Grade Eleven

United States History

HSS.11.2 The student will compare the colonization of Virginia with that of other American colonies, in terms of

• motivations of ethnic, religious, and other immigrants and their influences on the settlement of colonies;
• economic activity;
• political developments; and
• social customs, the arts, and religious beliefs.

The driving force of westward expansion was the discovery of mineral, hunting, timber, and, gold. Explore these motivations of settlers, recreate the activity of mining, and learn about the social customs of these settlers in out recreated and reproduced late 1800’s boomtown.

HSS.11.17 The student will develop skills for historical analysis, including the ability to

• analyze documents, records, and data (such as artifacts, diaries, letters, photographs, journals, newspapers, historical accounts, etc.);
• evaluate the authenticity, authority, and credibility of sources;
• formulate historical questions and defend findings based on inquiry and interpretation;
• develop perspectives of time and place, including the construction of various time lines of events, periods, and personalities in American history; and
• communicate findings orally, in brief analytical essays, and in a comprehensive paper.

Students can improve their historical analysis skills by assimilating their firsthand experiences with the documentary and primary sources they study in the classroom. The rich mineral deposits are part of the native industry of this region, and our original buildings are themselves historical artifacts which students can analyze in comparison with their textbook.