Read Kansas! Middle School - M-10 Popular Sovereignty Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act
This middle school lesson can be used for Kansas or United States history. It helps the student to understand the concept of popular sovereignty as it relates to the settlement of Kansas Territory. The lesson includes background information on the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The lesson provides students with the opportunity to read a primary source document in the form of a persuasive text. The lesson is designed for two class periods but can be altered to meet the teacher’s needs.
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7th Grade Kansas History Standards:
- Benchmark 2, Indicator 1: The student describes the concept of popular sovereignty under the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its impact on developing a state constitution.
- Benchmark 7, Indicator 2: The student examines different types of primary sources in Kansas history and analyzes them in terms of credibility, purpose, and point of view (e.g., census records, diaries, photographs, letters, government documents).
7th Grade Reading Standards:
- Benchmark 4, Indicator 14: The student identifies the author’s position in a persuasive text and describes techniques the author uses to support that position (e.g., bandwagon approach, glittering generalities, testimonials, citing statistics, other techniques that appeal to reason or emotion).
Common Core Reading:
- RH.6-8.6: The student identifies aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
