The Role of America in the World of the 21st Century by Ladd J. Iseminger 11th grade History Teacher
Rationale High-school history students should be able to not only recite facts and figures, but also critically think about their country. They will use higher-level thinking skills to analyze the role of America in the world today and in the future. The instructor will integrate the Ohio strands into the lessons about America.
Students should be able to have a knowledge of their American Heritage and will do some brief research projects with the following websites. www.thehistorychannel.com www.americanrevolution.com
www.sar.org/history/docsbatt.htm. www.gate.library.valberta.ca:8002/MARION/AMA-2879 www.pbs.org/jefferson.archives/documents/frame_ih198172
American Heritage Activities Students will compare and contrast the role of America of today and of 1776. Students will give a brief description of the world view of America today. Write a journal entry about their opinion of the role of America. Draw a picture of what America means to them Give a two-minute speech about what America means to them personally.
People in Societies www.link.lanic.utexas.edu/menic www.csuohio.edu/history/japan/index.html
www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html www.coomb.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-AsianStudies.html www.cs.cmu.edu/Unofficial/Canadiana/README.html
Activities for People in Society Students will complete a brief family tree and trace to their ancestors’ native country (optional) In groups of three or four, students will debate the issue of characteristics vs. stereotypes Research and submit a report about their family’s native country. Cook a meal from their ancestor’s native country Write a hypothetical journal entry from their ancestor’s journal about the New World.
World Interactions www.freemap.com www.spaceshots.com
www.pubweb.parc.xerox.com/map www.citysearch.com www.mapblast.com/myblast/index.mb
World Interactions Activities Students will compare and contrast the roles of America and Cuba in the world today. Submit reports dealing with the GNP of Cuba and the United States. Research the growth of maps in the US Using the Internet, find directions to their house Cite five current books relating to five different counties of the world.
Decision Making and Resources www.federalreserve.gov www.frbchi.org
www.mcm.uc.edu/econed/start/htm www.landmark-project.com/eco-market www.ecedweb.unomaha.edu/
Decision Making Activities Students will define the concept of decision-making of a country. List 5 resources of 10 countries. Compare and contrast the resources of the US, Russia, and China. Debate the decisions of the US over the past century. Give a 2-5 minute speech about the recent decision of the US (US Policy).
Democratic Processes www.whitehouse.gov www.ohio.gov
www.fbi.gov www.usdoj.gov/ www.ifes.org/
Democratic Processes Activities Define democracy, monarchy, communism, and dictatorship. Students will compare and contrast democracies, monarchies, and dictatorships. Write a journal entry as a dictator. List the democracies around the world. List the communist countries.
Citizenship rights & Responsibilities www.kidsvoting.uso.org www.TheHistoryNet.com
www.citizen.org www.crayon.net www.npr.org
Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities Activities Students will write in their journals about the rights that citizens should have. Students will compare and contrast these rights with responsibilities. Students will draw the actions of a good citizen. Students will research citizenship. In groups, students will create a drama for elementary students about citizenship.
Conclusion The role of America in the 21st Century is an important and ever-changing one. For today’s students, it is essential to learn about our American heritage, people in societies, world interactions, decision making and resources, democratic processes, and citizenship rights and responsibilities.