Jennifer+Eldridge+-+Thinking+and+Planning+Big


 * NC Middle School Course: 8th Grade American - NC History **
 * Themes and Rationale: **

The themes of unity and cooperation are themes that students will encounter on a daily basis. Whether students are working on a group project with one another, or working together to accomplish a similar goal. Throughout history groups of people have came together to accomplish their goals, and/or to console one another. For example, right after the events of 9/11 there was a large surge in national pride and unity. During the American Revolution, the people from the colonies (or most of them), rallied together to break away from Britain. This unit will cover topics such as American presidents and their effects on history (past and present), civil rights and human rights and their corresponding activists, gender and racial equal rights and their corresponding activists (past and present). Each of these topics and issues will be relevant to today's students since many of the issues are still occur today.
 * Theme 1: Unity/ Cooperation - **
 * Essential Individuals: **
 * 1) Abraham Lincoln - As a President, Abraham Lincoln brought our nation together to combat important issues.
 * 2) Emma Watson - Emma Watson, famous not only for her role in the Harry Potter movies, but also for her role in fighting for gender equality. Since Emma Watson has roles in popular young adult movies she is able to influence not only the youth of America, but the older generations as well.
 * 3) Maya Angelou - As a civil rights activist and author, Maya Angelou brought people together to fight social injustices. Through her poetry, Angelou was able to express the importance of working together to combat these injustices.
 * Essential Texts: **
 * 1) Star Spangled Banner - This song will serve as an example of the unity of our nation. This song represents the unity of our nation. Students will be able to break down the song line by line to analyze the message behind the song.
 * 2) Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address - This document will serve as an example of a speech designed to bring people together. Students will be able to analyze certain traits throughout the address that made the Gettysburg Address effective.
 * 3) Scholastic article, Looking Back - America Comes Together for the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 - This article shows how the events of 9/11 brought, and continue to bring us together as a country.

The theme of equality and human rights is a theme that students will encounter time and time again. Equality and human rights are both topics that are discussed via the news, in classrooms, and at home. Lately, there has been quite a bit of discussion concerning equality and human rights on the news.Equality and human rights will always be relevant to the present, seeing as there are still many issues concerning human rights today. This unit will cover topics such as gender and racial equality (Jim Crow Laws, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, HB2), discrimination, equal pay and education (Plessy v. Ferguson) up to 21st century America. Each of these topics will be relevant to students today since equality and human rights are still issues that America encounters today.
 * Theme 2: Equality/ Human Rights - **
 * Essential Individuals: **
 * 1) Martin Luther King Jr. - Martin Luther King Jr. is a staple not only in American history, but also in world history. MLKJR fought for the rights of African Americans, and inspired people worldwide. MLKJR promoted peace, and through this he touched thousands, if not millions of lives, and gave people hope for a better world.
 * 2) Bernie Sanders - Bernie Sanders is a current essential individual in our history. Not only does he fight for the equal rights of the LGBT community, but he also fights for the equal rights of women, disability rights, and more.
 * 3) Rosa Parks - Rosa Parks is also a staple in American history. Parks contributed to the civil rights movement to fight for the equal rights of African Americans. While refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, Parks sparked a movement to end segregation.
 * Essential Texts: **
 * 1) I have a dream Martin Luther King Jr (Full speech) - Reading this speech will reiterate the important role that Martin Luther King played in advocating for the equal rights of African Americans. Including this text will show students just how long that the struggle for equality has been happening.
 * 2) US Constitution (14th Amendment) - Reading the constitution, and specifically this amendment, will highlight the rights that each of us should have. Reading this amendment will call for students to critically think about equality and what it entails.
 * 3) Equality by Maya Angelou - Maya Angelou’s poem Equality highlights the theme of equality in a different medium. Students will be able to analyze the poem and how it highlights the importance of equality or lack thereof.

**Theme 3: Social Class/ Social Stratification -** Social class has been, and still is, used as a way to separate and/or classify society. One’s social class has often been used to determine the success that one may have in the future. Today, social class is still used to predict whether one will graduate high school, attend college, etc. People even look at one’s social class to predict what type of grades a student will earn. Therefore, the theme of social class is relevant to our students today. This unit will cover topics such as social class and stratification and its impact on early America and its citizens. This topic will also highlight the different class systems (past and present) and their expected roles in the community. Students will find these topics to still be current issues that many people still face today.
 * Essential Individuals: **
 * 1) S.E Hinton - As an American author, Hinton provides her readers with a look into how society views the different social classes. In her young adult novel, The Outsiders, S.E Hinton highlights the differences between social classes and their experiences. Throughout the novel Hinton stresses the differences between the “socs”, (upper class) and the “greasers” (lower class). The novel accentuates society’s views and expectations of upper and lower class.
 * 2) F. Scott Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald also provides his readers with a look into the expectations that society places on the different social classes. He also provides his readers with some of the notable monetary differences between social classes at the time. This novel also provides its readers with a snapshot portrait of the 1920’s.
 * 3) Jonathan Swift - Swift is known for his satire, A Modest Proposal. In this text Swift takes a look into the social classes in Ireland and comes up with his proposal that the people of Ireland eat their babies so that they do not become a financial burden.
 * Essential Texts: **
 * 1) Excerpts from The Outsiders by S.E Hinton - Using excerpts from The Outsiders will highlight the differences in social class and how it affects the characters in the novel. Students should be able to make connections between the novel and real life issues.
 * 2) Excerpts from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Using excerpts from the Great Gatsby will highlight what social class looked like during the 1920’s. It will also reinforce the idea that social class has also been a characteristic that has been used to determine one’s future successes, and where one fits into society.
 * 3) Excerpts from Jonathan Swift A Modest Proposal - Using excerpts from A Modest Proposal will provide students with insight as to how social class appears in different countries, such as Ireland.

Throughout history, America has been involved in multiple wars, and America has always had its share of conflict. In fact, the events of the Revolutionary war lead to the birth of America. Conflict and war are two themes that are not only recurring throughout American history, but also world history. This unit will cover war and conflict (past and present). The unit will cover topics such as the American Revolution, the Civil war, the Vietnam and Korean war, WWI and WWII. The unit will also cover 9/11 and other current events. **Essential Texts:**
 * Theme 4: Conflict and War **
 * Essential Individuals: **
 * 1) George Washington - As the first president of the United States, and Commander in Chief for the Continental army during the American Revolution, George Washington is a staple in American history.
 * 2) George Bush - George Bush was president during the bombing of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. After the terrorist attack Bush began implementing policies with the hopes of deterring future terrorists attacks, and he also had a hand in moving our troops into Afghanistan.
 * 3) Harry S. Truman - As president, Truman gave his approval to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truman’s role in these events highlights an important event in history concerning conflict and war.
 * 1) A Patriot’s Letter to His Loyalist Father - This letter from the Revolutionary war will show students how the war not only created conflict within the colonies, but also within families.
 * 2) Excerpts from A Twin Towers’ Survivor Story - Excerpts from this first hand account of a survivor of the 9/11 bombing will give students more insight into the events of 9/11 and the conflict that was occurring in the country at this time.
 * 3) Excerpts from Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson - In her young adult historical fiction novel, Anderson creates an account of the Revolutionary war that students will find compelling to read. Even though the novel is fiction, Anderson follows the timeline and events of the Revolutionary war. Students could compare and contrast the events in the novel with the Revolutionary war.

The theme of the relationships with other nations is a recurring theme throughout history, although the some of the relationships between nations may not have always been that positive. This unit will cover the United States relationships with other countries, and the importance of maintaining a relationship with other countries. This unit will also highlight many of the issues, such as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Each of the issues covered throughout this unit will work to provide students with an understand of the relations that America holds with other countries (past and present).
 * Theme 5: Relationships with other Nations **
 * Essential Individuals: **
 * 1) John F. Kennedy - The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred during JFK’s term of presidency. During this time he informed Americans about the presence of missiles and explained his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba.
 * 2) James Monroe - James Monroe enacted the Monroe Doctrine during his presidency. The Monroe Doctrine explicitly stated that the United States would not tolerate European expansion into the western hemisphere.
 * 3) Roosevelt -Roosevelt, along with Winston Churchill, created a broad statement of U.S and British war goals are a reaction to a political situation in Europe.
 * Essential Texts: **
 * 1) Monroe Doctrine - The Monroe Doctrine sets up some of the policies between the United States and other nations. The document warns European nations that they will not tolerate further colonization in the western hemisphere.
 * 2) Atlantic Charter- The Atlantic Charter was a joint creation created by US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The Atlantic Charter created a broad statement of U.S and British war aims as a reaction to a political situation in Europe.
 * 3) Excerpts from Hiroshima(specifically survivor accounts of the event)- The first hand account events from the novel Hiroshima will provide students with more insight into the events and aftermath of Hiroshima. This first hand accounts should allow students a look into how the bombing affected people personally, and as a country.

America was founded through immigration. Various groups of people have been immigrating from their home countries to America for centuries. Many people have come to America for reasons such as religious freedom, and economic opportunity. Other groups of people have been forced to come to America as an indentured servant or slave. This unit will cover topics such as early immigration, present immigration, indentured servants, slavery, laws and rights pertaining to immigration in America.
 * Theme 6: Immigration **
 * Essential Individuals: **
 * 1) Cristina Jimenez - Jimenez is the director of the United We Dream Organization. This organization is ultimately dedicated to finding justice for all immigrants.
 * 2) Donald Trump - Trump’s immigration policies, such as building a “wall” around the United States borders, have been forefront during his campaign for the 2016 president.
 * 3) Hillary Clinton - Clinton’s immigration policies contrast those of Donald Trumps. Clinton’s immigration policies are intended to fix the United States immigration system.

**Essential Texts:**
 * 1) The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros - This young adult novel will provide students will a snapshot of what it was like, and still like, to be a Hispanic child, or adult, in America.
 * 2) Indenture - This document will provide students with an example of the document that was completed when one was an indentured servant. This will reinforce that some of the immigrants that came to America did not do so out of their own free will.
 * 3) Naturalization Act of 1790 - This document highlights the requirements of citizenship or lack thereof.

**Justification** - Unity/cooperation, equality/human rights, social class, conflict and war, relationships with other nations, and immigration are all themes that remain relevant to middle school students today. Each of these themes embody past and current topics within history that students should be aware of.