tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572477827283856543.post3904593573401503256..comments2023-08-25T03:13:27.885-07:00Comments on Thinking about History Teaching: Source Work and Essential QuestionsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04047142530155193530noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4572477827283856543.post-41270105454711484132013-10-20T21:00:04.623-07:002013-10-20T21:00:04.623-07:00Hi Joe,
I think it’s a great idea to start a unit ...Hi Joe,<br />I think it’s a great idea to start a unit with EQs. For example, when we started Canadian history since 1914 I gave the students the EQs: How did Canada change the war? How did the war change Canada? (Would work for most any country methinks, and a number of time periods) This gives the kids the opportunity to start thinking about what sorts of changes were happening at the time, lets me know what they know, and lets them make some predictions. As we work through various topics throughout the unit, battles, key figures, technology, homefront, women, etc, I refer back to the key questions and ask, where does it fit and why. The EQs frame the unit. Now in the 1920s and 1930s, the EQ is did the 20s really roar, and were the 30s really dirty? Of course, the kids will figure out that the answer depends, on who you were, background, financial status, occupation, etc. Again, as we discuss each topic within the unit, we circle back to the questions, so they can organize their info and their rationales.<br />For the bigger picture of the entire course, we focus on our enduring understandings. I just posted a pic on twitter of our revised ones (new curriculum this year, and a guided workshop by Allison Zmuda). The EQs, of course, feed into the EUs (and the abcdefgs).<br /><br />The EQs are a combination of standards and your focus. Can the IR be considered progress to the working class of GB? Why/why not? What impact did the IR have on the following: class structures, women, children, etc? How can a technological event cause fundamental and lasting social, economic and political changes? What is the relationship between technology, the acquisition of wealth and liberalism? Can the effects of major economic and technological change in any era be limited and controlled, or will these effects bring global consequences that go beyond the expected? (the last one from a simulation activity http://nchs.ss.ucla.edu/previews/NH153-preview.pdf). I like the last three because they could apply to any era, from IR on, and could be a great springboard to get kids thinking about how technology, and historical patterns, are relevant to their lives.<br /><br />Cheers, Colinda<br />Colindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09934778682904664696noreply@blogger.com