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Education

Isolation and Engagement in U.S. History Lesson Plan

Length
One 50 minute period
Grade Level
High School

Learning Objectives

  • Students will analyze how the United States became a global power and assess how debates over this transformation are still evident in the United States today.

Instructional Plan

  1. (5 minutes) Have students use pen or pencil to answer the following prompt: “What does it mean to be ‘a global power?’ What is ‘isolationism?’ Define these terms in your own words, to someone who has never heard of them before.”
  2. (10 minutes) Ask 4 or 5 students to share their responses with the class, noting similarities and differences across responses. On the whiteboard, work with the class to create working definitions of the terms “isolation” and “global power” in accordance with the reading. Explain to students that today, they will be using these working definitions to explore history, specific countries, and connections to their own lives.
  3. (5 minutes) Divide the class into small groups (3-4 students) and give each group a printed copy of the CFR Education World History Timeline Sort: 1898–1945 (attached). Give each group 5 minutes to sort the events in chronological order. Note to students that your aim is not a perfect sort, but a reflective activity of what they know and what they are going to learn.
  4. (5 minutes) Facilitate a debrief of the timeline sort.
    • What was difficult to place on the timeline?
    • What was easy to place on the timeline?
    • What surprised you most while sorting these events?
  5. (15 minutes) Have students independently read the CFR Education “How Did the United States Become a Global Power?” resource. Provide students with the vocabulary sheet if needed. Ask students to create a visual timeline of how the U.S. became a global power as they read. When students have completed the reading, have them compare their timelines in pairs.
  6. (10 minutes) Conclude class with a discussion:
    • What events came together to make the United States a global power?
    • How did Americans respond to the events that made the United States a global power? Were Americans in favor of this transformation? Why or why not?
    • How do you see debates over isolationism versus engagement in your own life today?

Supplies Needed:

  • White board, chalk board, or smart board
  • Printed copies of the timeline sort cards (linked below)
  • Printed copies of the “Isolation and Engagement Worksheet” (linked below)
  • Colored pencils and/or markers (optional for timeline creation)

Materials