Intensification of Sectional Conflict, 1848-1860

A Traditional Unit Plan Model Instructional Phase, Mini Unit One

Developed by Brett A. Bullard, Department of Teacher Education, Samford University, 2014

Instructional Phase
Mini Unit 1: Slavery, Westward Expansion, and Violence 1. Define key role players and concepts during Westward Expansion and the violence that occurred due to the intensification of the sectional conflict leading up to the Civil War. (Knowledge Level) 2. Describe slavery influence on the intensification of the sectional conflict leading up to the Civil War. (Comprehension Level) I. Directed Teaching 1. Teacher uses the structured overview of the unit to orient students to Mini Unit 1: Slavery, Westward Expansion, and violence, pointing out some of the key role players and concepts that will be introduced in this mini unit: popular sovereignty, secession, Wilmot Proviso, and Conscience vs. Cotton Whigs. Students will also be introduced to slavery and the influence it had on sectional conflicts. Teacher uses a PowerPoint presentation to give the class notes to accompany the interactive lecture. The lecture will discuss the role players of the slavery debate in the years before the Civil War (Lewis Cass, Conscience Whigs, Cotton Whigs) and concepts with in the same period and topic (popular sovereignty, secession). This presentation will describe the influence slavery place on the sectional conflicts leading up to the Civil War. 2. Teacher will present an interactive lecture with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation on Westward Expansion and how it influenced sectional conflicts. The lecture will discuss Wilmot Proviso and Compromise in the years preceding the Civil War. 3. The teacher will conduct an interactive lecture with the aid of a PowerPoint Presentation on Violence that was born out of the sectional conflicts. Key role players that will be introduced in this presentation include Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, and Charles Sumner). The concepts of the Underground Railroad and transcontinental railroad will also be described in defined in this presentation. II. Guided Practice 1. Teacher asks the students to open their books titled The American Vision: Volume One, Chapter 10 Section 1. The teacher then organizes the students as pair/share partners and asks each set of partners to discuss the Explain reading objective on page 320 Explain how the government dealt with the slavery in the territories acquired after the war with Mexico. After all pair have who wish to respond have had a chance to do so, the teacher will then transition the discussion to solely Westward Expansion.

2. Since slavery in the new western territories had played such a vital role in the debate leading up to the Civil War the teacher will ask the students to form pair/share partners to list the major features of the Compromise of 1850 (List Reading Objective page 320). After all pairs have who wish to respond have had the chance to do so, the teacher will transitions the classroom discussion to violence that was born out of the section conflict.

3. The teacher asks the students to open their book to Chapter 10 Section 2. The teacher then organizes the students as pair/share partners and asks each set of partners to identify how the Fugitive Slave Act and the transcontinental railroad heightened sectional conflict thus increasing violence.

III.

Independence Practice 1. Pre AP Students will complete a document on the economics of slavery. (See Appendix B) This document will have the Pre AP students read description of enslaved labor and profits and read graphs of cotton cultivation. Pre AP students will then answers question on the economics of slavery. After completion, the teacher will conduct a thorough discussion of the questions and answers to make sure students understand both side of the slavery argument in economics. 2. Students will complete a Primary Source Reading document about the Gold Rush and then answer question about how the Gold Rush played into westward expansion and the increased tensions in sectional conflicts. (See Appendix B) After they complete the document, they will answer the question out of the textbook page 324 number 4, which asks, How did the war with Mexico and the Gold Rush affect the slavery issue in the United States? When students have completed the document, a thorough classroom discussion will be held to clear up any inconsistencies. 3. Students will complete a document entitled Predicting Consequences where the look at the number of enslaved people in the Northern and Southern States over the years. They will use this information to predict future events. (See Appendix B) The teacher will also connect the settling of the West with sectional violence over slavery and then connect those two events to the Civil War. When students have completed the document, a thorough classroom discussion will be held to clear up any inconsistencies.

IV.

Formative Evaluation 1. Students will write a summary paragraph of the PowerPoint presentation and lecture. The students will turn this in and the teacher will analyze responses for student comprehension of the topic. Reading and vocabulary quizzes will be given to all students 3

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on Section 9.1. (See Appendix B) The quizzes will be graded, but they also let the teacher know what information the students have learned and what needs to be re addressed. The teacher will collect and analyze Pre AP students work the economics of slavery document to determine how much of the information they students comprehended. This will determine what type of re-teaching strategies should be conducted. a. Grading criteria: On the reading quiz, each correct answer is worth 2 points. Mastery is 16/20. On the vocabulary quiz, each correct answer is worth 1 point. Mastery is 8/10. To receive credit each question must have the correct answer. 2. The teacher will collect and analyze students responses to question four from page 324 in the textbook to determine student mastery. The responses will also determine if any re-teaching activities need to be implemented. 3. The teacher will distribute an exit slip with the question What was the main theme of today lesson? (See Appendix B) a. Grading Criteria: This is graded for completion. In addition, the teacher will analyze the students responses to determine if any re-teaching needs to be performed. An example of an ideal student response: Section conflicts intensified and turned violent with the settling of the new Western territories and the disagreements over the United States slavery policy. Closure Students will be given an exit slip to complete in the final minutes of the class period. This will close the lesson out and allow students to summarize the last ninety minutes in their own words (See Appendix B). Differentiation Instruction Re-Teaching Activities 1. Working in small cooperative learning groups students will create a PowerPoint presentation about the key role players in the slavery debate before the Civil War. Upon its completion, they will share the presentation with their classmates. 2. Students will create a timeline of Westward expansion and then write a descriptive paragraph about how the settling of westward expansion led to sectional conflicts. 3. Students will read the section in the textbook relating to the Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas. They will list possible actions that could have been taken to avoid the fatal event. Extension Activities 1. Vertical Extension intended to raise the level of cognitive development to a higher level on Blooms taxonomy from that of the mini unit sub objectives: Students will analyze the effects of Westward expansion and then use their predicting consequences skills that they learned in independent practice to determine if the

VI.

expansion played a major role in reasons for the Civil War. They will display their ideas in an essay. 2. Horizontal Extension intended to develop learner skills in the social or affective domain and provide a different expressive mode: Students will imagine they are Henry Clay and write a speech to present to the Senate. In their speech, they will try to persuade Congress to pass their compromise. Accommodations and Modifications Students whose individualized education plans (IEPs) require accommodations or modifications of the min unit activities will differ in each student population. The following are suggested ways to alter the activities about for special needs students who are visually impaired or have reading/writing/speaking disabilities. 1. Visually impaired: Students will be given an enlarged version of their textbook by the school system. The students will also be provided with enlarged copies of worksheets. For the PowerPoint presentation, students will be seated in the front of the class. If the disability is severe, the students will be given enlarged print outs of the presentation. 2. Reading/Writing/Speaking disabilities: Students will be given the option do their work on a word processor instead of handwritten. If students have a reading disability, they will have the option to listen to the textbook on audio equipment. If they have a speaking disability, they can choose not to share their responses in a classroom review of guided practice or independent practice.

Appendix B
Resources for Mini Unit 1

Economic of Slavery Gold Rush Predicting Consequences Reading Quiz 10.1 Vocabulary Quiz 10.1 Exit Slip

B-1 B-2 B-3 B-4 B-5 B-6

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VOCABULARY- SECTION 10.1 ___1. This Senator from Michigan proposed the solution of popular sovereignty in the new territories to decide on the issue of slavery. ___2. This amendment proposed that in any territory the United States gained from Mexico neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist. ___3. These people were Northern Whigs that opposed slavery. ___4. These people were Northern Whigs that supported slavery because they were linked to Northern cloth manufactures. ___5. These were people that arrived in California due to the discovery of gold and in 1849 there were more than 80,000. ___6. The party was formed with the coalition of anti-slavery Democrats and Conscience Whigs. ___7. This concept is to take ones state out of the Union. ___8. Zachary Taylor won this event by splitting the Democratic vote in New York. ___9. This agreement eased tension over slavery for a short time. ___10. This is the idea that the people living in the territory had the right to decide by voting if they wanted slavery.

A. B. C. D. E.

Popular Sovereignty Lewis Cass Conscience Whigs Cotton Whigs Free Soil Party

F. 1848 Election G. Wilmot Proviso H. Secession I. Forty Niners J. Compromise of 1850

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B-6 Name:__________________________ Date: ________________ Exit Slip Mini Unit 1 Answer the following question in complete sentences. 1. What was the main theme of today lesson? Period:________

Name:__________________________

Date: ________________ Exit Slip Mini Unit 1

Period:________

Answer the following question in complete sentences. 1. What was the main theme of today lesson?

Name:__________________________

Date: ________________ Exit Slip Mini Unit 1

Period:________

Answer the following question in complete sentences. 1. What was the main theme of today lesson?

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