Title: New York Earns Title: Empire State -- Author(s): Janice Peters -- Grade Level: 7th -- Subject Matter: Social Studies -- Synopsis: Review geography, travel routes, Erie Canal, and early inventions like Fulton's steamboat, and the Tom Thumb railroad engine to determine NYS prominence during the early 1800's which led to it's title of Empire State.

Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

LU Title: New York Earns Title: Empire State (1800 – 1860)	Author(s): Janice Peters

Grade Level: 7^th grade	School : Gouverneur Middle School
Topic/Subject Area: Social Studies	Address: 113 E. Barney St. Gouverneur, NY 13642
Email: petersj5@aol.com jpeters@gcs.neric.org	Phone/Fax: (home) 315-287-1687 (fax) 287-7965

OVERVIEW

Students will review geography, travel routes, Erie Canal, and early inventions like Fulton’s steamboat, and the Tom Thumb railroad engine to determine New York State’s prominence during the early 1800s which led to it’s title of Empire State. The unit includes a teacher-designed webquest called the Invention Convention. The focus will be on the dramatic change in life in the United States between 1800 and 1860, as mirrored in New York State.

The culminating performance will require individual students to design a three-day vacation itinerary using tourism sites, which highlight history from this period and include the modern remains of the New York Canal system.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative	Procedural
Portrait of the United States in 1800 Agriculturally based economy Urban centers on the coast Poor communication and transportation systems Self-sufficiency Regional differences	Drawing information from physical feature and population maps
Technological changes which altered the way people dealt with one another: Erie Canal Fulton’s Steamboat Tom Thumb Railroad	Creating a time lines
Impact of early industrialization and technological changes on work and workers, the family and the community	Completing a webquest
Family roles that change Changing roles of women Childhood became a more distinct stage of life	Connecting historical figures to societal changes
Slavery and abolition New York Abolitionists (Garrison, Tubman, Brown) Freedom train and Underground Railroad in NY	Creating brochures or PowerPoint presentations
Social changes are arrived along the Erie Canal and by train Religious revival Women’s rights Mental hospital and prison reform Education Temperance
Portrait of the United States in 1860 Size of country Settlement patterns Size and shape of communities (as mirrored in NY State.) The industrialized, urbanized North The agriculturally based South needing a slave work force to succeed.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What led to New York State becoming so prominent that it called itself the Empire State?

What ways and inventions linked inland areas to the prosperous Atlantic seacoast?

How is New York State in 1800 different from NY State in 1860?

How is the United States in 1800 different from the United States in 1860?

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS

Social Studies Standard 1 – American History

Indicator 2 – Illustrating connections and interactions of people and events across time from various

perspectives and identifying key turning points

Indicator 3 – Studying major political and economic development in NY state due to contributions of

individuals and groups.

Social Studies Standard 3 – Geography

Indicator 2 – Development and application of the skills of asking and answering geographic questions

and defining geographic issues and problems

Social Studies Standard 4 – Economics

Indicator 1 – Understanding of the interdependence of economics and the role of supply and demand

as early transportation systems were developed

INITIATING ACTIVITY

Students will construct a K-W-L chart about New York State’s prominence among other states during the Revolutionary War and era of nation building (1770-1800)

Students will then examine materials from the Erie Canal Museum educational packet, which includes photographs, two diaries of the period, maps, toll information, job descriptions. They will use this information to construct an answer to this question: Why was this canal constructed in New York State? They will then compare their student generated theories against the first part of the video The Natural Corridor: New York’s Transportation History, c 1999 New York State Department of Transportation and enhance their theories with the new information.

LEARNING EXPERIENCES
In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending/refining
experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.

Week 1 of three week unit – 86 minute classes

Acquisition Experiences

Using Literature Circles the students will read Lyddie by Katherine Patterson to view the change in life from agricultural to factories in nearby New England. (30 minutes of 5 class periods; week 1)
Using The History of US by Joy Hakim, book 5 Liberty for All? 1800 – 1860, 6 teams of 4 students each will teach one chapter of our book, first to their group. Each group will identify important information, people, events and themes from their four chapters. The groups will then jigsaw and each team member will present the information in their 4 chapters to the other three members of their new groups. (40 minutes of 3 class periods week 1) We will repeat this process on a smaller scale for the remaining 12 chapters of the book. (40 minutes of 2 class periods, week 1)

Week 2 of three week unit – 86 minute classes

Extending and Refining Experiences

Completing the webquest: Invention Convention
Presenting (in teams of 4) their findings and support for the most important invention during the first half of the 19^th century. (45 minutes per day of Week 2)

Rubrics for Invention Convention Presentation

Job	Team Member	Points Possible	Group Assessed	Teacher Assessed	Grade
What makes this invention work?	Scientist
	New ideas 3 examples	1- 30
	New tools 3 examples	1- 30
	Idea people Names & invention connection	1 – 30
	Something extra	1 – 10
What makes this invention significant?	Historian
	Changes caused List 3	1 – 30
	Effects on local life 3 examples	1 – 30
	Effects on Country 3 examples	1 – 30
	Something Extra	1 – 10
Persuasive Arguments	Debate Captain
	Reviews competing ideas	1 – 30
	Organizes presentation	1 – 30
	Uses persuasive techniques to convince audience	1 – 30
	Something Extra	1 -- 10
Presentation Format	Graphic Designer
	Document Choices Reflect Theme	1 – 30
	Accuracy and Clarity of presentation	1 – 30
	Attractive to Audience; kept their attention	1 – 30
	Something extra	1 – 10

Acquisition Experience (40 minutes of Week 2 days 1-4)

Analyzing the Louis and Clark expedition using documents supplied by History Alive Unit on Manifest Destiny
Discovery school video: Amistad
PBS Video, part 1: Not for Ourselves, Alone highlighting how transportation helped the communication of ideas about women’s rights, abolition and temperance.

Extending and Refining (40 minutes of Week 2 Day 5)

In teams of 3, students will concentrate on one area of social change and create parts of the following chart to share with the class showing how the information they have collected effected different parts of the country. (Each team will supply information for one row of the chart)

	North	South	West
Religious Revival
Women’s Rights
Mental hospitals
Prison Reform
Education
Temperance

Rubric for above chart

	Points Awarded	Self-Assessed	Teacher Assessed	Grade
Correct Information All three columns	1 – 30
Clarity of Examples All three columns	1 – 30
Clarity of Presentation	1-10
Full team participation	1 - 10
Ready on Time	1 – 10
Something Extra	1 - 10

Week three will be devoted to preparing and presenting the culminating performance.

CULMINATING PERFORMANCE

New York State by Water; a Three Day Tour Package

Using the following web sites, students will create a brochure or power point slide show for three-day vacation itinerary that involves traveling along the canal routes of New York State and highlights the history of the area connected to the half century 1800-1850.

The prompt will be that your aunt and uncle, visiting from Florida, are very interested in New York State history from the 1800s to the 1860s. They will arrive by boat and want to tour New York State by water. They have asked you to be their guide, map out the trip and pack as much history into the route as possible. They are paying all the bills, so money is no object. The trip is to last for three days next July. If done well they will take you and a friend to the nearest amusement park on the fourth day as a treat! Prepare a description of what you plan to show them. Use the brochure format or e-mail them a PowerPoint slide show of the trip you have planned. These web sites will be of assistance as will your knowledge of Social Studies and history.

www.co.oswego.ny.us

www.fingerlateswinecountry.com

www.midlakesnav.com

www.genevaOnTheLake.com

www.goadirondack.com

www.niagara-usa.com

www.visitlakegeorge.com

www.fingerlakes.org

www.acclsmallships.com

www.canals.state.ny.us

www.cirochester.ny.us

Rubric for

New York State by Water

Tour Package

Items to include:	Points Awarded	Self Assessed	Teacher Assessed
Map of Route And time table	1 – 25
Description of History 9 historical connections for full credit.	1 – 45
Ready to Publish Error free for full credit.	1 – 20
Something extra!	1 – 10

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

Prior to working on this unit, students have learned how to do three to seven slide Power Point presentations, prepare brochures and are able to use primary source documents to support their project work.

MODIFICATIONS

Students may work in pairs to complete their brochures or slide shows if more support is needed. Modifications on Individual Educational Plans (IEP) will be followed with the support of resource room and alternative education (students at risk) staff. These modifications change from year to year, depending on the students assigned to this class. The teacher will be available after school for those students needing additional time to complete the work.

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

Gouverneur Middle School operates on a semestered schedule with ninety days of 86 minute periods. This unit would be worked on daily for three weeks or 15 86-minute classes.

TECHNOLOGY USE

Students have access to a technology lab with a class number of Macintosh computers. They will use this lab to complete their webquest and to create their brochures or power point slide shows, which are parts of this unit.

Scientist

Historian

Debate

Graphic

New York State by Water; a Three Day Tour Package

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS