A full-year curriculum of daily warm-ups and exit tickets for 11th Grade US History, spanning from 1877 to the present day, designed for visual impact and student engagement.
Argued for Preservation: Leaving nature completely untouched and wild.
Gifford Pinchot
Argued for Conservation: Managing natural resources for sustainable public use.
In 1 sentence, explain whose view you think better serves the modern United States.
Daily Spark
Day 5: The Temperance Movement
TEKS 5A
18th Amendment
Why did reformers believe that banning alcohol would solve social problems like poverty, domestic violence, and crime?
WCTU
Moral Reform
Final Bell
Day 5: Unit 2 Reflection
The Great Contradiction
The Progressive Era expanded democracy through the 17th and 19th Amendments, but it often failed to address racial inequality.
Why do you think civil rights for African Americans were largely ignored by Progressive reformers?
How did Pershing's American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) contribute to the Allied victory at the Battle of Argonne Forest?
Daily Spark
Day 5: Planning for Peace
TEKS 4F
Woodrow Wilson
"Peace without victory."
European Leaders
"Punish Germany and make them pay."
Analysis:
Which of Wilson's 14 Points was he most willing to fight for, and why did the US Senate ultimately reject it?
League of Nations
Final Bell
Day 5: Return to Isolationism
The Great Refusal
By refusing to join the League of Nations, the United States signaled a return to what traditional foreign policy?
Why was ending Child Labor a top priority for Progressive reformers? List two dangers children faced in factories.
How did Lewis Hine use photography to fight child labor?
Daily Spark - Day 12
What was the Social Gospel movement, and how did Jane Addams apply it at Hull House?
Identify two services provided by settlement houses.
Daily Spark - Day 13
How did the Bull Moose Party split the Republican vote in 1912? Who was the third-party candidate?
Who won the Election of 1912 as a result of the split?
Daily Spark - Day 14
Explain the three parts of TR's "Square Deal." (Consumer, Corporate, Conservation)
How did TR handle the 1902 Coal Strike?
Unit 2 Synthesis
"The Progressive Era was a response to the problems of the Gilded Age."
Select one Gilded Age problem (e.g., poverty, corruption) and explain exactly how Progressives tried to fix it.
Final Question
In your opinion, which Progressive reform had the biggest impact on American democracy?
Spiral Spark
Review: Define "Laissez-Faire" and explain why Progressives opposed it.
What is "Self-Determination"?
Daily Spark - Day 12
Why did the US Senate, led by Henry Cabot Lodge, refuse to join the League of Nations? What were they afraid of losing?
Did the failure to join the League return the US to a policy of isolationism?
Daily Spark - Day 13
How did the Treaty of Versailles punish Germany? List two specific punishments (e.g., money, military).
How did these punishments eventually contribute to World War II?
Daily Spark - Day 14
Identify three new weapons or military technologies used during WWI. How did they change the nature of combat?
Define "War of Attrition."
Unit 3 Synthesis
"From 1898 to 1919, the US transformed into a world power."
Which event had a bigger impact on the US's global standing: the Spanish-American War or World War I? Defend your answer.
Final Question
Identify one territory gained in 1898 that the US still holds today.
Spiral Spark
Review: How did the Progressive Era change the role of the federal government in the economy?
Who was Glenn Curtiss and how did his aviation designs help create the naval aviation industry?
What is an "aileron"?
Daily Spark - Day 13
Explain the Installment Plan. How did "buying on credit" fuel the economic boom of the 1920s?
List one danger of widespread consumer debt.
Daily Spark - Day 14
What was the Teapot Dome Scandal? How did it involve government oil reserves and bribes?
Which President's administration was tarnished by Teapot Dome?
Unit 4 Synthesis
"The 1920s were a collision between modernism and traditionalism."
Identify one cultural change that represented modernism and one that represented traditionalism. Which side "won" the decade?
Final Reflection
Was the 1920s truly "Roaring" for everyone? Explain.
Spiral Spark
Review: How did WWI change the status of women and minorities in the workforce?
Daily Spark - Day 13
Identify Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" plan. How did he criticize the New Deal?
What was Long's slogan? (Every man a ____)
Daily Spark - Day 14
How did the photography of Dorothea Lange help generate support for government aid?
Identify her most famous photo.
Unit 5 Synthesis
"The New Deal didn't end the Great Depression, but it saved democracy."
Identify three long-term changes the New Deal made to American government. Which change is most important today?
Final Reflection
In your opinion, who is more responsible for the economy: the government or private citizens?
Spiral Spark
Review: How did the Gilded Age policy of Laissez-Faire contribute to the eventual Great Depression?
Impact
Explain how this invasion forced Germany to fight a two-front war.
Final Bell
Day 4: Liberation & The Holocaust
TEKS 7G
As Allied troops moved across Europe, they discovered Nazi concentration camps. Describe the American response to the Holocaust and the impact of the discovery on public opinion.
Daily Spark
Day 5: The Manhattan Project
TEKS 27A
Truman's Choice
In August 1945, President Truman ordered the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Critical Thinking:
What was the primary military justification for using the atomic bomb instead of a full-scale land invasion of Japan?
— Harry S. Truman
Final Bell
Day 5: The New World Order
The Superpower Era
At the end of WWII, the United States emerged as a global superpower. Identify one way the war fundamentally changed the US economy or its role in global politics.
GI Bill United Nations
Who were the "Hollywood Ten"?
Daily Spark - Day 13
Define the Arms Race. How did the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction prevent a nuclear exchange?
What was a "Fallout Shelter"?
Daily Spark - Day 14
What was the Eisenhower Doctrine? Which region of the world did it specifically aim to protect from Communism?
Identify the 1956 crisis in Egypt involving a canal.
Unit 7 Synthesis
"The early Cold War defined American life through anxiety and abundance."
Identify three ways the competition with the Soviet Union changed the daily lives of Americans in the 1950s.
Final Reflection
In your opinion, was the fear of Communism in the 1950s justified?
Spiral Spark
Review: How did the Atomic Bomb change global warfare in 1945?
Daily Spark - Day 12
Identify the Counterculture of the 1960s. How did 'Hippies' reject the values of the 1950s?
Identify the Woodstock Festival of 1969.
Daily Spark - Day 13
In Tinker v. Des Moines, the court protected student speech. What were the students wearing to protest the war?
Does the 1st Amendment protect all speech in school?
Daily Spark - Day 14
Describe the Fall of Saigon in 1975. What happened to the containment policy in Vietnam?
Define the term "Boat People."
Unit 9 Synthesis
"Vietnam forever changed how Americans view their military and their leaders."
Identify three ways the Vietnam War impacted American society. Which impact is still felt most strongly today?
Final Reflection
Identify one technological innovation used in the war (e.g., helicopter).
Spiral Spark
Review: How did the 1954 Brown v. Board decision differ from the 1896 Plessy decision?
Describe the Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981). How did it impact the public perception of President Carter?
How many days were the hostages held?
Daily Spark - Day 13
Why did many Americans move from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt in the 1970s and 80s?
Identify the invention that made the South more livable.
Daily Spark - Day 14
Identify the Heritage Foundation. How did this think-tank influence the Reagan administration?
What is the role of a political "Think-Tank"?
Unit 10 Synthesis
"The 1970s was a decade of crisis, and the 1980s was a decade of confidence."
Identify two specific events from this unit that prove this statement. Was the 'confidence' of the 80s real or superficial?
Final Question
Identify one way the 1980s economy impact the National Debt.
Spiral Spark
Review: How did the 1920s 'Return to Normalcy' compare to the 1980s Conservative Resurgence?
Identify one environmental reason for the shift away from fossil fuels.
Daily Spark - Day 13
Describe the growth of the Sun Belt region in the last 20 years. Why are people moving south and west?
What is the impact of this migration on Congressional representation?
Daily Spark - Day 14
How does the rise of Automation and AI impact the American job market in the 2020s?
Identify one industry that has been completely transformed by robotics.
Unit 11 Synthesis
"Modern America is more connected and more divided than ever before."
Identify one event from the 21st century that brought Americans together and one that pushed them apart. Which force is stronger today?
Final Reflection
In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the US in the next decade?
Spiral Spark
Review: How did the Gilded Age industrialization create the foundation for our modern global economy?
