US History Part 2 Unit 3

Unit Plan

The Progressive Era (1890–1920)

Activities

Teaching with E.L.O.N.  (Enriched Learning Opportunity Nexus) that seamlessly integrates AI 
Unit Plan
Essential Questions:
  • What social and political reforms emerged during the Progressive Era?
  • How did Progressives seek to improve society?
Unit Objectives:
  • Analyze the role of muckrakers and investigative journalism in promoting reform
  • Examine key social and political reforms, including women’s suffrage and labor laws
  • Evaluate the impact of Theodore Roosevelt’s trust-busting policies
  • Develop historical arguments using primary and secondary sources
  • Construct a persuasive essay on a Progressive reform issue
Common Core Standards Alignment:
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors on the same topic
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content
Key Topics and Activities:
Week 1: Introduction to the Progressive Era
  • Lecture and discussion on the causes of the Progressive Era
  • Primary source analysis: excerpts from Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Jacob Riis’ How the Other Half Lives
  • Group activity: students create a short newspaper article as muckrakers exposing societal problems
Week 2: Political Reforms and Government Action
  • Case study: Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal and trust-busting
  • Debate: Was government intervention in business beneficial or harmful?
  • Examination of Progressive legislation: Pure Food and Drug Act, child labor laws, and the Sherman Antitrust Act
  • Exit ticket: Identify one Progressive reform and explain its impact
Week 3: Women’s Suffrage and Social Reform
  • Analysis of speeches and writings from Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul
  • Simulation: Suffragist rally where students argue for and against the 19th Amendment
  • Assessment: Short-answer responses comparing strategies of different suffrage movements
Week 4: Historical Argumentation and Persuasive Writing
  • Mini-lesson on writing historical arguments using evidence
  • Workshop: Drafting and peer-reviewing persuasive essays on a Progressive reform
  • Final assessment: Persuasive essay arguing the significance of a chosen reform
Assessments:
  • Formative: Exit tickets, class discussions, and short-answer responses
  • Summative: Persuasive essay and participation in debates and simulations
Extensions and Differentiation:
  • Advanced students can analyze opposition to Progressive reforms
  • Struggling learners receive guided notes and sentence stems for written responses
  • Connection to today: Compare Progressive reforms to modern social movements
This unit provides a structured approach to understanding the Progressive Era while developing students’ historical analysis and argumentative writing skills.
​The following activities include AI tools that enhance student engagement, provide data-driven insights, and facilitate personalized learning. 
Activity 1: AI-Powered Muckraker Journalism AnalysisObjective: Analyze muckraking journalism and its impact on Progressive Era reforms.
Common Core Alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7 (Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information), CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.2 (Write informative texts).
Steps:
  1. Students upload excerpts from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair or How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis into an AI text analysis tool to identify tone, themes, and rhetorical strategies.
  2. AI generates a summary highlighting key arguments and emotional appeals.
  3. Students compare AI-generated insights with their own analyses.
  4. Students create a digital muckraking article on a modern issue, using AI for drafting suggestions.
Assessment: Students write a reflection on the effectiveness of muckraking journalism and its modern equivalents.

Activity 2: AI-Powered Debate on Women’s SuffrageObjective: Evaluate arguments for and against women’s suffrage using AI-generated counterarguments.
Common Core Alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1 (Engage in collaborative discussions), CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1 (Write arguments with reasoning and evidence).
Steps:
  1. Students research primary and secondary sources on the women’s suffrage movement.
  2. AI generates counterarguments based on historical opposition to suffrage.
  3. In pairs, students refine their arguments and anticipate rebuttals.
  4. Students participate in a structured debate, using AI-generated perspectives to strengthen their points.
Assessment: A written reflection comparing Progressive and contemporary debates on voting rights.

Activity 3: AI-Assisted Policy Brief on Trust-BustingObjective: Evaluate the effectiveness of Theodore Roosevelt’s trust-busting policies.
Common Core Alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.2 (Write informative texts), CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3 (Evaluate policies and their impact).
Steps:
  1. Students research Roosevelt’s antitrust policies and their impact on business.
  2. AI summarizes key arguments for and against trust-busting.
  3. Students use AI-generated insights to draft a policy brief evaluating whether trust-busting was effective.
  4. Students present their findings in a multimedia format.
Assessment: A policy recommendation on modern antitrust issues, supported by historical evidence.

Activity 4: AI-Guided Persuasive Essay on Progressive ReformsObjective: Construct a persuasive essay advocating for a specific Progressive reform.
Common Core Alignment: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1 (Write arguments), CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.9 (Draw evidence from informational texts).
Steps:
  1. Students choose a Progressive reform (Pure Food and Drug Act, child labor laws, etc.).
  2. AI provides structured writing assistance, suggesting thesis statements and supporting evidence.
  3. Students draft and revise their essays using AI-generated feedback on clarity, coherence, and argument strength.
  4. Peer review process with AI-supported feedback.
Assessment: A final persuasive essay submitted with an AI-generated revision summary.

These activities integrate AI to enhance historical analysis, argumentation, and writing while aligning with Common Core standards.
Proudly powered by Weebly