US History · Week 33 · The Cold War and Contemporary America
Watergate and Public Trust
Students examine the constitutional crisis of Watergate and how the press, courts, and Congress responded, then reflect on choosing integrity when no one is watching.
- Students will
- Students explain the constitutional crisis of Watergate and how the press, courts, and Congress responded, using evidence to judge whether anyone is above the law.
- SEL skill
- Recognize your feelings about fairness and honesty and name a value that guides your choices
- What it looks like
- Students recognize their feelings about fairness and honesty and reflect on choosing integrity when no one is watching.
- Content focus
- Watergate and Public Trust
- Format
- Think write pair share
Self-awareness
Self-awareness means recognizing your own emotions, thoughts, values, and strengths and how they influence what you do. More self-awareness activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- 11.11.4: CA History Social Science Content Standard, Grade 11: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century (standard 11.11, item 4)
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: HI4 Understand the meaning and impact of historical events and recognize that events could have taken other directions. (Historical Interpretation)
- C3 Framework (national): D2.Civ.4.9-12 Explain how the Constitution sets up a government whose powers and limits have changed over time and are still debated.
- Literacy in history: RH.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Fits these textbook chapters
- American History: Reconstruction to the Present, Module 17: Transitions and Conservatism
- American History: Reconstruction to the Present, Module 18: Into a New Millennium
- American History: Reconstruction to the Present, Module 19: The United States in the 21st Century
- History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals, Chapter 53: The Rise and Fall of Richard Nixon
- History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals, Chapter 54: Politics and Society in the "Me" Decade
- History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals, Chapter 55: A Shift to the Right Under Reagan
Textbook names are used only to help you find activities that fit what you teach. RoseThread Connect is not affiliated with these publishers.
More self-awareness activities for US History
- Becoming a Citizen Historian Self-awarenessStudents explore the Enlightenment ideas behind the nation's founding and name the questions about belonging and fairness they bring to the American story.
- Americanization and Identity Self-awarenessStudents examine the Americanization movement's pressure on immigrants to give up language and customs and reflect on the parts of their own identity they carry proudly.
- Social Darwinism or Social Gospel Self-awarenessStudents compare Social Darwinism and the Social Gospel as explanations for poverty and success and examine their own beliefs about why some people struggle.
- Fear and Civil Liberties Self-awarenessStudents analyze the Palmer Raids, the Ku Klux Klan, and immigration quotas alongside the responses of the ACLU, NAACP, and Anti Defamation League and learn to recognize fear driven thinking in themselves.
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RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.