UBD Lesson Plan

Behling~Raczka

UBD Lesson Plan Template

Topic/Theme: Creation of the American Narrative

Time frame: 60 minutes
Class/Grade Level: 10th U.S. World History

Lesson #4 Tuesday
Lesson Objective(s)
1) Student will be able to analyze a painting through a historical and artistic lens, through group discussion of various
details, symbols in the painting American Progress
Established Goals: (Including state standards)
SS.912.H.1 - Understand historical patterns, periods of time, and the relationships among these elements.
SS.912.H.8 - Understand cause and effect relationships and other historical thinking skills in order to interpret events and
issues.
RH.910.8 - Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the authors claims.
Materials/Resources required
Overhead/Projector
Whiteboard + marker
Lecture notes

Detailed Steps/Procedures
Learning action

INTRO: Lecture on reading: Manifest Destiny

1. Put John Gasts American Progress on the overhead, have students discuss what they

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see
a. Open Brainstorm on what they see, create a list
b. Guided Questions Create a Thought Web on White Board, with students answers
c. How does the Painting change from the right side to the left side
i. Right side:
1. lighter
2. more technology
3. more civilized, trains, houses, wagons, steamboats
ii. Left Side:
1. Buffalo, various animals running away from white people
2. dark storm clouds over head
d. What does the giant white women represent?
i. Star on her head = star of empire
ii. Purity of American ideals/progress/people
iii. Hand holds a school book, symbol of national enlightenment
iv. Are the Native Americans fleeing progress (represented by the book)?
v. Lady Liberty?
e. Plethora of transportation technology
f. What larger ideas does this painting convey?
i. About progress?
ii. About America?
iii. About technology?
g. How does this painting make you feel? What is your reaction to this painting?

Lesson #5
Lesson Objective(s)

1) Students will be able to thoughtfully respond aloud to a given analysis/application level question on Fredrick Jackson Turners
Frontier Thesis
2) Students will be able to read and comprehend the basic ideas presented in Fredrick Jackson Turners Frontier Thesis
Established Goals: (Including state standards)
RH.910.8 - Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the authors claims.
RH.910.3 - Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later
ones or simply preceded them.

Materials/Resources required
Copies of the Frontier Thesis
Projector
Whiteboard + Marker

Detailed Steps/Procedures
Learning action

Intro: Five minute mini lesson of who Fredrick Jackson Turner was, and why we should care
about him as historians
1) Pass out copies of Fredrick Jackson Turners Frontier Thesis (Edited down)
2) Put questions on a projector (or pass out individual copies of the questions) before the

reading so students know what they are supposed to be looking for. Assign each
student a question (doubles are fine) that they will have to be prepared briefly talk
about. Not all students will end up being called upon, but as the questions are complex
students will need time to think about them before being called upon.

1. Is Turner's West a place, a direction, or an idea?

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2. How does Turner define the American character?

3. Analyze what Turner means when he talks about American Character
4. How valid is the idea of "an American character"?
5. Does the year in which Turner published his theory have an effect on the ideas
presented in the theory?
6. In Turner's view how has the experience of the frontier manifested itself in the life of
an urbanized America?
7. How does Turner view Native Americans?
8. Why, in his view, is the American frontier experience unique?
9. What does Turner mean when he talks about the closing of the frontier?
10.

What implications does the "closing" of the frontier hold for the United States?

11.

Could the frontier thesis argue for continued westward expansion overseas?

Students given time to read the Frontier Thesis and think about the question theyre
assigned

Class Discussion on Frontier Thesis

Allow students who were assigned each question an offer to talk first, then open the floor to

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everyone
Questions should overlap at times, so bring in other students and create an opportunity for
them to add their input on a question. This should ideally allow for longer discussions, and
not eleven two minute discussions
Assigned Reading: WWII from Textbook

Lesson #6 Thursday
Lesson Objective(s)
1) Students will be able to analyze images for historical themes and explain their significance
2) Students will be able to discuss and compare historical patterns that led to the current American Narrative
Established Goals: (Including state standards)

WHST.910.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
RH.910.8 - Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the authors
claims.

Materials/Resources required
Propaganda images
Whiteboard + marker
Copies of article: WWII gave birth to the American Spirit:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0524_AmbroseQA.html

Detailed Steps/Procedures
Learning action

Entrance Activity: List as many things as you can about WWII

1) American Propaganda Activity
2) Model how to analyze an image a. What themes are present?
b. Does this connect with background knowledge?
c. What stands out? Why?
d. What is the message being presented? What is the goal?
3) Break class into groups and have them analyze a given image. They will work
together to break down the image. Once finished, each group will present their image
to the class, highlighting the key details they found (according to the modeled
questions). At the end of the lesson, each group will turn in a summary of their
findings. Additionally, each student will turn in their notes on the other images (for a
completion grade)
1) Discussion: How did we go from Isolationism to Here? (Referring to the propaganda)
a. What events pushed America in the war?
b. How do we view WWII today? Did we win it?
i. Why do we discredit the contributions of the other Allied nations?
c. How did WWII influence our narrative? Did it produce the East vs West (Cold
War) mentality?
1) Opinion Students will read and respond to a National Geographic Article World War II
Gave Birth to "American Spirit". Students will respond to the prompt Based on your
background knowledge and what youve read in this article, do you agree with this
article? Why or why not? They will write a paragraph explaining their reasoning,

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with supports from the text/background knowledge