Understanding by Design

Curriculum Template

Overview

Unit Name: Week 1 Identity and History Teacher: Jarrett Losey

Subject: United States History Grade: 11th
Briefly give a narrative overview of the learning unit:
This unit will have multiple purposes. First it will serve as an introduction to the course, outlining expectations and class policies while starting to
build a classroom community. Second, in conjunction with creating a classroom community, the unit will help students to understand the
importance and their identity and perspective. Finally, the unit will allow students to begin to work with different sources of information including:
primary documents, secondary sources, maps, and demographic figures. This will prepare them for the rest of the course as well as other courses
in the future.
Desired Results
Established Goals:
Standard - 8.1.U.B
Evaluate the interpretation of historical events and sources, considering the use of fact versus opinion, multiple perspectives, and cause and effect relationships.

Understandings: Essential Questions:

Students will understand that their identity and perspective are How does individual perspective alter the description and interpretation of
valuable, as well as the importance of recognizing the value of the historic events?
perspective of others.
Can a perspective be incorrect?
Students will understand the inherent shortcomings of an attempt
to shorten and explain someone elses experience. Does a standard history education tell a single story?

Students will be able to compare strengths and weaknesses of
different source materials.
Students will be able to interpret maps and demographic statistics
while understanding their limitations in telling a complete story
Is a primary source always the most accurate or important?
Can you be bad at history?
Do maps and statistics tell an accurate story?

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 Understanding by Design
Curriculum Template

Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks: Other Evidence:

-Students will write a personal history. The personal history will be -Friday exit ticket: What do we know, not know, and want to know?
a short, written assignment where the students have a chance to tell
the story of themselves and their families. Students will ask family -Daily regroups in the last five minutes of class to check for
members and do quick research to find out the history of their understanding of key ideas and areas that need reinforcement.
families, but should also tell the story of their own lives to highlight
how their familys past does not tell their whole personal story. -Participation and cooperation within groups.
This assignment will also serve as a quick gauge of writing
ability and styles.
Grading, however, will be based on completion and effort
not grammar or formatting.

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 Understanding by Design
Curriculum Template
Learning Plan
Day Essential Standard(s) Content Resources/ Materials
Question(s)
1 Why study history? -Introduction to class
policies and expectations.
Can you be bad at
history? -Growth mindset discussion
-Introduce Personal History
assignment
2 Does history teach us -Historiography- Text
a single story? background, organization,
what is missing, etc.
-Discussion of how our class
will be organized.
Learning Activities
-Copies of syllabus -Craft and sign class
constitution
-Large paper and markers -Me Too! Ice-breaker
for constitution -Discuss as a class why
its important to study
history.
-Think-Pair-share a time
when you overcame a
challenge
-Discuss growth mindset
as a class.
HW: Have students and
parents sign syllabus.
Students begin researching
for personal history.
-Class copies of textbook. -Where do you stand?-
-Large paper and markers Sides of the room
for group textbook design. icebreaker.
- Favorite parts of history
think-pair-share.
-Discuss our text: good,
bad, why?
-Split into groups and
write the table of contents
of the history book we
want.
-Create a whole class
dream table of contents
on the board.
HW: Continue work on
the personal history.
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 Understanding by Design
Curriculum Template
3 How does individual -Importance of personal
perspective alter the history and discussion of
description and what crafting a history
interpretation of leaves out.
historic events?
-Share my own personal
history as an example.
Does history teach us
a single story?
4 Is a primary source Standard - 8.1.U.B -Practice interpreting,
always the most analyzing, and comparing
accurate or different source materials.
important?
-Discuss the importance of
using varied source material
and always paying attention
to possible biases.
-Copies of my personal -Two truths and a lie
history. with partners.
-Read my personal history
as a large group and then
split into smaller groups.
-Small groups will discuss
and agree on how to
shrink my history into just
3 sentences, taking note of
what is left out.
-Return to the whole class
and have groups share
their abridged versions of
my history and discuss as
a class how effective this
method is.
HW: Continue work on
the personal history.
-Primary and secondary -Students will be split into
source material on the small groups. Some will
same topic for groups to be given primary sources
analyze. and others secondary.
Groups will analyze
strengths and weaknesses
and summarize.
-Using the jigsaw method,
we will see if the group
summaries tell the same
story.
HW: Continue work on
the personal history, Due
Friday.
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 Understanding by Design
Curriculum Template
5 Do maps and Standard - 8.1.U.B -Set the scene for the -*If available* laptops for -Students will spend most
statistics tell an upcoming unit: What did the students to work with of class in groups diving
accurate story? U.S. look like in 1850? online resource to find into maps and statistics of
maps and statistics. the US in 1850 to try and
-Practice interpreting and -If no computers have paint a picture of what life
analyzing maps and paper copies prepared for was like at that time.
statistics. the groups to work with. - Class will come together
toward the end to share
what they have found and
I will write out on the
board the findings of each
group so we can see the
whole picture.
-An exit ticket will ask
three questions (about US
History 1850-Present):
What do you know, what
do you not know, and
what do you want to
know?