Americans Past and Present Expedition

Below is the Expedition my Second Graders finished in early May on Early America. I summarized the learning in various parts below in tables. If you scroll down to the very bottom, you can view the Shutterfly book we made for the classroom and find the link to the coloring book we shared with the Pre-K and Kindergarten at our school.

The Expedition was an amazing way for my students to not only see the history of Early America and the influence of various Americans but also learn valuable reading and writing skills.

Title	Americans Past and Present
School	St Rose of Lima Catholic Academy
Grade level	2nd grade
Discipline(s)	Social Studies, Language Arts, Writing
Specific topics:	Timelines, Historians, Early American History from Columbus to the American Revolution, Famous Americans, Simple US government, Parts of a Paragraph, Nonfiction, Writing Process, Comparing and Contrasting.
Start & end dates	January 31- May 2
Author	Meaghan Crowley

Summary

Second grade students at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Academy looked at Early American history and the effect that humans can play in influencing the country and world around them. They looked at how our country treated Native Americans and its moral implications as well the way in which many different Americans in both our past and our present make a difference in how our country develops.

Long Term Expedition Target

I can describe how different humans shape history and make a difference today.

Guiding Questions

How does someone become famous or remembered? How do humans change history? How can humans make a difference today?

Social Studies Learning Targets	Language Arts Learning Targets
L1: I can define history, historian and time line.	L1: I can identify the Beginning, Middle and End of a story.
L2: I can explain who the Native Americans and their part in the history of this country.	L2: I can sequence a story.
L3: I compare life today to the life of the early colonists.	L3: I can give my opinion.
L4: I can explain why colonists in America wanted independence from England.	L4: I can sequence a story using transition words.
L5: I can describe different famous Americans from our History.	L5: I can present information like an expert.
L6: I can list other reasons someone might become famous and how they influence a country.	L6: I can explain the difference between a biography and an autobiography.
L7: I can recognize how the President, Mayors and Governors influence our country today.	L7: I can read fluently and accurately.
	L8: I can give helpful feedback on my friend’s writing.

Case Study #1
Case study title	Native Americans
Target	I can show that Native Americans tribes are not all the same.
Big Ideas/Broad Concepts	Culture, Native Americans tribes, Columbus, The Rough Faced Girl, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, Sequence, Historians,

Case Study #2
Case study title	Colonial Life for kids
Target	I can compare my life today to the lives of the kids during the colonial period using a Venn diagram.
Big Ideas/Broad Concepts	Venn Diagrams, Comparing two ideas, people, books, and ideas, Hornbooks, clothing, rules and expectations, school curriculum,

Case Study #3
Case study title	Famous Americans
Target	I can write a pretend autobiography for a present or past American that has made a difference in this country.
Big Ideas/Broad Concepts	Autobiographies, Biographies, The parts of a paragraph, Americans, History, Historians, identifying important information, Nonfiction texts, Writing Process, Peer Editing

Americans Past and Present Coloring Book

Click here to view this photo book larger