Created through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress, Chronicling America offers visitors the ability to search and view newspaper pages from 1690-1963 and to find information about American newspapers published between 1690"“present using the National Digital Newspaper Program.

A 9 minute introduction to the difference between command economies and market economies. This video will aid in the mastery of standard EPF. 1(e)

Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.

The delegates at the 1787 Convention faced a challenge as arduous as those who worked throughout the 1780s to initiate reforms to the American political system. In this unit, students will examine the roles that key American founders played in creating the Constitution, and the challenges they faced in the process.

Gain insight into an Iraqi refugee's life in Jordan, as well as his life before leaving Iraq. The video explores how host countries Jordan and Syria are coping with the Iraqi refugee crisis and features an interview with Jordan's Queen Noor. [5:50]

Follow Clemencia Carabali, a community activist from Cauca, as she travels to Washington, D.C to share with congressional staffers the perspective of Cauca's residents- while the Colombian government has one story to tell, many of its residents have a very different and untold story. [3:25]

A thorough look at Bahrain from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990's.

A thorough look at the Maldives from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990s.

A thorough look at Mauritius from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990's.

A very comprehensive website by the Library of Congress on the country of Nicaragua. Site provides information on major topics about the country such as: geography, history, economy, society, transportation, environment, government and politics, foreign relations, and more. Information current to 1993.

Excellent, full coverage of North Korea from Library of Congress. Includes profile, history, society, government, economy, foreign policy, and more.

A thorough look at Portugal from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990's.

A thorough look at Qatar from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990's.

A thorough look at Saudi Arabia from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990's.

A thorough look at Tajikistan from the Country Studies section of the Library of Congress. Read about its history, economy, people, and government. Information through the 1990s.

The Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors provides a complete list of Roman emperors. Click on the desired name to read an illustrated biographical note.

This lesson plan looks at the major ideas in the Declaration of Independence, their origins, the Americans' key grievances against the King and Parliament, their assertion of sovereignty, and the Declaration's process of revision.

Students and teachers can explore environmental issues with classroom resources, homework help, and other publications.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a regulatory agency of the U.S. government. This homepage provides excellent information concerning the EPA.

The 11th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 11th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Students move from learning the class rituals and routines and genre features of argument writing in Unit 11.1 to learning about narrative and informational genres in Unit 11.2: The American Short Story. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

In this unit, students will take a look at the historical vision of the American Dream as put together by our Founding Fathers. They will be asked: How, if at all, has this dream changed? Is this dream your dream? First students will participate in an American Dream Convention, acting as a particular historical figure arguing for his or her vision of the American Dream, and then they will write an argument laying out and defending their personal view of what the American Dream should be.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and annotate closely one of the documents that they feel expresses the American Dream.
Students participate in an American Dream Convention, acting as a particular historical figure arguing his or her vision of the American Dream.
Students write a paper, taking into consideration the different points of view in the documents read, answering the question “What is the American Dream now?”
Students write their own argument describing and defending their vision of what the American Dream should be.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What has been the historical vision of the American Dream?
What should the American Dream be? (What should we as individuals and as a nation aspire to?)
How would women, former slaves, and other disenfranchised groups living during the time these documents were written respond to them?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.