Topic: The birth of a superpower. USA in the second half of the 19th century

Author of the script: Monika Piotrowska‑Marchewa

Target group

7th grade student of elementary school.

Core curriculum

7th grade

XXIII. Europe and the world in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries: Student:

2) presents [...] the effects of the American Civil War.

The general aim of education

Students will learn about the period of rapid development of the United States in the second half of the 19th century.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• learning to learn.

Learning outcomes

Student:

• lists the economic, cultural and political achievements of the United States;

• explains the growth factors of the United States' power and the dark pages of its history.

Methods / techniques

• exposing methods: teaching conversation, traditional lecture, explanations and comments from the teacher

• programmed methods: using e‑textbook; using multimedia;

• problematic methods: activating methods: discussion;

• practical methods: exercises concerned, working with statistical material, iconographic material, working with a source text and audio recording.

Forms of work

• activity in pairs or in groups;

• individual activity.

Teaching aids

• computers with Internet access;

• notebook and crayons/ felt‑tip pens;

• materials from e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard or large screen with a projector to display the content of the e‑textbook for the whole class.

Before classes

The teacher asks the students to recall the information about the American Civil War. On the basis of the map, students analyse the phenomenon of emigration of Europeans to the United States.

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher gives the students the subject, explains the students the lesson objective and the criteria for success.

2. The teacher displays a map from the e‑textbook and discusses with the students the conclusions of the analysis of the map presenting the phenomenon of emigration to the USA in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Realization

1. Students do Exercise 1, i.e. analyse the economic map of the United States. The teacher supplements the students' knowledge by telling them about the economic policy of the state. Then, the students do Exercise 2. They analyse statistical data showing iron production in the years 1850‑1913, and then they analyse the conclusions presented below the table. Students search for an answer to the question: why can this data be considered as a proof of the economic power of the selected countries?

2. The teacher asks the students to fulfil Instruction 1, i.e. to listen to the program about John Davidson Rockefeller. After noting down the most important facts of his life, the students think about the meaning of a popular American expression: “from rags to riches” and about the rules imposed by the capitalist economy. They analyse the importance of oil as a raw material in the industrial age and nowadays.

3. The teacher discusses the colonization of North America in a teaching conversation. Students fulfil Instruction 2. They read an excerpt from the report of the Commission of the United States Congress and on the basis of it they list the reasons for the extinction of the Indian population. They search for an answer to the question of who was responsible for initiating the armed conflicts between the Indians and the Americans. Under the direction of the teacher, the students analyse the iconographic materials: “American Progress” by John Gast (1872) (cf. Instruction 4 from the abstract) and “School Begins” by Louis Dalrymple (1899) (cf. Instruction 5 from the abstract). The students think about their message and meaning, and about the purpose of their creation.

4. When doing exercises and instructions, the teacher uses tents or a set of cards in three colors: green, yellow and red. Students use the cards to indicate to the teacher whether they are having difficulty in fulfilling the instructions (green – I’m doing great, yellow – I have some doubts, red – I need help).

Summary

1. The teacher summarizes the main threads of the lesson. Then, the students fulfil Instruction 3, i.e. analyse the territorial development of the USA. The teacher asks two or three questions using the map legend and the students find the necessary information on the map. Asking the questions, the teacher remembers to formulate them as key questions. In the second round the students ask the questions in a similar way and the teacher notes them on the board. Volunteers answer several questions.

2. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare an evaluation questionnaire for self‑assessment and assessment of the teacher's work and other students.

3. The teacher gives homework for volunteer students (it is not an obligatory part of the script): to read subchapter Debut in world politics. The teacher also offers additional books for those interested in the issues of U.S. foreign policy at the beginning of the 20th century, among others, Krzysztof Michałek, Historia Stanów Zjednoczonych Ameryki 1900‑2001 (History of the United States of America 1900‑2001), Warsaw 2004.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

The birth of a superpower. USA in the second half of the 19th century

The United States was a country rich in raw materials, with fertile land and, above all, because of its location, it was not exposed to attacks from the outside. The development of technology, as well as of railways and mining equipment, facilitated the use of abundant resources of raw materials. In the 19th century, the United States’ territory more than tripled. This was the result of purchases and conquests. A tragic consequence of colonisation of the western areas of the American continent was extermination of the Indians. Since 1865, the Indians have been fighting the federal army. The fight lasted until the 1890s. The expansion was also supported by the rapid economic development and demographic growth. The latter included both a significant increase in natural population and growing emigration from Europe. The United States has become a power not only because of its impressive economic development, but also because of its entry into world politics, including colonial politics, and its influence expansion into China and the Pacific.