Crossroads: High School Curriculum
Unit VII: "What, Then, Is This American?" ca. 1865-1900

Lesson 4

Major Concepts

Objectives

Suggested lesson/activities

At the end of the nineteenth century, the United States was poised to assume a leadership role in the community of nations.

Objective: The student will be able to:

Since this is a concluding lesson for the unit, the major objective is to provide the students an opportunity to present the information obtained in Lesson Three. From the series of student presentations, all students should have grasped the major intent of the unit in terms of where the United States was positioned internationally in 1900.

Suggested lesson/activities:

1. Allow each student 3-5 minutes to describe his or her portfolio. Ask the student to summarize how the company selected contributed to a new definition of an American.

2. Give each student a list of students within the class and a scoring rubric for assessing the portfolios. (As suggested earlier, rather than providing a rubric for lessons within this curriculum, it is much more valuable, instructionally, for each teacher to construct scoring rubrics with students at this grade level.) Have each student score all the presentations, including his or her own.