Evan Leuenberger 1

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Unit Planning
Manifest Destiny 1818- 1853
Set bounds on the unit
Typically when constructing units for my future courses, I will
predominantly model them after the chapters from the textbooks I will be
using. By doing this it gives students a good foundation for a conceptual
understanding of the course material, and it is increasingly common that
textbooks have online components that will further the amount of resources
available for the class as a whole. As a teacher, it will be my job to teach my
students out of the textbook, but also to fill in areas of the textbook that
might be oversimplified by using primary and secondary sources.
Discovering Our Past, the 8th grade history textbook used by Haslett
Middle School defines the Manifest Destiny Era as being between 1818 to
1853. I would agree with the textbooks conceptualization of this time period
as a unit because the Manifest Destiny Era of American history has a number
of distinct features, and is separated in its locational focus from the Jefferson
and Jackson Eras before it and the Civil War after it. While there is overlap
with other units covered previously, the unit on Manifest Destiny focuses less
on the North and the South, and more on territories in the west and further
south that were yet to become states.
There are a number of important events and people that define this
region. The Adams-Onis Treaty was signed with Spain, giving up part of
northern California and Oregon. Sam Houston and the Battle of the Alamo
also make up an important part of the history of Texas and Manifest Destiny. I
would do my best to fit in either the whole or part of the 2004 The Alamo
movie so that my students could add faces to the names mentioned in the
lesson and so they would understand the importance of the battle. The
Mormons and their move to Utah are another major factor in a unit on
Manifest Destiny.
The essential question driving this unit would be Who won and who
lost as a result of Manifest Destiny? The textbook does a good job of
addressing the costs and benefits of Manifest Destiny so by the end of the
unit the students should be able to argue both sides of the question.
Throughout the unit I could pass out a concept map where students could
write notes about how different perspectives might feel about how Manifest

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Destiny impacted them. At the end of the unit, instead of or in addition to a

test, my students would choose a perspective and argue for or against
Manifest Destiny in a whole class debate. By doing so the students would
have the ability to review the information on their own, necessary to make a
good argument, and the whole class would benefit from hearing main ideas
from the unit in action.

Rationalize the units historical and civic significance

The Manifest Destiny period of 1818 to 1853 is an incredibly important
time period in American history. For one, it helps to explain why the United
States looks the way it does, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It also
helps to explain the dominant psychology of the United States in the mid-18th
century. Finally, the cultural impact of the Manifest Destiny period is still felt
today, as seen in the large numbers of Chinese immigrants on the west
coast, Salt Lake City as the epicenter of the Mormon population of the United
States, as well as other legacies that trace their origin to westward
expansion. One of the major civic lessons to be learned from this time period
is that political actions have consequences, and these can be life threatening
when it comes to disrupting the livelihoods of entire cultures, such as was
felt in particular by Native Americans during this time period.
The Michigan Department of Educations Grade Level Content
Expectations define a number of standards for teaching this time period. For
teaching Westward Expansion, the expectation is for students to be able to
explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West through the
Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from
their native lands, the growth of a system of commercial agriculture, the
Mexican-American War, and the idea of Manifest Destiny (MDE 75). Tasking
it a step further, the Michigan Department of Education has an additional
point about teaching the consequences of expansion, that students should
be able to develop an argument based on evidence about the positive and
negative consequences of territorial and economic expansion on American
Indians, the institution of slavery, and the relations between free and
slaveholding states (MDE 75).

Describe Bens students

Generally the students in Bens fifth hour are a group of remarkable
students who work hard and are well on their way to being civically minded
adults. The class is approximately a third students of color with the rest

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Caucasian. In terms of gender the students are split evenly between those
identifying as male and those identifying as female, with no students
presenting as non-binary. From my experiences so far no students in 5th hour
struggle with speaking English, and there are a couple who speak Spanish
fluently. Some areas that the students might need to work on is reading
through their textbooks as assigned, so that they can better work with the
material in class the next day. Also in terms of volunteering in class, most
class discussion is dominated by four or five students, predominantly male. If
more students could be encouraged to participate, I believe the class as a
whole would benefit from differences in opinion and from a renewed interest
in American history.
Kim is a white female in Bens fifth hour class. She moved fairly
recently to Haslett Middle School after spending years at a private school in
Lansing. American History is not Kims favorite course, and she struggles
with the amount of reading required to do well in Bens class. Kim feels
helpless when it comes to pulling out specific information from a textbook,
and when encouraged to contribute to small group work Kim will tend to
either put her head down on the table or instead, start reading out loud from
the textbook about unrelated content. Kim does well in connecting with her
peers when required to, but spends most of class whispering and passing
notes to her friend, another female student who sits next to Kim. Moving
Kims seat, working on retrieving information from a textbook, and personal
encouragement would go a long way in helping Kim achieve her potential.
Juan is a Hispanic male in Bens fifth hour. Juan might be considered
the class clown of the hour and enjoys making both his classmates and his
teachers laugh. Despite not being particularly interested in American history,
Juan is still able to contribute to small group discussions when prompted to
by the teacher. Juans strengths are his ability to work well with others, so
long as he remains on task. His weaknesses include rarely completing the
assigned reading and not always bringing required materials to class like his
textbook.

Analyze the potential learning as students and content

come together
I believe Bens fifth hour as a whole would be interested in a unit on
Manifest Destiny. For one, there are a significant number of Hispanic students
in the class, who might feel that American history prior to the unit excludes
their ancestors and personal experiences. The lesson on the Mexican-

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American War and the Alamo might speak more to their interests, and is one
of the first major intersections between the United States and the Spanish
speaking world. There are also a wealth of alternative resources that
students would enjoy, from fairly recent movies about The Alamo, to apps
like the Oregon Trail. The Manifest Destiny unit would speak to the classes
goals of learning interesting material, comprehending it, and demonstrating
that knowledge through assessment at the end of the unit.
There are opportunities in the Manifest Destiny unit to speak to both
Kim and Juans strengths. For Kim, the ability to work in small groups, a key
component of this unit, will allow her to work with the material in new ways
that will further her understanding of westward expansion. Also, the
alternatives to the textbook will engage her in ways that will spark genuine
interest. Juan too will be interested in the lesson, because it speaks to the
United States history in relation to Mexico, where he was born. Like Kim,
Juan will find success working in small groups and the use of the Oregon Trail
game will speak to his interest in technology.

Analyze features of the Haslett community and connect

these features to your prior analysis
Working this semester at Haslett Middle School and the four
community events Ive attended outside of the classroom have given me a
glimpse into the Haslett community. Throughout the semester I went to a
Lansing bar to hear a Haslett teachers band play and to meet other Haslett
teachers, I went to a pep rally, I chaperoned a middle school dance, and I
attended a performance of Beauty and the Beast at the high school. On top
of all of those events, it was the day to day comments and observations that
added to by understanding of the Haslett community as well.
Based on my observations I would describe Haslett as a middle to
upper middle class community, that is predominantly white. The community
is fast growing, and around a third to half of the students in Bens fifth hour
were born outside the Haslett community. In fact, a significant portion of his
class, in addition to Ben himself, live in Lansing and commute to Haslett
because it is a school of choice. Housing values are significantly higher in
Haslett than they are in Lansing, which likely contributes to this need to
commute. While Haslett can be considered the nicer place to live however,
Lansing draws in students and members of the Haslett community for dining
and entertainment, of which the teachers band playing in the Lansing bar is
one example.

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Having spent a great deal of time learning about and exploring Lansing
this semester for another course, further illustrates why parents might wish
their child to attend school in Haslett. Academically Lansing students are low
ranked by a number of different metrics, from ACT/SAT scores to math and
reading comprehension. Haslett on the other hand has significantly better
scores in those areas. Thus it makes sense that those parents who are able
to enroll their children in Haslett schools would do so, so that their student
could have access to a better education. As a result, Lansing has
experienced a significant population loss from the 90s to today, while Haslett
continues to grow.
The unit on Manifest Destiny certainly connects to the expectations of
what Haslett School District parents want. The unit will sufficiently challenge
students to learn about new material as well as the importance of different
perspectives. The unit also incorporates various mediums from which their
children can learn. Possible points of controversy might come from the
discussions on Mormons in class or of the potentially controversial nature of
the Mexican American War and the Battle of The Alamo. I would navigate
these topics somewhat carefully, not knowing exactly how students might
feel about these topics. I would point to their importance to overall American
history and how they fit into the curriculum and meet the standards. Overall
the lesson will live up to the expectations parents have come to expect from
enrolling their children in Haslett Public Schools.

Bibliography
Michigan Department of Education. Grade Level Content Expectations. Pg.
75
<https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/8thgradeSSGLCE_229673_7.pdf>

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__/8 Knowledge of Content: Throughout the entire essay, your knowledge of

historical content is demonstrated. You demonstrate knowledge not only of historical
facts but also the role of diverse perspectives, big ideas and compelling
problems/questions within the discipline of US history.
__/8 Knowledge of Students: Throughout the entire essay, your knowledge of students
is demonstrated. You are able to consider students collectively and individually. You
write about students in ways that highlights their learning assets (prior knowledge,
skills and interests) and their areas for further growth.
__/4 Knowledge of the Community: In the final portion of your essay, your
knowledge of the Haslett Community is demonstrated. Throughout the entire essay,
your analyses show awareness of the need to balance your professional
responsibilities as a teacher with the need to be respectful of the hopes and fears of
individual families.