Antebellum+Teaching+Project+Description



The Antebellum Era was an extremely complex time in US History. On one hand, it was a time of great progress as there were revolutionary changes made to the transportation and industrial sectors of America. On the flip side, it was a time of great turmoil as many Americans suffered under the brutal regime of slavery and were economically oppressed.

Because there is so much wonderful information to discuss during this time frame, and so little time to discuss it, we will be conducting a jigsaw activity where you (and your group) will become the class “experts” on a particular topic and then, share your knowledge with the class in a creative format.

You will be responsible for teaching one of the four chapters from our textbook, American Pageant. Those chapters are:

Chapter 12: The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism 1812-1824 (emphasis on foreign policy, expansionism, and politics) Chapter 13: The Rise of a Mass Democracy 1824-1840 (emphasis on politics and domestic policies) Chapter 14: Forging the National Economy 1790-1860 (emphasis on immigration, westward expansion, early industrialization and the growing divide between north and south) Chapter 15: The Ferment of Reform and Culture 1790-1860 (emphasis on religion, social reforms, advent of the women’s rights movement, science, art, and literature)

I will be providing you with reading study guides and other aides that may be helpful in the creation of your lesson plan. You will need to pick 3-4 key learning objectives which you will cover (i.e. What do you think students should know or be able to do after teaching your lesson.)

Based on those objectives, you will then design a lesson which should take 55-65 minutes to teach. (Keep in mind, it may NOT exceed 65 minutes - your grade will be docked if it does.) How you present your information is completely up to you. (Please note, if you want the students to be familiar with any material prior to your lesson, give them ample time to do so.) For my sake and that of your fellow classmates, lessons which are interactive are greatly appreciated. Finally, you will need to incorporate some sort of means for assessing what the students learn. (Do the students know what you intended them to learn?)

__**Other requirements:**__
 * You must use at least two primary sources in your presentation (we need practice in primary source analysis)
 * You must post all of your materials (objectives, presentations, etc.) to the course wiki..

A good lesson will include all of the following components:
 * An effective “hook” that gets the students interested, excited, and focused on the topic
 * At least one part of the class that has students working in groups
 * At least one visual aid (audio is more than welcome, but not required; Keynotes are helpful but will not count as your visual aid)
 * An interactive activity that involves the entire class
 * A measurable assessment at the end of the lesson that demonstrates whether or not the students understood the learning objectives
 * “Teachers” ask questions throughout the lesson

__**Chapter Teaching Project Rubric**__ __**100 points**__

You will be assessed based on the following criteria:

**Lesson Plan, Preparation, and Timing - 20 points** The lesson plan is thoughtful, professional, and includes all of the required components Students are ready to present at the beginning of class with all necessary programs/clips/materials ready to go Students demonstrate clear evidence of quality of preparation during the lesson Students plan a great lesson within the time parameters (55-65 minutes) No time is “wasted”

**Teaching Effectiveness - 25 points** Students clearly teach the main objectives as outlined in the lesson plan The class is interactive and all students are involved in an observable way in significant parts of the class Students clearly know the historical context of the primary documents and the meanings thereof “inside and out”

**Creativity - 10 points** Students exhibit a high level of creativity in organizing the lesson and in preparing the visual aids and activities

**Visual Aids/Activities - 20 points** The visual aids/activities are effective in achieving their intended results and in helping the lesson These aids/activities demonstrate the hard work, creativity, and the potential of the creators

**Introduction - 5 points** The introduction includes important information and provides a strong basis for understanding the lesson The introduction is interesting and “hooks” the audience into wanting to learn about the rest of the lesson

**Conclusion - 5 points** The lesson, instead of just “ending” is wrapped up thoughtfully and with the students’ learning in mind in a way that reinforces the main points The conclusion demonstrates other student’s understanding of at least part of the lesson

**Assessment - 10 points** The assessments that the presenters use accurately measure the students’ understanding of the lesson objectives

**Public Speaking - 5 points (This is an individual grade)** The student speaks clearly and at a good pace throughout Quality eye contact is maintained Attempts at engaging the audience are demonstrated Reading from/relying on prepared materials avoided at all costs **Bear in mind that I reserve the right to adjust final grades based on individual group members’ effort and participation.**As always, if you have any questions whatsoever, ASK!!!!!