SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 , 2010MARCIE TAYLOR-THOMA

MTHOMA@MSDE.STATE.MD.US

World History Writers’ Training

World History Writers’ Training

We designed our unit frameworks with the Understanding by Design theory and model, as designed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, in mind. focus on Understanding and focus on

Quality, not Quantitykeep the end goal in mind: creating

literate, technically savvy consumers of world history concepts and trends

Focus on Understanding

explains common practices that interfere with understanding

explains a backward design process to avoid common problems

proposes an approach to curriculum designed to engage students in inquiry & uncovering ideas

proposes a set of design standards for achieving quality control in curriculum & assessment designs

Focus on Instruction or the Approach

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe provide a way to move from covering the curriculum to creating curriculum and understanding with technology.

Stages of Backward Design

Establishing Curricular Priorities

Enduring Under-

standings

Important to know

and do

Worth being

familiar with

Filters for Selecting Understandings

represent a big idea having enduring value beyond the classroom

reside at the heart of the discipline (involves actually the doing the subject, i.e., thinking like a historian)

require un-coverage (often abstract or misunderstood ideas)

offer potential for engaging students

Practically speaking, this means

turning curricular content standards and outcomes into big ideas and questions

designing a variety of assignments and assessments that evoke engagement and possible answers

Some examples of Enduring Understandings

There are multiple causes and consequences of war and conflict.

Nationalism unifies some nations and destroys others.

The linking of major regions of the world led to global transformations.

Geography and location significantly impacts events in history.

Some examples of Essential Questions

Why do changes in economic and or political systems cause cultural change?

How could there be different explanations of the same event in history?

Why do empires fall?Why are some aspects of world

civilizations, such as religion, social structure, and artistic achievements so long last and influential?

Six Facets of Understanding

can explaincan interpretcan applyhas perspectivecan empathizehas self-knowledge

Rubric for Six Facets of Understanding

Criteria for each: Explanation – accurate Interpretation – meaningful Application – effective Perspective – credible Empathy – sensitive Self-knowledge – self aware

Acquisition of Organized Knowledge• Didactic Instruction

Development of Intellectual Skills

• Coaching, Exercises, and Supervised PracticeEnlarged Understanding and Ideas and Values• Socratic Questioning and Active

Participation

Implications for Teaching

Design Standards are Important

Help us understand: What is worthy of understanding in the

unit? What counts as evidence that students

really understand and can use what we are teaching?

What knowledge and skills must we teach to enable them to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways?

World History Unit Design

Unit topicUnit overviewEnduring UnderstandingsEssential questionsUnit questions Historical Thinking and Processing SkillsExpectationTopicIndicatorObjectivesUnit Assessment (Traditional and Performance

Based)

World History Unit Considerations

Created with the National World History Standards Based on the original Social Studies Content

Standards approved in May, 2000Reviewed with the both MD Content Standards and

World History High School Assessment perspectiveNormed with LEA World History Curricular

DocumentsBuilds the world history content, skills and

processes from 6th – 8th gradeLEAs teach world history at 9th, 10th, and 11th

grades

Basic Social Studies Lesson Plan Format

Lesson Plan Format

 Lesson Title:

 Class Periods/Duration:

 SC Standards/Indicators:

 Objective:

Extension:

Vocabulary:

 Materials/Resources:

 Teacher Background:

Lesson Development:

Assessment:

 Closure:

Examples of performance-based assessments

• portfolios• historical

performances/simulations• historical investigations• journals• Document Based Questi0ns

(DBQs)• constructed responses• Case studies