7th Grade Social Studies: American History Scope and Sequence aligned with learning intentions and success criteria What Does It Mean to be an American Part A: Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT:We Are Learning To... evaluate what drove the colonists to declare their independence from Great Britain and set up their first national government. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the causes and effects of the Revolutionary War (53, 61, 62, 63, 64 Skimming Chapter 7 Am Rev., 81) . SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can identify the reasons why the American colonies and Britain began to grow apart. ● We can describe the ways the colonies defied the rules of Parliament. ● We can identify the ways that Britain tightened its control over the colonies. ● We can explain how colonists protested British rule. ● We can explain why the rebellion became a revolution. ● We can explain why the states joined together to form a new government. ● We can describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ideas in the Declaration of Independence that are the foundation of our government (Ch. 64). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can explain the parts and the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. ● We can demonstrate understanding of Declaration of Independence in our life today.
What Does It Mean to be an American Part B: Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT:We Are Learning To.. evaluate how Americans created a national government that respected both the independence of the states and the rights of individuals. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the process the framers went through in developing the US Constitution, and the structure of our government system (Ch. 82, 83). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can evaluate the challenges delegates faced at the Constitutional Convention. ● We can explain how the delegates at the Convention resolved their conflicts.
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We can summarize the battle for ratification of the Constitution (Federalists vs. Antifederalists). We can analyze the Bill of Rights
LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the policies established by the Constitution that resulted from the desire for democracy ( Living Constitution) . SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can describe the 7 Principles guiding the Constitution and how they shape its articles and amendments. ● We can summarize the Preamble and its stated goals. ● We can contrast the powers, terms, and numbers of the House and Senate. ● We can describe the specific powers granted to Congress and how a bill becomes a law. ● We can describe the branches of government, their powers, and the system of checks and balances. LG: How do the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society involve both obligations and privileges? ( Citizenship Handbook, 91). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can define citizenship. ● We can explain a citizen’s rights and responsibilities. ● We can describe the decisions made by Washington and Congress that established precedents for later years.
Westward Expansion Part A: Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT: We Are Learning To.. evaluate how Westward Expansion transformed the nation. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of how and why the United States expanded and transformed during the 19th century (Ch. 131, 132, 133, 134, 191). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can identify the changes in Spanish Texas that led to the Texas Revolution. ● We can summarize American support for Manifest Destiny. ● We can describe the events in the War with Mexico. ● We can describe how the discovery of gold changed California. ● We can describe how the Transcontinental Railroad was built. ● We can summarize how the railroads changed the nation. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the motivation and experiences of the people who migrated west. SC: We Will Be Successful When...
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We can identify the reasons why the early pioneers moved west. We can summarize the challenges people faced in settling west.
Westward Expansion Part B: Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT:We Are Learning To... identify the new problems and opportunities that developed as America became an industrial power.
LG: Students will learn about the Industrial Revolution and new inventions/innovations and how they changed the way Americans worked (Ch. 111, 191, Ch. 201 (p. 631633 only)). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can describe new inventions that improved transportation, communication, and agriculture. ● We can identify the factors that led to the Industrial Revolution in America. ● We can describe how the Industrial Revolution changed American life. LG: Students will learn about various groups of individuals who immigrated to the United States, and how these groups, along with Industrialization, contributed to the growth of cities (Ch. 141, Ch. 201 (p. 636637), Ch. 202). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can identify reasons why cities grew quickly and why urban life changed. ● We can describe the new immigrants and their settlement patterns. ● We can explain the process of assimilation and native reaction to the immigrants. ● We can summarize problems created by rapid growth. ● We can explain why political machines controlled certain cities. LG: Students will learn about working conditions before and after the formation of unions and the Labor Movement (p. 459 only, Ch. 202, Ch. 204) SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can explain the efforts of the labor movement to improve working conditions. ● We can list reasons why workers organized unions and identify issues in early labor unions. ● Describe the struggles between business and labor (early setbacks, gains, and strikes).
How Do Americans Strive For Equality Part A: Native Americans Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT: We Are Learning To… identify how specific actions affected the Native Americans’ struggle to gain and maintain equality in the United States.
LG: Students will learn about specific actions that affected the struggles of Native Americans in their effort to gain equality in the United States (Ch. 122, 193, articles, debate). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can summarize the effects of the Indian Removal Act on Native Americans. ● Explain why Jackson wanted the Native Americans to move West. ● Identify ways Native Americans tried to resist American settlement. ● Summarize the forces that led to the end of traditional Native American life. LG: Students will learn how the struggles of the past and the continuing struggles in the present have led to opportunities available to all American citizens today. (Ch. 122, 193). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can describe how past issues affect the current issues in Native American life.
How Do Americans Strive For Equality Part B: Women Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT:We Are Learning To… identify how specific actions affected the women’s struggle to gain and maintain equality in the United States. LG: Students will learn about specific actions that affected the struggles of women in their effort to gain equality in the United States (Ch. 143p.468471). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can explain how the abolition movement led to the fight for women’s rights. ● We can identify key people and events in the women’s rights movement. LG: Students will learn how the struggles of the past and the continuing struggles in the present have led to opportunities available to all American citizens today. SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can describe how past issues affect the current issues in women’s lives.
How Do Americans Strive For Equality Part C: African Americans Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT: We Are Learning To… identify how specific actions affected the African Americans’ struggle to gain and maintain equality in the United States. LG: Students will learn about specific actions that affected the struggles of African Americans in their effort to gain equality in the United States (Ch. 24, Ch. 112, p. 465468, 151, 152). SC: We Will Be Successful When…
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We can define slavery and summarize how it developed in the Americas. We can describe the lives of slaves and how slavery led to racism. We can explain the effect of the cotton gin on slavery in the South. We can describe the daily life and culture of African Americans in the South in the mid1800s. We can describe the efforts of the abolitionists in the 1800s to end slavery. We can summarize the effects of territorial expansion on the debate over slavery. We can explain how the issue of slavery led to political divisions.
LG: Students will learn how the struggles of the past and the continuing struggles in the present have led to opportunities available to all American citizens today. SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can describe how past issues affect the current issues in African American life.
The Civil War Learning Goals and Success Criterion: WALT:We Are Learning To… describe the ways that the Civil War transformed the nation. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the causes, effects, and participants of the Civil War. (153, 161, 162, 163, 171, 172, 173, 174, 181). SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can explain whether or not they feel the Civil War was inevitable. ● We can describe the reasons and responses to the succession of the Southern states. ● We can analyze the events that led up to the first shots at Fort Sumter. ● We can explain what strategy each side used to prepare for battle. ● We can summarize the successes and defeats of both the Union and Confederate armies. ● We can analyze how the Emancipation Proclamation affected the war effort. LG: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the effects of the Civil War on families, the economy, infrastructure, and social life/society. SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can identify economic and social changes caused by the Civil War. ● We can describe the losses and the costs of the war. ● We can analyze how the Civil War transformed the nation. ● We can identify the goals of presidential Reconstruction and summarize its successes and failures.
Connecting to the 20th/21st CenturyIndividualized Learning Projects: Learning Goals and Success Criterion:
WALT:We Are Learning To… connect events in the 20th/21st century to our study of American history in 7th grade. LG: Students will research, create and present a project concerning a 20th or 21st century topic that impacted the US. SC: We Will Be Successful When… ● We can demonstrate our understanding of a(n) event/person from the 20th/21st century and relate it to the knowledge we acquired in 7th grade American history.
