YOU ARE HERE >
Main > Teacher Resources > JCC Survey Course
Debra
Maloney
09
Project
Summary
1.
General Overview of the Proposed Project:
Project is entitled “The Lure of the West”.
Activities include:
A.
Research into four major topics regarding Manifest Destiny
and westward migration in the 19th century (see
attached).
B.
Visit to the Rockwell Museum of Western Art and four short
writing assignments.
C.
Production of a 6-9 page paper.
2.
Clear Purpose and Objective:
A.
To develop skills in historical research, reading and
writing.
B.
To be introduced to various primary sources, especially
visual images.
C.
To analyze multiple historical perspectives and
interpretations.
3.
Stakeholders: grade level, who will benefit, who will
participate in the project:
The primary stakeholders will be 56 Advanced
Placement U.S. History students.
4.
U.S. History Content Area:
The major content area is the first half of
the 19th century (Manifest Destiny and westward
migration).
5.
Outline describing content:
See the attached.
6.
Software to be used, internet materials, contacts, etc.
A variety of print and electronic sources will
be used, including NARA
and Library of Congress materials; other
primary source materials;
and the collection of the Rockwell Museum of
Western Art in Corning, New York (working with Mary Mix).
7.
Level of Student Involvement:
Students will be involved at every stage:
choosing the topic from the attached list, gathering source
materials, and completing the assigned writing tasks at the Rockwell
Museum, as well as writing the paper itself
8.
Evaluation Process (include students when possible):
Students will be asked to brainstorm possible
visuals they will see at the Rockwell Museum; after the visit,
students will provide written feedback of the visit.
Students will be expected to provide specific
components of the research paper on the assigned due dates;
careful review of these components by the two teachers involved
(myself and the English teacher on the team) will provide students
with feedback and suggestions for further research and writing.
9.
Timeline:
See attached.
10.
Comments or questions:
It is very exciting to be able to use a local
resource such as the Rockwell Museum to supplement and support a
research project! The staff at the museum, especially Mary Mix, has
been very helpful!
Advanced Placement US History
Research Paper: The Lure of the West
Fall/Winter 2008-09
Product
-
6-9 pages (typed, double-spaced, with
standard margins) in length
-
Title page, appendix items and “Works
Cited” pages are additional
-
5-7 valid sources, as designated
-
Correct MLA citations
Procedure
While the final product (the
paper) will count as TWO test grades for
Ms. Maloney’s AP US History course, Mr. Hynes
will also hold students accountable for various components in the
American Voices course.
Timeline
November 17th-18th:
Class introduction to Research Paper process.
November 19th:
Choose Research Paper Topic from the attached list.
November 19th-20th:
Begin research process in the school library. This process will
begin with a discussion of appropriate sources for an academic
papers; then, students will have time to gather source materials.
November 21st:
Class visit to Rockwell Museum. Students will be expected to
complete four short writing assignments as a result of the visit.
November –December:
Students will continue to work, outside of class, on the paper.
Please see Ms. Maloney for additional help.
December ?: Preliminary
pages are due. Mr. Hynes will provide you with specific
instructions. Both teachers will be reviewing this step.
December 19th:
Partial draft is due to Mr. Hynes
January 9th, 2009:
Final draft is due to Ms. Maloney
Advanced Placement US History
Research Paper Topics
Winter 2008
A.
How did geography impact patterns of Western settlement?
Examine the
development of the various routes to
California and Oregon and discuss the methods developed to overcome
the physical challenges of the West.
B.
Analyze the extent to which westward expansion affected the
lives of
American Indians during the period
1820-1860. Evaluate the role of the federal government in
establishing policies towards the American Indians.
C.
How did the ideology of “Manifest Destiny” shape the lives of
American
women who traveled and settled in the
West? What role did women play in establishing community life?
D.
Examine the ideology of Manifest Destiny on the presidential
campaign of
1844. Discuss whether James K. Polk had a
“mandate” for expansionism, and, if so, how successfully he
fulfilled the American majority’s goals in `the West.
Rockwell Museum of Western Art
Activity Sheet
After touring the museum, spend 30
minutes answering the following questions. Write in complete
sentences.
1.
Since the beginning of our new nation, Americans have
disagreed over the ways our history has been depicted. How did
The End of the Trail sculpture ignite controversy?
2.
Frederick Remington and Charlie Russell are two Americans who
contributed
significantly to our views and understandings
of life in the West. Compare and contrast the two artists’
subjects and styles.
3.
Why has the work of George Catlin been important to our
understanding of the
the West in the 19th century?
4.
Why was the buffalo an important animal for American Indians
on the Great
Plains? How were the attitudes of men and
women towards that animal different?
Teaching American History
2008-2009 Project Reflection
As part of the AP US History
curriculum that I have developed at Horseheads High School,
my students are required to complete a
research paper of 6-9 pages on a selected topic. This year’s topic
was “The Lure of the West”.
General Overview of the Project:
Using a variety of sources,
including art and music, students will be examining Americans’
westward expansion and its effects on the environment, Native
Americans, or politics. The project, however, will go beyond the
traditional process of writing a college-level research paper in
that students will be analyzing and incorporating a visual source.
See below for specific information.
Clear Purpose and Objective:
This activity was designed
to require students to use a variety of sources available to them in
our school library, on-line, and in our own community, specifically
the Rockwell Museum of Art.
Stakeholders:
The students are 11th
graders.
U.S. History Content Area:
The specific period of time
studied was the 19th century, up to 1860. When I
introduced the project, in early November, I gave each student a
manila folder with the following information.
Product
-
6-9 pages (typed, double-spaced, with
standard margins) in length
-
Title page, appendix items and “Works
Cited” pages are additional
-
5-7 valid sources, as designated
-
Correct MLA citations
Procedure
While
the final product (the paper) will count as TWO test grades for
Ms. Maloney’s AP
US History course, Mr. Hynes will also hold students accountable for
various components in the American Voices course. (NOTE:
At HHS, AP US
History is taught in conjunction with an English course called
“American Voices”. The other teacher, Mr. Bill Hynes, and I
develop lesson plans together).
Advanced Placement US History
Research Paper Topics
Winter 2008
A.
How did geography impact patterns of Western settlement?
Examine the
development of the various routes to
California and Oregon and discuss the methods developed to overcome
the physical challenges of the West.
B.
Analyze the extent to which westward expansion affected the
lives of
American Indians during the period
1820-1860. Evaluate the role of the federal government in
establishing policies towards the American Indians.
C.
How did the ideology of “Manifest Destiny” shape the lives of
American
women who traveled and settled in the
West? What role did women play in establishing community life?
D.
Examine the ideology of Manifest Destiny on the presidential
campaign of
1844.
Discuss whether James K. Polk had a “mandate” for
expansionism, and, if so, how successfully he fulfilled the American
majority’s goals in `the West.
Software to be used, internet materials,
contacts, etc.
-
“Historical Thinking Matters” Web-site was
used to introduce students to methods to examine primary and
secondary sources.
-
Rockwell Museum of American Art was
visited.
-
Horseheads High School Library
Materials: Items such as Annals of American
History and secondary sources were
used.
Level of Student Involvement:
Students were highly
involved in this process:
-
We spent several days in the library
together gathering and examining sources. One of the most
fascinating parts of this step was when students who had chosen
the same topic were allowed (in fact, encouraged!) by our
librarians to work together to analyze and evaluate the
usefulness of various sources. This greatly aided students who
have difficulty using certain sources to learn from each other.
-
We took a field trip to the Rockwell
Museum of Western Art in Corning. About six weeks before our
visit, my “team-mate”, Mr. Bill Hynes, and I visited the museum
and met with Mary Mix, the education director there. She was
tremendously helpful in guiding us through specific parts of the
museum’s collection that would be particularly relevant to this
paper. I then developed a worksheet for my students to
complete after visiting the museum
Rockwell Museum of Western Art
Activity Sheet
After touring the museum, spend 30
minutes answering the following questions. Write in complete
sentences. (Question #5 is on the back).
1.
Since the beginning of our new nation, Americans have
disagreed over the ways our history has been depicted. How did
The End of the Trail sculpture ignite controversy?
2.
Frederick Remington and Charlie Russell are two Americans who
contributed
significantly to our views and understandings
of life in the West. Compare and contrast the two artists’
subjects and styles.
3.
Why has the work of George Catlin been important to our
understanding of the
the West in the 19th century?
4.
Why was the buffalo an important animal for American Indians
on the Great
Plains? How were the attitudes of men and
women towards that animal different?
5.
Examine the War Bonnet in the Indian Gallery. How has the
image of the war
bonnet become in an important symbol of Native
Americans? Is the war bonnet entirely a product of Native American
Culture? Explain.
The student greatly enjoyed the museum visit;
Mary Mix provided well-trained docents to guide my students, and we
also had a parent chaperone and Mike McCawley (a former TAH
participant), who is now our assistant principal, accompany us.
The students continued to discuss some of the art they had seen
after the visit.
Evaluation process:
-
Students handed in the museum activity
sheet, counted as a quiz grade.
-
Students’ final paper was evaluated using
rubric (see next page).
Timeline:
This information was
given to the students in their folder.
November 17th-18th:
Class introduction to Research Paper process.
November 19th: Meet
in the library. Choose Research Paper Topic from the attached
list.
November 19th-20th:
Begin research process in the school library. This
process will begin with a discussion of appropriate sources for an
academic papers; then, students will have time to gather source
materials.
November
–December: Students will continue to work, outside of class, on
the paper. Please see Ms. Maloney for additional help.
December 4th:
Class visit to Rockwell Museum. Students will be expected to
complete four short writing assignments as a result of the visit.
December ?: Preliminary
pages are due. Mr. Hynes will provide you with specific
instructions. Both teachers will be reviewing this step.
December 8th-9th:
Research/writing in the library.
December 19th:
Partial draft is due to Mr. Hynes
January 16th, 2009:
Final draft is due to Ms. Maloney
Research Paper Evaluation
Advanced Placement US History
Ms. Debra Maloney
Student Name _____________________________
____/10 Achieves organization using
standard paragraph development.
____/20 Demonstrates a clear
understanding of the task as demonstrated
by the development of a
mature, concise thesis.
____/30 Provides a thorough discussion
of the chosen topic.
____/10 Credits sources accurately using
MLA format.
____/20 Uses credible and valid sources
(both electronic and print):
employs accurate
bibliographic form.
____/10 Employs distinct, revealing and
mature word choice and
contains few (if any,
insignificant) errors in grammar, spelling,
syntax and proofreading.
____ FINAL GRADE
Comments:
While this was an
exhausting process, it was tremendously satisfying. Pulling
together all of the various steps and pieces was at times
complicated (for example, we had to change the date of the field
trip because most of our students were going to NYSSMA on the
original date of the field trip; then, I had to make arrangements
for the students to get lunch in Corning – Aniello’s, of course!),
I believe my students got more out of this year’s research paper
process than my students in the past have:
·
First, students learned how to evaluate source
materials more effectively than ever before.
·
Students took a great deal of pride in their work;
one of my classes had a friendly argument nearly every day about who
had found the better primary source and why!
·
Many of my students had never been to the Rockwell
Museum of Western Art before, and were impressed with both the
collection and the level of knowledge of the docents. One of the
nice things Mary Mix did for us was to give each one of my students
a free pass – for themselves and their parents – to visit the museum
again, and several of my students did go back again over the
Christmas vacation!
·
The overall results were better than in the past; not
only were the sources used of a better quality, but the level of
analysis of the topic, supported by evidence, was higher..
|