Linking Early U.S. History to World Geography Module 1, Activity 1 ...

Linking Early U.S. History to World Geography
Events of the 1861-1865 (cards61-65.pdf), cut into strips, one set per group of students
Student Work Log, one per student
Blank outline maps of the Thirteen Colonies, one for each student
Blank outline maps of the United States, one for each student
Sample story maps on overhead transparencies (optional)
Master Lists: Events of 1775-1776 (master75-76.pdf), Events of 1785-1788 (master85-88.pdf),
and Events of 1861-1865 (master61-65.pdf) for teacher reference
Content Preview
Depending upon the time period you wish to work with, introduce the activity to students in the
context of learning about historical events from a geographic perspective. Students should
understand these three statements:
• It is impossible to understand the present without understanding geography.
• It is impossible to understand the present without understanding the past.
• It is impossible to understand the past without understanding geography.
In other words, the rationale for history (studying the past to understand the present) requires
knowing geography: today’s geography and the geography of places in the past. This activity focuses
on location but other activities in this series include details related to human and environmental
characteristics of locations, human-environmental relations and spatial organization, all of which play
a role in understanding the geography of the past.
A story map is a special kind of map; a blend between a map and a story. Key events are put into
spatial context, with annotations (labels, brief statements) and graphics (arrows, dotted lines,
symbols) that provide narration. Three examples of story maps are included in this activity. Each is
different but all tell a story through a map. You may wish to make transparencies of these to show
students as they develop their own.
Classroom Procedures
Beginning the Activity
1. Distribute the appropriate timeline cards, one set each to a small group of students and Student
Work Logs. If you prefer students may work individually throughout the activity but to begin small
groups (two or three students) makes sense.
2. Ask students to do two things with the cards: A. read each card and make sure they understand
all terms and concepts; B. put the cards into chronological order. You may wish to refer to the
master lists as students review events.
3. Have students briefly review the sequence of events by asking questions like “What happened
first? Then what happened?” You may wish to ask students to write a brief summary on their Log.
Developing the Activity
4. Next, ask students to sort the cards by location. Once again, review the sequence of events, this
time asking questions like “Where did that take place? Why do you think this happened there? Can
2