WESTWARD EXPANSION PROJECT!!!
As we study the spread of the American nation across the continent, we will delve into a wide array of events, ideas, and themes. We will study gold, railroads, wars with Native American nations, immigration, technological innovations, transformations in agriculture, legal battles over slavery, and growing sectional tension. We will read poems and stories, speeches, and manifestos. We will learn about peaceful and violent methods of protest. We will get Romantic. We will explore the idea of exploration. We will debate the concept of destiny. Heavy, powerful stuff!
Along the way, to deepen your understanding of this exciting period in American history, you will undertake an independent creative project that builds upon one or more of the key themes of the unit. You will choose oneof the project options, write a brief proposal, and then complete your project. The best examples of student work will be made public, either in the room, the halls, or even potentially the school yearbook. Push yourself to be creative!
OPTION ONE: Lake Michigan In View! O! The Joy!
Once we have studied Lewis and Clark and their Voyage of Discovery, go on your own voyage of discovery. Explore your neighborhood, or a different neighborhood in the city. Keep a journal describing the trials and tribulations you experience. Make a detailed map of your voyage, including key landmarks and sketches of the flora and fauna you encounter along the way.
OPTION TWO: Quoth the Teacher, Write Some More
Once we have studied Romanticism and the Gothic period and have read and discussed an Edgar Allan Poe story together, write your own Gothic story. Incorporate multiple key Gothic elements that we cover in class. Make your story as chilling, unsettling, and powerful as possible. You may include illustrations if you choose. ***Submitting drafts for feedback strongly encouraged!
OPTION THREE: March to the Beat of a Different Drummer
Once we have studied the Romantic ideas espoused by Henry David Thoreau, write your own Transcendentalist manifesto expressing your unique point of view about your most deeply held beliefs. Included in your manifesto you must also describe in detail your own hypothetical plan for living out your manifesto, either through a reconnection to your key principles or through an act of civil disobedience. If the latter, clearly define the rule or law to which you object, how and why the rule or law is unjust, and how your act of civil disobedience would represent an appropriate response to that injustice.
***For this project, you will likely want to read some of the Thoreau readings ahead of schedule to get a sense of his ideas and language!!!
***Make sure to talk with your teacher before actually putting any plan into action!!!
OPTION FOUR: Build Your Own Project!
If none of the above options appeals to you, by Thursday, 2/26 meet with your humanities teacher to propose your own alternative project. Your proposed project should include a creative response to one of the unit’s key themes, and it should result in a concrete, physical product that you can turn in.
Possible options we could discuss further:
- Paint a mural about a key event or idea from the unit
- Write a historical research paper about a topic that interests you
- Write a book of poetry with several poems loosely tied to a theme or event
- Write a newspaper about a key month or year during the time period
- Make a movie about a key event or idea from the unit
- Read a work of historical fiction and write a book report
- Learn more about a particular Native American Nation or immigrant group and capture that group’s identity in a creative and appropriate way
Deadlines:
Project proposal: due Friday, 2/27
Write a brief paragraph explaining the project you plan to create. Be specific about your goals for the final product. What is its scope? Also, explain as specifically as possible the key theme, event, or idea from the unit that your project will build upon.
Final Project Deadline: Friday, 3/13
Be aware that you will have your Westward Expansion unit test on Thursday, 3/12; you will need to balance studying for the test and working on your creative project side by side!