Gilded AgeAll 5 grade bands · K-2 through APFree download
1880
Lesson plan.
James A. Garfield vs Winfield Scott Hancock — Republican James Garfield defeated Democrat Winfield Hancock in the closest popular vote in US history — a margin of just 1,898 votes out of nearly nine million cast. Garfield was a compromise dark horse candidate chosen on the 36th ballot at the Republican convention, picking Chester Arthur as VP to satisfy party factions. Garfield was shot by a disappointed office-seeker in July 1881 and died in September, making his presidency one of the shortest in history.
What is in each packet
Cover
Cycle metadata + band eyebrow
Lesson plan
Instructor — timing, materials, standards
Reading
Sized to grade band (K-2: ~250 words → AP: ~650)
Background
Curated cycles — 5-7 vocab terms + primary-source excerpt
Student worksheet
K-2: 3 questions → AP: 8, mixed format
Answer key
Instructor — rationale on every item
Discussion prompts
3 prompts tied to era
DBQ (AP only)
Long-essay + 5-point rubric + second source