Activity Overview
Students, acting as "representatives" from their region of the South, will synthesize and evaluate the information from Activities 1 and 2 to develop a position statement expressing their region's intent to secede or stay with the Union.
Before the Activity
See the attached Activity PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity.
Print the appropriate pages from the Activity for your class.
Install the LearningCheck(tm) App on the students' graphing calculators following the attached instructions.
Make sure each student has a TI-83 Plus or TI-84 Plus graphing calculator loaded with the LearningCheck(tm) App. After you have assigned each student to a specific region within their groups of three, explain that they will be drafting a position statement stating whether or not their region should secede or stay loyal to the Union.
During the Activity
Distribute the appropriate pages from the Activity to your class
Distribute the LearningCheck(tm) file(s) to your class using TI Connect(tm) and the appropriate TI Connectivity cable
Follow the procedures outlined in the Activity
Students will:
Predict the effects that selected Antebellum events had on the North and South.
Compose a letter critically examining an event from a Northern perspective.
Analyze primary source data to make comparisons about the three regions of the South.
Assess statistical data to make inferences about how the different regions of the South viewed the issues of slavery and secession.
Synthesize and evaluate information in order to develop a position statement on secession from the Union.
After the Activity
Debrief students by showing them a list of the states that actually seceded from the Union and when they seceded. Have them make observations about the list and compare it to the results of their "vote." They should notice that the states that seceded first were from the Lower South, those that seceded second (after Ft. Sumter) were from the Middle South, and those that are not listed, and thus stayed loyal to the Union, comprised the Upper South.