Linking Early US History to World Geography

Sarah Witham BednarzTexas A&M University

http://linking.tamu.edu

• The Context for this Project…• The Project• Grade 8 Objectives and World

Geography• Recommendations• A Sample Draft Activity

–Site and Situation, Washington DC

• Context…– Grade 10

TAKS Objectives

– Teaching the World Geography TEKS

– Student Performance…

One/third of the Grade10 TAKS objectives is early US History?

• The Project…– Curriculum modules & strategies to teach

geography & history– Drafts improved through Review &

Critique Process– Refined, classroom tested, and

disseminated– Workshop/conference: January 22, 2005– Posted on website:

http://linking.tamu.edu

8.1 explain the significance of 1776, 1787, & 1861-1865

• Geographic Strategy– Create story “sketch” maps that

narrate the spatial history of the American Revolution and the Civil War

8.4 Explain the roles played by

• Geographic Strategy– Put the lives of Washington & Jefferson

in geographic context…• Design and draw appropriate maps,

diagrams, tables, graphs• Create a historical atlas illustrating

significant events in their lives• OR create a large scale time and

place(maps) line bulletin board to compare and contrast…

8.4 Explain Am Rev issues• Independence, the Articles of Confederation• Geographic Strategy

– Give students list of significant events, 1764-1783

– Date and locate each event– Sort the events in three categories

• Events that led up to the Revolution (Causes)• The Revolution• Events that resulted from the Revolution (Effects)

– To conclude, have students make generalizations about the location of significant events

8.16 Identify colonial grievances

• Declaration of Independence and connection to US Constitution & Bill of Rights

• Geographic Strategy– Distribute Declaration of Independence– Explain the long train of abuses and usurpations in

own words– Discuss geographic implications

• Related to colonial/imperial economic relationship?• Any still a problem today? Why or why not?

8.3 Explain the Reasons for the Growth of Representative Gov’t

• Colonial Period• Geographic Strategy

– Ask students to describe the human and physical characteristics of one place in the colonies at different periods of time

– How did changes in population, economics, politics, society affect the place?

– Relate to history and changing spatial relations in the colonies, 1600-1776

8.16 & 8.20 Historic Documents

• Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers

• Components of US Constitution

• Unalienable Rights• Importance of Free

Speech in a Democratic Society

Historic Documents• Geographic Strategy

– Relate cultural worldview to political, economic and social values reflected in key gov’t documents.

– Distribute summaries of main ideas from key documents

– Review ideas– Ask students to write a summary of

American worldview in own words as it reflects and represents these documents

8.17 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments, States’ Rights, Nullification

• Causes & Effects of the Civil War

• Geographic Strategy– Divide class into work

groups and assign each a task

• E.g.,Task 1: Define states’ rights as it is framed in the Constitution

• E.g. Task 2: Make a map showing slave and free states, 1800, 1820 etc.

• Pull class together for story telling– You tell the story; at key points students share

evidence produced by their tasks to illustrate

• Conclude: ask students to create concept maps linking key ideas/concepts into a coherent diagram:– States’ Rights, Nullification Crisis, Dred Scott

Decision, 3/5 Compromise, 13, 14, 15 Amendments, Westward Expansion of Settlement, Civil War

8.17 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments etc.

• Recommendations?– Teach with maps

• 12/50 questions included maps

– Teach conceptually, not regionally

• Draft: Site and Situation, Washington DC

• Procedure:– Examine Map 1& Reading 1: Pick site

for new capital.– Read #2. Examine Map 2.: Evaluate

your selection.– Read #3 & examine Map 3: Pick site.– Read #4 & refine site selection.