The Units
1500 | 1600 | The American Revolution | Ancient Egypt | The Aztecs | Chinese Dynasties | The Civil War | Immigration | Japan and the Tea Ceremony | Japan and The Outside World | The Japanese Internment | Old Seattle | Oregon Trail | The Pilgrims | The Revolution & The Constitution | The Underground Railroad | Mini-Units |
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While focussing on The Revolution and The Constitution, this unit provides practice in the skills needed to successfully complete the CBA, "You Decide." We explore this important period of American history by examining documents, images and stories that bring together the protests, the battles, the political struggles and the personal sacrifices of that time. We will also find parallels in our own world to the difficult issues faced during The Revolution. |
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The Battles of the American Revolution Unit centers on the battles of The Revolution, experienced by students through diary entries and role-playing. We start with the causes of the Revolution and spend a lesson on each of the major battles as well as spending time on The Declaration of Independence and the making of The Constitution. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "You Decide."
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There are two units available on the Aztecs. The primary grade unit focuses on what life was like for the Aztecs around the time of the Conquest. Students will learn about mythology, class systems and daily. For intermediate grades, we cover these same elements and include a significant amount of time examining the Conquest. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "What's the Big Idea?" |
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The Underground Railroad unit is an attempt to give students an intellectual and emotional experience of a slave's life from capture in Africa to life on a plantation to the perils of escape on The Underground Railroad. It is also an examination of the lives of abolitionists who risked their livelihoods and freedom to help those fugitives escape. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "People on the Move." |
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The Unit on The Civil War centers on the major battles of the war but also includes politics, technology and culture of the period. We start with the Election of 1860 and follow the major battles and themes through Lincoln's Assassination. Students create a research project on an important Civil War figure.A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "You Decide." |
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The unit on Ancient Egypt centers on the mythology, history and art of the Ancient Egyptians. Through an elaborate, annotated timeline, dramatic re-enactments and creation of the Temple of Luxor with found objects, students learn about important people, gods and artistic trends for the people of Ancient Egypt. |
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The unit on The History of Old Seattle begins with discussion of Salish life in the Puget Sound area. Students learn about early settlers in this area and the ways they changed Seattle. Other agents of change discussed include the Lumber Industry, Treaties, Chinese immigration, The Great Fire, the Yukon Gold Rush and the Regrades. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "Humans & The Environment." |
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The Unit on The Oregon Trail begins with an introduction to life in the mid-19th century. Students learn about the Push and Pull Factors that led pioneer/invaders to travel on The Oregon Trail. They learn the geography of the trail, the hardships of the trail and role play packing for the trail. We focus on The Denny Party to personalize all those details. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "People on the Move." |
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The Unit on Chinese Dynasties, developed for primary grades, focuses on eight major dynasties. Through games, drama, an inventions timeline and a large landscape mural created by the class, students get a sense of early contributions of the Chinese and some of their famous early leaders. |
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The Unit on The Pilgrims is intended as a partner to the StoryPath curriculum on The Wampanoag. Designed for primary grades, this unit focuses on the life of the pilgrims before and after their arrival in America. Using drama, costumes, and creation of a wattle and daub house, students learn about pilgrim culture and experience. |
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The Unit on Immigration is intended for intermediate grades and middle school. This purpose of the unit is to introduce individual immigrant stories from six different countries in order to illustrate the immigrant experience from the 1880's to the present. Along the way, the unit will focus on inquiry, geography, data interpretation and deliberation on current immigration issues. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "People on the Move." |
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The Unit on Japanese Internment uses Process Drama and Journal Writing to bring real-life issues in that tragedy to life. Each student in the class becomes a member of an imaginary Japanese family, living in Seattle before, during and after the internment. A final presentation/tea party brings the drama to life for students and parents. A good lead-in to the Washington State CBA "You Decide." |
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This unit on the Japanese Tea Ceremony was designed for primary students. Students practice map-reading and constructing timelines. Then, through storytelling, drama and the creation of a samurai helmet, the class explores how the Tea Ceremony helped bring peace to the Samurai Culture of Old Japan. |
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This unit on Japan and The Outside World is designed for primary grades. It is designed to follow the unit on The Shogun and The Tea Master. During the course of this unit, students from K-2 are exposed to what happened in 17th-century Japan, when Ieyasu shut out the rest of the world after meeting and befriending William Adams. In the end, students ponder the idea of what it means when we refuse to let others "play." |
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These Mini-Units are shorter versions of existing units or free-standing short units. Included here are units that are meant to introduce important concepts or skills for WA State CBAs. Also included is a Geography Unit meant to introduce students to map reading skills in preparation for studying an individual country. |
Click here to see the units grouped by the appropriate grade level. |
