Lesson
Title
Grade
Level
Introduction:
Imperialism
and
World
Power
Status
11th
Grade
USHC
Teacher
Mr.
James
Maltese
Duration
of
Lesson
2
45
minutes/1
Full
Block
Lesson
Topic
American
Expansion
SC
Standards
and
Indicators
Standard USH C-5: The student will demonstrate an
understanding of domestic and foreign developments that
contributed to the emergence of the United States as a world
power in the twentieth century.
USHC-5.1 Analyze the development of American
expansionism, including the change from isolationism to
intervention and the rationales for imperialism based on
Social Darwinism, expanding capitalism, and domestic
tensions.
Academic
Vocabulary
Social
Darwinism,
Isolationism,
Imperialism
Lesson
Materials
Images
that
represent
Vocab
words,
Blank
paper
for
student
drawings,
markers,
Poster
board
for
“Statement”
responses.,
Sticking
notes.
Lesson
Set
Content
Objective(s)
SWBAT
examine
the
meaning
of
isolationism,
imperialism,
and
Social
Darwinism
in
terms
of
US
foreign
policy
SWBAT
explain
why
the
United
States
move
towards
a
policy
of
intervention
and
what
the
key
factors
were
that
facilitated
this
change.
Literacy
Objective(s)
SWBAT
to
develop
their
own
definitions
of
academic
vocabulary
SWBAT
formulate
written
arguments
for
and
against
US
Imperialism.
Lesson
Importance
This
lesson
is
an
introduction
for
the
Imperialism
standard
(USHC‐5).
In
order
for
students
to
fully
understand
the
changing
role
of
the
United
States
in
a
global
sense,
they
first
must
be
able
to
understand
the
basic
concepts
of
social
Darwinism,
isolationism,
and
imperialism.
By
understanding
these
terms
in
a
new
context,
students
will
not
only
be
able
to
draw
on
prior
knowledge
(English
Imperialism
manifested
in
colonial
America,
US
westward
expansion
as
the
seeds
of
Imperialism),
but
also
make
predictions
about
the
future
of
role
of
the
US
in
the
global
conflicts
of
the
20th
Century.
Connections
to
prior
and
future
learning
Anticipatory
Set/
Hook
(Engage)
Prior:
Colonial
America,
Westward
Expansion/Mexican‐
American
War
Future:
Spanish‐American
War
World
War
I,
World
War
II,
Cold
War,
Vietnam,
Persian
Gulf
Wars
How
does
the
image
below
reflect
the
United
States’
desire
to
add
more
territory?
What
were
some
of
the
consequences
and
rewards
of
territorial
expansion
in
North
America?
Skill
Development
Initial
“explain”
portion
of
the
lesson.
Introduce
vocabulary,
explain/demonstrate/model
the
skill
required
for
the
literacy
objective,
introduce
content
components.
The
content
portion
is
only
a
brief
introduction;
the
bulk
of
the
student
learning
will
take
place
during
the
guided
practice
activity.
Based
on
student
responses
to
Do
Now
(Mexican
American
War,
Trail
of
Tears),
the
class
will
briefly
discuss
the
basic
idea
that
whenever
one
person/country
gains,
another
is
losing
out.
Additionally
we
will
discuss
how
and
why
world
leaders
make
these
grave
decisions.
(i.e.
Mexican‐American
War=
Deep
water
harbors
in
California)
“I do”
Using
Westward
Expansion
as
a
model‐
Argument
For:
By
Skill from literacy engaging
Mexico
in
a
war,
the
US
was
able
to
gain
vast
objective
amounts
of
territory
in
the
Southwest.
This
territory
gave
the
introduce/explain/model
US
access
to
the
Pacific
Ocean
and
contributed
immensely
to
the
expansion
of
the
US
economy.
Argument
Against:
American
expansion
west
led
to
the
death
and
displacements
of
thousands
of
Native
Americans.
Additionally,
it
could
be
argued
that
the
US
took
advantage
of
a
weaker
nation
in
Mexico,
purely
for
its
own
gain.
These
actions
contradict
the
rallying
cries
of
revolutionaries
from
the
previous
century.
Introduce
content
components
Guided
Practice
This
is
the
inquiry
portion
of
the
lesson,
student‐centered
&
often
cooperative
learning
strategies
used,
teacher
acting
as
facilitator,
also
known
as
Explore.
“We do”
Activity
Description
Include student “explore”
components and
Guided
Practice:
Social
Darwinism.
Use
images
to
develop
a
definition
for
Social
Darwinism.
opportunities for them to
explain their learning.
As
a
class,
we
will
analyze
several
images
and
develop
our
own
definition.
A
standard
definition
for
each
term
will
be
given
at
the
end
of
the
lesson.
Checking for
Understanding“Informal”
Assessment
Based
on
their
understanding
of
the
term,
students
will
create
their
own
image.
Students
should
be
able
to
explain
their
image,
and
thus,
demonstrate
their
understanding
of
the
term.
Closure
Teacher
will
re‐visit
content
and
answer
students’
questions
developed
during
the
Guided
Practice
component.
Summarize
the
lesson,
clarify
content,
and
revisit
content
and
literacy
objectives.
Content
Solidified
Provide
students
with
a
standard
“textbook”
definition
of
Social
Darwinism
to
couple
with
the
definition
the
class
developed.
If
any
major
components
were
missing,
student
images
may
be
edited
to
compensate
for
any
shortcomings.
Independent
Practice
“You Do”
Students
complete
the
image
analysis,
definition
development,
and
image
depiction
for
Isolationism
and
Imperialism.
Additional
Activity
(as
modeled
in
the
“I
DO”
Literacy
Section:
.Graffiti:
In
groups,
students
will
respond
to
the
following
phrases
that
will
be
on
posterboards
located
around
the
classroom:
"The
United
States
needs
to
be
involved
in
all
world
affairs."
"The
United
States
is
more
successful
than
other
countries
and
needs
to
assist
those
countries."
"The
United
States
should
stay
out
of
the
affairs
of
other
countries."
Summative/
“Formal”
Assessment
Assessment
The
generated
definition
and
image
explanation
will
be
used
as
an
assessment.
Additionally,
students
will
answer
the
following
exit
slip
question:
Which
course
of
action
should
the
US
take
going
into
the
future
and
why?
Summarize
your
reasons
for
abdicating
such
a
position.
Differentiation
During
Lesson
Assessment
Image
analysis
and
explanation
will
be
modified
for
IEP
and
ESOL
students
depending
on
their
accommodations.
Image
analysis
and
explanation
will
be
modified
for
IEP
and
ESOL
students
depending
on
their
accommodations.
American
Expansion:
Social
Darwinism,
Imperialism,
Isolationism
Image
Analysis
Worksheet:
Complete
for
each
image
Overview- What is the picture about?
Parts- What are the different parts of the picture?
Title-What would you name the picture?
Interrelationships- What could the symbols in the picture represent? How are
they related to each other?
Conclusion- What are your final thoughts on the picture? Does the picture have
an agenda?