Alabama Course of Study: US Studies, 1877 to Present, Grade 6
Below you will find the 2004 version of the ALCOS
for Social Studies, grade 6. Beneath each standard
are links to web resources that may
be useful
to
you and your students.
Describe the Westward Expansion and its
technological, economic, and social influence on
the people of the
United States prior to World War I.
History
of the American West: 1860-1920
American Memory collection of photographs of the American West, along with background
information on famous photographers and three presentations of selected photographs
with narrative captions ("Native American Women," "LC McLure and
Denver, the Beautiful City," and "The 10th Mountain Division")
Transportation to the Western Frontier Lesson Plan
There were several modes of transportation for early settlers to use when they
moved to the west. Students will research and document four modes of transportation
using the Internet and print resources in the library.
Describe the impact of industrialization,
free markets, urbanization, communication, and
cultural
changes in the United States prior to World War I.
Welcome to All?
This is a hands-on, technology-based lesson that
relates a student's individual immigration history
to the boom of immigration in the late 1800's through
the early 1900's. This lesson also gives students
insight into the rise of anti-immigrant feelings
in the United States during this time period.
Identify causes and consequences of the Spanish-American
War.
The United States Becomes A World Power
Digital History online module which covers the Spanish
American War and America's first experiences with
imperialism.
The World of 1898
Library of Congress collection of photographs and
documents from the Spanish-American War.
The Spanish American War
Website devoted to the war with articles written
by historians about battles and significant events.
Also includes primary source materials such as
photographs and transcribed interviews.
Describe changing social conditions during the
Progressive Period.
Who
Made America?
Includes profiles of inventors from the early days of the U.S. up until the
modern era, organized by name, chronological timeline, and geographic region.
Theodore
Roosevelt on Film
Library of Congress American Memory collection featuring Teddy Roosevelt. It
includes a timeline, essays, photos, and documents discussing his being the
first president to have had his life and career documented on film.
Thomas
Nast Cartoons
HarpWeek's Gallery of Thomas Nast cartoons, some of which comment on Progressives,
as well as Reconstruction.
Digital
History Documents
A collection of primary sources on the Progressive Era including documents
on the Muckrakers, Women's Suffrage, Conservation, Prohibition, and Cities.
Timeline
A useful timeline of the major events of the Progressive Era, from 1879 to
1917.
Progressive
Era Resources
Digital History's page for the Progressive Era, offering background information,
recommended documents and resources, and links to lesson plans and fact sheets.
Triangle
Factory Fire
Online exhibit detailing the Triangle Factory Fire, with primary source documents,
photographs, and political cartoons.
Eleanor
Roosevelt
Archive of Eleanor Roosevelt’s personal papers from the Progressive Era
with lesson plans and further resources for classroom use.
Progressivism
Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History online learning module on the
Progressive Era with links to primary documents.
Identify causes of World War I and reasons for
entry into the war by the United States.
Photos
of the Great War
Online gallery of photographs from WWI which includes images from the trenches
and the war at sea, as well as images of heads of state, politicians, military
leaders, troops, and the weapons of war.
WWI
Photographs
Photos from WWI, including the battlefield and the home front.
WWI
Lesson Plans
A list of lesson plans dealing with WWI and the materials found in the Truman
Library collection.
World
War I
History Channel website with links to actual letters written home from World
War I soldiers.
The
Great War
Comprehensive PBS website for the program, “The Great War and the Shaping
of the 20th Century,” which includes background information, summaries,
and educational resources. Appropriate for student exploration or as a helpful
guide to teachers planning lessons.
Weapons
of World War I Lesson Plan
The students will use the Internet and the school's
media center to discover the weapons of World
War I. They will compare and contrast the weapons
used
during that time period with the weapons that
are used in warfare today. At the conclusion
of the
lesson, the students will create a digital
slideshow with the history, uses, and changes
in old and
new military technology.
Identify cultural and economic developments in
the society of the United States from 1877 through
the 1930's.
Extra! Extra! Harlem Renaissance Tribune Lesson
Plan
From writing with Langston Hughes to dancing with
Bojangles, explore 1920-30 Harlem and publish a
newspaper about the arts and entertainment of this
cultural renaissance that brought new energy and
sound to the world.
Forming Unions Lesson Plan
This activity uses technology to generate interest
in the study of labor unions. Students will use
the Internet for research and conclude with a presentation
about union leaders or labor organizations.
Identify causes of the Great Depression.
Hardships During the Great Depression
Students will be divided into groups of 2 or
more. Each group will be given a choice of jobs
that were available during the 1930s. Students
will learn to manage their cost of living and
household expenses.
What Was So Depressing About the Great Depression? This lesson focuses on the effects of the Great
Depression on American life in the period from
1929-1940. Students learn about changes in art,
music and literature that symbolize life of the
everyday man. Students also learn about the causes
that lead to the Great Depression.
The
Collapse of the Old Order, 1929-1949
A Houghton-Mifflin textbook site with links to maps of government types during
the 1930's, photographs, and suggested classroom activities.
The
Great Depression
A website devoted to information on the Great Depression and its international
effects.
The Great
Depression and World War II
National Archives' "Teaching With Documents" Lesson plans which use
primary source documents to teach students about the Great Depression and WWII.
Picturing
the Century
National Archives collection of photographs from the Great Depression and the
New Deal.
Hoover
Dam
PBS website dedicated to the construction of the Hoover Dam
Lesson
Ideas for the Great Depression
Article for teachers from Michigan's state website which gives lesson ideas
for teaching about the Great Depression in the context of Michigan history.
Many ideas could be modified to reflect life in your own state.
From
the Great War to the Depression
Lesson plan for using the Discovery Channel program From the Great War
to the Depression in the classroom. Grades 6-8.
The New Deal
Network
The New Deal Network from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, with
lesson plans and resources for use in the classroom.
Surviving the Dust Bowl
Interactive website from PBS based on the program “Surviving the Dust
Bowl,” with interviews, photographs, and videos available online.
The Great Depression: What
Would It Be Like Today?
In this lesson, students calculate the percentage decline in factors affecting
the quality of life such as wages and unemployment, from before the Depression
to the beginning of the New Deal. Students then calculate what the same percentage
decline for these factors would mean for their lives if it happened today.
Adaptable for grades 6-12.
Riding
the Rails
Information and lesson plans for the film “Riding the Rails,” which
discusses the plight of many teenagers during the Great Depression who lived
on the railways, hopping freight trains across the country.
America's Great Depression
Helpful source of information about the depression from an amateur historian,
with book and video lists, a timeline, and links to online collections of
photographs.
The Depression News
Michigan's History, Arts, and Libraries' gallery of information on the Great
Depression.
Great Depression Cooking
With Clara
Website of 94 year old woman who keeps a blog, a YouTube channel, and has
recently published a cookbook of frugal recipes and cooking techniques from
the Great
Depression era which she learned from her mother.
New
Deal Periodic Table
Online interactive Periodic Table of New Deal programs from the FDR Library
and Museum. Also provides a printable table for classroom use.
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt
Letters to FDR and Eleanor from young people about the Great Depression and
lesson plans for using the letters.
List key figures, significant events, and reasons
for the involvement of the United States in World
War II.
Wartime
Posters
Discovery Channel lesson plan on propaganda posters during World War II
Battle of the Bulge
PBS’s “American Experience” website on the Battle of the
Bulge. Includes a teacher's guide, photo gallery, and interviews with survivors.
D-Day
PBS’s “American Experience” website on Normandy and D-Day
which includes a teacher's guide and other resources (maps, timeline, letters).
The Perilous Fight
PBS teacher’s guide to “The Perilous Fight: America’s World
War II in Color,” which includes lesson plans, viewing guides, and activities.
Learn about World
War II
Digital History lesson resources for World War II, including documents, photos,
and lesson plans.
Gilder
Lehrman Institute: WWII
Module for teaching about WWII which includes background information and primary
sources.
Mr.
Donn.org
Links to units and lesson plans on WWII, including life on the home front,
foreign policy, and the Holocaust for various grade levels.
Heroes
Among Us Webquest
Oral history project in which students interview family or community members
who served in WWII.
The
Decision to Drop the Bomb
Activity which has students take on and discuss four perspectives on the decision
to drop the atomic bomb. The webquest provides links for researching each perspective.
WWII Map Collection.
Collection of WWII military situation maps from the LOC American Memory Collection
Battle
of the Bulge
Interactive essay on Battle of the Bulge from the American Memory Collection
WWI & WWII Links
Links to web resources and lesson plans on WWI and WWII from Kennesaw State
University
World War II
Remembered
Scholastic.com WWII page, which offers activities, lesson plans, and resources
for teaching about WWII.
Library
of Congress-WWII
LOC Learning Page for teachers, with an overview and documents from WWII..
World War II in
Posters
Collection of WWII posters from the Truman Library website, with links to analysis
activities for most.
A Guide to World War
II Materials
A guide to all of the Library of Congress' online collections and exhibits
dealing with WWII, which includes links and brief descriptions.
July 1942: United We Stand
Website for the Smithsonian Museum of American History's collection of magazine
covers from WWII.
Battle for
Bataan
Website from New Mexico State University recounting the Battle for Bataan in
the Phillipines through timelines, artifacts, maps and online videos.
The Diary of Anne
Frank
Middle School WebQuest covering Anne Frank, antisemitism in Nazi Germany,
and the Holocaust. (Intended for students who are studying the book.)
Holocaust
Links
Holocaust resources and links from Trumball County, Ohio's Educational Service
Center.
America and the Holocaust
PBS’s “American Experience” website on America and the Holocaust,
with timelines, maps, and other teaching resources.
Identify changes in the American home front during
World War II.
On
the Homefront
Photo Gallery and lesson activities from the Library of Congress detailing life
on the homefront during WWII.
Mr.
Donn.org
Links to units and lesson plans on WWII, including life on the home front,
foreign policy, and the Holocaust for various grade levels.
World War II: The Home Front, Lesson Plan
Students will identify the impact World War II had on civilian Americans and
associate posters of the time with attitudes of the time. Students will create
a digital slideshow or newsletter incorporating content acquired through research.
Japanese Internment
Webquest
Webquest in which students form an international tribunal that charges the
US government for human rights violations following the internment of Japanese-American
citizens during WWII.
Ansell
Adams' Photographs of Manzanar
Library of Congress collection of Ansell Adam’s photographs of the Japanese-American internment
camp at Manzanar. Includes photo gallery, essay, and timeline.
Japanese Internment
Online article on the history of Japanese-American internment from history.com.
Includes a few historical photographs.
Children of the Camps
Website for the documentary, "Children of the Camps," with a history
of the internment camps, a timeline, and links to primary source documents.
Go For Broke.org
Website of the Japanese-American WWII veterans, dedicated to their history.
Includes oral histories and resources for teaching about Japanese-Americans'
involvement in WWII and Executive order 9066.
Online
Scavenger Hunt
Questions and links to sources of information for completing an online scavenger
hunt about Japanese Internment Camps.
War Relocation Camps
in Arizona
Website devoted to the history of relocation campsin
Arizona, from 1942-1946. Includes many photos and articles on life in the
camps.
Identify major social and cultural changes in the
United States from 1945 to 1960.
A 1950's Kind of Day
A culminating activity for a study of 1950's culture
in which students present research projects on
trends, popular music, and new technology, etc.,
with ideas for topics and ways of presenting
information.
Teaching the 1950's in History Class
Article for teachers with lesson ideas and suggestions
on how to connect 1950's culture with contemporary
events.
Identify critical events occurring in the United
States and throughout the world from the Truman through
the Johnson Administrations, including the Cold War,
Berlin Airlift, Korean Conflict, space race, construction
of Berlin Wall, Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuban Missile
Crisis, and Vietnam War.
Film
History of the 1950's
This website provides information on famous 1950s films and comments on their
political significance.
Cold
War Files
Timeline, primary source documents, multimedia resources, links, and activities
on the Cold War Era
Cold War Museum
Cold War museum website, with online exhibits, written histories, and trivia.
Cold
War WebQuest
WebQuest in which students act as advisors to various presidents as they make
decisions concerning the atomic bomb, the power struggle in Iran, the Cuban
Missile Crisis, the Vietnam conflict, and dealings with the Soviet Union.
On
the Brink of War
An 11th grade WebQuest in which students search for examples of how the Cold
War affected American culture.
Education
Planet: 1950's to present
Education Planet’s subject page for history lesson plans from 1950 to
the present day, including many on the Cold War.
Origins
of the Cold War
Digital History's Origins of the Cold War page, with discussions of primary
sources and statistics from the Cold War
The
Apollo Program (1963-1972)
List of the Apollo missions with links to information about each one, including
photos, summaries, etc.
Cuban
Missile Crisis
US Department of State for Youth Website's page on the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Includes a summary, teaching activities, lesson plans, and relevant documents
and multimedia.
New
Frontier Speech
Text of JFK's speech accepting the Democratic Party Nomination for President
in 1960 which he describes the "new frontier" in America.
Great
Society Speech
Text of Lyndon B. Johnson's speech in which he outlines his view of "the
Great Society" and his plans for the U.S.
Great
Society Programs
List of programs and legislation that fell under the scope of the Great Society.
Lyndon
B. Johnson: The 36th President
Lesson plan in which students examine, analyze, and evaluate the major legislation
passed during the Johnson administration as part of the Great Society.
The
Apollo Program (1963-1972)
List of the Apollo missions with links to information about each one, including
photos, summaries, etc.
Describe the role of major civil rights
leaders and significant events occurring during
the modern
Civil Rights Movement.
Birmingham
Civil Rights Institute
Website for BCRI, with extensive resources page, searchable archive, photo
gallery, and online exhibits on the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement
This lesson introduces students to Rosa Parks and
the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After
considering the impact of Ms. Parks' heroism, students
will explore its relevance to the beginning of
the Civil Rights Movement. Students will learn
new vocabulary and will answer a questionnaire
that will be published on the web. Students will
then create a tribute to Rosa Parks' heroism that
will be submitted to a classroom book.
Dr.
Carter G. Woodson
Brief biography of Woodson from the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American
Museum
Civil Rights
Movement Veterans
Great site on the Civil Rights Movement, with histories, timelines, photos,
and personal stories.
The
Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
Online guide to the PBS film “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow,” with
videos and interactive activities.
Timeline
Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement from CNN
Martin
Luther King
Archive of news and photographs of MLK and the Civil Rights Movement compiled
by the Seattle Times, with biographical information, study guides, and teaching
resources.
Eyes
on the Prize
Historical video clips from the Civil Rights Movement provided by the PBS documentary "Eyes
on the Prize" website.
Identify cultural and economic changes
throughout the United States from 1960 to the present.
The
Tumultuous Sixties
Links to summaries of major movements and social issues of the 1960's from Digital
History. Includes feminism, the Civil Rights Movement, the American Indian Movement,
and the Hispanic Movement.
Explain major political events from the
Nixon Administration to the present, including
the Vietnam War; Watergate; the collapse of the
Soviet Union; the Gulf War; the September 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks; and the War on Terrorism.
Digital
History Timeline
Timeline of important events in American history; scroll down for dates from
1970's.
Decade
Timeline
Timeline of the 1970's, with photos of important
figures.
1980's
Primary Sources
Digital History links to documents from the
1980's which deal with news events such as
the Challenger explosion and the attempted
assassination of Ronald
Reagan.
1980's
Timeline
Timeline with links to more information about
important events of the 1980's.
Project
Topics
Suggested project topics for the 1980's, with
links to more information about each one.
Ronald
Reagan Presidential Library
Website for Reagan's Presidential library,
with online exhibits and documents detailing
important events during his presidency.
Impeachment
of Bill Clinton
University of Missouri-Kansas Law School's "Famous Trials" page
for Clinton's Impeachment trial. Includes documents, articles, images,
and a chronology.
Teaching9-11.org
A great source for information and lesson plans
for grades K-12
Dealing
With Tragedy in the Classroom
Lesson plan for grades 1-5 that seeks to help
students deal with tragedy, in this case, September
11th. While students today are not dealing
with shock
in the immediate wake of the attack, this lesson could be modified for
use in other tragic circumstances (more recently
WV mining disaster, earthquakes,
tornados, or the continuing war in Afghanistan, etc.)
Scholastic
Teacher's Guide
We have put together a collection of Katrina
links, including some handy resources that
encourage kids to help with the relief effort.
CNN
Report
Hurricane Katrina page on CNN.com, with photographs,
articles, personal stories, etc.