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Year 2: Unit 6 – Extra, Extra! The Progressive Era (1890 – 1925): Lessons

Lesson 1: Individuals and the Progressive Era (Jigsaw)

Central Question: How did individuals challenge societal ills during the Progressive Era?

Historical Background

During the Gilded Age, as society rapidly industrialized, new social problems deepened in American society. In response, Americans began to address some of these problems: Workers formed unions and joined the Socialist Party, farmers formed the Populist Party to defend their interests, and female reformers brought the temperance movement into national consciousness. These movements helped lay the groundwork for what would become the Progressive Era. Some of the most significant reforms during the Progressive Era came as a result of the efforts of individuals and the reporting of investigative journalists who exposed social ills in an attempt to promote reform and change. These reformers’ efforts met with mixed legislative success. Even so, they made an enormous impact on the American public and their awareness of social issues that had previously gone unnoticed and unaddressed.

For more background, read “The Transnational Nature of the Progressive Era” and “The Jungle and the Progressive Era” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required), “Roots of the Movement” on Independence Hall’s UShistory.org website, and “Muckrakers” on the Khan Academy website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:

  • Progressive/progressivism
  • Muckraker
  • Ida Tarbell
  • Jacob Riis
  • Lincoln Steffens
  • Upton Sinclair/The Jungle
  • Frances Willard
  • Jane Addams

Scholars understand how the Progressive Era gained momentum at the turn of the 20th century and can explain how individuals led the charge in challenging the societal ills of the era.

Preparation

  • Display the Unit 6 Essential Question on the wall in your classroom for scholars to reference throughout the unit.
  • Create a word wall in your classroom with the Unit 6 Key Terms for scholars to reference during class discussion. Hold scholars accountable for using these Key Terms throughout the unit.
  • Post a timeline in your classroom or digitally to track key events from this unit and previous units.
  • To complete this jigsaw, before class you must:
    • Make a plan for how you are going to divide scholars into groups for the jigsaw.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Lesson 1 Note-Taking Template in the Unit 6 Workbook accessible to ensure that notes are purposeful and scholars are clear on your expectations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 6 Lesson 1 Do Now in the Unit 6 Workbook.

Context — 15 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Introduce the Essential Question for Unit 6: How “progressive” was the Progressive Era?
  • Define the meaning of the word “progressive” and explain that, each day, scholars will gather more evidence to answer this question.
  • Remind scholars that this unit builds upon past content and that they must constantly make connections to previous periods of history to help them answer this Essential Question.
  • Then pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in launching their study of the major reforms of the Progressive Era.

Watch (6 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Crash Course History: The Progressive Era” on YouTube.
    • Begin the clip at 1:08 and pause at 2:48; resume the clip at 8:45 and pause the clip at 9:30; resume the clip at 11:13 and pause the clip at 14:29 to allow for discussion.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • Why did progressive reforms gain momentum at the turn of the 20th century?

Read (3 minutes)

  • Read the essay “The Progressive Era” on pages 3–4 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook.
  • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (4 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the text and the video.
    • How did reformers attempt to change American society?
    • How did earlier reform efforts influence the Progressive Movement?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: Why were the reform efforts of the era considered “progressive”?

Investigate — 10 minutes

  • Remind scholars that the purpose of a jigsaw lesson is to become experts at one topic so they are able to teach their peers. Set the expectations that scholars should be prepared to clearly and concisely share about their assigned topic at the end of their group work time.
  • Divide scholars into groups and assign each group one of the following six individuals: Frances Willard (page 5 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), Ida Tarbell (pages 6–7 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), Jacob Riis (pages 8–13 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), Jane Addams (page 14 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), Lincoln Steffens (page 15–16 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), or Upton Sinclair (page 17–18 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook). Each group reads and annotates the documents for its assigned individual. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Teach — 10 minutes

  • Remind scholars that they are responsible for learning from their classmates during this time and must take notes in their Lesson 1 Note-Taking Template in the Unit 6 Workbook during each presentation.
  • Have scholars from each group present about their topic to the class in 2 minutes or less.
  • As scholars share, chart the major takeaways from each group and display this chart in your classroom for reference throughout the unit.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • After each group presents, scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did reformers expose or address different problems in American society?
    • Compare the motives of reformers during the Progressive Era. To what extent were their goals similar?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How “progressive” were their reform efforts?

Exit Ticket — 5 minutes

  • Scholars independently complete the Lesson 1 Exit Ticket on in the Unit 6 Workbook.

Homework

  • Scholars read the section “The Struggle for Women’s Suffrage” in the article “Overview of the Progressive Era” on the University of Houston Digital History website. Then, scholars read the articles “Failure Is Impossible,” “The Drive for the Vote Begins,” “The Movement Splits,” “The First Breakthroughs,” “New Arguments and New Constituencies,” and “Opponents of Suffrage,” all on the University of Houston Digital History website, in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 2: Suffrage and Antisuffrage (Source Analysis)

Central Question: Why did Americans disagree on women’s suffrage?

Historical Background

The movement for women’s suffrage (also often called woman suffrage) was not new during the Progressive Era. Since the Revolution, American women had sought the right to vote. The movement grew in the mid-1800s, with the Seneca Falls Convention and rise of leaders such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. As the Progressive Era gained momentum, so did the suffrage movement, capitalizing on the spirit of reform and the active role of women as reformers. Despite the increased enthusiasm for the movement, suffrage faced harsh opposition. Many reformers feared that suffrage would worsen the social problems of the era, removing women from their duties in the home and destroying traditional family life.

For more background, read “The Nineteenth Amendment and the Movement for Woman Suffrage” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Term:

  • Women’s suffrage

Scholars understand the key arguments for and against women’s suffrage and can explain why these perspectives clashed during the Progressive Era.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 6 Lesson 2 Do Now in the Unit 6 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of the major reforms of the Progressive Era.

Watch (2 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Susan B. Anthony Trial Speech The People Speak” on YouTube.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did Susan B. Anthony challenge societal norms for women?

Discuss (6 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • How did Americans respond to Susan B. Anthony and the suffrage movement?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 20–22 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • Why did some Americans support women’s suffrage?
    • Why did some Americans oppose women’s suffrage?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: To what extent were Americans’ attitudes toward women’s suffrage “progressive”?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why did Americans disagree on women’s suffrage? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read the articles “Jim Crow Segregation: The Difficult and Anti-Democratic Work of White Supremacy” on the National History Education Clearinghouse Teachinghistory.org website and “Plessy v. Ferguson” on the PBS The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 3: The Jim Crow South (Gallery Walk)

Central Question: How did Plessy v. Ferguson and Jim Crow laws promote a culture of white supremacy in the United States?

Historical Background

Not all Americans benefited from the spirit of reform during the Progressive Era. Following Reconstruction, a system of segregation and discrimination called Jim Crow developed in the South. These laws both enforced segregation and turned a blind eye to racial violence. In 1892, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jim Crow discrimination in Plessy v. Ferguson, paving the way for states across the country to segregate based on the faulty logic of “separate but equal.” As a result, segregation intensified across the nation. Note that this lesson contains graphic descriptions and images of violence. Front-load this with scholars before the lesson using the Guide for Teaching Sensitive Material in the Intellectual Prep section of this unit.

For more background, read “Plessy v. Ferguson” on the PBS website and watch “The Origins of Lynching Culture in the United States” on the Facing History and Ourselves website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:

  • Lynching
  • Plessy v. Ferguson
  • Jim Crow
  • Segregation

Scholars understand the impact of Plessy v. Ferguson and the rise of Jim Crow laws, especially in the South, and can explain how the Plessy decision and Jim Crow reinforced and promoted a culture of white supremacy in the United States.

Preparation

  • To complete this gallery walk, before class you must:
    • Print all texts and images on card stock and distribute them at each respective station.
    • Determine how you will present video or audio content, if necessary.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 15 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in beginning their study of white supremacy during the Progressive Era.

Watch (5 minutes)

  • Watch the video “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow” by PBS on YouTube.
    • Begin the clip at the beginning and pause the clip at 4:55 to allow for discussion.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did racial discrimination evolve following the end of Reconstruction?

Read (4 minutes)

  • Read “Plessy v. Ferguson, Dissent” on page 24 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook.
  • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (4 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework, the dissent, and the video.
    • How did Plessy v. Ferguson affect Southern society?
    • Why did Justice Harlan oppose Plessy v. Ferguson?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: Recall your studies of Reconstruction. To what extent did life for African Americans during the Progressive Era differ from life during Reconstruction?

Investigate — 25 minutes

  • Divide scholars into four groups. Assign each group one of these stations to begin the gallery walk: Lynching and Racial Violence (pages 26–27 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), Voter Disenfranchisement (page 25 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), Segregation (pages 28–31 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook), and A Story of Segregation (pages 32–33 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook).
  • Explain that each group will examine the images, watch the videos, or read the texts at their assigned station for 6 minutes before switching to the next station.
  • After examining the sources, scholars should record their observations and inferences.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work and conference with groups of scholars as they rotate among stations.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did African Americans experience segregation and discrimination in the South?
    • How did segregation— de jure and de facto— affect the rights and freedoms of African Americans?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: To what extent did the reforms of the Progressive Era address this segregation and violence?

Exit Ticket — 5 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • How did Plessy v. Ferguson and Jim Crow laws promote a culture of white supremacy in the United States? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from different stations.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “Building the Black Community: The Church” on the University of Houston Digital History website and the articles “Ida B. Wells,” “W.E.B. Du Bois,” and “Booker T. Washington” on the PBS The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 4: Standing Up to Discrimination (Narrative Writing Seminar)

Central Question: How did African Americans challenge Jim Crow and segregation?

Historical Background

In response to the segregation, discrimination, and violence of Jim Crow, many African Americans joined together to resist the injustice. Some, such as Ida B. Wells, used muckraker journalism to expose the violence in the South. Others, such as former slave Booker T. Washington, believed that education and hard work were the answer to hardship. W. E. B. Du Bois, an academic rival of Washington, believed that African Americans should directly challenge Jim Crow and not appease white Americans. Despite their differences, all three leaders and many others helped bring awareness to the plight of African Americans while combating racial injustice. In 1909, Du Bois, Wells, and other leaders formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

For more background, read “‘Hidden Practices’: Frederick Douglass on Segregation and Black Achievement” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:

  • W. E. B. Du Bois
  • Booker T. Washington
  • Ida B. Wells
  • NAACP

Scholars plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer the narrative writing prompt with strong ideas and evidence that supports their ideas.

Preparation

  • To complete this writing seminar, before class you must:
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Speech Planning Guide in the Unit 6 Workbook accessible.
    • Create a teacher model of the speech.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Mentor Text Study — 15 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of white supremacy during the Progressive Era.

Read (10 minutes)

  • Tell scholars that they will be writing speeches from the perspective of an African American leader or activist, writing in response to the discrimination studied in the previous lesson. As scholars read the mentor texts in Documents A through C, they should think about how the authors of these texts develop their arguments about racism and discrimination. Make clear that these mentor texts are the model pieces for scholars’ writing later in class.
  • Read Documents B and C together as a class. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents.
    • How did African American activists respond to racial discrimination and Jim Crow?
    • To what extent did African American activists agree on the appropriate methods to combat discrimination?
    • Make a connection to previous lessons. Ask: To what extent were the efforts of African Americans similar to those of the reformers and muckrakers previously studied?

Plan and Flash Draft — 30 minutes

Plan (15 minutes)

  • With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the question “How should African Americans challenge Jim Crow and segregation?” Ensure that scholars explain the impact of segregation and discrimination on African Americans studied in the previous lesson.
  • As scholars discuss, they should write down their claims in their Speech Planning Guides in the Unit 6 Workbook.
  • Conference with scholars as they work on their claims.
    • Have scholars tell you their claims. Can their claims be made stronger?
    • Do not allow scholars to move on to drafting until you have confirmed that they have strong claims!
    • Pull together a small group of scholars who need additional support to plan claims.
  • Scholars plan their speeches in their planning guides by finalizing their claims and choosing the two strongest pieces of evidence that support this claim, based on their work in the previous lesson and on Documents A through C.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars tell you the evidence they have chosen and why.
    • Give scholars feedback on how well their chosen evidence supports their claims and builds a strong argument.
    • If there is a misalignment between the claim and the selected evidence, scholars need to either revise their claim or select new evidence that better proves their arguments.

Flash Draft (15 minutes)

  • Scholars use their planning guides to draft their speeches. If scholars’ planning guides are incomplete, scholars should revise their plans and make them stronger before beginning to draft.
  • As scholars draft, they must focus on proving their claims with evidence from the documents and the previous lesson.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their writing. Can their writing be made stronger?
    • Ensure that scholars are using relevant evidence to prove their claims in their speeches.
    • Ensure that scholars are revising their writing to make sure it is simple and clear.
    • Hold scholars accountable for rereading their writing and eliminating any typos and errors in basic conventions.
    • Hold scholars accountable for using the proper formatting and style for speeches.
    • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ drafts and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change that scholars must make to improve both the strength of their claims and supporting evidence in this speech as well as their future writing. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in scholars’ writing.

Lesson 5: Standing Up to Discrimination (Narrative Writing Seminar)

Central Question: How did African Americans challenge Jim Crow and segregation?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars revise their speeches based on individualized teacher feedback to make their speeches stronger and clearer and to understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.

Preparation

  • To complete this writing seminar, before class you must:
    • Choose an exemplar and non-exemplar draft from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-Lesson. If there is no exemplar draft, plan to use your own teacher model.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Speech Planning Guide in the Unit 6 Workbook accessible.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars read your feedback on their initial drafts of their speeches and discuss with a partner how they will apply this feedback in their revisions today.

Launch — 5 minutes

  • The launch is your opportunity to provide a whole-class model of excellence and explain the biggest issue that holds scholars back from achieving excellence. The launch should end with scholars describing how they will revise their plans to address the issue discussed.
    • Reread the narrative writing prompt with scholars: How did African Americans challenge Jim Crow and segregation?
    • Ask scholars: How does narrative writing differ from argumentative writing?
    • Scholars discuss in pairs. Call on one or two pairs to share out.
    • Then share an exemplar draft. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s claim compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this claim.
    • Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Mini-Lesson — 10 minutes

  • Choose an anonymous scholar’s draft speech that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholars’ work in the previous lesson and show this scholar’s line-edited draft to the class.
  • Have the class work together to apply your individualized feedback to begin to revise the speech. Then call on scholars to articulate how this scholar must apply this feedback to all writing moving forward.
  • Set your expectations for how scholars will apply their individualized feedback to revise their work today.

Revise 1 — 10 minutes

  • Scholars use their individualized feedback to revise their speech drafts.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use this entire time to revise their work based on the feedback you have given them. Explain that some scholars may need to start from scratch, and that is OK! Note that this time will only be productive if you have given every scholar individualized feedback.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain the feedback that they have received, as well as their plan to apply it.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 5 minutes

  • Share a speech that has greatly improved through revision. Have the scholar explain how he or she has applied his or her feedback to effectively revise.
    • If there is a clear whole-class misconception that must be addressed, share an anonymous example of that trend. Have the class discuss how the scholar needs to change his or her approach to revision in order to make more substantial changes.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
  • Scholars articulate to their partner how they will revise their work based on the Mid-Workshop Teach.

Revise 2 — 10 minutes

  • Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to revise their speeches.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their speeches.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Help scholars focus on what is most important: compelling claims and supporting evidence.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply our feedback.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “When Bigotry Paraded Through the Streets” by historian Joshua Rothman on the Atlantic website and examine the image on page 39 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook in preparation for the next lesson.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, give each scholar a final grade on their revised speech, as well as one transferable next step that they must apply to their next piece.

Lesson 6: The Revival of the KKK (Source Analysis)

Central Question: Why did the KKK regain prominence at the end of the Progressive Era?

Historical Background

As the Progressive Era neared its end, race relations continued to worsen. In response to African American advances, white supremacy grew stronger. In 1915, the movie Birth of a Nation was released, which retold Reconstruction as a story of honorable white victims and lazy, immoral former slaves. That same year, William Simmons founded the second KKK. The KKK and Birth of a Nation normalized white supremacy; the KKK appealed to communities by getting involved in the church and defining itself as a fraternal organization, dedicated to brotherhood, masking its violent actions. The KKK was mostly made up of white middle-class Protestant men, and by 1925, it had more than 3 million members. Note that this lesson deals with issues of racial violence and prejudice as well as issues of sexual violence. Front-load this with scholars before the lesson using the Guide for Teaching Sensitive Material in the Intellectual Prep section of this unit.

For more background, read “When Bigotry Paraded Through the Streets” on the Atlantic website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Term:

  • Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

Scholars understand the goals and tactics of the second KKK in American society and can explain why the KKK rose to prominence by the 1920s.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 6 Lesson 6 Do Now in the Unit 6 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in analyzing the revival of the KKK.

Watch (2 minutes)

  • Watch the video “The Second Era Klan: Beneath the Hood” on YouTube.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • Why did the KKK grow in popularity during the Progressive Era?

Discuss (6 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • How did the KKK appeal to different groups of Americans?
    • Who were the main targets of the KKK? Why?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through E on pages 40–44 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • Why did segregation and discrimination facilitate the rise of the KKK?
    • How did the Progressive Era influence the rise of the KKK?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: To what extent were the attitudes and beliefs of the KKK limited to just the South?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why did the KKK regain prominence at the end of the Progressive Era? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two sources.

Homework

  • Scholars watch the video “Progressive Presidents” on the Crash Course History channel on YouTube and examine the images on page 46 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 7: A Progressive Government? (PBL)

Central Question: To what extent did the U.S. government adequately respond to the societal ills of the Progressive Era?

Historical Background

As many Americans actively attempted to reform American society through journalism and activism, the U.S. government responded by enacting a number of progressive laws. Beginning with the election of Theodore Roosevelt as president, the government began passing legislation in response to the demands of reformers. Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson focused their reform efforts on regulating big business and became known as “trust busters.” They shepherded legislation to protect public land and regulate the meat industry. But not all progressive legislation adequately responded to reformers’ demands, especially those of the African American community.

For more background, read “Theodore Roosevelt and Themes of Progressive Reform” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 6 Key Terms:

  • Progressive presidents
  • Trust busting

Scholars understand the reformers’ appeals to the government for social change, can explain the extent to which the government responded to these appeals, and can plan a presentation that explains the government’s response to their chosen reform.

Preparation

  • Scholars may complete this project in small groups and may create their projects digitally or as posters.
  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • If your scholars are not doing the project digitally, ensure that each group has chart paper or posters, and gather colored pencils and Sharpies, or permanent markers. Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Create a teacher model of the presentation in the format you will be having scholars do their presentations.
    • Select groups strategically in advance of this lesson or set expectations for how scholars will choose groups in class.
    • Ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, tablet, etc.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 6 Workbook accessible.
      • Adapt the Presentation Planning Guide based on whether your scholars will be creating posters or digital presentations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in analyzing the responsiveness and efficacy of government legislation during the Progressive Era.

Examine (3 minutes)

  • Examine the table “Progressive Era Reform Movements” on page 47 of the Unit 6 Sourcebook.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they examine the chart:
    • How did reformers fight for change during the Progressive Era?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Scholars discuss the question posed above in pairs. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your question with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the chart.
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: How effectively did the government respond to each of these issues during the Progressive Era?

Planning — 35 minutes

Teacher Model (5 minutes)

  • Show scholars your completed planning guide as a model for how scholars will create their own projects.
  • After viewing your planning guide, scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with specific evidence from your project exemplar.
    • What argument about Progressive Era reforms does my planning guide convey?
    • How did I use my research to support my argument?
    • How did I express my idea in my planning guide?
    • How did I organize my evidence in my planning guide to support my idea?

Investigate (15 minutes)

  • Explain that scholars will be working in groups to conduct research and create a presentation on the government’s response to an assigned reform movement of the Progressive Era. Tell scholars that their presentations must express a powerful and compelling idea supported by strong visual and written evidence, just like the teacher model.
    • Remind scholars that projects, just like written pieces, make arguments, and all arguments require a strong idea with supporting evidence.
  • Tell scholars that they will be making their projects as either digital presentations or posters, with text and images to convey their argument about Progressive Era reforms.
  • Divide scholars into groups and assign each group one of the following eight reform movements: civil rights, conservation, financial reform, government reform, labor reform, temperance, trust busting, or women’s suffrage. Each group conducts research for its assigned topic.
  • Guide scholars on how to choose high-quality, accurate websites for their research using “Scholar Research Guidance” in the Unit 6 Workbook.
  • While researching, scholars should write notes into Part I of their Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 6 Workbook.
  • Scholars should answer the following questions, in order, as they research:
    • How did this reform movement attempt to fix American society?
    • How did the government respond to these reform efforts? What legislation was passed, if any?
    • To what extent did the government’s response support the goals of your reform movement? Why or why not?
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the articles he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this article? How do you know? How does this article help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the article.
  • If scholars are struggling to conduct purposeful research, model doing research for the class or have a scholar who has successfully completed his or her research demonstrate to the class how to find relevant websites and choose the best information that answers the guiding questions.

Planning (15 minutes)

  • Scholars meet with their small groups and use their planning guides to plan their presentations, writing their ideas, planning the evidence they will use to support them, and mapping out how they will organize this information in their presentations.
  • While scholars work, actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each group tell you the idea conveyed by his or her presentation plan. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the presentation express the idea more effectively? Is the presentation or poster interesting and visually compelling?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on conveying an argument about their reform movement.
  • If you notice trends across scholar planning, bring the class together and deliver whole-class feedback. Either show an exemplar plan to the class that precisely and compellingly communicates a clear idea or show a non-exemplar plan that demonstrates the whole-class trend and have the class revise.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ completed plans and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change that scholars must make to improve both the strength of their ideas and supporting evidence in their projects as well as their future work. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in scholars’ projects.

Lesson 8: A Progressive Government? (PBL)

Central Question: To what extent did the U.S. government adequately respond to the societal ills of the Progressive Era?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars organize, reread, and revise their presentations in preparation for presenting them to the class in the following lesson.

Preparation

  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • If scholars are doing the project digitally, ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, tablet, etc.
    • If your scholars are not doing the project digitally, ensure that each group has chart paper or posters, and gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers. Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 6 Workbook accessible, along with any feedback from the previous lesson.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their plans from the previous lesson based on the feedback you gave them.

Project Work — 20 minutes

  • Have scholars recall the previous lesson’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of the responsiveness and efficacy of government legislation during the Progressive Era.
  • Explain that scholars will be working in their groups to create their presentations. Scholars get into assigned groups and create their presentations, referring to their research notes and their planning guides as they work.
  • While scholars work, actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the idea conveyed by his or her presentation. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the presentation convey the idea more effectively? Is the presentation interesting and visually compelling?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on conveying the government’s response to their reform movements.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 10 minutes

  • Share an exemplar presentation draft. Have scholars discuss how the presentation illustrates the group’s idea with clear and coherent organization.
  • Share a non-exemplar presentation draft. Have scholars discuss why the presentation lacks an idea and/or clear and coherent organization.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
  • Scholars articulate to partners how they will revise their final presentations based on what they have learned.

Revision and Practice — 15 minutes

  • Scholars revise their presentation based on the Mid-Workshop Teach, referring to their research notes and their presentation planning guides as they work.
  • Tell scholars they must be prepared to give the presentation to the class within a 5-minute time frame.
  • Scholars use this time to revise their work and prepare for their presentation by talking about the most important information in their presentations with their groups.
  • While scholars work, actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Hold scholars accountable for presenting clearly and audibly for their classmates as they practice.
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing your feedback from today or in the previous lesson.

Homework

  • Scholars study their Unit 6 Key Terms in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 9: A Progressive Government? (PBL)

Central Question: To what extent did the U.S. government adequately respond to the societal ills of the Progressive Era?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars finalize their presentations and present them to the class.

Preparation

  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • If scholars are doing the project digitally, ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, tablet, etc.
    • If your scholars are not doing the project digitally, ensure that each group has chart paper or posters, and gather colored pencils and Sharpies or permanent markers. Organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Presentation Planning Guide in the Unit 6 Workbook accessible
    • Think through systems for scholar note-taking during scholars’ presentations to ensure that notes are purposeful and scholars are clear on your expectations for both presenters and listeners.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 6 Lesson 9 Do Now in the Unit 6 Workbook.

Project Work — 5 minutes

  • Explain that scholars will quickly meet in groups to ensure that their presentations are ready to go. Scholars get into their assigned groups and finish their presentations, referring to their research notes and their planning guides as they work.
  • Remind scholars they must be prepared to give the presentation to the class within a 3-minute time frame.
  • Hold scholars accountable for having their presentations (whether poster or digital) ready within this time to minimize issues during and/or between presentations.

Presentations — 30 minutes

  • Each group takes 3 minutes to give its presentation to the class (time might need to be adjusted based on the number of scholars in each group).
  • Hold presenters accountable for presenting clearly and audibly for their classmates. Strong public speaking is essential to an effective presentation!

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • To what extent did the U.S. government adequately respond to the societal ills of the Progressive Era? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from different presentations.

Homework

  • Scholars read “Kid’s Economic Glossary” on the Scholastic website, as well as “A Consumer Economy” on Independence Hall’s USHistory.org website in preparation for Unit 7.

Extra Credit

Prompts: Scholars may choose one of the following prompts about Big Ideas in American history.

  • Choose two progressive movements and compare the methods and goals of each. To what extent did progressive reformers share a vision for improving American society?
  • How did the Progressive Movement fail to promote justice for all Americans?
  • Which progressive reforms were most successful? Which reforms were least successful? Why?

Project Menu: Scholars may then choose to respond to the prompt chosen above with one of the formats outlined below.

  • Thematic Essay: Scholars write a thematic essay that answers one of the extra credit prompts, drawing on evidence both from the unit and from their own independent research.
  • Podcast: Scholars create an original podcast that answers one of the prompts above. The podcast should be 5–8 minutes long. Podcasts must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • “Docudrama”: Scholars create a “docudrama” that answers one of the prompts above. A docudrama is a dramatized video that tells the story of historic events. The docudrama should be 5–8 minutes long. Docudramas must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • Interview: Scholars record (video or podcast) an interview with a “historian” or a historical figure in order to answer one of the prompts above. The historian or historical figure must be the scholar. A parent, a classmate, or a teacher should be the interviewer. Interviews should be 5–8 minutes long. Interviews must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • Propose your own project: Scholars may propose to do their own project. These projects must still answer one of the extra credit prompts, and any project proposal must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.

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