Download I.S. 347 School of the Humanities Social Studies Unit Syllabus

I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
Class:
801, 802, 803, 831
Unit:
America as a World Power
Duration:
4 weeks (through the end of January)
Essential Question: How does a nation balance its own needs with the needs of
the world?
Focus Questions: Should the U.S. have entered the ranks of the imperialist
powers?
How does journalism affect public opinion?
Was the United States government justified in going to war with Spain in
1898?
How did the Treaty of Paris impact Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and
the United States?
Was the United States involvement in WWI inevitable?
How did WWI impact the United States at home?
Did Wilson’s Fourteen Points present an effective way to win the peace?
Items to Be Assessed:
VOCABULARY:
-Imperialism - Isolationism
-USS Maine
-Seward’s Folly –Annexation
-Yellow Journalism - Spanish-American War - Panama Canal
-Nationalism -Militarism
-“The Shot Heard Around the World” –Alliances
–Central Powers -Allied Powers -Trench Warfare - U-Boats - Lusitania
-Zimmermann Note -Selective Service Act -Liberty bonds
-Treaty of Versailles -Reparations
-Armistice
-Wilson’s Fourteen Points
-League of Nations
IMPORTANT FIGURES :
- William H. Seward
-Liliuokalani
-Theodore Roosevelt
-William Randolph Hearst -Joseph Pulitzer
-Archduke Franz Ferdinand -Arthur Zimmermann -Woodrow Wilson
DATES:
- 1867 The United States purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars.
-1898 Congress annexes Hawaii
-1890s Newspapers published articles about Cuban rebels fighting the Spanish.
-February 1898 William Randolph Hearst publishes letter from Spanish minister
saying that William McKinley is weak.
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
-February 15 1898 USS Maine explodes outside of Cuba killing 266 men.
- April 20 1898 War is declared against Spain.
-August 12, 1898 the United States and Spain signed a cease-fire ending the
Spanish American War. The United States gained control of Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico
and the Philippines.
-November 2, 1903 The United States helps Panama become independent from
Colombia by sending naval troops.
-1904 Construction of the Panama Canal begins.
-June 28, 1914 the Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated leading to the
start of World War I
-May 1915 a German U-Boat sinks the Lusitania with 128 Americans on board.
-March 1916 a German U-Boat sinks the Sussex, a French ship that had 80
Americans.
-March 1917 the Zimmermann Note is published in American newspapers
-April 6,1917 Congress declares War and the United States enters World War I
on the side of the Allies
- 1917 Espionage Act is passed
-1917 Selective Service Act is passed.
-1918 Sedition Act is passed
-1918 President Wilson creates the National War Labor Board
-January 1918 Wilson presents his Fourteen Points for postwar peace.
-November 3 1918 Hungary and Austria reach a peace agreement with the
Allies.
-November 11 1918- The armistice went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month.
-June 29 1919 Treaty of Versailles is signed outlining terms for German
reparations
EVENTS:
- Purchase of Alaska
-Annexation of Hawaii
- Sinking of the USS Maine
-Spanish-American War
-Building of the Panama Canal
-Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
-World War I
-Sinking of the Lusitania
-Treaty of Versailles is rejected by the U.S. Senate.
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
Aims for Each Lesson and Homework Assignments:
Lesson 1: How do nations try to expand their power through imperialism?
Standards: SS1 – U.S. History, SS5- U.S. Government
HW: Answer the following questions
1. What is imperialism?
2. Why do nations conquer other countries and create colonies?
3. What is isolationism?
4. Why did the United States follow the policy of isolationism?
5. What does a nation need to conquer other countries?
Lesson 2: How did the United States acquire Alaska?
Standards: SS1 – US History, SS3- Geography SS5- Government
HW: Answer the following questions
1) Why did the United States want to expand its nation?
2) Who was William H. Seward?
3) How did the United States acquire Alaska?
4) Why was the purchase of Alaska called “Seward’s Folly” ?
5) Why was Alaska a valuable purchase for the United States?
6) What natural resources can be found in Alaska?
Lesson 3: How did the United States acquire Hawaii?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History SS3- Geography SS5- Government
HW: Answer the following questions:
1) What valuable resources does Hawaii have?
2) Where is Hawaii located?
3) Who was Liliuokalani?
4) What is annexation?
5) Why did the United States want control of Hawaii?
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
Lesson 4:
What happened to the USS Maine?
Standards: SS1 – US History, SS5- Government
HW: Answer the following questions:
1) What was the USS Maine?
2) Why was the USS Maine sent to Cuba?
3) What happened to the USS Maine?
4) How did Americans react to the explosion of the USS Maine?
5) What did Spanish Minister Enrique Dupuy de Lome say about
United States President William McKinley?
Lesson 5:
War?
How did Yellow Journalism bring support for the Spanish-American
Standards: SS1 – US History,
HW: Answer the following questions:
1) What is Yellow Journalism?
2) Why did newspapers print yellow journalism?
3) Who were Joseph Pulitzer and William Garrison Hearst?
4) Do you think that newspapers today exaggerate stories to get
people to read their papers?
Extra Credit- Bring in a newspaper article from a newspaper or a
reliable internet source that you believe is an example of yellow
journalism.
Lesson 6:
How did the Spanish-American War begin?
Standards: SS1 – U.S. History, SS5- Government
HW: Answer the following questions.
1) Who has the power to declare war?
2) Why did the United States go to war with Spain?
3) Why did the United States tell Spain to leave Cuba?
4) Where were the first battles of the war fought?
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
Lesson 7:
What did the United States gain as a result of the Spanish-American War?
Standards: SS 1 – U.S. History SS5- Government
HW: Answer the following questions:
1) How did the Spanish-American War end?
2) How long did the Spanish-American War last?
3) What territories did the United States acquire?
4) Did the United States become an imperialist nation? Why or
Why not?
Lesson 8: Why did Theodore Roosevelt want to build the Panama Canal?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History, SS5- Government
HW: Answer the following questions:
1) What was the Panama Canal?
2) Why was the Panama Canal built?
3) How much did the Panama Canal cost?
4) How did the United States acquire the land to the build the
Canal?
5) What agreement did the United States sign with Panama?
6) Why was working on the Panama Canal so dangerous?
Lesson 9: What caused the start of World War I?
Standards: SS2- World History
HW: Answer the following questions
1) What is nationalism?
2) What is militarism?
3) Why were European nations engaging in militarism?
4) Who was Archduke Francis Ferdinand?
5) What was “The Shot heard around the world”
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
6) How did the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand lead to the
beginning of World War I?
Lesson 10: What alliances were formed for World War I?
Standards: SS2- World History
Homework: Answer the following questions
1) What is an alliance?
2) Who made up the Allied Powers?
3) Who made up the Central Powers?
4) Why do nations form alliances?
Lesson 11: How were the battles of World War I fought?
Standards: SS2- World History
Homework: Answer the following questions
1) What is trench warfare?
2) What is trench foot?
3) What are U-Boats?
4) What advantage did having U-Boats give the Germans?
Lesson 12: How did the United States get involved in World War I?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History SS2- World History
Homework: Answer the following questions.
1) What was the Lusitania?
2) How many Americans were killed?
3) How did Americans react to the sinking of the Lusitania?
4) How were Germans in the United States treated?
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
Lesson 13: How did the Zimmermann Note affect American opinion on World
War I?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History SS2- World History
Homework: Answer the following questions
1) What was the Zimmermann Note?
2) Why was the Zimmermann Note sent to Mexico?
3) How did the United States find out about the Zimmermann
Note?
4) What did President Wilson do as a result of the Zimmermann
Note?
Lesson 14: How did Americans assist in the war effort?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History SS2- World History
Homework: Finish World War I Propaganda Poster.
Lesson 15: How did World War I end?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History SS2- World History
Homework: Answer the following questions
1) What is an armistice?
2) When did the armistice take effect?
3) What is the Treaty of Versailles?
4) What did Germans have to do under the Treaty of Versailles?
5) What are reparations?
6) How many allied soldiers died?
7) How many Americans died in World War I?
I.S. 250 RFK Middle School Social Studies Syllabus
Lesson 16: What ideas were presented in Wilson’s Fourteen Points?
Standards: SS1- U.S. History SS5- Government
Homework: Answer the following questions
1) Who was Woodrow Wilson?
2) What were the Fourteen Points about?
3) What was the idea of the League of Nations?
4) Pick 3 of Wilson’s Fourteen Points and explain how each
one would restore the world after World War I.
Projects:

Students will complete a yellow journalism newspaper article

Students will complete a World War I Propaganda Poster.

Students will complete an alliance map