The Evolution of America through Film
Course Number: ED 971-R466
Instructor: Matthew Watson
Semester: Summer 2016
Dates: June 27 - July 1, 2016
Time/Place: 8:00 – 3:30 at A.M.S. (9 West Street, Auburn, MA 01501)
Course Overview:
Through various forms of film, and carefully selected texts, this course will
examine the evolution of America from a colonial property to a world
superpower. All media seen will be chosen for possible use in the classroom.
Day one will focus on the birth of the American nation. “America: The Story of
Us” and Jared Diamond’s pulitzer prize winning Guns, Germs, and Steel will explore
the race for North America by European countries. “Saints and Strangers”, based
upon Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower, provides students with an exceptionally
accurate glimpse at the often misunderstood plight of the Pilgrims of Plymouth. As
the colonies grew through trade and commerce, they also yearned for freedom
from their mother country. “Sons of Liberty” offers a fresh perspective on our
founding fathers and their struggle for independence from Great Britain.
Day two will see America as a fledgling nation, struggling for survival, grappling
with the peculiar institution of slavery. National Geographic’s “Lewis and Clark”
provides a literal bird’s eye view of their historic expedition of the West. “In the
Heart of the Sea” brings the tale of the whaleship Essex to life. America’s
economy, the whaling enterprise, and its influence upon Herman Melville will be
seen. Solomon Northrup’s slave narrative, along with readings of other first hand
accounts, paint a clear picture of slavery in 19th century America.
Day three has America being torn apart by the disastrous Civil War. It is safe to
say that filmmaker Ken Burns’ “Civil War” set a new standard for historical
documentaries. As the nation began to rebuild following the war, the U.S. would
enter a period of unprecedented economic innovation, led by the “Men Who Built
America”. This program focuses on America’s titans of industry and
entrepreneurship. As prosperity arrives, so do waves of immigrants. This brings
many new assets, and dilemmas to America. “The Birth of a Nation” was a
controversial KKK film that exemplifies the racial tension of the era. As America
plunges into WWI, we see a new level of carnage. “The Lost Battalion” tells a
harrowing true story that brings the barbarity of The Great War to its viewers.
Day four has America as the world’s beacon of democracy, yet it still has not
granted full freedom to its citizens, most notably women. “Iron Jawed Angels”
tackles this issue. The 1930’s bring the Great Depression. The “Untouchables”
addresses the rise of organized crime and the prohibition era, all the while the
world is being pushed steadily forward to a second global conflict. “The World
Wars” examines the causes of World War II while “World War II in HD”
describes its subsequent events. America and the Soviet Union entered a
friendship of necessity during the war. However, this would soon turn into a “Cold
War” between the two superpowers. “Bridge of Spies” epitomizes this
conflict. Though its international relations are stressful, domestic relations in the
1960’s are even worse. “Selma” is the story of Martin Luther King’s civil rights
crusade.
The final day of the course witnesses the downfall of the American presidency in
“All the President’s Men”, the continuation of the Cold War, our growing
involvement in the dark world of terrorism, and our complicated
responses. Students will then be called upon to make their final presentations.
Participants will view the films and read/discuss the prescribed texts. They will be
required daily to create valid lessons, activities, and projects that can be
immediately utilized in their respective classrooms. Culminating units of study will
be presented on the last day of class. The use of technology(iPad, Prezi, iMovie,
Keynote, PowerPoint, YouTube, Pages, Google Docs) will be a focus in creating
lessons and activities.
Course Objectives:
Participants will actively address both the Common Core Standards and the
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for Social Studies and English Language
Arts.
Social Studies Massachusetts Standards: 7.19-44/WHI. 3,7,8,9,12-14,19,20,25-28,
33/WHII. 3,4,8,14,16,17,18,20,23-27,32,38,39,43,44,47,48/U.S.I. 15,7,13,22,26,29,31,36, 38-41/USII. 1,3-5,11-16,19,20,24-28,33.
Common Core Standards for History: RH 1-10, WHST 1-10.
Common Core Standards for ELA: RL 1-10,RI 1-10, W 1-10, SL 1-10.
Participants will be equipped with practical teaching strategies that can be used in
their classrooms such as lecture, cooperative grouping, “do nows”, “exit tickets”,
open discussion, and incorporating Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Participants will examine both primary and secondary source materials in
preparation for future classroom lessons. These materials will be provided.
Participants will share their ideas/thoughts in an open forum with the class on both
historical content and teaching techniques.
Participants will be given numerous ideas for class activities/projects. Through
these ideas, along with the collaboration of their classmates, students will create
original activities/projects that are best suited for their classrooms.
Participants will learn how to utilize the most recent technological advances
available to educators such as iPads, Prezi, Google, Youtube, Keynote, Socrative,
and Quizlet.
Student Requirements:
Attend all classes
Contribute to classroom discussions
Complete required readings
Complete classroom lesson plans
Share activities, lessons, and projects
Schedule of Classes:
Day One - Course Expectations and Policies
Social Studies/ELA Curriculum Frameworks review
Common Core Standards
Lesson/Project Ideas
Selected Readings/Discussion/Films from World/U.S.
History(7,WHI,WHII,ELA,CC)
“America: The Story of Us”
“Guns, Germs, and Steel”
"Saints and Strangers"
“Sons of Liberty”
History vs. Film discussion/activity
Collaborative Lesson Plans/Activities Created
Day Two - Discuss/Share Lesson Plans
Selected Readings from American History(WHI,USI,ELA CC)
“Lewis and Clark”
“Readings from Slave Narratives”
“Twelve Years A Slave”
“The Heart of the Sea”
History vs. Film discussion/activity
Collaborative Lesson Plans/Activities Created
Day Three - Discuss/Share Lesson Plans
Selected Readings from American History(USI,USII,ELA CC)
“Civil War” - Ken Burns
“Men Who Built America”
“Birth of a Nation”
“Lost Battalion”
History vs. Film discussion/activity
Collaborative Lesson Plans/Activities Created
Day Four -
Day Five -
Discuss/Share Lesson Plans
Selected Readings from American History(USI,USII,ELA CC)
“Iron Jawed Angels”
“Untouchables”
“World Wars”
“World War II in HD”
“Schindler’s List”
“Bridge of Spies”
“Selma”
“Platoon”
History vs. Film discussion/activity
Collaborative Lesson Plans/Activities Created
Discuss / Share Lesson Plans
Selected Readings from Modern History(USII,ELA CC)
“All the President’s Men”
“Argo”
“Miracle”
“Losing Iraq”
“American Sniper”
“Zero Dark Thirty”
“American History X”
History vs. Film discussion/activity
Student Presentations
Assigned Readings: Provided in class. Readings will be comprised of
novels,
textbooks, and primary sources.
Explanation of Grade Requirements:
Lesson Plans/Activities
40%
Class Participation/Readings
40%
Final Presentation
20%
Students will be required to utilize the information presented each day in class by
creating their own lessons and/or activities. These unique creations will be shared,
discussed, and evaluated daily in an open forum. They will be weighed as 40% of the
final course grade. Students will learn from one another as this type of
environment fosters growth for educators from any discipline.
In addition to the development and sharing of several lessons for this unit of
study, students will be required to complete various reading assignments from
several different sources. They will read primary source materials, documents,
periodicals, texts, and the work of their classmates. The completion and discussion
of these readings will be weighed as 40% of the final course grade.
During the final class students will present a unit of study that is specifically
tailored to their classes. This unit will contain an objective, lessons/activities, and
assessments. This presentation will be weighed as 20% of the final course grade.
Instructional Approaches:
This course will be conducted by utilizing various modes of
instruction. Participants will be exposed to brief content-based readings, lectures,
videos, and technology demonstrations. They will learn through open discussion,
cooperative grouping, classroom presentations, hands–on activities, and the sharing
of ideas.