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Tracks: Impressions of America & the
Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework
Tracks: Impressions of America is a 12-part video series available from WGBY in Springfield. Rights to record off-air, duplicate, distribute and utilize this series for education are renewed annually; check with WGBY for specific information about your rights to use these materials. Teacher guides and a CD-ROM are available by contacting WGBY or by calling the Agency for Instructional Technology customer services at 1-800-457-4509 or by visiting the AIT website at www.ait.net.
This series addresses many of the topics listed in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework on United States History for grade spans 1-4 and 5-8. The content is developmentally appropriate for students in grades 4-7. The instructional design of the series emphasizes an investigative approach to the study of history, complimenting both the Core Concept and Guiding Principals called for by the Massachusetts Department of Education. The intellectual skills identified in the MA DOE framework document are directly addressed in the video and CD-ROM, including: reasoning, reflection and research. History, Geography, Economics, Civics and Government are recurring themes throughout the series.
Below are correlations to the specific topic areas listed in the Curriculum Framework, and also the National Social Studies Strands endorsed by the National Council on the Social Studies (NCSS). The correlations to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework are found in the left hand column, referencing the grade span and the content time period and topic covered in each program. Along the top row, correlations to the National Strands and to the 4 areas of Core Knowledge required in Massachusetts can be found.
| National Social Studies Strands | Time, Continuity & Change | Culture; Individual Development & Identity | People, Places & Environments; Global Connections | Production, Distribution & Consumption; Science, Technology & Society | Power, Authority & Governance; Individuals, Groups & Institutions | Civic Ideals & Practices |
| Massachusetts Core Knowledge Areas | US History | US History & Geography | Geography | Economics | Civics & Government | Civics & Government |
| Tracks #1 Trekking Across Our Land Grades 1-4. 1. |
-Development of diverse Native American cultures | -Migration and immigration patterns as dynamic, positive forces. | -Pre-Columbian migration of humans from Asia to North America | -Agriculture as the driving force in determining settlement patterns of Native Americans | -Settlements led to evolution of early Native American societies | -Contributions of Native Americans to modern American lifestyles |
| Tracks #2 Spain Comes to America Grades 1-4.1 & .2 |
-European explorers sought to exploit and control North America | -The conflict between European nations in North America | -Impact of European settlers on Timucuan people of Florida | -Early Atlantic trade routes | -Spain & England battle for control of America | -The role of the soldier in European expansion. |
| Tracks #3 Early European Settlements Grades 1-4.1 &.2 |
-Interactions between Europeans and Powhatans | -The motivation and goals of Jamestown, VA settlers | -Selection of location for the Jamestown settlement | -Evolution of a plantation economy dependent
on slavery -The economic boom of tobacco |
-How indentured servants were eventually replaced by African slaves | -Early examples of racism |
| Tracks #4 Seeds of Revolution Grades 1-4.1 &.2 |
-How New England settlements differ from other regions | -New England Pilgrims and Puritans promote concepts of religious freedom and human equality | -Religious persecution in Europe drives ideologies of New England settlers | -Shipbuilding as an economic force in the
development of Boston, MA -Trade an important factor even in earliest settlements |
-The Boston Tea Party | -Revolutionaries organize in Faneuil Hall |
| Tracks # 5 Independence! Grades 1-4.3 |
-The Declaration of Independence | -Loyalists views conflict with revolutionary colonists | -Taxation without representation | -Economic forces fuel revolutionary fervor | -The Continental Congress and creation of a Continental Army | -The ideals of personal liberty as presented in the Declaration of Independence |
| Tracks # 6 A New Nation Grades 1-4.3 |
-U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights | -The War of 1812 | -The selection of Washington D.C. as the nation's capitol | -Jefferson's passion for science and technology | -The Connecticut Compromise establishes the bicameral legislature | -Patriotism & the new Nationalism |
| Tracks # 7 Westward Ho! Grades 1-4.2& .4 |
-Settlement moves westward | -Contrasting views of European settlers and Native Americans toward the land | -Mexican-American War and Louisiana Purchase | -Causes of the spread and entrenchment of
slavery -The establishment of transportation routes to the west |
-The Trail of Tears and the establishment of Indian reservations | -19th Century Federal policy toward Native Americans |
| Tracks # 8 Divided & United |
-The American Civil War | -Southern values and politics are contrasted with the industrialized North | -Racial discrimination | -The role of the cotton gin on southern agricultural economy | -Abolitionism | - The modern Civil Rights movement |
| Tracks # 9 The Urbanization of America Grades 1-4.5 & .6 1865-1920 |
-The Industrial Revolution | -Increased immigration brings cultural diversity | -Shift from rural to urban societies | -Mechanization fuels the American economy -Evolution of the labor force from agricultural-based to manufacturing-based |
-Organized labor | -Pluralism and cultural diversity become key characteristics of national identity. |
| Tracks # 10 The Road to Mt. Rushmore Grades 1-4.4 &.5 |
-Westward expansion | -Spanish influence in the West | -Devastation of native buffalo herds & other environmental damage from westward expansion | -Railroads to the west encouraged
ranching, farming & mining development -Gold Rush |
-Homestead Act | -Mt. Rushmore monument epitomizes expansionist values |
| Tracks # 11 America at War Grades 1-4.7 |
-Manifest Destiny | -America as a world military power WWI & WWII |
-The Great Depression | -The Atomic Age | -The New Deal | -Military patriotism |
| Tracks # 12 Changing Times and Modern Industries Grades 1-4.8 |
-The Cold War -20th Century industrial diversification |
-NATO -Modern Asian immigration -The break-up of the Soviet Union |
-The Marshall Plan -Modern advances toward racial and gender equality |
-The emergence of a global economy -Cold War sparks industrial and technological growth -Sustainable resources |
-Cuban Missile Crisis -Civil Rights legislation |
-The U.S. role in promoting the spread of democracy |
©1999 Agency for Instructional Technology
For permission to use this document, contact: AIT Broadcast Services, 1-800-457-4509, Box
A, Bloomington, IN 47402-0120.
To print this document, set printer for landscape mode.
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