Daily Activities – General Winfield Scott
The daily activities created for each of the Today in Georgia History segments are designed to meet the Georgia Performance Standards for Reading Across the Curriculum, and Grade Eight: Georgia Studies. For each date, educators can choose from three optional activities differentiated for various levels of student ability. Each activity focuses on engaging the student in context specific vocabulary and improving the student’s ability to communicate about historical topics.
One suggestion is to use the Today in Georgia History video segments and daily activities as a “bell ringer” at the beginning of each class period. Using the same activity daily provides consistency and structure for the students and may help teachers utilize the first 15-20 minutes of class more effectively.
Optional Activities:
Level 1: Provide the students with the vocabulary list and have them use their textbook, a dictionary, or other teacher provided materials to define each term. After watching the video have the students write a complete sentence for each of the vocabulary terms. Student created sentences should reflect the meaning of the word based on the context of the video segment. Have students share a sampling of sentences as a way to check for understanding.
Level 2: Provide the students with the vocabulary list for that day’s segment before watching the video and have them guess the meaning of each word based on their previous knowledge. The teacher may choose to let the students work alone or in groups. After watching the video, have the students revise their definitions to better reflect the meaning of the words based on the context of the video. As a final step, have the students compare and contrast their definitions to their textbook, dictionary or other teacher provided materials definitions.
Level 3: Provide the students with the vocabulary list and have them use their textbook, a dictionary, or other teacher provided materials to define each term. After watching the video, have the students write a five sentence paragraph based on the provided writing prompts.
Vocabulary/Writing Prompts:
Vocabulary Terms
Infamous Trail of Tears Fuss and Feathers Ejection Catapulted Spotlight Tragic
Writing Prompts
1. 2.
3.
What makes a person or event infamous? How is being infamous different from being famous? In a five-sentence paragraph explain what the Trail of Tears is infamous. What can we learn about the development of Georgia and the United States between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars by studying General Winfield Scott? In a five-sentence paragraph explain the importance of the War of 1812, the forced Indian Removal, and the Mexican War to the growing United States.
Do military figures still find themselves in the national spotlight? In a five-sentence paragraph compare and contrast the popularity of generals and other military figures today to the popularity of generals and other military figures from General Scott’s lifetime.
Related Georgia Performance Standards:
Reading Across the Curriculum (Grades 6-12)
SSRC1 Students will enhance reading in all curriculum areas by:
c. Building vocabulary knowledge • Demonstrate an understanding of contextual vocabulary in various subjects. • Use content vocabulary in writing and speaking.
• Explore understanding of new words found in subject area texts. d. Establishing context
• Explore life experiences related to subject area content. • Discuss in both writing and speaking how certain words are subject area related. • Determine strategies for finding content and contextual meaning for unknown words.
Common Core, College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing
Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies Theme 2: Time Continuity and Change; Theme 3: People Places and Environments; Theme 6:
Power Authority and Governance
Grade 8 Georgia Studies
SS8H5 The student will explain significant factors that affected the development of Georgia as part of the growth of the United States between 1789 and 1840.
a. Explain the establishment of the University of Georgia, Louisville, and the spread of Baptist and Methodist churches. b. Evaluate the impact of land policies pursued by Georgia; include the headright system, land lotteries, and the Yazoo land fraud.
c. Explain how technological developments, including the cotton gin and railroads, had an impact on Georgia’s growth. d. Analyze the events that led to the removal of Creeks and Cherokees; include the roles of Alexander McGillivray, William McIntosh, Sequoyah, John Ross, Dahlonega Gold Rush, Worcester v. Georgia, Andrew Jackson, John Marshall, and the Trail of Tears.