S+Sawyer,+Brittany

**Office: Room 123** **Office Phone: (207)xxx-xxxx** **Office Hours: Everyday 2:45-4:00** ** E-mail: brittany.a.sawyer@maine.edu **
 * Teacher: Mrs. Saucier**

=Summary of Unit= In this unit students will be learning the causes and effects of the Civil war, not only on the Civil War era, but also on how the effects are still present today. Students will learn about major Constitutional and Democratic issues between the North and South, and how the issues were resolved. Students will complete a series of five small projects which will all be pulled together into a final project showing what they have learned and their understanding of the subject. Students will have a larger understanding of on of the major conflicts America has dealt with on a solely internal level. Through this study students will have a better understand of where some of their present rights came from due to the creation of new laws during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. Students will also have the knowledge about the major places, people and events that occurred and how they effected the course of the war. Through this unit and the information learned students will be able to see how history can help them to better understand themselves, and where they came from. Topics such as voting will be discussed and explored to determine how the country would be different had people not been as involved in the process during the Civil War and how that reflects on today's society. Students will be able to creatively incorporate their own interests through study of different Civil War topics, and how they choose to present their learning in the projects assigned. Students will gain the ability to work in pairs and groups successfully as well as independently.

=Establish Goals= Maine Learning Results  Content Area: Social Studies  Standard Label: E. History  Standard: E1 Historical knowledge, concepts, themes and patterns  Grade Level: 6-8 Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-1877  Students understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historic influences in the history of Maine, the United States, and in various regions of the world.

=Students will understand that= •there are causes and effects of the Civil War  •there was a division between North and South  •the country was dealing with major issues of Constitutional meaning and Democratic freedom

=Essential Questions= •How did the Civil War effect the United States today?  •Why were Constitutional Amendments being questioned?  •How did politicians play a role in the Civil War? = = =Students will know= •Important events and people: Lincoln, Joshua Chamberlain, Antietam, Lee, Grant, Gettysburg, Emancipation Proclamation, Jefferson Davis  •Vocabulary: Carpetbagger, Union, Confederacy, Boarder States, Slavery, Amendment, bill, Slave Codes, rebel, Yankee, Mason-Dixon line  •Sequence and timeline: Dred Scott Case, Emancipation Proclamation, Succession, Surrender, Gettysburg

= = =Students will be able to= •describe how history can help one better understand and make informed decisions about the present and future. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> •make sense of the effects that the Civil War had on America today. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> •exhibit the change in Democratic ideals over time. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> •analyze the reasons behind the differences between the North and South. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> •consider what Civil War era citizens felt about the changes. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> •reflect on which position they would take strategically.

**Performance Task Overview** You and your team are an up and coming producers with a particular interest in history looking for a job in Hollywood. Come to find out, the History Channel is looking for help! They are coming out with a new series on the Civil War and want to include an episode about the citizen's view of the war and an episode on how the war effected the world today. The producers are asking for you to complete a 4-6 minute pilot episode that contains both the citizen's view and the effects. You can choose to be from any social status, state or side during the Civil War, but be sure to really get into your character's mind set. They ask that you spend half the time on each topic, and provide evidence to back up your ideas. To be sure your video is chosen you need to make it not only educational but also entertaining and accurate. You have the freedom to discuss the citizen's view in semi-broad terms, or get more in-depth and look into their views on particular battles. Be sure to explain why you chose the pieces you did and their importance. Remember your careers as producers are on the line! Have fun and good luck!

=Expectation=
 * Attendance/****Absence:** Attendance is a requirement in order to fully understand the unit. Students are responsible to get missed work, if you are absent you are expected to contact me before the next class day to receive work missed. In order to be eligible for full credit on missed assignments, students must provide a note from parents/guardians or the office to be excused from losing points for lateness. Attendance is a graded portion of the class and is worth 20 points.
 * Participation/Assignments:** Students are expected to have all assignments completed prior to class, assuming that it is not assigned as in class work. Students should complete their assignments with a goal of high quality in mind to help them to continue their learning process. Students who do not have assignments completed may turn them in late knowing there will be an automatic loss of 5 points per day on each assignment. Students are expected to participate as often as possible. It is taken into account that some students are shy, but this is an opportunity to show knowledge and possibly teach others about something they may not know that you do know. Students will receive points on a scale of 50-100 at the end of each quarter based on their level of participation. This is an easy grade for most, and an opportunity for shy students to come out of their shell and share their wealth of knowledge. Students who rarely participate will not be penalized completely as the participation aspect of the class is only worth 10% of the total grade, and is thought to be more of an opportunity to have students engaged.
 * Classroom Expectations:** Along with the school's existing policy on behavior, students will create a set of rules with the teacher at the start of the year. Broken rules and expectations will be handled on a case to case basis depending on severity. Students are allowed to chew gum or eat, unless it becomes to much of a distraction. Students are allowed to have drinks in containers that can be closed. Students who need to use the restroom may do so no more than once in a class period, unless they have documented medical need that states otherwise. Students needing to use the restroom do not need permission the first time and they should exit and reenter the room quietly, also students are expected to sign out and back into the classroom.
 * Plagiarism:** Students are expected to document any and all sources properly for any assignment. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action according to school policy. When in doubt students should be on the safe side and cite the information. The teacher is more than willing to help students having a hard time with citations and understanding what needs to be cited. The affect plagiarism will have on a students grade is decided on a case to case basis. It will be determined if the plagiarism was intended or just a misunderstanding of citation rules. Students who are in the category in which it is obvious they did not understand the rules will have one opportunity to revise their work with proper citations.

=Benchmarks= Assignments in the benchmarks section will be worth a total of 1000 points. •**iMovie (100 points):** For this assignment students will show changes in ideals on Democracy. Students will work on their iMovie in class as well as for homework when necessary. The movie should be between four and eight minutes long. Students can do this in any way they feel will get the point across, including but not limited to, dance, song, poetry or drawing, the more the creative the better. Students will accompany their iMovie with a short writing talking about any issues they were unable to add into their movie. Students will work in groups to create their movie and each student will assess others in their participation level. The iMovie will be worth 90 points alone, and the combined score from peers in the group will account for the other 10 points. Students will present their product to the class. •**Vlog (100 points):** Students will record a movie with audio overlay explaining a Civil War era citizen's opinions. This project will be completed in groups of two to four students. Students should assume the role of a Civil War citizen. Students will include how the Civil War era effected the world, and how those changes are still prevalent today. This project will be completed in several steps, which will have handout accompanying them that students will be expected to hand in with their final project. Students will complete an evaluation form on their group and how they feel things went. Students will present their product to the class. •**ComicLife (100 points):** Students will visually show/explain the differences between the North and South. This will be a pair project, in which students are responsible to split work evenly. Students will receive peer feedback as well as teacher feedback. Students may choose to either do an audio file or an essay in addition to their ComicLife explaining their ideas.Students may choose to add video or any other form of expression to their ComicLife to increase it's effectiveness. Students will be equally as partners, but they will be providing their own input which will be taken into consideration at grading. Students will present their product to the class. •**Glogster (100 points):** Students will explain immediate causes and effects of the Civil War. Students can do this in any way that shows their understanding, as it will be an individual project. Examples include, and are not limited to, creating a web using text and pictures, using text that is connected to links or using pictures accompanied by text. Students will present their product to the class, and should be prepared to speak on why they chose to create their product in the fashion they chose. Students will complete a self evaluation that will be taken into consideration during grading. •**Wiki (100 points):** Students will work in pairs to create a wiki page to provide and explain evidence of cause and effect on today's society. Students will chose specific laws, events or places that have been effected by the Civil War and explain those connections. Students should choose at least four topics and no more than eight topics to explain the connections. Students should split the work evenly. Students should not only know information about the portion they complete but they should be able to explain all aspects of their wiki when questioned. Students will present their product to the class and receive questions from the audience in which they are to answer with any explanation needed. •**Blog (100 points):** Students will individually create a blog entry to defend either the North or South based solely on the strategic aspect of the war. Before creating their blog entry students will work together to discuss evidence and defend their side. Without incorporating aspects such as slavery, culture or ideals, students will take one side and explain their reason for choosing that side using only military strategy as evidence. Students will be assessed by the teacher for accuracy and strength of their argument. Students will then participate in a debate which will be worth 20 points of their grade on this assignment.

=Grading Scale=
 * A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59).