ED 321 THEMATIC UNIT PLAN Part I: Contextual Factors

Unit Theme World War II: Avoiding Stereotypes and Seeing the Individual Grade Level 8th Estimated time required for completion 3 weeks Unit Description (Use the document A Middle School Curriculum to help answer the questions related to adolescent issues and concepts) o Personal issues, needs and problems of adolescents that will be addressed in the unit The student explores what it means to judge someone based on stereotypes without ever having really known that person and the consequences of these judgments. This concept is particularly important to students who tend to organize in cliques. The lesson aims to make students evaluate how they form opinions of and treat peers. o Social issues and topics that will be addressed in the unit The student explores his or her values, morals, and ethics in relationship to events that unfolded during WWII, many of which were defined by the nature of ones perceived national identity and religion. o Content and skills to be covered in the unit Students will explore the events leading up to WWII and U.S. involvement. Students will also critically examine the social and economic affects of actions carried out by warring parties. Finally, students will learn about the events that brought an end to the war, evaluating the implications and use of the atom bomb. The content will address the following Wisconsin Academic Standards: B.12.1 Explain different points of view on the same historical event, using data gathered from various sources, such as letters, journals, diaries, newspapers, government documents, and speeches B.12.2 Analyze primary and secondary sources related to a historical question to evaluate their relevance, make comparisons, integrate new information with prior knowledge, and come to a reasoned conclusion B.12.11 Compare examples and analyze why governments of various countries have sometimes sought peaceful resolution to conflicts and sometimes gone to war B.12.18 Explain the history of slavery, racial and ethnic discrimination, and efforts to eliminate discrimination in the United States and elsewhere in the world

o Persistent/enduring concepts that the intersecting personal and social themes may eventually lead toward Significance/rationale for the unit (How and why the unit will meet all 8 of the Guiding Principles for A Middle School Curriculum found in A Middle School Curriculum. Please number and identify each principle and then define how you will meet it throughout the plan. 1. Focus on General Education- This lesson would be designed for a general middle school body of students. Material would cover WWII, an important topic for all citizens. 2. Explore Self and Social Meanings- The lesson would have an overarching theme which advises students against making generalizations and encourages students value people as individuals. For students who find themselves falling into cliques and social groups, this lesson emphasizes the consequences that may occur by judging others based on stereotypes. 3. Respect Dignity- Students are asked to become engaged in a political and social conversation about the causes, events, and consequences of war and prejudice while also forming their own opinions to evaluate the justification of actions made my by warring countries. 4. Democracy- Students are asked to bring their own meaning to information which is explored in class. Furthermore, the way in which students present their new perspectives through assessment will be open to class collaboration, based on the learning style of that particular class. 5. Diversity- The WWII lesson will have a strong focus on diversity, exploring different perspectives from the United States, Holocaust survivors, Japanese citizens, Japanese-American citizens, etc. from multiple resources. 6. Personal & Social Significance- This lesson asks students to examine the way that people treat each other in society and the consequences of such treatments. Students analyze this question in both a narrow perspective of their own lives in school and also in a more broad global aspect in the context of WWII. 7. Lifelike & Lively- Students are constantly asked to form new questions about social interaction and evaluate the actions of others based on their own morals and values with the addition of new information learned in class. 8. Knowledge & Skills- This lesson enhances students knowledge of WWII while focusing on four of the Wisconsin Academic Standards.

Indicator Appropriateness For Students

Indicator Met Design decisions are accurate for students grade and age level. Personal and social issues targeted in unit design are relevant, engaging and appropriate. Time allowed for teaching the unit is realistic and reasonable in terms of accomplishing goals. Unit design accounts for the acquisition of content knowledge and skills that meet the learning needs of students. The intersection of personal and social concepts in the design are evident and have the potential to lead to the acquisition of persistent and enduring concepts on the part of students.

Time Allotment Impact on Student Learning Long Lasting Meaning and Learning

Part II: Unit Objectives

Standards B.12.1 Explain different points of view on the same historical event, using data gathered from various sources, such as letters, journals, diaries, newspapers, government documents, and speeches B.12.2 Analyze primary and secondary sources related to a historical question to evaluate their relevance, make comparisons, integrate new information with prior knowledge, and come to a reasoned conclusion B.12.11 Compare examples and analyze why governments of various countries have sometimes sought peaceful resolution to conflicts and sometimes gone to war B.12.18 Explain the history of slavery, racial and ethnic discrimination, and efforts to eliminate discrimination in the United States and elsewhere in the world Objectives a. Students will identify the nations involved in World War II, the dates that it occurred, and the time period in which it took place. (Knowledge) b. Students will locate on a map the countries involved in World War II and where battles occurred. (Knowledge) c. Students will describe the causes of the war and compare different nations reasons for involvement. (Comprehension) d. Students will describe what life was like in concentration camps in Europe and Japanese internment camps in the United States. (Comprehension) e. Students will judge the actions of the United States criticize the appropriateness of the atom bomb as means of ending a war. (Evaluation) f. Students will judge the ethics of warring nations in relation to their own values. (Evaluation)

Part III: Assessment Plan

OBJECTIVES B.12.2, a ASSESSMENT The War at Home Propaganda Posters After having learned about the war initiative at home and the changes that Americans made to support the troops, students will make their own propaganda posters calling on classmates to participate in the initiative. RATIONALE CRITERIA This assignment requires students Total Value: 25 to identify (knowledge) the ways in which the United States Posters should be visually appealing supported the war and, in their (neatly made with appropriate use of own words (comprehension), asks coloring). a body of their peers to participate Posters should be designed for the in these initiatives. This appropriate audience. assessment allows students to Posters should identify the initiatives artistically display their being raised. understanding. Posters should offer appropriate evidence as to why the initiative should be supported (e.g. what will the be the effects of the initiative?). Must receive 15/25 to successfully complete. Total Value: 30 Each letter is worth a total of 10 points. Letters should be set within the appropriate place and time. Letters should be written using proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Letters must describe the daily events of that person. Letters should how that person came to be in their current situation. Letters should include at least one appropriate reason for concern.

B.12.1, B.12.2, d, f

Letters to Home

This assignment requires students to identify (knowledge) what Having read primary and secondary conditions were like in each of material, students will write a three settings, describing events series of three letters addressed to and places in their own words home. The letters will be written (comprehension). As students from the perspectives of an write these letters, they will be American soldier on the battlefield, able to compare and contrast a Jewish person in a concentration (analysis) lives within these camp, and a Japanese person in an different locations. This internment camp. assignment allows students to demonstrate their understand through writing.

B.12.2, B.12.18, d, f

Literature Fish Bowl

a, b, c

This activity is to be given in the middle of the unit to assess Students will participate in a fish progress of novel reading. The bowl discussion of the book they activity will allow students share have selected to read. Students who ideas and ask questions with have read a different piece of fellow classmates. Students will literature will sit outside of the fish also be able to hear about a novel bowl and observe. Students will that they did not choose to read, trade places three times until all further expanding their novel groups have had a chance to knowledge of the unit. This discuss. assessment allows students to identify their understanding through verbal discussion. WWII Time Line This assignment will be completed as one of the final Students will create a numbered projects of the unit. The time line that lists and describes the assignment primarily assesses significance of major events within knowledge and comprehension of the war, including prominent the events leading up to, through, countries and people. Time lines and after WWII. This assignment should include a map that identifies allows students to demonstrate where the numbered events their understanding through occurred. writing and mapping.

Must receive 20/30 to successfully complete. Total Value: 15 Students should have prepared for their role within the discussion. Students should participate and contribute to the group discussion. Students should listen and take notes when observing other groups discuss. Must receive 10/15 to successfully complete. Total Value: 60 Time lines should be neatly made and visually appealing (neat, eligible, and appropriately colored or decorated with imagery). Time lines should contain a minimum of 10 events. All events should have an appropriate description of their significance at least a paragraph in length. Events should be numbered and numbers should be displayed on a map Maps should be visually appealing (neat, eligible, and appropriately colored). Must receive 35/60 to successfully

B.12.1, B.12.2, B.12.11, e, f

Drop the Bomb Debate

This assessment allows students to incorporate their own values Nearing the end of the unit, when evaluating the use of the students will have discussed just atom bomb. It allows students to war practices and have had time to share ideas and viewpoints which reflect on their own morals and are supported by evidence. values. Students will then have the Students practice argument opportunity to voice these opinions, building and oral presentations. as well as supporting evidence, during a debate centered on the following question: Should America have used the Atom Bomb? Reading Journals As students read from one of three selected pieces of literature (Maus, Hiroshima, & Night), they will record their observations and thoughts in a daily reading journal. Students should focus on recording how the material connects to past experience, prior knowledge, current events, class lessons, and/or their own personal values. This assessment calls for students to reflectively read their piece of literature throughout the entirety of the unit. The connections that students make in their reading journals will assist them in later assignments, including the debate. This assignment allows students to demonstrate their thoughts through writing.

complete. Total Value: 50 Students should be prepared with notes and appropriate evidence. Students should contribute at least once in the argument and rebuttal. Students should support statements with appropriate evidence. Students who are not present will prepare a two page paper addressing one of the sides.

B.12.1, B.12.2, B.12.18, d, f

Must receive 30/50 to successfully complete. Total Value: 30 Students should have at least one entry for every school day of the unit. There is no requirement for time spent reading daily. Students should write in complete sentences with proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Students should make appropriate connections in each entry. Must receive 20/30 to successfully complete

a, b, c

Unit Test At the end of the unit, students will

This assessment is given to examine students knowledge and comprehension of major events,

Total Value: 50 Students will have one class period to

take a test feature multiple choice, matching, and short essay questions. This quiz will call for students to recognize significant places, times, people, and events while also using analysis to answer questions such as: Why did the U.S. enter the war? What were three main causes of the War? What were the effects of the War in Europe and America after it ended? Grading Scale: A+ 97-100% A 94-96% A- 90-93% B+ 87-89% B 84-86% B- 80-83%

places, people, and vocabulary. The assessment also demonstrates through analysis based essay questions whether students understand the causes and affects of the war.

complete the test. No books or notes are allowed while testing. Essay questions should be answered in complete sentences. Late tests will lose points with each day the test is not completed. Must receive 30/50 to successfully complete

C+ 77-79% C 74-76% C- 70-73%

D+ 67-69% D 64-66% D- 60-63%

F 00-59%

The War At Home Propaganda Poster Criteria Developing Met Poster is visually appealing (neatly made with appropriate use of coloring, design, and imagery). Poster is designed for the appropriate audience (a body of your peers). 7 pts Poster identifies the initiatives being raised and explains their importance. 8 pts Poster offers appropriate evidence as to why the initiative should be supported (e.g. what will the be the effects of the initiative?). 10 pts

Advanced

Part IV: Unit Design Day 1 Objectives

B.12.1

Lesson Description
Pre-AssessmentThe class will be introduced with a short video about WWII. The class will then be opened up to a group discussion where students will talk about what they already know may know about the subject. Before class ends, students will fill out KWL charts. Discovering CausesStudents will work in groups to explore their textbook and discover causes of the war. Teams will create a graphic on poster board that displays what they have learned. Students will then share these posters and discuss as a class. As the lesson ends, students will be informed about the reading project and given the chance to select a book and reading journal. Whos Who in WWII? Students will work in pairs to complete a map of WWII. Students should identify the major nations involved, and

Materials
WWII Film KWL Charts

Adaptations
Students who struggle should listen closely during the group discussion for ideas from their peers.

B.12.2, c, a

Poster Board Coloring Materials Text Books Literature Selections (Maus, Night, Hiroshima) Reading Journals

The teacher, to encompass a wide range of abilities, should create the groups. Students who struggle with material should work closely with those students who excel.

B.12.11, B.12.2, a

Maps Writing Materials Text Books

Students who struggle will focus on identifying the countries, and explaining the reasons for involvement will be less emphasized.

describe what caused that nation to join the war.

B.12.18, d, f

Responding to Pearl HarborThe class begins by listening to a broadcasted radio report of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students are asked to discuss how they feel and what actions should be taken. As a class, students then read about Japanese internment policies. Students are asked to write a brief one page paper answering if Japanese internment was an appropriate means of action and why or why not. The War At HomeStudents will learn about how the United States prepare for the war imitative. In small groups of 2-3, students will complete a graphic organizer, listing at least 5 ways Americans changed their behaviors to support the war. During closing, students will be assigned the Propaganda Poster Project. Women & WarStudents will be asked to

Radio Report Recording Internment Reading Material Instruction and Criteria Sheet for Written Response

Students who excel may be asked to worth with one of students who are struggling. Students who have an IEP will not have to respond to the question in such length as one page.

B.12.2, a

Text Book Graphic Organizer, Instruction and Criteria Sheet for Posters

Students struggling should only identify 3 ways Americans changed behavior; those excel should identify as many as they can within the class period or help fellow students.

B.12.2, a

Rosie the Riveter Image Computer Lab

Students who find the task difficult may work in groups to complete

B.12.2, B.12.18, d, f

examine an image of Rosie the Riveter and discuss what thoughts come to mind. How do they think women affected the war? Students will then research the role of women or a womans group during WWII. Students will fill out information according to a graphic organizer. Fish Bowl DiscussionStudents will have the entire day to work within groups and discuss what they have read in the novel up to that point. Students should take and turn in notes based on the discussions. Discovering Major EventsIn groups, students will explore their text and other sources to learn about significant battles and their effects during the war. Information will be collected and displayed as a visual on a poster. Students will then present their findings to the class and explain the importance of the battle. Examining the HolocaustThe class will begin with the read aloud of an excerpt from the Diary of Anne Frank. Students

Text Books Graphic Organizer

the assignment. The assignment can be finished out of class or with a textbook.

Note Taking Paper Novels

B.12.2, a, b

Poster Board Coloring Materials Text Book Additional Reading Materials

All students should participate. If a student is struggling, they should make sure to voice their questions rather than focusing on summarizes or identifying themes. The teacher, to encompass a wide range of abilities, should create the groups. Students who struggle with material should work closely with those students who excel.

B.12.18, d, f

Anne Frank excerpt Graphic Organizer Text Book

I will circulate the classroom and help individual groups with questions. Groups that are really struggling may

10

B.12.1, B.12.2, a

will then work in pairs to describe what life was like in concentration camps and examine their own feelings on the subject. Students should complete their findings in a given graphic organizer. Students will then be assigned the Letters to Home Project. Ending the War Students will learn through a popcorn style reading of the textbook and guided note taking exercise the events that lead to the wars end. Time Line Project will be assigned. Service Learning Interview Day Students will meet with community members who were involved in WWII (citizens from Japanese internment camps & concentration camps, U.S. soldiers, and women involved in the war initiative). Students will listen to the community members as they explain their life and WWII involvement. Students must keep notes on this meeting. Having become familiar with describing historical events

Letters to Home Instruction and Criteria Sheet.

consider splitting up and joining other groups.

Text Books Note Taking Material Time Line Instruction and Criteria Sheet Note Taking Paper Tape Recorders Historical Story Instruction and Criteria Sheet.

A separate copy of the notes will be kept for students who cannot keep up with the writing. Students will the be able to copy from these notes at their own pace. Students who have difficulty writing will be graded on the ideas within the story and will be given more help while proofing papers.

11

B.12.1, B.12.2, B.12.18, a, d, f

12

a, b, c

through literature, students will prepare their own short story or graphic novel describing the life of the person they interviewed. Time Line PresentationsStudents will present their time lines in front of the class. They will be assessed on both the quality of the time line and their communication abilities. Unit Test-

Time Lines

IEPs will be considered when assessing the presentation of the time lines.

13

a, b, c

Tests

14

B.12.1, B.12.2, B.12.18, a, d, f

Students will have a short period Notes and Text Book for of time at the beginning of class Studying to study. The rest of the hour will then be devoted to taking the Unit Test. Peer Review and Assessment of Stories Historical StoriesMaterials for binding Students will have the day review stories each others historical stories. After having the story approved WWII pictures by the teacher, students will create a cover for the work. Glue Scissors

Students who have problems taking tests will be able to use notes and take the test outside of the room with an aid. Students who have difficulty completing the book may be assisted by fellow students or aids.

15

B.12.1, B.12.2, B.12.18, a, d, f

Service Learning WWII Memorial Day-

Coloring Materials Student Books Thank You Cards

Members of the community who volunteered to speak with students will be invited to a Memorial Day at the school where their lives will be celebrated. Several student stories will be read aloud in front of the school. Finally, the members will be presented with the books the students created.

Reading Materials:
Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History: by Art Spiegelman, is a biography of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. It alternates between descriptions of Vladek's life in Poland before and during the Second World War and Vladek's later life in the Rego Park neighborhood of New York City. The work is a graphic narrative in which Jews are depicted as mice, while Germans are depicted as cats. Hiroshima: Hiroshima is the title of a magazine article written by Pulitzer winner John Hersey that appeared in The New Yorker in August 1946, one year after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, at 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945. The article was soon made into a book. Night: is a work by Elie Wiesel about his experience with his father, Shlomo, in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 19441945, at the height of the Holocaust and toward the end of the Second World War. In just over 100 pages of sparse and fragmented narrative, described as devastating in its simplicity, Wiesel writes about the death of God and his own increasing disgust with humanity, reflected in the inversion of the father-child relationship as Shlomo declines to a helpless state and Wiesel becomes his resentful teenage caregiver. If only I could get rid of this dead weight ... Immediately I felt ashamed of myself, ashamed forever. In Night, everything is inverted, every value destroyed. Here there are no fathers, no brothers, no friends, a Kapo tells him. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone.

Social Studies: Grade 8 Lesson Plan: WWII Pre-Assessment Objective: Students will describe what they may already know about WWII and identify questions that they still have or would like answered during the unit. Goal: B.12.1 Explain different points of view on the same historical event, using data gathered from various sources, such as letters, journals, diaries, newspapers, government documents, and speeches Materials: KWL Charts, WWII Films http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/5559/preview/ Length: 1 Hour, 45 minutes (block scheduling) Introduction: 40 Minutes The lesson will begin with a short series of video clips about WWII, intended to stimulate student thinking on the subject and assist in recalling information. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/5559/preview/ Steps For Instruction: 1 Hour Students will divide into small groups and discuss what they saw in the video and how it relates to prior knowledge. Students should also address any questions they had while watching the video and what they would like to know more about. After 15 minutes, students should switch groups and discuss again. After 15 minutes, the class will come together and discuss as a whole. After 15 minutes, students will be given 10 minutes to complete their KWL charts. Closing: 10 minutes Students will be told that they are entering a three-week unit on WWII and that their KWL charts will help in guiding the unit. KWL charts will then be collected. Modifications: Students who struggle should listen closely during the group discussion for ideas from their peers.

What We KNOW

What We WANT TO KNOW

What We Have LEARNED

Social Studies: Grade 8 Lesson Plan: WWII Pre-Assessment Objective: Students will describe what they may already know about WWII and identify questions that they still have or would like answered during the unit. Goal: B.12.1 Explain different points of view on the same historical event, using data gathered from various sources, such as letters, journals, diaries, newspapers, government documents, and speeches Materials: KWL Charts, WWII Films http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/5559/preview/ Length: 1 Hour, 45 minutes (block scheduling) Introduction: 40 Minutes The lesson will begin with a short series of video clips about WWII, intended to stimulate student thinking on the subject and assist in recalling information. http://www.pbs.org/teachers/connect/resources/5559/preview/ Steps For Instruction: 1 Hour Students will divide into small groups and discuss what they saw in the video and how it relates to prior knowledge. Students should also address any questions they had while watching the video and what they would like to know more about. After 15 minutes, students should switch groups and discuss again. After 15 minutes, the class will come together and discuss as a whole. After 15 minutes, students will be given 10 minutes to complete their KWL charts. Closing: 10 minutes Students will be told that they are entering a three-week unit on WWII and that their KWL charts will help in guiding the unit. KWL charts will then be collected. Modifications: Students who have difficulty writing will be graded on the ideas within the story and will be given more help while proofing papers.

Social Studies: Grade 8 Lesson Plan: Service Learning Interview Day Objective: Students will meet with community members who were involved in WWII (citizens from Japanese internment camps & concentration camps, U.S. soldiers, and women involved in the war initiative). Students will listen to the community members as they explain their life and WWII involvement. Students will identify events in that persons life and, in their own words, keep notes on this meeting. Goal: B.12.1, B.12.2 ,B.12.18 A, d, f Materials: Note Taking Paper, Tape Recorders, Historical Story Instruction and Criteria Sheet. Length: 1 Hour, 45 minutes (block scheduling) Introduction: 20 Minutes Students will be introduced to lesson and project. The Instruction and Criteria Sheet will be read through. Students will be given expectations for their behaviors while working with community volunteers. Steps For Instruction: 1 Hour, 10 minutes Students will be assigned to community members and introduced. Students will have 1 Hour and 10 minutes to talk with their volunteers. Students should take notes and use a tape recorder for more efficient record keeping. Closing: 15 minutes Students will thank volunteers for coming in. After volunteers have left, students will quickly brainstorm a focus for their short stories. Modifications:

Social Studies: Grade 8 Lesson Plan: Unit Test Objective: This assessment is given to examine students knowledge and comprehension of through identification of major events, places, people, and vocabulary. The assessment also demonstrates through analysis-based essay questions whether students understand the causes and affects of the war. Goal: a. Students will identify the nations involved in World War II, the dates that it occurred, and the time period in which it took place. (Knowledge) b. Students will locate on a map the countries involved in World War II and where battles occurred. (Knowledge) c. Students will describe the causes of the war and compare different nations reasons for involvement. (Comprehension) Materials: Tests, Notes and Text Books for Studying Length: 1 Hour, 45 minutes (block scheduling) Introduction: 10 Minutes Students will be reminded that they are taking a test that encompasses all of the learning from the unit. Students will then be informed that will be given a short time to study before taking the quiz, after which no text books or notes will be allowed out. Steps For Instruction: 1 Hour, 30 minutes Students will have 15 minutes to review notes and the text Students will put away study materials and the tests will be handed out Instructions will be read through as a class and questions regarding testing procedures may be asked The remaining time will be used for silent test taking If students finish testing early, they should work quietly on their historical story project Closing: 5 minutes Tests will be collected and students will be informed when they can expect their feedback. Students will then be reminded to continue working the historical short stories and prepare for peer review. Modifications: Students who have problems taking tests will be able to use notes and take the test outside of the room with an aid.