Fourth Period: 11:20am to 12:09pm
Fifth Period: 12:49pm to 1:39pm
Sixth Period: 1:42pm to 2:32pm
Civics Reform Project
What positive impact could you have made as an informed citizen during the Gilded Age?
During the Gilded Age, there were a number of issues that were causing problems in the United States from child labor to unfair business practices. Pretend you are living during the Gilded Age, what reforms would you want to see? Let’s start with the ultimate goal, and then work backward: For this project, you will create an infographic, a letter to a local official, create a soapbox speech, or PSA on a topic of your choice inspired by the Driving Question (DQ) that is posted above.
Audience: In choosing an audience, you want to think about who is most affected by your issue and people who can help you in your cause. It should not be “everyone” or “anyone who wants to listen” but rather specific groups of people who have a vested interest in your topic. We will be using Project-Based Learning strategies to complete our project. Please refer to the schedule below for a general guide to assist with your planning.
Monday: Brainstorm topics and create "instaspeeches." By the end of the class period, you will need to give a 30-second speech explaining why one of the issues you selected is important and needs to be addressed.
Tuesday: Fill out the claim, evidence, and reasoning (CER) document. You are going to want to research and find credible sources to help you determine a path forward for your topic. You also need to come up with your driving question.
Wednesday: Continue working on your CER document. Then, you want to figure out your root causes of the topic that you chose; fill out the root cause analysis slide.
Thursday: Create your action plan. Today, you will want to come up with a quick overview of a strategy on how you can stop, slow, or help your chosen issue.
Friday/Homework: Put your action plan into use! Create your infographic, write an official, deliver your speech to the class, or create a PSA on the topic.