Made during the Harvard University student anti-war protest and sit-in of the administration buil
Head to Head: History Makers
Grade Range: 5-12
Resource Type(s): Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
4/16/2018
Head to Head invites students to think deeply about how American history has been shaped in countless ways by people in different eras and from diverse backgrounds.
The learning begins with the guiding question: Who changed America more? This simple question has no one right answer and can open up new ways of understanding how the nation was shaped into what it is today. Through a sports-playoff-style bracket, students make their case, debate matchups, and ultimately choose who they think shaped America the most.
Since the founding of the American republic, when the power of the nation was entrusted not in a monarchy but in its citizens, each generation has questioned and considered how to form “a more perfect union.” The American Experiments suite of educational games builds off of this question by challenging students to think about their roles and responsibilities within their democracy.
National Standards
United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)
Era 6: The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
1: How the rise of corporations, heavy industry, and mechanized farming transformed the American people
2: Massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity
3: The rise of the American labor movement and how political issues reflected social and economic changes
2: Massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity
3: The rise of the American labor movement and how political issues reflected social and economic changes
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)
Common Core State Standards (Grades K-12)
CCR Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.3 (Comprehension and Collaboration): Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4 (Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas): Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.4 (Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas): Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Grades 6-8)
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Grades 9-12)
2: Applying Disciplinary Tools and Concepts
D2.Civ.14.9-12. (Civics): Analyze historical, contemporary, and emerging means of changing societies, promoting the common good, and protecting rights.
D2.His.3.9-12. (History): Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
D2.His.3.9-12. (History): Use questions generated about individuals and groups to assess how the significance of their actions changes over time and is shaped by the historical context.
