students will develop a beginning understanding that New York State has a diverse geography and that various maps can be used to represent and examine the geography of New York State.They will also examine how New York State can be represented using a political map that shows cities, capitals, and boundaries.
In this unit, students will students will study Native American groups, chiefly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Algonquian-speaking groups, and focus on how they inhabited the region that became New York State. These people interacted with the environment and developed unique cultures. Student will investigate how geographic factors often influenced locations of early settlements and people made use of the resources and the lands around them to meet their basic needs. In addition, students will study how Native American groups developed specific patterns of organization and governance to manage their societies and how each Native American group developed a unique way of life with a shared set of customs, beliefs, and values.
In this unit, students will study how European exploration led to the colonization of the region that became New York State and how important Colonial New York was during the Revolutionary Period. Students will study how Colonial New York became home to many different peoples, including European immigrants, and free and enslaved Africans and the relationships that existed between colonizing people and the Native Americans. In addition, students will examine the many conflicts between England and the 13 colonies over issues of political and economic rights.
There are different levels of government within the United States and New York State. In this unit, students will study the fact that there are different levels of government within the United States and New York State and that the government of New York State establishes rights, freedoms, and responsibilities for its citizens. Students will learn about post-revolution times, the establishment of a federal government, and the New York State Constitution.
Students will investigate how different groups of people did not have equal rights and freedoms and how as people worked to bring about change, the struggle for rights and freedoms was one factor in the division of the United States that resulted in the Civil War. Students will also begin exploring Women’s Rights and the role New York State played in the Civil War.
Students will study the important role New York State played in the growth of the United States. Students will study life during the 1800s and how people traveled west looking for opportunities. In addition, students will have the opportunity to explore how economic activities in New York State are varied and have changed over time, including improvements in transportation and technology.
Many people have immigrated and migrated to New York State contributing to its cultural growth and development. In this unit students will learn about how and why immigrants came to and through New York and their experiences in their new lives after their arrival. Students will be given the opportunity to investigate how people were processed through Ellis Island, living conditions in the cities, factory conditions, and other conditions of the 1800s.
