History Unit Plan

Unit Learning Targets:
These learning targets are adapted from the Michigan High School Content Expectations for U.S. History.

Students will be able to…

  1. Locate on a map the territories acquired by the United States during its emergence as an imperial power
  2. Describe the growing U.S. role in Asia (Open Door Policy and trade with Japan)
  3. Evaluate the effects of the Roosevelt Corollary
  4. Analyze the events and ideas that played a role in America’s expanding global influence (Purchasing Alaska, Annexation of Hawaii, Manifest Destiny, The Spanish American War, the Panama Canal, and others)
  5. Outline the changes in American Foreign Policy in the late 19th and early 20th century, citing specific examples of how and why it changed.


Essential Questions:

  • How did the U.S. go from being an isolationist nation to a world power?
  • Why did U.S. foreign policy change in the early 20th century?
  • What role should the U.S. play in world politics?


Teaching and Learning Plan:

Please see the PowerPoint and other attached resources below for specific examples of the activities listed below.

Unit PowerPoint: US History A Unit 4


Day 1:

  • Warm Up: What are some good things the U.S. does for other countries?
  • Anticipatory Set: Write-pair-share. Students will respond to write-pair-share questions. After students have a chance to write and talk about their answers, we will discuss them as a class. (See PowerPoint)
  • Mini-Lesson: The teacher will connect the write-pair-share questions to some of the themes of the unit, particularly to the strategies the U.S. used to expand its power and territory.
  • Independent Work/Homework: Unit 4 Introduction
  • Closing Question: Why do you think the U.S. was interested in opening up trade with more foreign countries in the late 1900s? (Hint: Think about our previous units, Industrialism and Urbanization)

Day 2: 

  • Warm Up: Would you rather visit Alaska or Hawaii? Why?
  • Homework Review: Chapter 22 Section 1. Teacher will check in homework, go over main ideas, and discuss.
  • Lecture/Discussion: The teacher will give a lecture with guided notes (22 1 and 2 Alaska and Hawaii) on the addition of Alaska and Hawaii, including maps and pictures to further ideas.Throughout the lecture, there will be pauses for pair-share opportunities and whole class discussions.
  • Independent Reading: Students will read about Puerto Rico’s efforts to become a state. As they read, they will use the previously modeled Reading Apprenticeship strategy “Talking to the Text” to make annotations in the margin.
  • Small Group Discussion: After reading, students will work in small groups to write a 25 Word Summary of the article, which is another Reading Apprenticeship strategy that will have been previously demonstrated. After discussion, we will do a whip-around to share out summaries and compare the main ideas we picked out.
  • Homework: Should Puerto Rico be accepted as a state? Make a pro-con list to bring to class tomorrow.
  • Closing Question: Do you agree with the U.S. decision to annex Hawaii? Why or why not?

Day 3:

  • Warm Up: Review from Unit 2- How were many Chinese and Japanese immigrants treated in the late 1800s? Be specific.
  • Homework Review: Share pro-con lists. Whole class discussion-What goes into the decision to make a territory a state? Why do you think Alaska and Hawaii became states? What about Michigan-What do we have to offer?
  • Lecture/Notes: Involvment in Japan and China
  • Partner Work: Political Cartoon Analysis. 3 Questions: What does the cartoon depict? Literally record what you see. What do you think the artist’s point is, and why? How does this relate to our notes today?
  • Whole Class Discussion: Share out and develop a whole class interpretation of the political cartoon.

Day 4:


Day 5:

  • Warm Up: Would you fight for your country? Why or why not?
  • Video Clip: Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish American War
  • Read “The Spanish American War” Article from History.com–Preview vocabulary, Talk to the Text
  • Spanish American War Timelines
  • Closing Question: Do you think the U.S. should have involved itself in the Spanish American War? Why or why not?


Day 6:

  • Warm Up: If you had to get from New York to Hawaii, and planes hadn’t been invented yet, how would you do it? Why?
  • PBS American Experience: Panama Canal with Questions and Discussion Part 1 (Panama Canal Video)
  • Closing Question: Would you have wanted to work on building the Panama Canal? Why or why not?


Day 7:

  • Warm Up: What are three things you remember about the Panama Canal?
  • PBS American Experience: Panama Canal with Questions and Discussion Part 2
  • Mapping American Influence: Students will use the atlas section of their textbook and information from this unit to locate territories influenced or annexed by the U.S. in the early 1900s.
  • Closing Question: How was the Panama Canal a symbol for American power?


Day 8:

  • Warm Up: List what you can remember about American imperialism. Write as much as you can.
  • Unit Review: Independently for 20 Minutes, Together After
  • Closing Question: Do you think the U.S. is an imperialist country today? Why or why not?


Day 9:

  • Warm Up: What final questions or concerns do you have for the test?
  • Unit 4 Test
  • Post-Test Reflection
  • Unit 5 Anticipation Guide