LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Life on the Great Plains

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=265

A lesson plan for Grades 11–12 United States History

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

About this resource

Appropriate grades
11–12
Subjects
social studies (geography, North America, United States history)
Provider
National Endowment for the Humanities

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In this four-part lesson, students examine the concept of geographic region by exploring the history of the Great Plains.

In Part I, students gather information about the location and environment of the Great Plains in order to produce a map outlining the region in formal terms.

In Part II, students examine how the region has been mapped at different stages in U. S. history and create informational brochures which reflect the changes the maps mark in the functional definitions of the Great Plains.

In Part III, students compare descriptions of the region, from the time of the Spanish conquistadors to the early 20th century, and write their own descriptions based on these models in order to gauge how changing perceptual definitions of a region reshape its identity and its relationship to human life.

Finally, in Part IV, students compare images of two cultures that made their homes on the Great Plains, Native Americans and 'sodbusters,' and summarize their distinct ways of life and the distinctive regional identity each brought to the Great Plains by writing imaginary letters from a Native American and a sodbuster homesick for the land they have left behind.

The goals of this four-part lesson plan are:

  • to explore the concept of region and learn how culture and experience influence the perception of regions
  • to investigate the relationships between physical geography and human systems of culture and settlement
  • to trace the history and character of a region as reflected in literature and art
  • to examine factors that influenced westward expansion in the United States

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grades 11–12 — United States History

  • Goal 4: The Great West and the Rise of the Debtor (1860s-1896) - The learner will evaluate the great westward movement and assess the impact of the agricultural revolution on the nation.
    • Objective 4.01: Compare and contrast the different groups of people who migrated to the West and describe the problems they experienced.
    • Objective 4.02: Evaluate the impact that settlement in the West had upon different groups of people and the environment.
    • Objective 4.03: Describe the causes and effects of the financial difficulties that plagued the American farmer and trace the rise and decline of Populism.
    • Objective 4.04: Describe innovations in agricultural technology and business practices and assess their impact on the West.

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 11 — English III

  • Goal 1: The learner will demonstrate increasing insight and reflection to print and non-print text through personal expression.
    • Objective 1.02: Reflect and respond expressively to texts so that the audience will:
      - discover multiple perspectives.
      - investigate connections between life and literature.
      - explore how the student's life experiences influence his or her response to the selection.
      - recognize how the responses of others may be different.
      - articulate insightful connections between life and literature.
      -consider cultural or historical significance.
  • Goal 2: The learner will inform an audience by using a variety of media to research and explain insights into language and culture.
    • Objective 2.01: Research ideas, events, and/or movements related to United States culture by:
      - locating facts and details for purposeful elaboration.
      - organizing information to create a structure for purpose, audience, and context.
      - excluding extraneous information.
      -providing accurate documentation.
    • Objective 2.03: Respond to informational texts by:
      - using a variety of strategies for preparation, engagement, and reflection.
      - paraphrasing main ideas and supporting details present in texts.
      -explaining significant connections among the speaker's/author's purpose, tone, biases, and the message for the intended audience.
  • Goal 4: The learner will critically analyze text to gain meaning, develop thematic connections, and synthesize ideas.
    • Objective 4.01: Interpret meaning for an audience by:
      - examining the functions and the effects of narrative strategies such as plot, conflict, suspense, point of view, characterization, and dialogue.
      - interpreting the effect of figures of speech (e.g., personification, oxymoron) and the effect of devices of sound (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia).
      - analyzing stylistic features such as word choice and links between sense and sound.
      - identifying ambiguity, contradiction, irony, parody, and satire.
      - demonstrating how literary works reflect the culture that shaped them.
    • Objective 4.02: Develop thematic connections among literary works by:
      - connecting themes that occur across genres or works from different time periods.
      - using specific references to validate connections.
      -examining how representative elements such as mood, tone, and style impact the development of a theme.
    • Objective 4.03: Assess the power, validity, and truthfulness in the logic of arguments given in public and political documents by:
      - identifying the intent and message of the author or artist.
      - recognizing how the author addresses opposing viewpoints.
      - articulating a personal response to the message and method of the author or artist.
      -evaluating the historical significance of the work.
  • Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
    • Objective 6.01: Demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of language by:
      - decoding vocabulary using knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, Greek, and Latin bases and affixes.
      - discerning the relationship of word meanings between pairs of words in analogies (synonyms/antonyms, connotation/denotation).
      - revising writing to enhance voice and style, sentence variety, subtlety of meaning, and tone in considerations of questions being addressed, purpose, audience, and genres.
      - contrasting use of language conventions of authors in different time periods of United States literature.
      -analyzing the power of standard usage over nonstandard usage in formal settings such a job interviews, academic environment, or public speaking events.