Learning Activity

Celebrating Alabama's Bicentennial: A Presentation of Alabama History

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

5

Overview

Students in each Grade 5 class will work in collaboration to create a group Google Slides presentation celebrating the Alabama Bicentennial (or Alabama History.) Each student pair will research a different topic to find information to create two or three slides as part of the group slideshow. The finished class Google Slides show will be presented, with each student pair reading their own slides. (See digital resource for suggested topic list drawn from course standards.) 

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Learning Development Summit.

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.1

Locate on a map physical features that impacted the exploration and settlement of the Americas, including ocean currents, prevailing winds, large forests, major rivers, and significant mountain ranges.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.5.1

Vocabulary

  • impact
  • exploration
  • settlement
  • prevailing
  • legend (key)
  • physical features
  • cultural features

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How geographic features such as ocean currents, prevailing winds, large forests, major rivers, and significant mountain ranges influenced exploration and settlement of the Americas.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Correctly use maps to identify various physical and cultural features, including natural harbors, states and capitals.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Geographical features influenced the exploration and settlement of the Americas.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.10

Describe political, social, and economic events between 1803 and 1860 that led to the expansion of the territory of the United States, including the War of 1812, the Indian Removal Act, the Texas-Mexican War, the Mexican-American War, and the Gold Rush of 1849.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.5.10

Vocabulary

  • political
  • expansion
  • Indian Removal Act
  • Texas-Mexican War
  • Mexican-American War
  • Gold Rush
  • technological developments
  • locomotive
  • telegraph
  • barbed wire

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Political, social, and economic events between 1803 and 1860 that led to the expansion of the territory of the United States (the War of 1812, the Indian Removal Act, the Texas-Mexican War, the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush of 1849, among others).
  • The role of the Louisiana Purchase and explorations of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for their impact on Westward Expansion.
  • The purpose of the Monroe Doctrine.
  • Alabama's role in the expansion movement in the United States, (the Battle of Horseshoe Bend and the Trail of Tears, among others).
  • The impact of technological developments on United States' expansion (steamboat, steam locomotive, telegraph, barbed wire, among others).

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Locate journeys, territories, and political boundaries on a physical and political maps.
  • Sequence historical events.
  • Explain the role of individuals in historical time periods.
  • Compare and contrast technological.
  • Determine causes and effects of events and technological developments between 1803-1860.
  • Analyze primary sources.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Political, social, and economic events led to the expansion of the United States and contributed to the development of new technologies and the creation of new states while also setting the stage for future conflict within the nation.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.11

1Identify causes of the Civil War, including states’ rights and the issue of slavery.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.5.11

Vocabulary

  • Civil War
  • Missouri Compromise
  • insurrection
  • opposition
  • rebellion
  • personalities
  • political conditions
  • confederacy
  • secession

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Causes of the Civil War, including issues of states' rights and slavery.
  • The importance of the Missouri Compromise, Nat Turner's insurrection, the Compromise of 1850, the Dred Scott decision, John Brown's rebellion, and the election of 1860.
  • Key Northern and Southern personalities, including Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Joseph Wheeler.
  • Social, economic, and political conditions that affected citizens during the Civil War.
  • Alabama's role in the Civil War (Montgomery as the first capital of the Confederacy, Winston County's opposition to Alabama's secession).

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Locate key places and events on a physical and political map.
  • Identify and analyze the causes of political conflict Identify key people and explain their role throughout the Civil War.
  • Describe and draw conclusions about the war affected the citizens of the United States.
  • Interpret and define the role of Alabama in the Civil War.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were many factors that led to the Civil War.
  • Key people and ordinary citizens contributed to and were impacted by the Civil War.
  • Alabama responded to, participated in, and was impacted by the Civil War.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will describe Alabama's role in the expansion of US territory from 1803 - 1860, identify Mobile as a natural harbor, and identify Alabama's role in the Civil War.

Activity Details

The students in each class period will collaborate to create a class group Google Slide Presentation in celebration of Alabama’s Bicentennial (or Alabama History).

Each class will work in pairs; each pair will choose (or be assigned) a topic from the following list:

This list was drawn from recommended topics in course standards.

  1. Mobile Settlement

  2. Trail of Tears

  3. War of 1812

    1. Creek Indian War
    2. Battle of Horseshoe Bend
    3. Battle of Burnt Corn
    4. Andrew Jackson

  4. Alabama in the Civil War

    1. Jefferson Davis
    2. Capital of the Confederacy  - Montgomery
    3. Winston County Secession from the Confederacy
    4. Battle of Mobile Bay
    5. Battle of Fort Blakeley
    6. Battle of Spanish Fort
    7. The Mobile and Ohio Railroad

The teacher will create a Google Slide presentation with only a title slide: “Celebrating Alabama’s Bicentennial” or “Celebrating Alabama’s Heritage.” The teacher will share this presentation with each student in the class using the usual delivery method for the classroom. (Google Classroom, email, teacher website, etc.)  If more than one class will be involved, a separate show should be created for each class, with the class period denoted on the file name. (make a copy and rename)

The slide share link should be set as: Anyone with the link can edit.

Each group will research the topic selected, using the textbook and/or internet research method.

Each pair will add two to three slides to the group presentation, describing and identifying their topic's place in Alabama's role in US History from 1803 through the Civil War.

Students will work on their slides simultaneously, taking advantage of the collaborative nature of Google Slides.

If the students are not familiar with the process of collaborating on Google Slides, the teacher will explain that students can all add their slides at the same time and can see the presentation as it is constructed by their classmates.

The finished slide show will be viewed by the class on the projector screen, with each group presenting their slides.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

The teacher will evaluate as each slide is presented, assessing the students' description and identification of Alabama’s role in American history from 1803 through the Civil War.

Variation Tips

The presentation could be modified to cover American History during one historical period as categorized in course standards.

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

The teacher will create only the title slide of a Google slide presentation, then share the presentation with each child in the class. Set the share link to: Anyone with the link can edit.  If more than one class is involved, make a copy of the first presentation and rename it to denote the specific class period. 

The teacher will review the digital resource instruction sheet and edit the topic list if desired. 

The teacher will review the collaboration process of Google Slides.

Digital Tools / Resources

Collaborative Google Slide Presentation Alabama Bicentennial History
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o3yflnN0u6lf-oM2ZiLoh1kGKNQVLB3FtCBFKrfd0sc…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

keithd
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