7th GRADE EXTENSION AND EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
United States Map
Age of Exploration
FIRST ENGLISH COLONIES
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR (SEVEN YEARS WAR)
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
2. The Crossing (film) - The movie depicts Washington and the Continental Army making the daring crossing of the Delaware River during a
snowstorm to surprise the Hessian soldiers who are camped at Trenton, New Jersey.
3. The Patriot (film) - The movie is based on the Revolutionary militiaman Francis Marion (the "Swamp Fox") who uses guerrilla warfare and other
odd tactics to combat the British army in South Carolina.
4. America: The Story of Us (History Channel, 45 minutes) - This documentary looks at a few other aspects of the Revolutionary War including
George Washington's spy network in New York City, the inoculation of American troops against small pox, and Daniel Morgan's riflemen at the
Battle of Saratoga.
5. John Adams (HBO miniseries) - Eight episodes give viewers a look at the life of John Adams from his defense of British troops after the Boston
Massacre, to his own presidency, to seeing his son become the sixth president of the United States.
thirteen key moments in the American Revolution and considers what might have been had there been different results. They are interesting
alternatives to history.
2. The Boston Massacre: An Interactive Adventure - The reader chooses his/her own path as a citizen of Boston in 1770 as decisions must be made
throughout the book leading to 15 different outcomes.
3. The Battle of Bunker Hill: An Interactive Adventure - The reader chooses his/her own path during the events leading up to and during the Battle
of Bunker Hill just outside of Boston. You can be British soldier, a Patriot, or just a civilian caught up in the conflict and create 14 different
endings.
4. The Revolutionary War: An Interactive Adventure - Readers choose between being a patriot soldier, a British soldier, or a civilian helping out
Washington's spy network resulting in 16 different endings.
5. 1776 (David McCullough) - The book looks at events during the American Revolution during the year 1776. A main focus of the book is the series of battles around New York City that become a disaster for the Continental Army. By the end, however, a small but significant battle gives the Americans a desperately needed lift going into 1777.
- Try to fill in a blank map of the United States one state at a time...without borders!
- Here's another version of the same game, but with borders.
Age of Exploration
- Books:
- Exploring the New World (interactive adventure) - You choose the explorer and the path you take through the New World. Each decision takes the reader down a different path.
- A People's History of the United States (Howard Zinn) - Chapter 1 of Zinn's award winning work looks at the history of Columbus in a way that your average history textbook won't. Columbus's involvement in the New World did not stop with his four voyages. He also set the precedent for how future Europeans would treat the indigenous people for years to come.
- Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (James W. Loewen, 1995) - Chapter 2, pages 29 - 66: Read about the story of Columbus during his time as governor of the islands he discovered. You will learn about atrocities Columbus and his men committed against the natives.
- Articles: (Smithsonian Magazine) Edward Teach's (aka Blackbeard) ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, is being salvaged. Read about the theories of how the ship sank and what is being pulled up from the ocean.
- Video/Documentaries:
- Who Really Discovered America? (History Channel, 94 minutes) - Explore evidence that suggests that America was visited by many before Columbus's time (some before the time of Christ), including the Chinese, Japanese, Polynesians, Norse, Welsh, Irish, and Ancient Hebrew. EXTRA CREDIT: Watch the documentary and summarize the theory behind the group who you believe had the best evidence supporting the idea that the particular group arrived in North America before Columbus. Give some of the evidence that archaeologists and historians have that support that theory. Add any other interesting details or information that you found interesting throughout the documentary.
- True Caribbean Pirates (History Channel, 94 minutes) - Learn about the development of buccaneers, privateers, and pirates in the Caribbean Sea as the documentary focuses on famous seafarers such as Captain Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham, Ann Bonny, Mary Read, and Black Bart. The documentary helps dispel some myths surrounding the lives of pirates while describing the good, the bad, and the ugly.
- Conquest of America: Southeast (History Channel, 45 minutes) - Examine the conflict between French Huguenots under Jean Ribault as the battle with Spanish explorers under the command of Pedro Menendez for control of southeast of North America.
- Conquest of America: Northeast (History Channel, 45 minutes) - Follow Henry Hudson as he explores the New England region and the easter portions of Canada right up to the point where his crew mutinies and abandons him in the middle of the bay that bears his name today.
- Conquest of America: Southwest (History Channel, 45 minutes) - Follow Francisco Coronado's infamous quest for "Cibola," the Seven Cities of Gold as he and his expedition traverse huge sections of the desert southwest.
- Conquest of America: Northwest (History Channel, 45 minutes) - One of the few Russian explorers to garner attention during the Age of Exploration, Vitus Bering finds an all-water route around the northern end of North America.
FIRST ENGLISH COLONIES
- Video/Documentaries:
- Secrets of Jamestown (History Channel, 45 minutes) - Historians and forensic detectives sift through evidence to determine just how the colony at Jamestown managed to survive despite the terrible odds against them.
- Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower (History Channel, 180 minutes) - From their self-imposed exile in Holland and perilous Atlantic crossing in the Mayflower to unimaginable hardships encountered in their new land, this is the definitive story of the Pilgrims and how they came to live--and ultimately prosper--in the harsh climate of an unfamiliar world.
- Books
- Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (James W. Loewen, 1995) - chapter 3, pages 67-90: Read about the story of the Pilgrims that is left out of your history textbooks. Historian James Loewen looks at how much attention is paid to the Pilgrims in history textbooks and whether or not it is just. You'll definitely learn more about Pilgrims than you have before.
FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR (SEVEN YEARS WAR)
- Video/Documentaries:
- The War that Made America (PBS, about 4 hours) - This is a comprehensive docudrama covering the entirety of the Seven Years War. There's a focus on George Washington as a young British officer as he attempts to take the prize of North America: the Forks of the Ohio and Fort Duquesne.
- Last of the Mohicans (film - rated R): Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, this film follows the remaining members of the Mohican tribe as they get caught in the middle of the Seven Years War.
- Books
- EXTRA CREDIT: Do some research on 'Robert Rogers' or 'Roger's Rangers.' Write up a brief report about how Rogers and his soldiers adapted to the fighting style of North America, similar to that of the Native Americans
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
- Video/Documentaries:
- Here's a link to the Youtube Channel for the cartoon series Liberty's Kids. Watch the episodes to help you study and understand the material in more of a story format.
2. The Crossing (film) - The movie depicts Washington and the Continental Army making the daring crossing of the Delaware River during a
snowstorm to surprise the Hessian soldiers who are camped at Trenton, New Jersey.
3. The Patriot (film) - The movie is based on the Revolutionary militiaman Francis Marion (the "Swamp Fox") who uses guerrilla warfare and other
odd tactics to combat the British army in South Carolina.
4. America: The Story of Us (History Channel, 45 minutes) - This documentary looks at a few other aspects of the Revolutionary War including
George Washington's spy network in New York City, the inoculation of American troops against small pox, and Daniel Morgan's riflemen at the
Battle of Saratoga.
5. John Adams (HBO miniseries) - Eight episodes give viewers a look at the life of John Adams from his defense of British troops after the Boston
Massacre, to his own presidency, to seeing his son become the sixth president of the United States.
- Books
thirteen key moments in the American Revolution and considers what might have been had there been different results. They are interesting
alternatives to history.
2. The Boston Massacre: An Interactive Adventure - The reader chooses his/her own path as a citizen of Boston in 1770 as decisions must be made
throughout the book leading to 15 different outcomes.
3. The Battle of Bunker Hill: An Interactive Adventure - The reader chooses his/her own path during the events leading up to and during the Battle
of Bunker Hill just outside of Boston. You can be British soldier, a Patriot, or just a civilian caught up in the conflict and create 14 different
endings.
4. The Revolutionary War: An Interactive Adventure - Readers choose between being a patriot soldier, a British soldier, or a civilian helping out
Washington's spy network resulting in 16 different endings.
5. 1776 (David McCullough) - The book looks at events during the American Revolution during the year 1776. A main focus of the book is the series of battles around New York City that become a disaster for the Continental Army. By the end, however, a small but significant battle gives the Americans a desperately needed lift going into 1777.