orange icon book

Year 3: Unit 5 – Crisis of Confidence – Malaise in the 1970s (1968 – 1980): Lessons

Lesson 1: 1968 Election (Source Analysis)

Central Question: How did the rise of conservatism influence the outcome of the 1968 election?

Historical Background

Whereas Richard Nixon entered the Republican convention as the front-runner, the Democrats went through a grueling primary campaign during the 1968 election. Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy for the nomination after President Johnson announced he would not run for reelection. Nixon began the campaign with a clear lead. He campaigned against rising crime and claimed he would restore law and order. Nixon also instituted the Southern Strategy taking advantage of Southern voters’ resentments at civil rights legislation passed by the Johnson administration. Meanwhile, George Wallace ran as an Independent and garnered the Deep South votes because of his staunch opposition to desegregation. As the country shifted priorities from the tumultuous 1960s, the election of Richard Nixon in 1968 ushered in an era of conservatism.

For more background, read “1945 to the Present” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required) and “The Election of 1968” on PBS, and watch “Crash Course History: The Rise of Conservatism” and “Eric Foner on Conservatism” in the 1970s and 1980s on YouTube.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Terms:

  • Malaise
  • Conservatism
  • Richard Nixon

Scholars understand the rise of conservatism in American society and can explain how this rise led to the election of Richard Nixon.

Preparation

  • Display the Unit 5 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 5 Key Terms for scholars to reference during class discussion. Hold scholars accountable for using these Key Terms throughout the unit.
  • Post a digital timeline or a hard-copy timeline in your classroom to track key events from this unit and previous units.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 5 Lesson 1 Do Now in the Unit 5 Workbook.

Context — 20 minutes

  • Introduce the Essential Question for Unit 5: To what extent was the 1970s a decade of malaise?
  • 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 examining how the events of the 1960s led to a rise in conservatism in the 1970s.

Read (5 minutes)

  • Read the essay “A Time of Malaise” on Independence Hall’s USHistory.org website.
  • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the text.
    • How did Americans respond to events of the 1970s?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did events of the 1960s contribute to a growing feeling of malaise beginning in the 1970s?

Watch (5 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Crash Course: The Rise of Conservatism” on YouTube.
    • Begin the clip at 1:32, and pause the clip at 6:37 to allow for discussion.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How do Libertarianism and Moral Conservatism compare?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the questions 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, the video, and their background knowledge from Unit 4.
    • Why was there a shift in political allegiance in the South during the 1960s?
    • How does the emergence of the silent majority reflect this rise of conservatism?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: To what extent did the protest movements of the 1960s contribute to the rise of conservatism?

Investigate — 15 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 3–5 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • 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. Ask: 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 the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did conservatism influence presidential platforms in the 1968 election?
    • How did the voting demographic change from 1960 to 1968?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: To what extent did conservatism reflect the desires of American citizens at the end of the 1960s?

Exit Ticket — 5 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • How did the rise of conservatism influence the outcome of the election of 1968? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read “Nixon on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control” on page 7 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook and read the article “The War on Drugs: How Nixon Tied Addiction to Crime” by Emily Dufton on the Atlantic website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 2: The War on Drugs (Video Analysis)

Central Question: Why did the United States wage a war on drugs in the 1970s?

Historical Background

One major domestic policy that had a lasting impact on the United States was Nixon’s “War on Drugs.” Proclaiming that drugs were America’s greatest enemy in 1971, Nixon went on a mission to penalize drug use, establish treatment, and close the border with Mexico to stop the flow of drugs. Nixon’s tough-on- drugs programs continued throughout the decade and is still a matter of debate today. Although at the time many Americans agreed that drugs were a problem, Nixon’s war tended to target poor African American, urban drug use, rather than white abuse. Nixon’s policies ultimately led to the imprisonment of many African Americans, while drug use continued to increase among white users.

For more background, read “Was Nixon’s War on Drugs a Racially Motivated Crusade?” on Vox.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Term:

  • War on Drugs

Scholars can explain the origins and impact of President Nixon’s War on Drugs and understand how these policies especially affected black Americans.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Watch and Discuss 1 — 20 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 consequences of the 1960s and the rise of conservatism.

Watch (13 minutes)

  • Watch “The Changing Face of the War on Drugs” on the Retro Report website.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did politicians respond to the heroin epidemic in the 1960s and 1970s?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Scholars, in pairs, discuss the question posed before the video. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars back up their claims with evidence from the video.
    • How do the politicians’ responses to the heroin epidemic then differ from the response to the opioid epidemic today? Why?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did the response to the heroin epidemic affect different groups of Americans?

Watch and Discuss 2 — 15 minutes

Watch (5 minutes)

  • Watch the documentary 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, available on Netflix.
    • To access Netflix, you must first make an account on the Netflix website.
    • Begin the documentary at 13:32, and pause at 18:53 to allow for discussion.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did Nixon’s crime and drug policies affect black communities?

Discuss (10 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed before 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 video.
    • How did the War on Drugs promote Nixon’s promise for “law and order”?
    • What is the lasting impact of Nixon’s War on Drugs in America?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: How does Nixon’s focus on law and order address his concerns about the Black Power Movement you learned about in Unit 4?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why did the United States wage a war on drugs in the 1970s? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “The Watergate Scandal” on the History Channel website and review “The Watergate Story Timeline” on the Washington Post website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 3: The Watergate Scandal (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: Should Congress have impeached President Nixon?

Historical Background

In the early hours of June 17, 1972, police officers arrested five men suspected of breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. This building would lend its name to the subsequent political scandal that led, just over two years later, to Richard Nixon’s resignation on August 8, 1974. To date, Nixon is the only president of the United States to have resigned from office. He did so as a direct consequence of his involvement in the attempted cover-up of the links between the arrested men, the White House, and the Committee to Re-Elect the President (officially named CRP, it became aptly known as CREEP) during the 1972 presidential elections. In the process, more than 40 members of Nixon’s administration, including some of his top advisers and a former U.S. attorney general, were investigated, and 19 of them were indicted.

For more background, read “To Understand a Scandal: Watergate Beyond Nixon” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required) and “A Nixon Impeachment Trial” on the National Constitution Center website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Term:

  • The Watergate Scandal

Scholars can apply their knowledge of U.S. history to interpret original sources and use these sources to write clear, concise, and compelling claims about whether or not Congress should have impeached President Nixon over the Watergate Scandal.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Launch — 5 minutes

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Build excitement for today’s DBQ, and invest scholars in beginning their study of Americans’ increasing distrust of the American government. Tell scholars they will apply all their knowledge as historians to answer a question using new sources that they have not seen before.
  • Scholars read the Lessons 3–5 DBQ Historical Context and Task in the Unit 5 Workbook to frame their thinking.
  • Ask: What is DBQ Task asking us to do?
  • Pairs of scholars interpret the Task. Call on pairs to share out.
    • As a class, be sure to define the meaning of the word “impeach.”

Guided Document Study — 20 minutes

  • Set the expectation that scholars must tackle Documents A through D today by writing a main idea next to the title and using the text and their main idea annotations to concisely answer each short-answer question with a clear claim.

Read and Write (8 minutes)

  • Read Document A* with scholars. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title and use their understanding of the text to write the accompanying short-answer question in the Unit 5 Workbook.
    • *Note: Document A contains complex and difficult language and ideas, as well as provides key context to help answer the DBQ Task. If you anticipate that scholars will struggle more with Document B, C, or D, use one of those documents instead.

Discuss (10 minutes)

  • Have a scholar with a strong main idea annotation and/or claim share out. Have scholars discuss 1) how the main idea annotation reflects full understanding of the document and/or 2) why the claim effectively answers this short-answer question.
  • Share non-exemplar work. Have the class discuss why the main idea annotation does not reflect full understanding of the document and/or why the claim does not answer the short- answer question.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work and know what they must do to improve.

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main ideas or claims based on the discussion.

Read and Write — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate the remaining documents on pages 10–11 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook and write a clear and concise answer to each short-answer question in the Unit 5 Workbook. Hold scholars accountable for the clarity and strength of their claims!
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their thinking. Can their main idea annotations be made stronger? Are their claims simple and clear? Are they revising their writing?
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ short answers 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 as well as their future writing. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in their writing.

Lesson 4: The Watergate Scandal (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: Should Congress have impeached President Nixon?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars can plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer a historical question with strong theses and evidence that supports or proves their theses.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Plan — 15 minutes

  • With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the DBQ Task. Ensure that scholars explain why Nixon should or should not be impeached.
  • Lead a whole-class discussion on possible answers to this Task. Remind scholars that there is not a single right answer to this question, but they must have evidence to defend their answers!
    • Call on pairs to share out their answers and defend them with evidence from Documents A through D.
    • Have scholars evaluate one another’s answers. Scholars should consider whether each answer is compelling and based on accurate evidence from the text.
    • Give scholars feedback on the clarity and quality of their answers.
  • During the discussion, chart strong versus weak answers. Ensure that scholars can explain what makes a particular answer strong or weak.
  • Tell scholars that their answers to this question will become their theses in their final DBQ essays. All of the evidence in an essay must prove their theses.
  • After the discussion, give scholars 2 minutes to determine their own theses on the planning page of the DBQ in the Unit 5 Workbook. Ensure that scholars are not just copying an answer that was discussed but are actually formulating their own theses based on the discussion.

Outline and Draft — 30 minutes

Outline (15 minutes)

  • Scholars create an outline for their DBQ essay on the planning page of the DBQ by finalizing their theses and determining the three strongest pieces of evidence from Documents A through D that support their theses, based on their work in the previous lesson and the class discussion.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar explain his or her thesis. Does the thesis answer the DBQ Task? Is it compelling? Does the evidence selected actually prove this thesis?
    • If scholars are struggling to choose strong evidence, have them write how each document helps answer the DBQ Task on each document or in their outlines.

Draft (15 minutes)

  • Scholars use their outlines to draft their DBQ essays. As scholars draft, they must focus on proving their theses with strong evidence from at least three documents.
  • 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 theses in their DBQ essays.
    • 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.
    • 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 the strength of their theses and supporting evidence in this essay as well as their future writing. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in scholars’ writing.

Lesson 5: The Watergate Scandal (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: Should Congress have impeached President Nixon?

What Does Success Look Like?

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

Preparation

  • To complete this revision, before class you must:
    • Choose an exemplar and a non-exemplar draft essay from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-Lesson. If there is no strong exemplar piece, plan to use your own teacher model piece.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Launch — 10 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 this piece of writing exemplifies the Habits of Great Writers.
  • Reread the DBQ Task with scholars: Should Congress have impeached President Nixon?
    • Then share an exemplar draft from the previous lesson. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s thesis compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this thesis.
    • 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 essay that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholars’ work from 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 DBQ essay. 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 DBQ essays.
  • 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 be productive only 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 an essay that has greatly improved through revision. Have the scholar explain how he or she has applied 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 partners 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 continue revising their essays.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their essays.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Help scholars focus on what is most important: a strong thesis and supporting evidence.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “The Sickened Economy” on Independence Hall’s USHistory.org website in preparation for the next lesson.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, give scholars a final grade on their revised essays, as well as one transferable next step that they must apply to their next pieces.

Lesson 6: The American Economy in the 1970s (Source Analysis)

Central Question: How did stagflation and the oil crisis of the 1970s affect Americans?

Historical Background

Domestically, the 1970s experienced a number of financial crises. A recession in 1971, exacerbated by an oil embargo in 1973, brought about a period of “stagflation,” during which inflation grew rapidly but jobs and salaries stagnated. In response to the United States’ involvement in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Arab members of OPEC initiated an oil embargo, leading to a gas shortage in the United States and harming the American auto industry. Despite Nixon’s, Ford’s, and Carter’s efforts to reboot the economy, stagflation continued, leading to a generalized period of discontent and the loss of many American jobs, ushering in a new period of conservatism in 1980.

For more background, read “Stagflation and the Oil Crisis” on Khan Academy and “Whipping Stagflation” on the University of Houston Digital History website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Terms:

  • OPEC
  • Stagflation
  • Oil Embargo

Scholars understand the factors that caused the economy to suffer in the 1970s and can explain how the economic instability of the decade led many Americans to experience financial hardship and insecurity.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 5 Lesson 6 Do Now in the Unit 5 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 Americans’ increasing distrust of the American government.

Watch (5 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Crash Course History: Ford, Carter, and the Economic Malaise” on YouTube.
    • Begin the clip at 1:08, and pause the clip at 5:50 to allow for discussion.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • Why did the United States experience stagflation in the 1970s?

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did stagflation affect Americans’ quality of life in the 1970s?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through F on pages 13–19 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • 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. Ask: 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 the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did stagflation and the oil crisis shape the economy in the 1970s?
    • How did stagflation and the oil crisis affect Americans’ daily lives?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did the oil crisis contribute to Americans’ sense of malaise in the 1970s?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • How did stagflation and the oil crisis of the 1970s affect Americans? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read the articles “Richard Nixon: Foreign Affairs” by Ken Hughes; “Gerald Ford: Foreign Affairs” by John Robert Greene; and “Jimmy Carter: Foreign Affairs” by Robert Strong, on the UVA Miller Center website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 7: Foreign Policy (Jigsaw)

Central Question: To what extent was presidential foreign policy successful in the 1970s?

Historical Background

The 1970s was a major turning point for the Cold War. In 1973, President Nixon finally withdrew all troops from Vietnam. For the first time, Nixon opened diplomatic relations with Communist China, while also establishing a period of détente with the Soviet Union. President Ford continued to promote Nixon’s détente but struggled when Saigon fell to North Vietnam, marking the loss of the Vietnam War. President Carter attempted to promote human rights, mediating peace talks with Israel and Egypt and restoring rights over the Panama Canal to the Panamanians. The Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 put a damper on Carter’s foreign policy successes, leading many to doubt his ability to be a strong leader in the face of international crises.

For more background, read “The United States and China During the Cold War” and “The Consequences of Defeat in Vietnam” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required), as well as “The Iran Hostage Crisis” on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Terms:

  • Détente
  • Vietnamization
  • Camp David Peace Accords
  • Helsinki Accords
  • Iran Hostage Crisis

Scholars understand how different presidents responded to international conflicts and crises and can explain the extent to which this foreign policy successfully achieved its goals and promoted peace and stability.

Preparation

  • 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 each scholar has the Lesson 7 Note-taking Template from the Unit 5 Workbook accessible that notes are purposeful and that scholars are clear on your expectations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Context — 5 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 foreign policy in the 1970s.

Watch (1 minute)

  • Watch the video “Kissinger on the Importance of Strong Foreign Policy” on the History Channel website.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • According to Secretary of State Kissinger, how should the United States respond to international conflict?

Discuss (2 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 United States respond to international conflict in the 1970s?
    • To what extent did the United States’ response to international conflict reflect Kissinger’s philosophy?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: How did the American response to international conflict evolve from the 1960s?

Investigate — 15 minutes

  • Remind scholars that the purpose of a jigsaw lesson is to become experts on one topic so they are able to teach their peers. Set the expectations that scholars must 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 five foreign policies of the 1970s: Vietnam Policy (pages 22–23 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook), Détente (pages 24–26 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook), Helsinki Accords (pages 27–28 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook), Camp David Peace Accords (pages 29–30 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook), or Iran Hostage Crisis (page 31 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook). Each group reads and annotates the documents for its assigned topic. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • 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. Ask: 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 7 Note-taking Template in the Unit 5 Workbook during each presentation.
  • Have scholars from each group present their topic to the class in 2 minutes or less.
  • As scholars share, chart the main 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 the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did each foreign policy of the 1970s affect U.S. relationships with other countries?
    • How did foreign policy decisions during the 1970s affect the lives of Americans?
    • Compare Nixon’s, Ford’s, and Carter’s approaches to foreign policy. To what extent are they similar?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: To what extent did foreign policy decisions during the 1970s contribute to Americans’ sense of malaise?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words
    • To what extent was foreign policy successful in the 1970s? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read the articles “Liberation Movements of the 1970s” on the Khan Academy website and “The 1970s” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 8: Social Movements of the 1970s (Jigsaw)

Central Question: To what extent were the social movements of the 1970s successful?

Historical Background

The 1970s were a tumultuous time. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, and other marginalized people continued their fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing war in Vietnam. In other ways, however, the decade was a repudiation of the 1960s. A “New Right” mobilized in defense of political conservatism and traditional family roles. Environmentalism was a chief concern of many Americans and was reflected in domestic policies of the 1970s.

For more background, read “Women’s Movement” on the CNN website, “The Boston Busing Crisis” on the Atlantic website, “Three-Mile Island” on the History Channel website; American Indian Movement website’s history section, “The New Right” on the Independence Hall Association’s USHistory.org website, “History of the Chicano Movement” on ThoughtCo., and “The Kent State Incident” on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Terms:

  • Chicano Movement
  • Environmentalism
  • American Indian Movement
  • The New Right
  • Boston Busing Crisis

Scholars analyze the social movements of the 1970s and can evaluate the extent to which these movements successfully affected social change.

Preparation

  • 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 each scholar has the Lesson 8 Note-taking Template from the Unit 5 Workbook accessible so that notes are purposeful and that scholars are clear on your expectations.
    • Ensure that each scholar has access to a computer, laptop, an iPad, Chromebook, etc.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Launch — 5 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 the evolution of social movements in the 1970s.
  • Guide scholars on how to choose high-quality, accurate websites for their research. See “Scholar Research Guidance” in the Unit 5 Workbook.

Investigate — 25 minutes

  • Tell scholars that today’s jigsaw lesson will be different from a traditional jigsaw lesson. Instead of reading sources that you provide, they will be researching their topics in their groups.
  • Remind scholars that the purpose of a jigsaw lesson is to become experts on one topic so they are able to teach their peers. Set the expectations that scholars must 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 seven social movements of the 1970s: the Feminist Movement, Environmentalism, the Civil Rights Movement, the Chicano Movement, the Anti-Vietnam War Movement, the American Indian Movement, or the Conservative Movement.
  • Guide scholars on how to choose high-quality, accurate websites for their research using “Scholar Research Guidance” the Unit 5 Workbook.
  • While researching, scholars should take notes and write a main idea about their assigned topic.
  • As scholars conduct research on their topics, ensure that they are using websites aligned with the expectations outlined in the document. Are scholars researching the listed subtopics, or are they getting distracted by irrelevant information?
  • Circulate to determine the major trend 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. Ask: What is the main idea of the 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.

Teach — 10 minutes

  • Remind scholars that they are responsible for learning from their classmates during this time and must take notes in their Lesson 8 Note-taking Template in the Unit 5 Workbook during each presentation.
  • Have scholars from each group present their topic to the class in 2 minutes or less.
  • As scholars share, chart the main 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 their research. Ensure the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • Compare the movements of the 1970s. How are they similar? Different? Why?
    • How did the movements of the 1970s affect Americans?
    • Compare the movements of the 1970s to the movements of the 1960s. To what extent are they similar?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How did the social movements of the 1970s affect American morale in the 1970s?

Homework

  • Scholars read pages 2–3 from Jimmy Carter and the Energy Crisis of the 1970s by Daniel Horowitz (Bedford/St. Martin’s: 2005) and watch “President Jimmy Carter — ‘Crisis of Confidence’ Speech” on the Miller Center channel on YouTube in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 9: Jimmy Carter and the Crisis of Confidence (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: Why didn’t President Carter get reelected in 1980?

Historical Background

Jimmy Carter served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. He aspired to make government “competent and compassionate,” responsive to the American people and their expectations. His achievements were notable, but in an era of rising energy costs, mounting inflation, and continuing tensions, it was impossible for his administration to meet these high expectations.

For more background, read “James Carter” on the official U.S. Government website, and watch “Crash Course History: Ford, Carter, and Economic Malaise” on YouTube.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 5 Key Terms:

  • Jimmy Carter
  • Crisis of Confidence Speech

Scholars can apply their knowledge of United States history to interpret original sources and use these sources to write clear, concise, and compelling claims about the reelection of Jimmy Carter.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 5 Lesson 9 Do Now in the Unit 5 Workbook.

Launch — 5 minutes

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Build excitement for today’s DBQ, and invest scholars in continuing their study of the malaise of the 1970s. Tell scholars they will apply all their knowledge as historians to answer a question using new sources that they have not seen before.
  • Scholars read the Lessons 9–11 DBQ Historical Context and Task in the Unit 5 Workbook to frame their thinking.
  • Ask: What is the DBQ Task asking us to do?
  • Pairs of scholars interpret the Task. Call on pairs to share out.

Guided Document Study — 20 minutes

  • Set the expectation that scholars must tackle Documents A through D today by writing a main idea next to the title and using the text and their main idea annotations to concisely answer each short-answer question with a clear claim.

Read and Write (8 minutes)

  • Read Document A* on page 35 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook with scholars. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title and use their understanding of the text to write a claim for the accompanying short-answer question in the Unit 5 Workbook.
    • *Note: Document A contains pertinent context to help scholars answer the DBQ Task. If you anticipate that scholars will struggle more with Document B, C, or D, use one of those documents instead.

Discuss (10 minutes)

  • Have a scholar with a strong main idea annotation and/or claim share out. Have scholars discuss 1) how the main idea annotation reflects full understanding of the document and/or 2) why the claim effectively answers this short-answer question.
  • Share non-exemplar work. Have the class discuss why the main idea annotation does not reflect full understanding of the document and/or why the claim does not answer the short- answer question.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work and know what they must do to improve.

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main ideas or claims based on the discussion.

Read and Write — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate the remaining documents on pages 36–37 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook and write a clear and concise answer to each short-answer question in the Unit 5 Workbook. Hold scholars accountable for the clarity and strength of their claims!
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their thinking. Can their main idea annotations be made stronger? Are their claims simple and clear? Are they revising their writing?
  • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

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

Lesson 10: Jimmy Carter and the Crisis of Confidence (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: Why didn’t President Carter get reelected in 1980?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars can plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer a historical question with strong theses and evidence that supports or proves their theses.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Plan — 15 minutes

  • With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the DBQ Task. Ensure that scholars explain why President Carter didn’t get reelected in 1980.
  • Lead a whole-class discussion on possible answers to this Task. Remind scholars that there is not a single right answer to this question, but they must have evidence to defend their answers!
    • Call on pairs to share out their answers and defend them with evidence from Documents A through D.
    • Have scholars evaluate one another’s answers. Scholars should consider whether each answer is compelling and based on accurate evidence from the text.
    • Give scholars feedback on the clarity and quality of their answers.
  • During the discussion, chart strong versus weak answers. Ensure that scholars can explain what makes a particular answer strong or weak.
  • Tell scholars that their answers to this question will become their theses in their final DBQ essays. All of the evidence in an essay must prove their theses.
  • After the discussion, give scholars 2 minutes to determine their own theses on the planning page of the DBQ in the Unit 5 Workbook. Ensure that scholars are not just copying an answer that was discussed but are actually formulating their own theses based on the discussion.

Outline and Draft — 30 minutes

Outline (15 minutes)

  • Scholars create an outline for their DBQ essay on the planning page of the DBQ by finalizing their theses and determining the three strongest pieces of evidence from Documents A through D that support their theses, based on their work in the previous lesson and the class discussion.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar explain his or her thesis. Does the thesis answer the DBQ Task? Is it compelling? Does the evidence selected actually prove this thesis?
    • If scholars are struggling to choose strong evidence, have them write how each document helps answer the DBQ Task on each document or in their outlines.

Draft (15 minutes)

  • Scholars use their outlines to draft their DBQ essays. As scholars draft, they must focus on proving their theses with strong evidence from at least three documents.
  • 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 theses in their DBQ essays.
    • 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.
    • 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 the strength of their theses and supporting evidence in this essay as well as their future writing. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in their writing.

Lesson 11: Jimmy Carter and the Crisis of Confidence (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: Why didn’t President Carter get reelected in 1980?

What Does Success Look Like?

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

Preparation

  • To complete this revision, before class you must:
    • Choose an exemplar and non-exemplar draft essay from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-Lesson. If there is no strong exemplar piece, plan to use your own teacher model piece.

Do Now — 5 minutes

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

Launch — 10 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 this piece of writing exemplifies the Habits of Great Writers.
    • Reread the DBQ Task with scholars: Why didn’t President Carter get reelected in 1980?
    • Then share an exemplar draft from the previous lesson. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s thesis compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this thesis.
    • 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 essay that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholars’ work from 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 DBQ essay. 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 DBQ essays.
  • 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 be productive only 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 an essay 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 partners 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 continue revising their essays.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their essays.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Help scholars focus on what is most important: a strong thesis and supporting evidence.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the end of the unit, give scholars a final grade on their revised essays, as well as one transferable next step that they must apply to their next pieces.

Extra Credit

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

  • Why did many Americans lose confidence in the federal government during the 1970s?
  • How “cold” was the Cold War during the 1970s?
  • How did the social movements of the 1970s attempt to change American society?

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.

resources

Related content

Access a wide array of articles, webinars, and more, designed to help you help children reach their potential.