S+Bizier,+Daniel

**Office:** 131 **Office Phone:** (207)778-xxxx **Office Hours:** Monday 3-5 and Tuesday 3-5 ** E-mail: ** daniel.bizier@maine.edu
 * Teacher:** Mr. Bizier

=Summary of Unit= Welcome to Social Studies! This section will focus on the American Civil War. The Civil War is one of the most well known eras in the history of the United States. The war pitted the North (Union) against the South (Confederacy) in a battle that turned the US country side into war-torn battle fields. The actual fighting lasted for four long years, but there was fighting before the war began, and long after it ended. This unit is designed so that students will know the causes of the war, advantages that each side possessed that influenced the war, and how decisions made during Reconstruction made the era a tumultuous time for the United States. By the end of the unit students will be able to describe the main causes of the Civil War, how the advantages that each side possessed determined the outcome of the war, and why Reconstruction was a tumultuous time for the United States. The students will also create an authentic performance task using the software Comic Life to create a series of political cartoons about the Civil War.

=Establish Goals= Maine Learning Results: Social Studies E. History E1: Historical Knowledge, Concepts, Themes, and Patterns Grades 9-Diploma: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) Students will understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historic influences in the United States and world history, including the roots of democratic philosophy, ideals, and institutions in the world.

= = =Students will understand that= •there were several causes of the American Civil War, in the years leading up to when the war actually began. •the North (Union) had the economic/military advantage among their many other advantages over the South (Confederacy). •the period following the Civil War (Reconstruction) was a tumultuous time for the United States.

= = =Essential Questions= •How did the events in the years leading up to the Civil War cause the war? •How did the economic/military advantages among others help the North win the Civil War? •Why was the period of Reconstruction a tumultuous time for the United States (How did the decisions made by the North impact Reconstruction)?

= = =Students will know= •Important Events and People: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Stephan Douglas, Andrew Johnson, Various important leaders in Congress, Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Ulysses S Grant, Tecumseh Sherman, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, caning of Charles Sumner, the Emancipation Proclamation, Battle of Gettysburg, Grant becomes leader of the army, the North wins the war, Reconstruction. •Sequence and time lines: 3/5ths clause, the South becomes a cotton leader (dependent on slaves), the North industrializes,Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Bleeding Kansas, Lincoln-Douglas debates, the presidential election of 1860 (Lincoln elected), South Carolina secedes, the course of the war and Reconstruction. •Key factual information: All of the states that left the Union,the outcome of the Civil War, advantages that each side possessed, the Constitutional amendments enacted following the war, the economy of the United States following the Civil War, the enactment of the Jim Crow laws.

= = =Students will be able to= •describe the main causes of the Civil War. •make sense of the advantages that the North possessed that helped them win the Civil War. •decide how decisions in the years leading up to the Civil War caused the war to start. •analyze the advantages that both the North and the South possessed throughout the war. •consider the hardships that former slaves faced following the Civil War. •be aware that decisions made following the war impacted the United States, and we may still be seeing the effects of the Civil War.

**Performance Task Overview** Congratulations! You were just announced as a finalist to become the new political cartoonist for the magazine The New Yorker; but before you can assume the $100,000 salary you must pass one final test. The editors of the magazine have assigned each of the finalists a historical era to write their cartoons about, and you were assigned the period of the Civil War and Reconstruction. You must write about the causes of the Civil War, advantages that both the North and the South possessed and how those advantages impacted the war, and why the period of Reconstruction was tumultuous time for the United States. Your work will be put into the magazine and the magazines readers, most of whom will have some knowledge about the Civil War will vote for the winner, so be creative and original! In addition you must present in front of you fellow cartoonists (the class). To be in the running to win the competition you must submit at least 8 cartoons. The comics will be made using the software Comic Life.

=Expectations= __**Absent/Late Policy:**__ This class will contain a lot of class discussions. It is hard to take place in class discussions if you are late to class, or you do not attend class. I will allow a few minute grace period, but you should try to be to class on time. If you are sick you need to let me know by email that you will not be in class so I can tell you what the homework assigments were, and so you can know any reading that you have to do for the next class.
 * Assignment Expectations:** All assignments are expected to be typed in size 12 font, Times New Roman font, and double spaced when it is passed in unless otherwise stated. You will be expected to pass your work in on time, you will face losing points on work that is handed in late and I do not want to see your hard work penalized. There may be extenuating circumstances where you will not be able to pass the work in on time, and if you let me know about these circumstances we can work something out so you will not lose points. At any time we can discuss your grades, and I will give you the my reasoning of why you received that you received. You will be given the right to edit your work at times, but this is not an excuse to do bad work the first time around, and if you abuse the redo policy it will be taken away.
 * Classroom expectations:** I expect that all of you will come to class prepared. This means that you have done all of the required reading and homework for the class. I also expect that you have brought something to write in (a notebook or notepad) and a pen or a pencil to write with. I also expect that you all come to class with a positive attitude, leave all of your problems outside of class, this will make for a much better in-class environment. I would also like to see everybody participate in in-class discussions, this does not mean you have to contribute something everyday but I want everybody to be listening and contributing on a regular basis. This will help you learn the material better, and will help to spark your interest in the subjects being covered.
 * Plagiarism Policy:** As you know our school has a very strict plagiarism policy. Plagiarism is stealing another persons ideas or thoughts without giving them credit. As a teacher it is my job to report any instances of plagiarism to the principal; and you will receive a zero if you plagiarize any of your work. If there is any doubt in your mind of whether or not you should cite something you should go ahead and cite it; it is better to cite something when you do not need to then to not cite something and commit the act of plagiarism. If you have any questions about plagiarism you can ask me and I will be happy to answer!

=Benchmarks: say how students will be graded on each product (Rubric)= Here is a description and point value of each of the assessments you will be graded on in this unit. The total number of points is 500 **•Glogster(75)**- You will create a poster using the internet software Glogster, Your poster will highlight some of the causes of the American Civil War. You will include descriptions of what the events were, and how they sparked the war to begin. I also expect that you will include some type of visual aid that represents the event that it accompanies.  **•Pod-casts(60)**- You will create a podcast. The podcast will be in the form of a radio interview. The interview will be with a Civil War leader. In the radio interview you will discuss how decisions and actions in the years leading up to the American Civil War caused the war to begin. You need to explain in-depth how the events helped to cause the war, BE SPECIFIC!  **•Power Points(75)**- You will create an interactive power point using Prezi. The power point will analyze advantages that both the North (Union) and the South (Confederates) possessed. You should provide links in your power points that back up your views.  **•Wiki Spaces(60)**- As a class we will create a Wiki space. On the Wiki Space we will debate the advantages that each side possessed, and how these advantages influenced the cause of the Civil War. You will be graded on how much you participate in posting, and on the quality of your posts.  **•I-Movie(80)**- You will create an iMovie in which you depict some of the leaders during the Reconstruction era in the United States.  **•Blog(70)**- You will create a blog and write from the point of view of a former slave following the American Civil War. The teacher will then provide feedback, and you will enter into a conversation with the teacher about you expericences and the hardships that you face on a daily basis.
 * Perfomance task(150)**: You are trying to become the new political cartoonist for //The New Yorker// magazine, but before they hire you they as to see your work and assign you to write on the era of the Civil War. You will complete a series of 8 political cartoons that address the causes of the war, the advantages that each side possessed that influenced the wars outcome, and why the period of Reconstruction was a tumultuous time for the United States. You will present you cartoons to the class and explain why you chose to have cartoons about the things you had them about.

=Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59).