How to run A Nation to Reform, 1848 as Problem-Based Learning: your role, the pre-planning maps, pacing, reformer role cards, sources, and debrief prompts. The golden rule — guide, don't tell. In PBL the students should feel they, not you, planned the investigation.
| Phase | What you do | What you resist |
|---|---|---|
| ① Surface | Teach vocabulary and facts efficiently; run the jigsaw; check acquisition. | Rushing to the problem before facts are secure. |
| ② Deep | Facilitate the causes-goals-tactics-opposition map and source routine; model claim + evidence and steelmanning. | Giving your own interpretation of the sources. |
| ③ Transfer | Read the problem well; hold the KWHL chart; answer questions with questions; point to sources. | Answering the “Need to know” questions yourself. |
The Surface phase uses a four-topic jigsaw (The age of reform) — a high-leverage move (d ≈ 0.92) because every student must teach. The flow: expert groups each study one topic and take notes → students re-mix into home groups with one expert per topic → each expert teaches → an individual check for understanding holds everyone accountable.
The per-expert-group source links (documents + articles) live on the Surface page, one set per topic. Confirm access through your district before class.
Before teaching, brainstorm every direction the reform problem could branch — so you can steer discussion and decide, in advance, which threads are productive and which need care because they are sensitive. Slavery must be handled honestly, factually, and with gravity — it is central, not optional, and the voices of the people most affected belong at the center.
| If students investigate… | They are working toward… |
|---|---|
| the major 19th-century reform movements & their goals | §113.20(c)(24) |
| the impact of religion & American ideals on reform | §113.20(c)(25) |
| relationships among people from various backgrounds | §113.20(c)(23) |
| rights, responsibilities & voluntary civic participation | §113.20(c)(19), (c)(20) |
| the importance of the expression of different points of view | §113.20(c)(21) |
| using and questioning sources; points of view; claim + evidence | §113.20(c)(29)(A–H) |
| defining the problem, weighing options, choosing & evaluating a solution | §113.20(c)(31)(B) |
Confirm access through your district's approved catalog before class. Vetted, free starting points:
Aligned to (not reproduced from) 19 TAC Ch.113 §113.20.