Governor’s
Decision
Room
Handbook
Teacher’s Guide
overview
Background:
The Governor’s Decision Room is the culmination of several years of research and observation about a new direction in history education. With the help and support of the Truman
Presidential Library and Museum, David and Betty Morris Family, Jackson National Life and
the Michigan History Foundation, the Archives of Michigan proudly presents the Governor’s
Decision Room Program.
Methodology:
HSCE’s Formative assessments, created by teachers for teachers.
This curriculum covers the following standards from the current Michigan High School
Content Expectations in United States History and Geography
Era 8- Post World War II United States 1945-1989
8.2.1 Demographic Changes
8.2.2 Policy Concerning Domestic Issues
8.2.3 Comparing Domestic Policies
8.3.5 Tensions and Reactions to Poverty and Civil Rights
FOR TEACHERS:
The teacher’s guide is the same as the students guide in content and pagination. This guide
however includes “teacher’s notes” to guide the educator in the different modules. If the
teacher has any questions on process please contact the program staff at the Michigan
Historical Center.
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Module 1
Introductory Statement for Module One:
The 1960’s are defined by the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement and the
­assassinations of four major political leaders (within 5 years).
This time period represents one of the nation’s most complicated historical eras.
­Tremendous social, economic, and political change took place in a short period of time. The
State of Michigan and the City of Detroit experienced these transformations as much or
more than any other state in the union.
Detroit at the time was the nation’s fourth largest city, and it made Michigan a vital
­electoral chess piece as well as a major factor in the nation’s industrial output with the “Big
Three” General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler all having their headquarters in Detroit. Detroit’s
economic output drew hundreds of thousands of Americans to Michigan to work in the
automobile industry. These heterogeneous groups competed for jobs and housing as Detroit’s
population exploded during the first half of the twentieth century.
Detroit’s position at the crossroads of social, political, and economic history provides
unique examples and insights into the powerful forces that collided in America in the
1960s. In this curricular unit you will explore how dramatic events in Michigan from the
1960s represent changes occurring in the country at large and how these events
­permanently changed the course of Michigan’s history.
Vocabulary List:
• Segregation
• Free Space
• Rebellion
• Imperialism
• Riot
• Exploitation
• Discrimination
• Pan-Africanism
• Protest
• Civil Rights
• Racism
• Colonialism
• Black Power
• Nationalism
• Police Brutality
• Revolution
Teacher’s Note: Depending on the students you are teaching in terms
of grade level and ability, there are certain terms your students should
understand prior to advancing in this curricular module. If you feel your
students are not familiar with the following list of terms, you should take
time prior to starting the lesson to cover these definitions with students.
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Introduction to Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs: Michigan in the 1960s, a contrast in
prosperity and poverty.
Self-Actualization
Achieving individual potential
Esteem
Self-esteem and esteem from others
Belonging
Love, affections, being a part of groups
Safety
Shelter, removal from danger
Physiological
Health, food, sleep
Teacher’s Note: This curriculum includes the framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, borrowed from the
psychological discipline. This framework is included to give
students a conceptual sense of what motivates human
behavior, and in the context of the 1960s, what would
drive people to protest, riot, or rebel against their economic and social circumstances. It is important to stress to
students that people typically progress up the hierarchy
as they solidify each level of need. You can provide
examples to students of individuals who achieved economic and family stability in their lives and found themselves at the level of self-actualization or self-esteem.
During this part of the module teachers should question
students about how they would behave if their safety and
physiological needs were not met. You as the teacher
need to convey that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can be
used to explain a range of human behavior from different
historical examples.
This portion of the module has been included to ensure
that students understand that riots, rebellions, and
protests do not just randomly occur, but are a product of
people’s basic needs going unmet.
Questions to go with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
Review the chart above, circle or mark those needs that you feel are of most importance in
life and then answer the following short answer questions.
1. According to this illustration, what are the most basic needs of individuals?
2.Do you believe that each individual should meet these needs for him or her self? Do you
believe this responsibility should ever be transferred away from the individual? For
example, could a government ever assume responsibility for addressing these needs?
3. What do you believe happens when the basic needs of individuals are not met? In other
words, what would you expect people to do if their access to food, water, and shelter
were threatened?
4.If basic needs are not met for people, is the outcome always negative? Or can it be a
positive outcome in certain situations?
5. What would you do if your basic needs were not being met and you felt that no one, or
no institution was going to come to your assistance?
The following question is optional if the teacher feels time exists for class discussion.
6.Can you think of current events or events from recent history that can be explained due
to the fact that people’s physiological or safety needs were not being met?
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Module One (continued):
Students, please define the following concepts in
your own words. Feel free to use words, phrases,
or examples to define each concept.
• Riot
• Rebellion
• Protest
On November 17, 1961,
more than 30,000
farmers participate
in a rally in front of
the seat of the Swiss
government in Berne.
The farmers are demonstrating to express
their frustration and
anger over falling
prices for agricultural produce and the
federal government's
decision concerning
the price for milk.
Teacher’s Note: Now that students
understand Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
they need to be introduced to three more
concepts that will help them organize their
thinking about the urban unrest of the late
1960s. The concepts of Riot, Rebellion, and
Protest have qualities that are similar but
they also have properties that are different.
The definitions and labels we place on
different events communicate powerfully
how people understand a certain historical
event.
In their own words, have students define
their understanding of each word, Riot,
Rebellion and Protest. After students have
written down their own personal definitions, begin charting key words or phrases
they used to define each concept on a Venn
Diagram on the chalkboard, whiteboard, or
overhead projector. Allow students to
comment about whether the word/phrase
should overlap between two or three
concepts, or should it belong to only one
concept.
Venn Diagram:
Now, following along with your teacher and keeping notes on the Venn diagram provided
below, chart the characteristics of Riots, Rebellions, and Protests that overlap with each
other and which ones do not overlap with the other concepts.
Students, place the following historical events in the correct category on the Venn Diagram.
Two of the events are riots, two are rebellions, and two are protests.
A Venn diagram helps you compare
things. In the outer circles, write
things about them that are different.
In the center circles, write things
that are alike (between two things
or all three, depending on how the
circles overlap).
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Events:
The Flint Sit Down Strike (1937)
Kent State Shootings (1970)
The Homestead Strike (1892)
The Chicago Democratic Convention (1968)
Selma to Montgomery, Alabama Marches (1965)
Rodney King’s Arrest (1991)
different
same
different
different
©2008 abcteach.com
Teacher’s Note: After completing
the Venn diagram mapping of Riot,
Rebellion, and Protest complete the
following formative assessment to
test students’ understanding of the
three concepts. Depending on what
the students have covered in recent
social studies classes the teacher may
need to provide some details concerning some of the events listed below.
Teacher’s Module Summary:
At this point your students should understand the introductory concepts
needed to move forward in this curricular unit. By now students should
be familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the similarities and
differences between Riots, Rebellions, and Protests. Students should
also be able to apply real world examples from history and current
events to each of these concepts prior to moving on to module two.
Have students write a brief 3-4 sentence statement about ...use robert’s
text
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