6th Grade Civics Academy

Date: January 17th, 2017

Location: Country Club Middle School

Chapter 10: The War of 1812 and the “Era of Good Feelings”

Benchmarks: SS.6.A.4.1: Examine the causes, course and consequences of the United States westward expansion and its growing diplomatic assertiveness (War of 1812, Convention of 1818, Adams- Onis Treaty, Missouri Compromise, Monroe Doctrine, Trail of Tears, Texas annexation, Manifest Destiny, Oregon Territory, Mexican American War/Mexican Cessation, California Gold Rush, Compromise of 1850, Kansas Nebraska Act, Gadsden Purchase).

Strategy# 1: Wordstorming to Anticipate Content - allows readers to asses and build content knowledge before starting a topic or unit of study.

  1. Have students read the title of chapter 10. The War of 1812 and the "Era of Good Feelings"
  2. Allow students to predict words that fit content and then add it to graphic organizer
  3. Read text, about topic, unit or theme being studied.
  4. Add additional vocabulary words to wordstorming graphic organizer as students and teacher discuss contents of material.
  5. Lastly, review predictions and questions in order to determine if predictions were correct, if questions were answered and to inherit new information about the content.

Strategy # 2: Denotations and Connotations

A word’s denotation is its dictionary meaning. A word’s connotation includes the feelings and ideas associated with it. For example, the denotation of the word thin is “having little flesh;

spare; lean.” The word slender (thin) has a positive connotation. The word scrawny (thin) has a negative connotation.

Academic Vocabulary / Denotation
(literal dictionary definition) / Connotation
(positive, neutral, negative meanings that are associated with a word beyond its dictionary meaning.) / Word in Context
to defeat /
  • The Prophet was defeated at Tippecanoe in 1811.
  • General Andrew Jackson became a hero after defeating the British attack to New Orleans in 1815.
  • As a result, the British were able to defeat the invaders.
  • New American ships defeated the British in several small battles in which one ship fought another.
  • Jackson had defeated the Creek Indians in Georgia and had marched to New Orleans, where he took command of the city’s defenses.

to blame /
  • Americans blamed the British for supplying arms to the Indians.
  • They (young Congressmen) blamed Britain for the Indian attacks.
  • Americans blamed the British for Indian attacks along the Northwest Frontier.

to seize /
  • The British also continued to stop American ships on the high seas to seize British deserters.
  • Meanwhile, Napoleon did not keep his word and continued to seize American ships.
  • Some Americans, especially the “war hawks” in Congress, thought this would be a good time to seize Canada from Great Britain.

to invade /
  • These “war hawks” believed that the United states should invade and take Canada.
  • While the British were attacking Washington and Baltimore, they sent a second force to invade the United States from Canada.

to attack /
  • In 1814, British decided to attack Baltimore.
  • His brother the Prophet decided to attack Harrison’s camp in order to surprise the soldiers.
  • The third American invasion force was sent along the Lake Champlain route to attack Montreal in November.

to retreat /
  • They were beaten back, retreated to Fort Detroit, and then surrendered the fort in late August to the British, who were helped by Tecumseh and his Shawnee warriors.
  • Their soldiers decided to retreat once they saw the city’s well-prepared defenses.
  • The British had no choice but to attack or retreat.

to force /
  • Without control of the lake, the British troops were forced to turn back to Canada.
  • News of their defeat at Plattsburgh and failure to take Baltimore forced the British negotiators to give up these demands.
  • Adams wrote to Spain that Jackson had been forced to enter Florida because Spain itself was unable to keep order there.

Strategy # 3: Words Beyond Definitions

Beyond Definitions
Concept/Term / Usual Context
(often/always) / Unusual Context
(Rarely/Never)
Belongs to this family of words… / I would probably use this word if/when…
  • repealed (cancelled) Only a few days before Jefferson left the office, Congress repealed the unpopular Embargo of 1807. That law had prevented Americans from shipping their goods to any foreign country.
  • war hawks (people who favor war) These war hawks believed that the United States should invade and take Canada.
  • secession (leaving the Union) Some members proposed secession, but they were a minority. Members of the Hartford Convention published resolutions calling for an end to the “Three-fifths Compromise.”
  • recession (economic downturn) Americans experienced hard times during an economic downturn in 1819, known as the “Panic of 1819.” The recession was caused by several factors.
  • caucus (a group of Congress members) The official caucus of the Democratic-Republican Party nominated William Crawford, but different sections of the party put up their own candidates.

Strategy # 4: Context Clues

When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, one way to figure out the meaning is to use context clues. Context clues are hints about the meaning of an unknown word that may be found in the words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that surround that unknown word.

Strategy # 5: Identify Cause-Effect Relationships using Signal Words

Signal Words:

  • because
  • since
  • when
  • consequently
  • as a result
  • therefore
  • then
  • led to
  • for all these reasons
  • which caused

He (Oliver Perry) thenled a second attack, which caused the two British warships to crash into one another. Perry’s great victory in the Battle of Lake Erie forced British troops to leave Fort Detroit. – p. 235

In 1819, the balance in the Senate between “free states” (states where slavery was prohibited) and “slaves states” (states where it was permitted) was exactly equal. Northern states therefore did not want to admit Missouri as another slave state. –p. 244