Submitted by: Dawn Bullen, Rebecca Richards, and David Whitehouse
Collaborators: Kourtney Bostain, Shannon Hyman, and Janis Jones
School: Byrd Middle School
Summary
“No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.” Edmund Burke. This unit is an in depth exploration of the driving forces of fear and hate, and the role these forces play in instances of genocide and intolerance. This unit is intentionally timed to take place at the beginning of the eighth grade year, after the broad study of this time period in 7th grade history. Students build upon their prior knowledge of this time period, through the context of an all grade-level reading of the touchstone text, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Students deeply examine the European Holocaust from various lenses including the events leading up to and conditions during World War II, rescuers and resisters, and survivors’ struggles. This learning experience is transferred into developing personally relevant inquiries and the investigation of other instances of intolerance-both historic and modern. The three-tiered unit culminates with the creation of a personal project driven by the individual student’s inquiry and research conducted, and formatively evaluated throughout by individual, peer, and teacher informal assessments. Students work with the express purpose of sharing this creative expression to inform, enlighten and empower others to face intolerance and shape their world. Students plan to investigate and pursue avenues to share their work in a variety of forums school-wide, locally as part of a visual arts contest submission, and worldwide via an online gallery. By collaborating with the school librarians (SL), the 8th grade team is able to integrate essential research and information fluency skills and dispositions in the context of their curriculum.
TIPC Ratings
Ideal/Target: Students found and evaluated websites and books to complete research and creative projects which were driven by student developed essential questions. Media influence was investigated and explored in directed tasks, as well as independently within the context of personal inquiry. Real-world connections were established and investigated through historical context as well as modern context.
Ideal/Target: This unit provides a variety of levels of collaboration among students in pairs, in groups, whole class, and between classes across the grade level. Digital tools provide opportunity for real and non-real time communication of ideas and learning, while consistent opportunity for small group and whole group discussion is essential for this difficult yet relevant content. While students work independently on specific tasks and individual projects, opportunity is given through formative assessments to discuss and express learning corporately. The instructional team models real world collaboration by working together to develop the plans, facilitate lessons, and empower the students with essential skills.
Ideal/Target: Students use a variety of resources to draw conclusions and produce new understandings of the dangers of intolerance and hatred. Students work to design solutions to intolerance, define the role of personal responsibility, and to inquire about real world applications in their own school and globally.
Ideal/Target: Students use a variety of resources to draw conclusions and produce new understandings of the dangers of intolerance and hatred. Students work to design solutions to intolerance, define the role of personal responsibility, and to inquire about real world applications in their own school and globally.
