and regulations
and little organized government.
Was the American Revolution really a revolution
stage against the British or a breakaway by the American colonists
from their European past? Some historians think the latter. What
do your students think?
After students review the country's early
history, discuss with them the contributions made by certain
figures like Betsy Ross, Thomas Paine, Alexander Hamilton, etc.
Do they find online sources valuable in their
search for information about the history of our nations?
3. Ask your students to log on the Census
Bureau's population clock to determine how fast, or slow, the
population of the United States and the world are growing. Are
there more births than deaths in the United States? How many
people immigrate to the United States each year?
At the "Percent of Population Born in
State of Residence" area of the Census site, have students
research information to determine which states have the most
residents with in-state birth and which states have the greatest
in migration. What do students think causes people to move to
these states?
Have students begin at the Bureau's home page
to locate specific sites of statistical information. A starter
question might be: Thousands of people from all over the world
enter the United States each year. Which three countries did
the majority of the foreign born people entering the U.S. in
1996 and 2000 come from?
Have students research the statistical information
to determine characteristics of the United States' citizen population;
e.g., population ages, origin, education levels, income, region
of residence, etc.
4. Divide students into several groups with
each researching one Article from the Constitution. Students
should consider the Article's purpose, whether it has been amended
and why, and whether the Article should be modified to address
modern issues and conditions.
Have students research the Constitution to
determine when it was adopted and by whom, and list the states
that later ratified the document and when. What did "ratification"
mean for the document? When was ratification completed?
What was the Declaration of Independence meant
to accomplish? Who is the "He" in the document?
Students should read Thoreau's "Civil
Disobedience." Was he correct "That government is best
which governs least"? Have students write a paper or do
a computer presentation giving their opinion on the level of
government necessary to maintain order in society. Do we have
enough "government"? Too much? Too little?
5. Have students review the 1964 Civil Rights
Act. Why was it necessary? What did it set out to accomplish?
Where are we with Civil Rights today?
6. Have students research the history of the
American flag noting major milestones such as the years it was
redesigned to accommodate new states being admitted into the
Union.
Have your students consider whether the Constitution
should be amended to prohibit physical desecration of the American
flag or are First Amendment freedoms of speech and free expression
more important. Have students individually or in groups research
and defend the arguments.
Discuss flag rules and etiquette. What are
the purposes for these?
7. Beginning at the Sousa Home Page, have
students research the Internet for interesting facts about Sousa.
Which of his songs is considered the "official" march
of the United States? Where is this official designation to be
found? What is the name of the instrument built following his
design. How does it differ from a similar instrument?
Discuss with students the song "Stars
and Stripes Forever." What was Mr. Sousa experiencing at
the time he composed this song?
What are some of the unique accomplishments
of Sousa's original band?
Because of his music, his name is synonymous
with the Fourth of July. Have students research various Sousa
Internet sites to chronicle his musical output during his career.
According to one source, his musical tastes were "eclectic."
What did he think of jazz?
Although better known for his music, Sousa
also wrote seven books, numerous journal articles, and even poetry.
Have students search the Internet for information on some of
the composer's literary efforts.
Have your students work in groups to create
a musical history of the United States. Make sure to include
Sousa in the history. This history might best be presented by
using a computer presentation program or by producing a stage
show.
8. Go to the Congress, House, and Senate sites
to have the students make lists of all the people who are representing
them in our government. Encourage them to write to these people
to express their opinions.
9. Discuss with the students the purpose of
the Bill of Rights? Why do we need a Bill of Rights? Do all countries
have laws like these protecting the rights of citizens? Would
the United States be different if we didn't have the Bill of
Rights?
10. Ask your students to plan a birthday party
for the United States.They'll need to dress like a famous historical
character and bring in the character's favorite food (or a food
of the time period). Each character will be required to give
a toast that focuses upon his or her contributions to the United
States. Of course, the characters will need to bring a present
that symbolizes, in its own way, the spirit of the nation's birthday.
11. Discuss fireworks safety with students.
Have the students look at the fireworks safety site and then develop their
own fireworks safety computer activities for younger children.
12. Have students learn about their own community
and perhaps create a web site focusing upon their community.
How does their community fit into America and the American Dream?
How does their community "Celebrate America?" What
are the problems in the community standing in the way of a real
celebration of the American spirit? What might your students
do about this?
Sample Student Activities Grades Seven
through Twelve
(Adapt these to Grade & Ability of Students)
Activity #1 Getting Involved
Grades 7-12
Think about a need in your community or state.
For example, you might concentrate upon the problems with a local
or interstate highway or with development of a wetland area.
How would you find information on this topic so that you could
present facts to your representative in your state legislature
or in the Congress? What would you present? Is it possible that
you could create a bill that would come before a legislative
committee?
Find information on those who represent you
and how to interact with them so that they will be serving you
and listening to your opinions.
Bookmarks:
Congress.Org
The Library of Congress Internet
Resource Page
Thomas
House
Senate
Activity #2 Do We Need a Bill of Rights?
Grades 7-12
Use your bookmarks and linked sites to learn
about our Bill of Rights. Are the amendments still valid as written
or should they be "upgraded" or new amendments added
to address issues not foreseen by the founding fathers?
Work with a group of students in the class
to examine each of the first 10 amendments. Are any changes needed?
If so, make your suggestions to improve the Bill of Rights. Keep
in mind that your suggestions will not be for just today's USA,
but for the many generations to follow you.
Whether you and your group feels there should
be changes or not, create a computer presentation or web site
addition focusing upon the power of the Bill of Rights and why
such rules of a nation are important to everyone.
Bookmarks:
The U.S. Historical Documents Archive
Gutenberg
Project
The Federalist Papers
Emory University's Search Engine
Emory University's School of Law U.S. Founding Documents
Activity #3 Civil Rights Timeline
Grades 7-12
Use a computer program or long sheets of paper
to create an illustrated, historic timeline of the United States
and Civil Rights. You'll find a timeline in the bookmarked sites
and this will give you ideas, but make the timeline your own.
Add ideas about the future on your timeline.
Bookmarks:
The 1964 Civil Rights Act
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
National Civil Rights Museum's Virtual Tour
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's "I have a Dream."
Activity #4 Cartoons, Comics, & America
Grades 7-12
There are so many different subject areas
and time periods you might focus upon to create your own cartoon
history of part of America's past. Select a subject, time period,
or person, and create a cartoon series on the computer or by
hand. Make sure to have captions for the pictures or text bubbles.
Don't worry if you aren't a great artist. Take a look at some
of the cartoons and comic strips in the newspapers to get some
ideas and use the suggested sites for collection of historic
information.
Activity #5 Books, Books, Books; Don't Forget
How Important They Are!
Grades 7-12
After looking at the Internet sites about
America, go to the library or bookstore and find a book that
has additional information on a topic that interests you. For
example, you'll notice that book biographies of famous people
of history will give you that extra bit of information you may
need to make your term paper or computer presentation special.
Because of copyright laws and other considerations, many books
are not available online. You'll need to supplement your online
research and learning through your reading of good books.
Activity #6 The Big Quiz
Grades 7-12
Is a big quiz really a test? Only the teacher
knows, and this time you are the teacher. On the computer develop
a test that focuses upon the topic "Celebrate America!"
Include short answer questions to test knowledge of the sites
covered in this theme. Don't forget to add sound and picture
identification questions. Design your test so that it will be
automatically graded and the scores given to each person who
takes your big quiz.
And don't forget to give a rousing cheer for
your test takers and their scores!
Activity #7 Visit Your National Parks
Grades 7-12
Most people don't get to visit all of our
National Parks during their lifetime, but with online resources,
you can at least visit through telecommunications.
1. With a group of your friends, visit a number
of the national parks online and make a database of the places
visited. In the database include name of park, location, type
of park, who would like this park, special attractions, and your
own rating of the park.
2. During the summer, you are going to work
in one of the National Parks. Pick your favorite. Create a diary
with about 25 entries of your summer work at this park. Include
information on scenery, wildlife, visitor centers, programs at
the park, problems relating to the parks, etc.
Bookmark:
National
Park Service
Activity #8: And the Banner Yet Waved
Grades 7-11
If you ever get to Baltimore, be sure to visit
Fort McHenry and go to the presentation featuring the writing
of the "Star Spangled Banner." It's an inspirational
program that ends with the opening of curtains to view a flag
like the one that few over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
(The real flag is now in the Smithsonian's National History Museum
in Washington, DC.) If you can't travel there or before a visit,
the next best thing is the Fort McHenry site.
Travel with the bookmarks to Baltimore back
in September of 1814. Learn about why Francis Scott Key was on
a British ship during the battle. Find out how the Americans
defeated the British. The British had already burned Washington,
DC, and people thought they'd take Baltimore as well. However,
the citizens of Baltimore, led by a Revolutionary War officer,
used their knowledge of the water and land routes of the area
to turn the British away. Use online, text, and library resources
to find out about the star-shaped fort, the youngsters given
credit for shooting the British general, how sunken ships protected
the Americans, why an elderly physician would have been taken
prisoner by the British, how a lawyer came to write our National
Anthem, and more.
Fort McHenry is a very interesting sea and
land battle to study. Why not make a computer presentation about
Fort McHenry, North Point (the land battle), and the people who
made the victory possible? Who was out digging trenches, for
example? Why couldn't the McHenry cannons reach the British ships
until . . . ?
Bookmarks:
Baltimore
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry Patriots
Virtual Tour of Fort McHenry
Pop Quiz Fort McHenry
Activity #9 Marching Music
Grades 7-8
1. Find out about one of America's favorite
musicians by traveling to the sites that tell about John Philip
Sousa. Why was this man so popular? Listen to his marches and
see if you can find some you recognize. Find out why Sousa's
recordings were not as lively as his performances.
2. Design a program with the others in your
class featuring some of the Sousa songs and other favorite songs
of America.
Bookmarks:
The Music of John Philip Sousa
The
John Philip Sousa Homepage
Americana
Activity #10 The Future
Grades 10-12
After studying the statistical information
from the 2000 census and how this information relates to the
United States, your state, and your community, think about the
future. Based on these facts, where are we heading? Do you foresee
problems? If so, what problems. How might these problems be overcome?
Describe your community, your state, and America
in 2025. How different will it be? Draw a map of how your community
(your neighborhood) might look in 2025.
Bookmarks:
U.S.
Census Bureau
Just for Fun
The Demographic State of the Nation: 1997
