Middle School Social Studies 3 (U.S. History Project)

Competency: Colonization

You are a Historical Interpreter for a plantation museum with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people. Your job is to recreate life to educate the public who are interested in learning about colonial America. A vital part of your job is understanding the role slavery played in the growth of the colonial economy.

You need to create a self-guided audio tour for an arts exhibit depicting the impact of slavery on America’s economy in colonial America (around 1790) from the viewpoint of the people in the artwork or the artist.

Competency: Effects of Colonization

You are a short film producer. For this project, your setting will be Boston in the 1770s where the colonists have had enough with the British taxes, rules, and regulations and are on the brink of the American Revolution.

You have been hired by an education company that creates content for middle school-aged children. They have asked you to create a short film or presentation that highlights the grievances that the colonists had against British policies. Your film or presentation needs to focus on the colonists’ grievances, their reasoning for breaking away from England and declaring independence, as well as persuade viewers to support the Declaration of Independence.

Competency: Nationalism

You are a Content Manager for the Ad Council. You are working on a project to raise awareness about civics and encourage public participation in their government. You will create a public service announcement about why the Constitution and Bill of Rights were written as well as why it is important for a person to know the amendment you believe is most important.

Competency: Factors for Growth in the United States

You are a Columnist at a successful newspaper. To celebrate President’s Day, you have decided to write a piece about past presidents. Many people are familiar with George Washington since he was the first president, but maybe they are not as familiar with his successors: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Both these presidents played an important role in the foreign policies of the early republic. Foreign policy is important to understand in today’s global world. Looking at past foreign policies can help us understand good and bad foreign policies today.

You have decided to write a column about these two presidents. You will compare their approach to foreign policy. Since this is an opinion piece you may add your own thoughts about how they handled foreign-affairs during America’s early republic.

Competency: United States Expansion

You are an artist and you have been tasked with either creating artwork of your choice (drawing, painting, collage, abstract piece of art, photography, sculpture, poetry, song, animation, design, etc.), or developing an artistic project proposal, which will represent both sides of conflicts over territorial expansion in our history. You will focus on events in history that relate to Manifest Destiny such as the Indian Removal Act and the Mexican War.

You have been asked to display your artwork, or develop an artistic project proposal, for an event to remember and learn about these conflicts over territory. You will need to create artwork, or an artistic project proposal, that shows expansion such as the Indian Removal Act and the Mexican War from the point of view of people on each side of the conflict.

Competency: Industrialization

You are a children’s author for an educational company. They have asked you to create a new series for middle school students. The series will be about a typical day in the life of a child during certain events in history. Your first task is to create a story about a child who lived during the Industrial Revolution. Your story will examine this historical era, explain the societal changes that occurred and analyze how these changes impacted families during this time.

Competency: Reform Movements

You are a member of Congress and have been contacted by the people you represent to create a new twenty-dollar bill. You have decided that a new twenty-dollar bill that represents social reform is a great idea! The timing is great because the year 2020 also marks the 100th anniversary of when women were able to first vote! This social reform movement and so many others were an important part of our history in the 1800s and early 1900s.

You will create a summary of your bill for the public, as well as the House Committee on Financial Services, to read about. You will decide which social reformer should be the new face of the twenty-dollar bill. In addition, you will suggest individuals who could be featured on the back. The individuals you choose for the back will have been involved in the social reform movements and Second Great Awakening of the 1800s.

Competency: Sectionalism and Reconstruction

You are a Cultural Resource Specialist with the National Park Service. You have been asked to create a display on sectional conflict, to be displayed at a National Park Service site that you think signifies sectional conflict in United States history.