Southern Nevada: The Boomtown Years > Teaching Resources > Activities

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Mining
Las Vegas & the Railroad

What's Your Angle?

Recommended Grade Level(s)

6-8
9-12

Primary Subject Area(s)

History
Language Arts

Related Artifacts

Activity Description

Review letters following the shooting of 1907. What do these teach about bias, perspective, and honesty?

Break the class into two groups. Have each group prepare questions to ask about the shooting as it relates to perspective and bias and consider possible answers to their questions. Each group will then choose one member to serve as an interviewer/interviewee in a TV talk show (e.g., Oprah). After 3-4 minutes, have the teams switch (who was originally interviewing becomes the interviewee) and each team must replace the interviewer/interviewee with another person. With the new sides and interviewer/interviewee, repeat the process.

Standards Addressed

History
1. Grades 6-8 Standards
  1. H1.[6-8].7: Explore the lure of the West and the reality of life on the frontier as it relates to communication, farming and water issues, mining, and ranching.
Language Arts
1. Grade 7 Standards
  1. 3.7.7: Explain the influence of time periods.
  2. 4.7.2: Explain intended and unintended effects of persuasive and/or propaganda techniques on an audience.
  3. 4.7.6: Evaluate the author's use of facts and/or opinions.
  4. 7.7.5: Focus attention to solve problems by identifying, synthesizing, and evaluating data.
  5. 8.7.3: Communicate information by maintaining a clear focus, following a logical sequence, and illustrating information with media aids.
2. Grade 12 Standards
  1. 3.12.7: Analyze the influence of historical events and culture.
  2. 4.12.2: Explain how language is used for the purpose of persuasion and propaganda.
  3. 4.12.4: Make inferences about an author's culture and historical viewpoints.
  4. 7.12.5: Actively listen to oral communications.
  5. 8.12.3: Use public speaking techniques to deliver presentations with appropriate prosody, volume, eye contact, enunciation, posture, expressions, audience, and purpose.

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