Mr. Ledbetter
NC History
Course Syllabus
2010-11
Course Objective
Eighth grade students will explore North Carolina’s rich history from several different perspectives throughout the duration of this course.
Students will also gain a broader insight into the history of the United States as well. In short, I want students to have fun learning about history!!!
I. Course Intro
1. Classroom rules & regulations
2. Assignment/project expectations
II. Introduction to North Carolina
1. Geography
a) Land regions
b) Map skills (what IS the Prime Meridian)?
2. North Carolina symbols (review)
III. The First North Americans
1. Primitive Cultures
a) Paleo – up to 8000 BC
b) Archaic – 8000 BC to 1000 BC
c) Woodland – 1000 BC to 900 AD
d) Mississippian – 900 AD to 1600 AD
2. How did these cultures get to North America? Did they swim or what?
3. Native Americans in North Carolina
IV. European Explorers
1. Trade vs. colonization
2. Northwest passage
a) What was this all about? Why not take a plane?
V. Spanish Exploration
1. Economic
a) Greedy conquistadors
2. Conquer
a) Cortes – Aztecs – Montezuma
b) Pizarro – Incas – Atahualpa
VI. England Awakens
1. Amadas & Barlowe Expedition
a) Exploration of North Carolina
b) What did they find appealing about North Carolina?
c) Manteo & Wanchese (who were these guys & why are they important)?
2. Ralph Lane Colony
a) First attempt to colonize North Carolina
b) Why did this colony fail? Or did it?
3. John White Colony (The Lost Colony)
a) How do you lose a colony?
b) The fate of the colonists. What happened?
VII. England’s First Colonies
1. Jamestown – It was not Walt Disney’s Pocahontas!
2. Plymouth – Was there really turkey at Thanksgiving?
3. Massachusetts – Puritans
VIII. British Colonization – The First 13 Colonies
1. New England Colonies
2. Middle Colonies
3. Southern Colonies
IX. North Carolina
1. Proprietary Colony
2. Proprietary Governors
3. NC Aggression
X. Quarrels with England
1. Orders from Abroad
2. Contest for an Empire – Did the French fight the Indians or the British?
3. The Road to Revolution – What’s the big deal about tax on stamps? And tea?
XI. The War for Independence
1. The Fighting Begins – Did Paul Revere really yell, “The British are coming?”
2. The Fighting Spreads
3. The End of the War
XII. Formation of a New Government
1. Our Government on Paper
2. How the Government Works (It’s more exciting than it sounds…)
3. How do we elect our President - does our vote really count?
XIII. NC: The Sleep of Indifference
1. Political Growth: The Rip Van Winkle State (who was Rip van Winkle?)
2. Economic Growth
XIV. Rumblings of Civil War
1. State and National Perspectives (& issues)
2. Abolitionist Issues – what was their problem with slavery?
3. Slavery vs. States’ Rights
XV. Fighting the Civil War
1. “A House Divided Cannot Stand”
a) Union advantages
b) Confederate advantages
c) Comparison of resources
2. On the Battlefields
a) Major battles
b) Emancipation – Did this really free the slaves?
3. NC in the Civil War – NC played a bigger role than most people think…
XVI. A Troubled Peace
1. Restoring the Union
2. Congress takes over
3. Reconstruction in the South
4. Jim Crow Laws (and who was Homer Plessy?)
XVII. The Rise of Industry
1. The Industrial Revolution
2. Industry & Reform
3. Urban vs. Rural Life
XVIII. A New Century Begins
1. The United States as a World Power: WW I
a) Events leading to the First World War
2. North Carolina’s Role in “The Great War”
XIX. From Boom to Bust: The Great Depression
1. Primary Causes/effects – Keep your money under a mattress!
2. The Great Depression in NC
a) Governor O. Max Gardner’s plan
XX. World War II
1. Cause & Effect
2. Axis vs. Allies
a) The U.S. “isolates” itself
b) The U.S. enters the war. Why?
3. North Carolina’s Role
XXI. M.A.D.: The Cold War
1. Cause & Effect
2. Major Conflicts
a) The Space Race
b) Cuban Missile Crisis
c) The Arms Race
XXII. Civil Rights
1. The movement
a) Who?
b) What?
c) When & Where?
XXIII. The Sixties
1. A Decade of Turbulence
a) Assassinations
b) Protests
c) Strange Music & People
XXIV. The World Today
1. Globalization
a) Advantages
b) Disadvantages
2. A New Type of War
a) Terrorism
b) America under Attack!
3. NC Today
a) Economic/political growth
Student Assessment
1. Tests
Tests will be given after each section or topic is discussed in class.
If a student misses a test it will be his or her responsibility to make it up, otherwise the student will receive a NHI (not handed in) as a grade.
This will be the policy for ALL tests, quizzes and projects throughout the year.
2. Projects
a) This Day in History (short essay due bi-weekly)
b) Political Letter
c) Historical Timeline
d) Jackdaw (primary source project)
e) and many more!
3. Warm-ups
Upon entering the classroom each day, students will perform a warm-up exercise. These will be collected at the end of each week and students will be graded on participation.
4. Quizzes
Periodically, quizzes will be given on the material being discussed in class. Some quizzes will be announced and some will not be announced.
These are given in an effort to make sure that all students are on task.
5. Grading
a) Tests: 40-50 points
b) Quizes: 10 points
c) Classwork/homework: 5-10 points
d) Projects: 50-125 points
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