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A Tangible Biography through Artifacts

Lesson Plan Outline

Grade Level: 10th Grade, Honors U.S. History II

Duration: 58 Minutes

Introduction: This lesson was developed specifically with a focus on literacy through the analysis of informational texts, relative to WWI. The warm-up of the lesson, though not related directly to the curriculum content, serves to have students understand just how much information you can garner from a primary source, even something as simple as a photograph. The lesson culminates with a student-centered activity in which students take the skills from the warm-up activity, and apply them directly to the development of a biography & biographical timeline of WWI soldier.

A. Educational Standards Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks

World History II:

The Great Wars, 1914-1945

WHII.17 Describe the relative importance of economic and imperial competition, Balkan nationalism, German militarism and aggression, and the power vacuum in Europe due to the declining power of the Russian, Austrian, and Ottoman Empires in causing World War I. (H, E)

U.S. History II: USII.6 Analyze the causes and course of America’s growing role in world affairs from the Civil War to World War I. (H, E)

J. American entry into World War I

USII.7 Explain the course and significance of President Wilson’s wartime diplomacy, including his

Fourteen Points, the League of Nations, and the failure of the Versailles treaty. (H)

Seminal Primary Documents to Read: President Woodrow Wilson, “Peace without Victory,” speech

(1917)

Common Core: Common Core State Standards Initiative

ELA Standards - Reading: Informational Texts (grade 9-10)

Key Ideas and Details CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

|ASSABET VALLEY REGIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL|

World War I: A Memory Box Honors United States History II

Instructor: Kathryn Myer

|MARLBOROUGH, MA|

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Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

History/Social Studies, Science, & Technology (grade 9-10) Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

B. Essential Question

Was WWI the first truly global conflict? Can you tell someone’s history/story from their tangible artifacts?

C. Enduring Understandings

Primary sources, when analyzed in depth, can relay masses of information relative to historical perspectives and analysis.

D. Student Learning Objectives: Student will be able to… (Identify, describe, explain, analyze, compare/contrast, evaluate, apply…)

ANALYZE the importance of primary sources and their purpose as historical resources. EXAMINE the life of a WWI soldier through a Memory Box CONSTRUCT a biography via a timeline relative to the life of the WWI soldier

E. Learning Activities: Academic Language & Prerequisite Skills

Content-Area Terms WWI Soldier Treaty of Versailles Peace Treaty Cease fire

Academic Language Analyze Assess Biography Timeline

F. Materials and Resources

Internet Access avkmyer.weebly.com

G. Technology

Internet Access avkmyer.weebly.com

H. Accommodations for Diverse Learners

Only ONE student currently enrolled in this class receives accommodations relative to an IEP. However, if

at any time, ANY of the students enrolled in this class requires individualized or differentiated instruction,

the instructor will be prepared to assist with any and all students in the class, including, but certainly not

limited to the following:

Overview of vocabulary terms (ex. “WWI”) with secondary definitions and/or pictorial representation

of the terms, if necessary.

Connect the idea of course content to everyday, contemporary life.

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Repeat and review instructions of assignments in writing, if necessary.

Provide class notes and study guides regarding WWI, if necessary.

Provide access to computer/word processor in the library, if necessary.

I. TASK 2: Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning

STEP ACTIVITY DURATION

PRE-CLASS:

Before class begins, be sure to have the Objectives, Enduring

Understanding/Essential Questions, and Agenda written on the

white board.

Introduce students to the new classroom (D306)

N/A

BEGINNING

THE LESSON:

DO-

NOW/FOCUS

ACTIVITY

Pre-lesson Assessment: Observe the image for 30 seconds.

Analyze the people in the image

Analyze the setting of the image

Analyze the objects in the image

Analyze the activities in the image

Conclusions: How specific can you be?

Based on what you have observed, what are some things that

you might infer from this photograph?

What questions/if any does this photograph raise in your mind?

Do-Now:

15 minutes total

3-5 min intro

10-12 min activity

CARRYING

OUT THE

LESSON: THE

MEMORY BOX

ACTIVITY

Separate students into 4 groups:

Early life

War Years

Adulthood

Later Life

Explain to students that it is there job to compile the most

complete biography of the WWI soldier from the artifacts

within the memory box.

They must first organize the artifacts into various time periods,

and then each group should analyze the data to develop their

part of the story. (Also, some information from the sources will

overlap time periods).

MEMORY BOX

20-25 minutes total

3-5 min intro

25-30 min activity

o Read summaries

aloud

In the

Event that

you Finish

Early:

The Treaty

of Versailles

Packet

In the event that one or more groups finishes the activity early,

students should read copies of the front pages of national

newspapers in order to get a preliminary context related to the

material relative to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles

(tomorrow’s lesson in class).

Treaty of Versailles

Total Time Varies

(Incorporated into all

of the individual

class assignments)

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CARRYING

OUT THE

LESSON:

MEMORY

BOX

TIMELINE

When students have ALL completed their group biographies for

the WWI soldier, then should then move on and out their

portion of the biography on the class timeline, located on the

class whiteboard.

In the end, the class will present their findings to the class

Lastly, the instructor will relay the soldier’s complete

biography, and the students can compare how close they came

to the true biography.

Timeline

10 minutes total

COMPLETING

THE LESSON:

EXIT TICKET

Formative Assessment: Have students complete an exit ticket

before leaving class for the day.

Closing:

8 minutes total

HOMEWORK

ASSIGNMENT

DUE

12/08/2013

Complete the Treaty of Versailles Packet due TOMORROW

Complete the WWI TEST Study Guide (Reminder, TEST

WEDNESDAY)

1920s Projects & New DBQ will be distributed on THURSDAY

Reminder, WWI DBQ due FRIDAY

Homework:

15-20 minutes total

(at home)

J. TASK 3: Assessing Student Learning

Formative and Summative Assessment

Lesson Objective Assessment Tool

ANALYZE the importance of primary sources and their purpose as historical resources.

Warm-Up: Photo Analysis Activity

EXAMINE the life of a WWI soldier through a Memory Box

Memory Box Activity

CONSTRUCT a biography via a timeline relative to the life of the WWI soldier

Memory Box Activity & Timeline

Formative Ticket to Leave