Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the precepts of citizenship, the elements of leadership, and the value of scholarship in attaining life goals. This course will also enable students to develop appreciation for the heritage and traditions of America, to recognize the importance of the role of sea power in America's future, and to develop a sense of pride in his/her organization, associates, and self. These elements are pursued at a fundamental level.Special Notes:
Instructional Practices:
Teaching from a well-written, grade-level textbook enhances students’ content area knowledge and also strengthens their ability to comprehend longer, complex reading passages on any topic for any reason. Using the following instructional practices also helps student learning:
- Reading assignments from longer text passages as well as shorter ones when text is extremely complex.
- Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
- Asking high-level, text-specific questions and requiring high-level, complex tasks and assignments.
- Requiring students to support answers with evidence from the text.
- Providing extensive text-based research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
(Principles of Public Service Program):
04.0 Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills needed to accomplish team goals and objectives
04.01 Employ leadership skills to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.
04.02 Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others in order to accomplish objectives and tasks.
04.03 Conduct and participate in meetings to accomplish work tasks.
04.04 Employ mentoring skills to inspire and teach others.
04.05 Employ critical thinking skills independently and in teams to solve problems and make decisions.
04.06 Employ critical thinking and interpersonal skills to resolve conflicts.
04.07 Identify and document workplace performance goals and monitor progress toward those goals.
04.08 Conduct technical research to gather information necessary for decision-making.
General Information
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Learn about public policy solutions and how public opinion, the media, and interest groups all influence decision-making about public issues with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn 12 new academic vocabulary words in this interactive tutorial! You'll practice the words' synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech, and context clues in order to add them to your vocabulary.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the effect of metaphors and imagery within a text in this interactive tutorial. First, you’ll practice identifying the use of these literary devices within a text, and then you’ll examine how they contribute to the meaning and beauty of the text.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to differentiate the connotative and denotative meanings of words in context. In this interactive tutorial, you'll study excerpts from “Total Eclipse,” an essay written by Annie Dillard. You will analyze Dillard’s word choices throughout portions of her essay to better understand their impact and meanings.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in an informational text about the Bermuda Triangle in this three-part interactive tutorial. In Part 2, you'll practice determining the meaning of unknown vocabulary using context clues and dictionary skills.
Click below to complete all three parts!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in an informational text about the Bermuda Triangle in this three-part interactive tutorial. In Part 3, you'll practice determining the meaning of unknown vocabulary using context clues and dictionary skills.
Click below to open the first two parts.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in an informational text about the Bermuda Triangle in this three-part interactive tutorial. In Part 1, you'll practice determining the meaning of unknown vocabulary using context clues and dictionary skills.
Click below to complete all three parts!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to transform words into other words, including nouns into verbs, verbs into adjectives, adjectives into adverbs, and much more with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Acquire new vocabulary through this interactive tutorial. You'll learn definitions for 15 new words, as well as their parts of speech, their synonyms and antonyms, and you'll practice using them in context.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn what happened after the guns of the Civil War fell silent: the beginning of the Reconstruction era. You'll learn about Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Radical Republicans, and the impeachment of a president!
CLICK HERE to open After the War: Reconstruction Begins, Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the end of World War I and the Paris Peace Conference that followed, from the point of view of the United States and President Woodrow Wilson. You'll learn about the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war with Germany, about the League of Nations, and about Wilson's failure to make the U.S. a part of the newly created international organization.
CLICK HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the end of World War I and the Paris Peace Conference that followed, from the point of view of the United States and President Woodrow Wilson. You'll learn about the Treaty of Versailles that ended the war with Germany, about the League of Nations, and about Wilson's failure to make the U.S. a part of the newly created international organization.
CLICK HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn what happened after the guns of the Civil War fell silent: the beginning of the Reconstruction era. You'll learn about Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Radical Republicans, and the impeachment of a president!
CLICK HERE to open After the War: Reconstruction Begins, Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn how Americans on the home front experienced World War 1 while helping the U.S.A win the war. You'll learn about war bonds and about the changes WWI brought to America's economy. You'll also learn how propaganda and new laws against wartime dissent curbed Americans' civil liberties. Finally, you'll learn how the war lead to increased opportunities for women and African Americans.
CLICK HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn how Americans on the home front experienced World War 1 while helping the U.S.A win the war. You'll learn about war bonds and about the changes WWI brought to America's economy. You'll also learn how propaganda and new laws against wartime dissent curbed Americans' civil liberties. Finally, you'll learn how the war lead to increased opportunities for women and African Americans.
CLICK HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the experiences of the Americans who served "over there" in Europe during World War I. Learn about doughboys, trench warfare, and some of the WWI veterans who would go to become famous Americans!
CLICK HERE to open Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the experiences of the Americans who served "over there" in Europe during World War I. Learn about doughboys, trench warfare, and some of the WWI veterans who would go to become famous Americans!
CLICK HERE to open Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn how World War I, "the Great War," began in Europe. You'll also learn why the U.S.A. joined the side of the Allies after years of attempted neutrality.
CLICK HERE for Part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In Parts 1 and 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn how World War I, the "Great War," began in Europe. You'll also learn why the U.S.A. joined the side of the Allies after years of attempted neutrality.
CLICK HERE for Part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Practice analyzing an informational text using President Abraham Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address. In this interactive tutorial, you'll determine Lincoln's purpose in this historical speech. You'll also analyze how his specific word choice and use of parallel structure help support his purpose.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Acquire new vocabulary through this interactive tutorial. You'll learn definitions for 15 new words, as well as their parts of speech, their synonyms and antonyms, and you'll practice using them in context.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Review strategies for acquiring new vocabulary and then learn fifteen new words in this interactive tutorial. You'll also practice using the words in a variety of ways to help you add them to your vocabulary.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn about the successes and failures of Reconstruction, one of the most controversial periods of American history. After the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and "Redeemer" resistance, this remarkably progressive period ended after the Election of 1876.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn several ways to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, including context clues, word parts, and dictionary skills. In this interactive tutorial, you'll apply these strategies to text passages from John Muir's book A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf, which includes vivid descriptions of Florida in the late 1800s.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn some of the differences between the First and Second Industrial Revolutions, as well as key developments that drove the Second Industrial Revolution. You'll also learn about some of the leaders of industry during this era, including John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan, and examine how their development of major industries and business practices affected America’s economy during the Second Industrial Revolution.
Check out this related tutorial: The Power of Innovation: Inventors of the Industrial Revolution.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, learn how and why the Civil War came to an end, and learn what the war's consequences were for Americans in the North and South, as well as future generations. You'll also learn about the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution and how they form an important legacy of the Civil War.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
In this interactive tutorial, explore the central causes of America's bloodiest conflict: the Civil War.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Read and examine Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in this interactive tutorial. First, you'll practice using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in the famous text. Next, you'll analyze Lincoln's specific word choice throughout the speech and examine how it conveys his tone or attitude.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to identify context clues in a nonfiction text to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read excerpts from Patrick Henry's "Speech to the Virginia Convention." You'll learn strategies for applying context clues to make predictions about the meanings of unfamiliar words. Finally, you'll practice using dictionary entries to confirm your predictions of unfamiliar word meanings.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to use context clues, including synonyms, antonyms, and inferences, to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Assessments
Test your knowledge of the Gilded Age with this 10-question multiple choice quiz!
Type: Assessment
Test your knowledge of the Reconstruction era with this 13-question multiple choice quiz!
Type: Assessment
Tutorials
Learn about key events in American history from the Reconstruction Era to the start of the Great Depression in this tutorial video provided by Khan Academy. The video touches on the Reconstruction Amendments, Jim Crow laws, the Coinage Act and the Panic of 1873, the Spanish-American War, World War I, and the 18th and 19th Amendments.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the history of the Republican Party, the party of Lincoln, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Reagan, in this tutorial video by Khan Academy. From its early roots tied to Alexander Hamilton to the present day, the Republican Party has played an integral role in shaping the government, policies and history of America.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the origins of Jim Crow segregation, a system of legalized segregation that took place in the American South from 1877-1954, in this tutorial video provided by Khan Academy.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the Treaty of Versailles, which officially made peace with Germany and ended World War I, in this short video tutorial provided by Khan Academy. The treaty formed new alliances among countries and changed the map of Europe forever.
Type: Tutorial
Learn how and why the United States joined the Allies of World War I in this short tutorial video provided by Khan Academy. Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, the interception of the Zimmermann Telegram, and various other factors led President Woodrow Wilson to ask Congress for a war declaration.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the Second Industrial Revolution and the expansion of railroads across America, new inventions like the elevator and telephone, and the rise of captains of industry like Andrew Carnegie in a short video by Khan Academy. Helpful graphics illustrate the content. Enjoy this journey back to the Gilded Age!
Type: Tutorial
Receive an introduction to the Gilded Age in this short video provided by Khan Academy. The Gilded Age, which fell between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Progressive era, was a time of intense industrialization that saw the rise of captains of industry like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. Enjoy this quick trip through American history!
Type: Tutorial
Learn how divisions over slavery set the stage for the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln famously referred to the United States before the Civil War as a "house divided" and warned that it "can not stand." This video clip is an excerpt form Ken Burns' epic series The Civil War.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the end of the Civil War, when Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. This short film is an excerpt from Ken Burns' epic series The Civil War.
Type: Tutorial
Learn about the experience of the African American soldiers who enlisted in the Union Army after the Emancipation Proclamation. The 54th Massachusetts regiment would go on to be the subject of the movie Glory. This short video is an excerpt from Ken Burns' epic series The Civil War.
Type: Tutorial
This short video provided by Khan Academy features 2 historians reviewing the early years of Reconstruction and the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which ended slavery in the United States. Helpful graphics illustrate the content. Enjoy!
Type: Tutorial
Explore the era of Reconstruction and its aftermath in this webisode from PBS. Learn about the struggles of rebuilding the South and uniting the Union in the years that immediately followed the Civil War, and explore the rise of Jim Crow laws after Reconstruction was abandoned. This webisode provides primary source documents including photographs and excerpts from speeches, a timeline, glossary, and quizzes you can take to test your knowledge.
Type: Tutorial
View this brief, funny video about our 19th President, Rutherford B. Hayes, whose controversial election brought about the end of Reconstruction!
Type: Tutorial
View a brief, funny video about our 17th President, Andrew Johnson, the first president ever to be impeached!
Type: Tutorial
View a brief, funny video about our 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant, the former general who reunited North and South during Reconstruction!
Type: Tutorial
View a brief, funny video about our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, who led the United States through the Civil War!
Type: Tutorial
In this webisode brought to you by PBS, you will explore key events that took place in American history from 1903-1927. Topics include the Wright Brothers, World War I, women's suffrage, Prohibition, jazz, Hollywood in the 1920s, and Charles Lindbergh. In this resource you can examine primary source documents and photographs, a timeline and glossary, take a quiz, and explore additional resources. Enjoy this journey into American history!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the events that led America from isolation to intervention in World War I. You'll learn how WWI affected Americans on the home front as well, increasing the size of the government and curtailing civil liberties. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. History!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the events that led up to the controversial Election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln's election, combined with growing tensions between the North and South, would ultimately lead to the secession of several Southern states and the beginning of the Civil War. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. history!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the consequences and legacies of the Civil War. The video explores how the Civil War truly transformed America, with repercussions for the present. You may want to view this after checking out the Part 1 video for a full review. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. history!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you'll take a whirlwind journey through the events that led up to and took place during the Civil War. This video reviews the major events, causes, and strategies. Be sure to watch the Part 2 video, as well, for a full review. Enjoy this "crash course" in U.S. history!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you will take a whirlwind journey through the period of Reconstruction in American History. As you may know, Reconstruction was a critical time in America of rebuilding and reinventing the South in the years after the Civil War. You'll learn about its successes and failures. Enjoy this "crash course" review!
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial video, you will take a whirlwind tour of America during the Industrial Revolution. After the Civil War, many changes in technology and ideas gave rise to a new industrialism. You'll learn about industry leaders of the time, such as Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Morgan. Enjoy this "crash course" review about trusts, combinations, and how the government responded to these new business practices!
Type: Tutorial
This resource explores the electromagnetic spectrum and waves by allowing the learner to observe the refraction of light as it passes from one medium to another, study the relation between refraction of light and the refractive index of the medium, select from a list of materials with different refractive indicecs, and change the light beam from white to monochromatic and observe the difference.
Type: Tutorial
- Observe how the eye's muscles change the shape of the lens in accordance with the distance to the object being viewed
- Indicate the parts of the eye that are responsible for vision
- View how images are formed in the eye
Type: Tutorial
- Learn how a concave spherical mirror generates an image
- Observe how the size and position of the image changes with the object distance from the mirror
- Learn the difference between a real image and a virtual image
- Learn some applications of concave mirrors
Type: Tutorial
- Learn how a convex mirror forms the image of an object
- Understand why convex mirrors form small virtual images
- Observe the change in size and position of the image with the change in object's distance from the mirror
- Learn some practical applications of convex mirrors
Type: Tutorial
- Observe the change of color of a black body radiator upon changes in temperature
- Understand that at 0 Kelvin or Absolute Zero there is no molecular motion
Type: Tutorial
This resource explains how a solar cell converts light energy into electrical energy. The user will also learn about the different components of the solar cell and observe the relationship between photon intensity and the amount of electrical energy produced.
Type: Tutorial
- Observe that light is composed of oscillating electric and magnetic waves
- Explore the propagation of an electromagnetic wave through its electric and magnetic field vectors
- Observe the difference in propagation of light of different wavelengths
Type: Tutorial
- Explore the relationship between wavelength, frequency, amplitude and energy of an electromagnetic wave
- Compare the characteristics of waves of different wavelengths
Type: Tutorial
- Learn to trace the path of propagating light waves using geometrical optics
- Observe the effect of changing parameters such as focal length, object dimensions and position on image properties
- Learn the equations used in determining the size and locations of images formed by thin lenses
Type: Tutorial
Video/Audio/Animations
In this video from Khan Academy, you'll learn about the reception and cultural significance surrounding Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The publication of this novel is considered one of the causes of the Civil War.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
In this video from Khan Academy, you'll learn about the political and cultural issues that inspired the writing of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. These include the compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act. The publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin is considered one of the causes of the Civil War.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about one of the main causes of the Civil War in this short video from Khan Academy. The politics of slavery threatened the unity of the United States in the mid 1800s, especially after the Compromise of 1850 introduced the controversial Fugitive Slave Act.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about one of the main causes of the Civil War in this short video from Khan Academy. The politics of slavery threatened the unity of the United States in the early 1800s, leading to the Missouri Compromise.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about the beginning of the Civil War in this short video from Khan Academy. After the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln, Southern states began to secede from the Union to form their own nation. War would soon begin after the bombardment of Fort Sumter.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about one of the main consequences of the Civil War--the Emancipation Proclamation--in this short video from Khan Academy. President Abraham Lincoln's executive order ending slavery in the rebellious Southern states was the beginning of the end of slavery... although not necessarily in the way that many people realize.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about key events in American history from the colonial era to the end of the Civil War in this tutorial video provided by Khan Academy. The video touches on the American Revolution, the Constitution, the War of 1812, western expansion, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the end of slavery.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Analyze President Woodrow Wilson's plan for world peace in this tutorial video provided by Khan Academy. During a special joint session of Congress in 1918, President Wilson announced the Fourteen Points that would shape the peace negotiations that ended World War I.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about the events that drew the U.S. into World War I in this Khan Academy video. You'll learn about submarine warfare, naval blockades, the sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania, and President Woodrow Wilson's response to these events.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn about a World War I event in this Khan Academy video. The Zimmermann Telegram was an invitation from Germany to Mexico to declare war on the United States--an unsuccessful ploy by Germany to keep America out of the war in Europe.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Virtual Manipulatives
In this online activity, students burn a simulated forest and adjust the probability that the fire spreads from one tree to the other. This simulation also records data for each trial including the burn probability, where the fire started, the percent of trees burned, and how long the fire lasted. This activity allows students to explore the idea of chaos in a simulation of a realistic scenario. Supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet are linked to the applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
In this activity, students select one of three doors in an attempt to find a prize that is hidden behind one of them. After their first selection, one of the doors that doesn't have the prize behind it is revealed and the student has to decide whether to switch to the one remaining door or stay on the door of their first choice. This situation, referred to as the Monty Hall problem, was made famous on the show "Let's Make A Deal" with host Monty Hall. This activity allows students to explore the idea of conditional probability as well as unexpected probability. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative