This collection of six instructional modules integrates skills from the Common Core and C3 Framework indicators into social studies instruction. Each module features inquiry and historical sources from the Library of Congress. The instructional ideas in these modules follow the Literacy Design Collaborative task-based approach. The modules provide students with opportunities to build their social studies content knowledge as well as their reading, writing, and inquiry skills. C3 Teachers have collaborated with North Carolina State University, with support from the Teaching with Primary Sources Regional Program, to produce these modules.
DID ABRAHAM LINCOLN REALLY WANT TO FREE THE SLAVES?
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Asked what they know about Abraham Lincoln, students generally respond, “he freed the slaves.” This module begins with a compelling question that asks students to dig more deeply into that assumption and develop a more complex understanding of Lincoln’s views and actions regarding slavery. To thoughtfully answer the question “did Lincoln really want to free the slaves?” students will examine Lincoln’s words over the course of his political career as they consider the pressure on an elected official to satisfy diverse constituencies.
IS FREEDOM FREE?
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Many students assume that the emancipation of slaves and freedom (i.e., political, economic, and social freedoms) are interchangeable concepts. This module attempts to challenge this pre-conception and uncover the complexities and costs of freedom for ex-slaves by asking the compelling question, “Is freedom free?” The question brings to mind the common idiom Freedom isn’t Free, a reference to the military costs of political freedom.
DID CHARLES SUMNER DESERVE IT?
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Although the attack on Charles Sumner in the United States Senate is an event that is typically mentioned in elementary textbooks, Sumner is not as well known as some of the other antebellum activists (e.g., John Brown, John C. Calhoun, Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner). That said, the notion of whether Sumner deserved to be attacked as a compelling question, is one that is provocative, engaging, and worth spending time on.
DO OUR PARKS DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO?
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“Do our parks do what they are supposed to do?” may elicit bemused frowns and, we hope, the counter- question “well, who is to say what a park is actually supposed to do?” To Fredrick Law Olmsted, the father of American public park design, the answer was very clear: to serve and to civilize the public. This is summed up in his famous slogan, “service must precede art.” This modules provides students with an opportunity to examine Olmsted’s approach to park design through the examination of Olmsted writings and photographs of his parks.
DID THE FOUNDERS WANT GOVERNMENT TO WORK?DOWNLOAD
In a contentious political climate, it can be difficult for the federal government to get much done. The machinery of government—executive power, checks and balances, separation of powers—seems to work against itself, and political parties are left blaming each other for leaving important work undone, or alternately, claiming credit for hampering legislation they feel is harmful to their constituents. Is the government functioning—or dysfunctioning? The answer is not immediately clear. This examines the question of whether the founders wanted government really to work.
DID THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR UNIFY AMERICA?DOWNLOAD
This module focuses on the question of how Americans reacted to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Those reactions were both a reflection of intensity of the events and the the larger political and social context of the times. The question of how people responded to Pearl Harbor is not as simple as it may seem at first. Students will quickly find that the men and women “on the street” were practically unanimous in support of a declaration of war.