ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 3 :

3 ) Describe ways the environment is affected by humans in Alabama and the world. (Alabama)

Examples: crop rotation, oil spills, landfills, clearing of forests, replacement of cleared lands, restocking of fish in waterways

•  Using vocabulary associated with human influence on the environment, including irrigation, aeration, urbanization, reforestation, erosion, and migration

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 2 :

2 ) Relate reasons for European exploration and settlement in Alabama to the impact of European explorers on trade, health, and land expansion in Alabama.

•  Locating on maps European settlements in early Alabama, including Fort Condé, Fort Toulouse, and Fort Mims

•  Tracing on maps and globes, the routes of early explorers of the New World, including Juan Ponce de León, Hernando de Soto, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa

•  Explaining reasons for conflicts between Europeans and American Indians in Alabama from 1519 to 1840, including differing beliefs regarding land ownership, religion, and culture

[SS2010] USS5 (5) 1 :

1 ) Locate on a map physical features that impacted the exploration and settlement of the Americas, including ocean currents, prevailing winds, large forests, major rivers, and significant mountain ranges.

•  Locating on a map states and capitals east of the Mississippi River

•  Identifying natural harbors in North America

Examples: Mobile, Boston, New York, New Orleans, Savannah (Alabama)

[SS2010] USS5 (5) 2 :

2 ) Identify causes and effects of early migration and settlement of North America.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 1 :

1) Elaborate on an individual or prompted imaginative idea.

Examples: Create an imaginative mask showing his/her personality.
Look at masks from different cultures such as Chinese, African and Native American.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 2 :

2) Demonstrate skills using available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.

Examples: Choose from a variety of resources and materials to create a work of art.
Use books Imagine That by Joyce Raymond or Dinner at Magritte's by Michael Garland.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 4 :

4) Demonstrate an understanding of the safe and proficient use of materials, tools, equipment, and studio space.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 10 :

10) Speculate about processes and purposes an artist used to create a work of art.

Example: Observe and compare similar themes in artwork from historical and contemporary eras.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 14 :

14) Create works of art based on observations of surroundings.

[ARTS] VISA (4) 4 :

4) When making works of art, utilize and care for materials, tools, and equipment in a manner that prevents danger to oneself and others.

[ARTS] VISA (4) 5 :

5) Document, describe, and create real or imagined constructed environments.

Example: Design a futuristic art room, town, or planet.

[ARTS] VISA (4) 15 :

15) Through observation, infer information about time, place, and culture in which a work of art was created.

Example: Look at the statue of Vulcan in Birmingham and talk about its relationship to history of the city.

[ARTS] VISA (5) 2 :

2) Demonstrate the methods of the art-making process, including brainstorming, sketching, reflecting, and refining, to create a work of art/design.

[ARTS] VISA (5) 4 :

4) Demonstrate proper care and use of materials, tools, and equipment while creating art.

[ARTS] VISA (5) 10 :

10) Compare one's interpretation of a work of art with the interpretation of others.

[ARTS] VISA (5) 13 :

13) Recognize differences in criteria used to evaluate works of art depending on styles, genres, and media as well as historical and cultural contexts.

Students will read a description of the pine barrens by Basil Hall and analyze the text by using the 3-2-1 strategy. Students will discuss the life and work of Basil Hall, including his travels and journaling in North America. They will observe how a camera lucida functions and debate whether using a camera lucida is "cheating" in art. Next, students will venture outside to create a sketch of their environment while appropriately utilizing materials. They will compare and contrast their products to the sketches of Basil Hall and critique each other's work. 

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[ELA2021] (3) -5 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (3) -2 :

R4. Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically for research and writing, both individually and collaboratively.

[ELA2021] (3) 1 :

1. Contribute meaningful ideas to discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed upon rules.

a. Elaborate on responses in conversations and discussions.

Examples: use precise, descriptive language; build upon previously expressed ideas

[ELA2021] (3) 3 :

3. Apply oral literacy skills by participating in a variety of oral language activities.

Examples: plays, dramas, choral readings, oral reports

Students will interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents and photographs about dam designs. Students will gain the skills necessary for researching by locating credible and original sources, and determining if the sources are primary or secondary. Students will use technology to create a presentation, highlighting primary and secondary sources.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 5 :

5 ) Describe Alabama's entry into statehood and establishment of its three branches of government and the constitutions.

•  Explaining political and geographic reasons for changes in location of Alabama's state capital

•  Recognizing roles of prominent political leaders during early statehood in Alabama, including William Wyatt Bibb, Thomas Bibb, Israel Pickens, William Rufus King, and John W. Walker

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

Pictures of Alabama State Capitols are provided in this lesson to give students the opportunity to research information that could help them to give their point of view. It will be up to the students to provide further information about the pictures. This will start a conversation about the best location for a capital city and its capitol building.

This lesson was created as part of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission’s Curriculum Development Project.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] CWI (9-12) 6 :

6 ) Compare information presented through various media, including television, newspapers, magazines, journals, and the Internet.

•  Explaining the reliability of news stories and their sources

•  Describing the use, misuse, and meaning of different media materials, including photographs, artwork, and film clips

•  Critiquing viewpoints presented in editorial writing and political cartoons, including the use of symbols that represent viewpoints

•  Describing the role of intentional and unintentional bias and flawed samplings

This graphic organizer provides a structured method for students to analyze primary source visual image documents. By using this graphic organizer and the included guiding questions, students will analyze the source of the image, make observations about the image, contextualize the image within historical events, and corroborate the information they learn by identifying other sources of information. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 1 :

1 ) Compare historical and current economic, political, and geographic information about Alabama on thematic maps, including weather and climate, physical-relief, waterway, transportation, political, economic development, land-use, and population maps.

•  Describing types of migrations as they affect the environment, agriculture, economic development, and population changes in Alabama

[SS2010] GEOG (7) 1 :

1 ) Describe the world in spatial terms using maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies.

•  Explaining the use of map essentials, including type, projections, scale, legend, distance, direction, grid, and symbols

Examples: type—reference, thematic, planimetric, topographic, globe and map projections, aerial photographs, satellite images

distance—fractional, graphic, and verbal scales

direction—lines of latitude and longitude, cardinal and intermediate directions

•  Identifying geospatial technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective

Examples: Google Earth, Global Positioning System (GPS), geographic information system (GIS), satellite-remote sensing, aerial photography

•  Utilizing maps to explain relationships and environments among people and places, including trade patterns, governmental alliances, and immigration patterns

•  Applying mental maps to answer geographic questions, including how experiences and cultures influence perceptions and decisions

•  Categorizing the geographic organization of people, places, and environments using spatial models

Examples: urban land-use patterns, distribution and linkages of cities, migration patterns, population-density patterns, spread of culture traits, spread of contagious diseases through a population

[SS2010] US11 (11) 5 :

5 ) Evaluate the impact of social changes and the influence of key figures in the United States from World War I through the 1920s, including Prohibition, the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Scopes Trial, limits on immigration, Ku Klux Klan activities, the Red Scare, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, the Jazz Age, Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, W. C. Handy, and Zelda Fitzgerald. (Alabama) [A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.f., A.1.i., A.1.j., A.1.k.]

•  Analyzing radio, cinema, and print media for their impact on the creation of mass culture

•  Analyzing works of major American artists and writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, and H. L. Mencken, to characterize the era of the 1920s

•  Determining the relationship between technological innovations and the creation of increased leisure time

[SS2010] CWI (9-12) 1 :

1 ) Describe current news stories from various perspectives, including geographical, historical, political, social, and cultural.

•  Evaluating the impact of current news stories on the individual and on local, state, national, and international communities (Alabama)

•  Comparing current news stories to related past events

•  Analyzing news stories for implications regarding nations of the world

•  Locating on a map areas affected by events described in news stories

•  Interpreting statistical data related to political, social, and economic issues in current events

[SS2010] CWI (9-12) 6 :

6 ) Compare information presented through various media, including television, newspapers, magazines, journals, and the Internet.

•  Explaining the reliability of news stories and their sources

•  Describing the use, misuse, and meaning of different media materials, including photographs, artwork, and film clips

•  Critiquing viewpoints presented in editorial writing and political cartoons, including the use of symbols that represent viewpoints

•  Describing the role of intentional and unintentional bias and flawed samplings

This graphic organizer will guide students through the process of analyzing a historical document such as a newspaper article, a report, a magazine article, a congressional record, a press release, a census report, an internet article, a map, an official memorandum, or an announcement. This worksheet includes guiding questions that will support students as they closely read and analyze a selected historical document.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this learning activity, students analyze images of tools used on rice plantations to determine each tool's purpose.  Students will study these objects to learn about slavery and the lives of the slaves who worked on rice plantations. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

In this learning activity, students learn about the methods and tools necessary to conduct a genealogical interview to research women's history in their family.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this activity, students learn about life in a sod house by looking at photographs (primary sources) and answering questions.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this learning activity, students analyze newspaper advertisements (primary source) regarding runaway slaves from the Charleston Mercury, a South Carolina newspaper, to learn about the Underground Railroad.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT1 (1) 5 :

5 ) Identify historical events and celebrations within the local community and throughout Alabama. (Alabama)

Examples: Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Mardi Gras, Boll Weevil Festival, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Black History Month (Alabama)

•  Differentiating between fact and fiction when sharing stories or retelling events using primary and secondary sources

Example: fictional version of Pocahontas compared to an authentic historical account

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[ELA2021] (1) 4 :

4. Present information orally using complete sentences and appropriate volume.

a. Orally describe people, places, things, and events, expressing ideas with relevant details.

[ELA2021] (3) 33 :

33. Write personal or fictional narratives with a logical plot (sequence of events), characters, transitions, and a sense of closure.

In this lesson plan, students will analyze primary sources relating to Celia Cruz. Then, students will tell their own story using objects that are meaningful to them. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] USS5 (5) 11 :

11 ) Identify causes of the Civil War, including states' rights and the issue of slavery.

•  Describing the importance of the Missouri Compromise, Nat Turner's insurrection, the Compromise of 1850, the Dred Scott decision, John Brown's rebellion, and the election of 1860

•  Recognizing key Northern and Southern personalities, including Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Joseph Wheeler (Alabama)

•  Describing social, economic, and political conditions that affected citizens during the Civil War

•  Identifying Alabama's role in the Civil War (Alabama)

Examples: Montgomery as the first capital of the Confederacy, Winston County's opposition to Alabama's secession (Alabama)

•  Locating on a map sites important to the Civil War

Examples: Mason-Dixon Line, Fort Sumter, Appomattox, Gettysburg, Confederate states, Union states (Alabama)

•  Explaining events that led to the conclusion of the Civil War

[ELA2021] (3) 23 :

23. Identify and use text features in informational passages to locate information.

Examples: headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, legends

a. Explain how text features support details in the text.

b. Explain how illustrations contribute to meaning in a story.

c. Interpret text features used in written and digital formats.

[ELA2021] (5) 18 :

18. Explain the relationships among events, people, or concepts in informational texts, supported by textual evidence.

In this learning activity, students will analyze a famous letter written by Grace Badell to President Abraham Lincoln. Using hints about Grace's family from the letter, students will draw pictures of her family.