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This teachers guide is divided into an introductory lesson and four different
approaches to the exhibit that may be used in the classroom. Each approach
includes suggested applications and lesson plans. Read this overview section to
decide which approach is most appropriate for your classes' needs.
Suggested introductory lesson for all approaches: Use the first topic, The
First Federal Congress, to explore the functions of the First Federal Congress.
(same as III, "Whole site" approach, Unit one lesson)
- Issue based single lessons: This approach is based on suggestions for
several specific lessons using a small selection of documents which focus on a
particular issue. This approach uses specific documents to raise issues often
covered in US history but is designed for supplementary use, to "plug
into" the regular curriculum.
- Topic lessons based on selected documents
across the site: The unit topics fit nicely into a general study of the Early
Republic for a US survey class. This approach groups the fourteen unit topics
into 7 sections which pull readings from several units. These sections are
appropriate for the commonly used "expert" (jigsaw) technique for
student group study with a final demonstration of learning for the entire class.
- Whole site by unit: After doing the Unit one lesson as a whole class,
divide the class into thirteen groups using the table of contents. Each student
group reads the material in the assigned unit and answers the questions for that
unit and/or produces a demonstration of their learning. Students are brought
together for sharing and making conclusions about what they discovered.
- Concept based student application: The FFC exhibit contains documents
which can be studied from many angles. Primary sources reveal surprising
insights into history. This aspect is best illustrated to students through the
approach which starts with a concept and asks students to apply that concept to
a variety of sources. This series of concepts could be inserted individually or
collectively for deeper study of the issues the documents raise. This approach
is more appropriate for upper level or Advanced Placement where analyzing
documents is an objective of the course of study.
Students will be able to:
- Understand the role of the First Federal Congress (FFC ) as the most
important and productive Congress in United States history
- Develop an appreciation for the important and complex role the FFC
played in putting the Constitution into practice
- See how Congress completed the work of the federal constitutional convention
by "fleshing out" the bare bones Constitutional structure
- Deepen understanding of how our government works by exploring the
precedent-setting issues and procedures
- Analyze how "conflict and compromise" are an integral part of our
political system
- Appreciate the role of setting precedents that framed the American identity
- Compare issues facing the First Federal Congress and the present-day
Congress
- Understand the dynamic nature of such issues as the definition of
federalism, sectionalism, and the balance of powers
Students will learn to:
- Use documents; experience how using such documents makes them more
"active" learners and put history into the hands and minds of
students
- Interpret primary source documents and historical context
- Practice coming to their own conclusions based on primary, not secondary, sources
- Read for comprehension
- Pull together evidence under a conceptual framework
- Compare and contrast government activity in the Early Republic and in the
present
- Prepare demonstrations of learning based on their own analysis of the
documents
Back to teacher's guide table of contents
- Lesson Plans
- Introductory Lesson
- Four Approaches with Lessons
- Issue-based Single Lessons
- Topic Lessons Based on Selected Documents
- Whole Site by Unit
- Concept-based Student Application
Vocabulary List
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