Unit 1: Who Cares About Social Studies Anyway?
Lesson 1: The Road Not Taken
FOCUS ACTIVITY
I Can Do It!
I can explain why learning Social Studies is important to my future and the future of the United States.
TEACHING ACTIVITY
Guided Reading
DIRECTIONS: We are now going to read today's text as a class. Remember to follow along. I will select readers randomly by calling out numbers. Important terms, people, places, and events are highlighted in the toolbox.
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~ Robert Frost ~
ITS ALL ABOUT DECISIONS
DECISIONS ARE LIKE ROADS
The decisions people make are many times referred to as paths or roads. These roads lead to an outcome or a result. We as individuals, make choices everyday that affect our own lives, but as you well know our personal decisions affect the lives of others as well. This is why it is important to make good decisions. This is why we must evaluate or think about every decision we make. This is why it is important to gather all the information possible to make smart, informed decisions.
So think about how your personal decisions affect others. Even the simple decisions a nation makes will affect a great many people. With a nation as large as the United States, there will also be many different opinions on many different topics. It is impossible for a nation to make decisions that will please everyone in the nation all the time.
SOCIAL STUDIES IS ABOUT THE ROADS WE TAKE
This is why it is important to learn social studies. Social Studies is the study of human relationships and the way society works. Social Studies is the study of being social! It includes history, government, economics, civics, sociology, geography, and anthropology. It involves how people use all the other things you study in school. In social studies, you learn how people use science and math to create medicines that save thousands of lives and weapons that end thousands of lives.
You learn about how people's experiences, emotions, and ideas drive them to make decisions that affect people, nations, and the world. Social Studies is about the roads people take and how these roads interact with the roads others take. It is about where these roads lead or the results of our decisions. It is also about how we use what we learned on those roads to influence the roads we choose in the future.
SO WHY STUDY AMERICAN HISTORY? George Santayana
American History is a part of Social Studies. It is the study of our past and how we came to be what we are today. An American writer and philosopher named, George Santayana travelled and lived all over the world. He was famous for saying, "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it." We study history to understand the mistakes we made; so that we understand why we made them, in order to avoid making those same mistakes again.
In this class, you will come to learn that I love comics! I love shows about superheroes. I love shows where the person who is normally a villain is the superhero and where the superhero doesn't always make the right choices. My favorite superhero is Ironman. The reason for this stems from my love and understanding of history! Ironman does not have super powers. He is an ordinary man who uses his intelligence and resources to do great things. He has flaws and makes mistakes. He's human.
One of the reasons history fascinates me is because I've learned that human emotion gives us superhuman abilities. We study history to understand how ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. We study history to inspire ourselves to do better. History shows us that human emotion allows us to accomplish things we never thought possible. Hope, passion, determination, and courage have led ordinary people to defy impossible odds to accomplish incredible things! History inspires us!
The study of history also helps us to understand the relationships between people. By studying the problems and prejudices between people in history, we can better pinpoint the things we need to work out, make plans to settle disagreements, and work together to come to understand and accept cultural differences. Understanding relationships between people helps us to be more tolerant of those who are different from us. Tolerance of other cultures helps us to have a more peaceful world.
Understanding human relationships also helps us to understand why different nations have different forms of government and why people move to new places. Understanding human relationships helps us to understand why people make the decisions that they do and how their human emotions give them superhuman abilities.
YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS TODAY
In this class, you will learn the History of the United States from Industrialization Until Today, but you won't just study the "history". You will learn about the changing geography and economy of the U.S during this time. You will evaluate different points of view of the same historical event to understand the human relationships between those who experienced the event. You will speculate about how making different choices in history might have produced different outcomes. You will be required to examine how the small contributions of many individuals came together to accomplish big outcomes. You will analyze the advancements made in technology over the course of American History and use technology to show how America has advanced over time. Finally, you will use all the knowledge you gain in this course to trace the roads America has taken that resulted in the nation that we have today.
So, buckle your seatbelt. Your journey begins today!
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TOOLBOX
politician
outcome evaluate social studies history government economics civics sociology geography anthropology American History villain superhuman prejudices cultural tolerance point of view speculate examine analyze |
WHOLE GROUP ACTIVITY
Understanding Concepts
DIRECTIONS: In this activity, we will discuss the answers to the following questions:
1. I
1. I
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Support Your Cause
DIRECTIONS: In this activity,
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY
Exit Pass
DIRECTIONS: In this activity you answer prove that you have met the Lesson Mission by answering the essential question of the lesson. Please complete the exit pass below. You MAY use the reading and any notes you took.
HOMEWORK
Finish the Lesson and Family Time
Remember, you have homework every night in Social Studies. First, share with your family what you learned in class today. Second, review your exit pass response to each lesson and the lesson vocabulary to help you study for the test.
END OF THE UNIT 2 LESSON 5 MODULE
Making Up This Lesson
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If you missed today and need to make up this lesson, simply read today's text and complete the Exit Pass. Remember, you may complete the Exit Pass at home if you have internet access. Paper copies will be available when you return to school. If you chose to do the paper exit pass, remember to turn it in to my tray on the kidney table after you complete it. Remember this is taken for a 10 point grade. You will have 2 days when you return to complete the assignment.
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