Lesson Plan - Chapter 16: A Peoples' History of the United States

Lesson Theme:

A People's History of the United States

Topic, Grades, & Time:

Topic: Chapter 16: A People's War?
Grades: 11th Grade
Time: ~5 days or ~250 minutes (depending on school activities) & 124 minutes outside of class

Materials and Sources:

Sources: Zinn, H. (2005). A people’s history of the United States: 1942-Present. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
Materials (practitioner): (1a) text (print ); (1b) text (digital ); (2) desktop/laptop/tablet; (3) access to internet; (4) assignments; & (5) coffee/tea (optional)
Materials (student): (1a) text (print); (1b) text (digital); if 1b (2) laptop/tablet; (3) access to internet; (4) assignments; & (5) note-taking gear

Covered Standards:

Rationale:

Chapter 16 asserts that World War Two did to the Depression-era labor movement what the Spanish-American War, the Civil War, and the Revolution had previously done to their burgeoning labor movements. Chapter 16 points out that the war was rhetorically fought with the best intentions. Chapter 16 highlights that before the war, American policy was driven by a quest for stability rather than democracy. Chapter 16 attests that, as with other American wars, socialist and labor activists attempted to oppose the war and American policy abroad. Chapter 16 highlights that in a departure from tradition, where wartime controls were removed and Americans returned to peacetime activities after World War II, the US maintained a large standing army and pivoted from a struggle against Nazism towards a Cold War with the Soviet Union. Finally, Chapter 16 points out that at home in the United States, fears of Communist subversion and infiltration turned into the persecution of anyone who had in the 1930s been associated with labor activism, the Communist Party, or left-wing agitation.

Measurable Outcomes:

Students will, through literacy, be able to understand key ideas and details.
Students will, through literacy, be able to understand craft and structure.
Students will, through literacy, be able to understand the integration of knowledge and ideas.
Students will, through literacy, comprehend a range of reading and level of text complexity.
Students will, through literacy, be able to understand text types and purposes.
Students will, through literacy, be able to produce a production and distribution of writing.
Students will, through literacy, research to build and present knowledge.
Students will, through literacy, demonstrate a presentation of knowledge and ideas.
Students will, through literacy, demonstrate a range of writing.

Sequence:

0-5 mins - Administration (i.e. attendance, announcements, etc.)
5 - 25 mins (practitioner) - Check on student progress (time may vary, due to class size and time spent on each student).
5 - 45 mins (students) - Work on the required assignments. Please refer to Introduction Page.
45 - 50 mins - Exit question (check on progress of each student, time varies).

Behavioral Expectations:

Universal design for learning and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) will curb any behavior issues regarding student choice of sequence.
Student's will be engaged 80-90% of the class time.
Students' will be engaged due to the collaboration component of the lesson.

Assessment(s):

Formative:

Oral inquiry throughout the lesson will check for comprehension and understanding, acting as a pre-assessment.

Summative:

Chapter 16 Task Overview

Differentiation:

Multiple Levels of Questions: Primary use: readiness & learning profiles. All questions presented will advance problem-solving skills and responses. This strategy will ensure that all students will be accountable for information and thinking at a high level and that all students will be challenged. In addition, all text will have the ability to utilize text-to-speech technology and visual-audiobook with close-caption capability.
Activity: Chapter 16 Task Overview