Task

You have been commissioned by the Museum of American History to create a museum exhibit describing the transformation of the United States between 1880 and 1920. Because this is such a large, complex task, you have been assigned to groups of 2 or 3 to research one aspect of this transformation. You will create your part of the exhibit using PowerPoint.

The directors of the museum do not want a mere re-telling of history, however. They want to know how you, as historians, interpret this transformation and its effect on the people of the United States. Overall, were these good changes for the average American, or did they make life more difficult? Your PowerPoint exhibit must answer this question in addition to describing the changes.

Your portion of the exhibit will be combined with those of your class mates to create a master exhibit describing the wide variety of changes that took place during this exciting period in U.S. History.

Bethlehem Steel Works. Created/Published c1896. From Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs,
1851-1991 from American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digitized Library.

Assessment

You will be evaluated in several ways throughout this unit. During the project, you will be evaluated individually on your thoughtful completion of group assignments, document analysis worksheets, and storyboards. Your contribution to your team’s exhibit (your artifact text panel) will be evaluated according to the Artifact Rubric. These grades together will equal a test grade.

Your team museum exhibit will be evaluated according to the Exhibit Rubric. This will count as a test grade for each student on your team.

You will write an individual essay answering the essential question for the unit: Is Progress Good? You will support your opinion with information you have learned from doing your exhibit and from viewing the exhibits of your classmates. The essay will be evaluated according to the Individual Essay Rubric.