what makes a hero?

Ginny Hall

PART I:

A. Context for Learning:

At East Cary Middle School is a Middle School that teaches grades 6-8. It is located in a
suburban area within the borders of Cary, NC. It is a year-around that follows the Common Core
and Essential Standards pacing guide and participates in standardized testing such as the
benchmark tests and end of grade tests. The classes are based on Math scores from previous
years.
The 7th grade Social Studies course is 45 minutes long and is year long course.
Students attend this course every day at the same time when their cohort is tracked in. The
classroom I am student teaching in is on track 2 and is in school for 9 weeks and then on
vacation for 3 weeks. This course does not focus on English-Language Arts other than through
reading historical documents, which may consist of ten to fifteen minutes. The class is based
on Math scores, therefore there is a correlation between most of the students test scores in
Math as well as English-Language Arts. There is not a primary textbook used for this course,
but rather individual primary documents.
In the classroom, there is an overhead projector as well as DocCam. There are 4
computers in the corner of the room. the main technological resources (Ipads, laptops, etc.)
come from the library and must be reserved in advance. There is also a bookshelf full of a
variety of books ranging from English-Languages Arts to Social Studies.
The grade level ranges from 2nd grade to 9th grade in terms of standardized testing.
The majority of the students are from ten to twelve. There are 17 female students and 8 male
students in the class. Out of the classroom, 8 of the students are ELL learners, with 2 students

having newly immigrated in the past 2 months. These students are extra time on assignments
as well as modifications to writing and reading assignments based on their level of English
abilities. These students are also grouped together to some extent for projects and
collaboration.
B. Organization Principle:
My theme revolves are the concept of what is a hero? This is an important themes that
can be assessed throughout most of world history and the personal lives of students.
Heroism is a concept that is global as well as individual and allows for students to better
understand the way the world works. Freedom and conflict and general themes that
challenge individuals to deeply access their views on the world and themselves. I chose
these themes because I believe that they serve a well-rounded purpose that can be
applied to multiples aspects of past, present, and future. I also believe that this theme
will engage students and allow them to study the content in a way that will allow to see
the world wholistically.

C. Primary Subject Matter Focus:

Imperialism, Nationalism, and World War 1
This unit is centered around the context of Imperialism and World War 1. We
will introduce these concepts through breaking apart these topics within the span
of
10 school days. Imperialism will be covered primarily throughout the start of the
unit, expressed mainly through the section on causes of the war. Nationalism will be
discussed throughout most sections of the unit and applied to multiple nations within the
content. The portion on the World War will be broken down into the following sections:
the causes of the wars, the armies, war tactics, battles, the life of a soldier, art and music
during the time period,the outcome of the war, the effects of the war, and the relevance
war and power today. These topics are important to learn because they create a
framework for other historical events and mindsets that are seen today. These topics
also allow students to challenge their opinions of heroism, war, nationalism, globalism,
and freedom.
D. Organizing Questions:
a. Why is history important? What are the implications/results of being a gatekeeper
of this information?
b. How does this information impact the world, your community, and your personal
life?

c. What connections do you seen from the material and life today? Differences?
What caused the differences you see?
d. When is war/fighting okay? Are there any legitimate motivations for war?
e. What creates a hero? How has the idea of heroism changed over time?
f. What positive and negative effects does war have a community?
g. How can we make a difference in our country? World?
h. Excluding war, what ways can advocate for change amongst different nations?
i. How can events be measured through a cultures arts, traditions, and music?
j. How has globalization and nationalism changed over the years?
k. How has our communitys view on soldiers/war changed over the years?
E. Goals:
Students will be able toa. Empathize with the tragedies of WW1
b. Think critically about the concept of war
c. Analyze the success of the war
d. Compare WW1 with other wars to make conclusions about power, military, and
global relations
e. Create thought-provoking representations of different aspects of the war
f. Experience life as a soldier in WW1
g. Understand the key components and events that made up WW1
h. Question the power of nationalism as well as the pros and cons
F. General Unit Objectives:
Overall objectives:
[Cognitive:]
1.Synthesize big picture concepts to current events and society.
2. Develop critical and analytical skills.
3.Interpret and analyze diverse data and resources.
[Affective:]
1. Express creativity with classroom activities.
2. Participate in all classroom assignments.
3. Work collaboratively with peers throughout the unit.
[Performance:]
1.Present observations and other major assignments.
2. Produce thought-provoking and creative representations of
material.
Essential Standards:
AH2.H.8.2- Explain the reasons for United States involvement in global wars
and the influence each involvement had on international affairs (e.g.,

Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf

War, Iraqi War, etc.).
AH2.H.4 Analyze how conflict and compromise have shaped politics, economics
and culture in the United States.
AH2.H.5 Understand how tensions between freedom, equality and power have
shaped the political, economic and social development of the United States.
AH2.H.8 Analyze the relationship between progress, crisis and the American
Dream within the United States.

Common Core:
RSL 8.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
W.8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
S&L8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
L8.3.a Choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely,
recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.*

G. Possible Unit Materials & Supplementary Texts:

-Content:
*PBS http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/resources/lesson.html
*Timeline http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/timeline/
- Excerpts from Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
-Excerpts from All Quiet on the Western Front
-Scenes from:
Shoulder Arms (1918)
Regeneration (1998)
Wings (1927)
-Flocabulary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBHtisCtWMQ
-History in One Take https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj43X-VBEPE
*The Price of Freedom: Americans at War
http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/

-Music:
-Bill Murray- Are You From Dixie Cause Im From Dixie Too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMP4pxSEmU
-Robert Mandell- Its a Long Way to Tipperary/ Pack Up Your
Troubles in Your Kit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsynSgeo_Uo
-Diversity:
(http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-world-war-i.html)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/african-americansoldiers-world-war-i-92nd-and-93rd-divisions
-Weaponry:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjqdgGb739w) BBC
-Current Event Articles (then and now):
-USA Today-3 Lessons Learned from WW1
(http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/28/world-war1-lessons-learned/13045897/)
-CNN- Last WW1 Veteran Dies (2011)
(http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/27/wwi.veteran.death/)
-CNN ISIS and WW1 (2014)
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/27/wwi.veteran.death/
-Other:
-(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBHtisCtWMQ)
-Materials:
* Ipads
*Skit props
*Journals
-Laptops
-Cameras
-Video cameras
*Magazines
*Pencil
*Paper
*Pictures

H. Possible Activities/ Instructional Strategies:

-*Reflection Journals
-Diary Journals
*Paideia Discussion

*Jigsaw
*Gallery Walk
*KWL Charts
-Social Media Activities
*Making Propaganda
*Padlet
-Digital Photo Alphabet (themes of content)
-Video Maker
-Time-line
-Newspaper.com
-Online Research
*Review Games (flyswatter game, Jeopardy, etc.)
*Exit tickets
*Class Discussions
-Read alouds
*Skits
-Clustering Activities
-Jack & Jill Activities
*Current Events

A. Unit Map/ Narrative Overview:

Day 1.
Warm-up: Students will walk into class with a free-write on the board. The free write will be
What is a hero? Who is a hero in your life? Why are they your hero?
Instruction/Practice:The classroom will be set-up with propaganda stations, music stations,
and writing excerpts stations. Students will be put into groups and be the investigators together.
Each student will be responsible for taking notes on the station. They will spend 10 minutes at
each station until they have gone to each station.
If students finish early, there will be an extension activity for each group so that students will
stay on task, but also practice high level thinking.
Wrap-up: Classroom discussion: Students will analyze the information given and have an open
group discussion on the information
Next Day: The next day we will focus on the causes of the war and how what he chose to fight
for says a lot of about the character of a hero.
Day 2.

Warm-up: Teacher will have the room set-up one side of the room will be marked with a sign
saying I would fight and on the other side of the room the sign would say I would not fight.
The teacher will read out scenarios and a group of students will choose where on the spectrum
they would go. For example- Teacher: Someone calls you a name Students respond
accordingly. Students will have a short discussion on the causes of fighting and war.
*does making worth fighting for make you a hero
Instruction: Students will be given the rubric for the summative assessment as well as a
timeline for the first world war (attached). Students will also be introduced to the causes of the
war (through the M.A.I.N acronym) and the key players/countries in the war through maps and
graphic organizers (if time permits) (attached).
Practice: Each group will be assigned a specific cause of the war and given time as a group to
use the resources given by the teacher to become a master of the subject. Students will then do
the Jigsaw activity to explain the information to their peers.
Wrap-up: Students will write their name on a slip (green-if they feel confident in the material,
yellow- if they have questions and what concerns they have about the material, and red- if they
do not understand the material at all and need individual help)
Next Day: The next day we will focus on the start of the war during 1914 and cover the
following topics: trench warfare, declarations of war, and the Christmas truce. We will use these
concepts to analyze sacrifice and heroism.
Day 3.
Warm-up: Students will watch the following video about a man sacrificing his son in order to
save a group of people.(0:00-6:04). The teacher will stop the video before the father chooses to
save the son to engage the students in the which option is the heroic option
After the video, students will write down their reaction to the video. Students will answer the
following question. Which option is the heroic choice?
Instruction: Students will fill out a graphic organizer as the teacher covers the material through
a Prezi presentation. Throughout the content, students will participate in open discussions,
provided on the slides.
Students will fill out the graphic organizer based on the lecture, the slides solely present a
representation of the ideas discussed through the presentation.
Practice: Students will practice the content by focusing on the concept of trench warfare.
Students will be given materials to build a trench for their group. Each group will be assigned a
disadvantage and sources to better analyze the conditions of the trenches. Students will create
a letter (pretending to be a soldier) describing the condition the group was assigned

Wrap-up: Open discussion What did you find interesting about your assigned hardship of the
trenches?
Next Day: The next day we will discuss the shift in the perception of the war through
propaganda and Americas entry into the war. We will discuss what elements change societys
perception of what a hero looks like

Day 4.
Warm-up: Students will refer back to the information given for the unit content from the previous
day and their opinion on the warm-up video. Students will watch the end of the video and have
an open group-discussion on their reflection of the video.
Instruction: Students will be given mid-war propaganda and will discuss with their group the
differences they see from the gallery walk on the first day of the unit. Students will write down
words on a posterboard to describe the propaganda.
Practice: Students will given a common fairy tale story. They will create a 1 minute skit based
on the skit, but create their own twist on the story turning the hero into the villain and the villain
into the hero.
Group 1 & 4: Little Red Riding Hood
Group 2 & 5: The 3 Little Pigs
Group 3 & 6: Cinderella
Wrap-up: Students will present their representations to the class. Students will raise their hand
during the skit when the portrayal of the characters shift, noting the events that took place in
order perception to switch.
Next Day: Students will continue to focus on how the idea of heroism change through concepts
such as U-boats, Gas warfare, and reviewing the information already discussed in the unit.

Day 5.
Warm-up: Students will fill-out the What I Learned section of their KWL chart from the
previous day.
Instruction: Students will fill out a graphic organizer as the teacher presents the content
through a Prezi (attached).
Practice: Students will have a mid-unit formative assessment. Students will participate in a
formative assessment concerning material already covered in the unit using the technological

tool, Kahoot. Students will log onto ipads and complete the questionnaire to review the material.
Based on the instant results, the teacher will see what concepts the students have understood
and based on the information, students will be allowed to ask questions over the material
covered thus far.
Students will choose a concept that show how heroism was portrayed during the time period.
Groups will produce a rap, skit, or song to cover specific aspects of the theme and make
connections to the war. For example, students may create a rap showing that the war showed
heroism to society because of the sacrifice made.
Wrap-up: Students will present their information and write down any questions they may have
about the information given during the days instruction.
Homework: Students will be given Paideia article to read and annotate for the next days
seminar.
Next Day: Students will participate in a socratic seminar. The seminar will be based on an
article that shows a controversial notion of what heroism is. Students will debate about the
concept of heroism and what is looks like today.
Day 6.
Warm-up: There will be no warm-up or content exercise for this class period.
Instruction/Practice: Students will participate in a Socratic Paideia Seminar on an article that
they read for homework. The inner circle will have 20 minutes where each student will need to
participate in the discussion. Students can speak about their response, ask questions, and
probe application from the text. While the inner circle speakers, the outer circle will listen and
write their reaction to what their peers say. They will also tally the number of times the person in
front of them speaks as well as provide insightful comments for their partner to read regarding
what they contributed. After 20 minutes, the circles will switch.
The teacher will allow the students to facilitate the discussion, but guide or re-guide it if
necessary
Wrap-up: With the remaining class time, students will write a short reflection on the process
with the given prompt: Reflect on the socratic seminar. What did you learn? What questions did
it invoke? What did you learn about yourself and about your peers?
Students will also turn in their comment sheets from the seminar.
Homework: Students will work on their final projects.

Next Day: The next day will focus on the life of a minority group during the war. This will allow
students to question who the true heros were in the war and how justice and heroism work
together.
Day 7.
Warm-up: Students will go to their groups and fill out a KWL chart with their group on their
specific group during the time of WW1.
Instruction/Practice: Students will be assigned a certain minority to focus on during the time
period (women, children, African Americans, immigrants, etc.). Students will be given resources
(websites, pictures, letters, etc.) to make inferences on what it was like to live in this group
during the time period.
In each group, roles will be assigned (leader, recorder, presenter, etc.) to ensure participation
and classroom management. Students will research and fill out the SCIM-C map based on their
primary source document. Students will then share within their group the observations they
found and produce tweets answering the questions stated on the second portion of the
questionnaire.
The class will quickly go over the tweets to get a better understanding of each group.
Wrap-up: Students will be assigned to alternative groups based on a jigsaw outline. The new
group will create a proposal on what a hero could have done during that time period to make a
difference in each group during that time.
Homework: Students will work on final projects.
Next Day: The next day students will focus on the end of the war and the main events in 1918.
Students will focus on the validity of the Treaty of Versailles and how the post-war idea of
heroism was drastic from the pre-war idea of heroism was shown in society.

Day 8.
Anticipatory Set: Students will respond to the following free-write: How did the view of heroism
and victory change over the course of WW1? Why do you think WW1 was called The Great
War?
Instruction: Students will fill out a graphic organizer as the teacher explains the content
through Prezi
Practice: Students will watch a youtube video History of World War 1 (in One Take) that
summarizes the war to recap everything that they learned throughout the unit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj43X-VBEPE

Students will look at post war art as well as read excerpts from post-war literature. They will
analyze the process that happened over the span of the war that changed the view on heroism
by seeing the pictures that they observed side by side. Students will come to the board and
write elements that contributed to the change over time.
Students will then have an open-discussion about how the idea of heroism has changed over
their generation. Students will think of current day heros and moments that they were tested or
their heroism was challenged.
Wrap-up: Students write a letter to another student about how to be a hero throughout their lifetime and what steps they will have to take to get there. Students will discuss what struggles one
might have to take to become a hero.
Homework: Students will work on their final projects.
Next Day: The next day students will recap the war wholistically. Students will use current
events to make connections on heroism and assess the success and effects of the war on us
today.
Day 9.
Warm-up: Students will fill-out a checklist regarding their progress on the project. Each group
will be given a bag will random props and an aspect of the war covered in the unit (causes,
trench warfare, battles, treaty of versailles, etc.) the group will quickly come up with a 1-2 minute
skit to represent the topic using each prop in the bag.
Instruction: Students will quickly present their skits. After each group has presented, students
will assess if there was any information that was missed or any questions they may have
regarding the information in the unit.
Practice: The following current events will be dispersed throughout the classroom:
-USA Today-3 Lessons Learned from WW1
(http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/28/world-war1-lessons-learned/13045897/)
-CNN- Last WW1 Veteran Dies (2011)
(http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/27/wwi.veteran.death/)
-CNN ISIS and WW1 (2014)
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/27/wwi.veteran.death/
Students will read and annotate the article, taking note on correlations of heroism.
Wrap-up: Students will share what they learned through their article and the class will reflect on
what they have learned about heroism and the war through the following questions:
-What have you learned about heroism?
-How has your view on heroism changed through looking at WW1?

-How can you use the information youve learned to become a hero to someone else?
-How does culture impact the view of heroism?
-Is heroism the same around the world?
Next Day: Students will present their final projects to the class and reflect on what they have
learned about heroism.

Day 10. Reflection and Summative Assessment

Warm up: The order of presentations will be posted on the overhead. Students will
quickly set-up their presentations if needed, but there will no warm-up for times sake.
Instruction/Practice: Students will present one (out of three) of their projects in front of
the class. Students will note how their project relates back to the idea of heroism and the
product itself. As students present, their peers will have a slip for each presenter.
Students will take notes on what aspects of the project they enjoyed and how it can
make a difference in the world. After each student presents, their peers pass over their
evaluations.
Wrap up: If time permits, students will write what they enjoyed about the unit and what
they would have changed about the unit. They will turn this into the teacher for that she
can better assess herself and her conten.
Homework: Since this is the end of the unit, there will be no homework.

PART II.

DAY 1:
Objectives:
AH2.H.4 Analyze how conflict and compromise have shaped politics, economics and culture in
the United States.
RSL 8.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

text says

[Cog.] Students will analyze primary source documents.

1.1 Students will create inferences based on observations of pre-WW1 art and music.
[Aff.] Students will apply historical concepts to their point of view.

2.1 Students will empathize with the characters of a hero and a villain in todays
culture.
[Per.] Students will collaborate in groups effectively.
3.1 Students will participate in discussion based on content information.
Materials:
Pencil
Paper
Propaganda
-http://www.blackandginger.com/newsite/wp-content/uploads/2014/08
-http://www.internationalvintageposters.com/images/Wewin.jpg
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/e3e1c979107245f9da339af5fa1afddb8f5bab58.jpg

Youtube songs
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsynSgeo_Uo
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j02kpMJGXUQ
-

Ipads
Headphones
Literature excerpts
Station questionnaires (for each station)
Warm-up: Students will walk into class with a free-write on the board. The free write will be:
What is a hero? Who is a hero in your life? Why are they your hero? (3-5 minutes)
This will introduce students to the theme as soon as the class starts, but also allows them to
feed off of personal experiences and information that is low stakes.
After students have finished their first journal entry they will participate in a think-pair-share
amongst the people in their group (1-2 minutes)
Instruction:The unit will be introduced after students have briefly shared their experiences. I
will talk briefly about my philosophy of learning history and how we can learn something from
everything. I will discuss that through learning about WW1, not only do we see many patterns
with war in history, but we can learn a lot of things about society and about ourselves. One of
the things we can learn about through this unit is the idea of what a hero is and how we can
apply heroism to our life to create a legacy through the things we do. I will then set-up the days
agenda and instruct the students for the gallery walk (2-3 minutes).
Instruction/Activity: The classroom will be set-up with propaganda stations, music stations,
and a reflection station (focusing on villains in society). Each station will have a worksheet and
reflection to complete within the 15 minutes of observation. If students finish the station in a
shorter amount of time than allotted an additional activity will be available. Students will focus on
the gallery as individuals, but move from station to station as a group. Students will be put into
groups and be the investigators together dependent on where they were sitting (assigned by the
teacher at the start of the semester) (30 minutes).

This activity allows students to understand the correlation between society and pop-culture and
work collaborative to make observations and inferences based on primary sources.
Wrap-up: Classroom discussion: Students will analyze the information given and have an open
group discussion on the information using the following questions for guidance: (5-10 minutes).
-From what you observed through culture, how did society view war?
-From what you observed through culture, how did society view heroism?
-Do you think that these ideas have changed over time?
-If so, what events do you think changed these notions?
Students will use the stations handouts to create an account of all the information they used
from unit to help them apply connections throughout the unit.
Homework: There will be no homework assigned for this day.

Listen to the following songs and lyrics together. As you listen, answer the following
questions to better understand what life was like before the war.

Steamboat Bill - Arthur Collins (1911)

1.) What is the song about?

2.) What might the song imply about society during this time?

Are You From Dixie? (Cause I's From Dixie Too!)- Jack Yellin (1916)
1.) What is the song about?

2.) What might the song say about society during this time?

After you have completed this worksheet, write out lyrics to your own song! In your song
talk about what life might have looked like before the war using information that you
have observed through the songs you have listened to. Your song must have at least 2
verses and a chorus.

These war posters are called propaganda. Propaganda is defined as information,

especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a
particular political cause or point of view. Analyze the art and brainstorm what
each picture might say about the culture:

According to this picture, what was societys view on war?

Picture #1:

Picture #2:

Picture #3:

According to this picture, what was societys view of a hero?

Picture #1:

Picture #2:

Picture #3:

After you have observed the propaganda, list characteristics of current society view on
war and heroism. Draw a poster and describe the elements in it that represent todays
views.

Think of villains in movies, books, or in your life. What makes them a

villain?

Do you think people are born villains? If not, describe examples of

events that happen overtime to make a person a villain.

DAY 2:
Objectives:
AH2.H.8.2- Explain the reasons for United States involvement in global war and the influence
each involvement had on international affairs (e.g., Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Cold
War, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraqi War, etc.).
[Cog.] Students will understand the causes of a historical event.
1.1 Students will analyze the causes of WW1

1.2 Students will compare and contrast causes of other events

1.3 Students will assess the justification of the start of the war
[Aff.] Students will relate hardships with historical hardships.
[Per.] Students will present information to their peers.
3.1 Students will differentiate different causes of WW1
Materials:
Jig-saw graphic organizer
Excerpts on each cause
Fight and not fight sign
Project rubric
Paper
Pencil
Warm-up: In the groups that students are sitting in, students will create their own country. Their
country must decide through the events given by the teacher whether they will go to war or
whether they will not go to war. The groups will come up with a team/country name. The teacher
will call out the following scenarios and they will have 30 seconds to discuss and decide their
action. There will be a sign in the middle of each desk, one side says fight and the other says
dont fight. A member of the group will raise their flag according to what the group decides.
(5 minutes)
The scenarios are as follows:
-Someone kisses your girlfriend/boyfriend
-A bully takes your lunch
-Someone says that they are better than you
-Some takes your seat in the cafeteria (and you have sat there all year)
-Another country threatens your country
-Another country speaks ill of your culture
-Another country bombs your country
After activity, students will have a open discussion on the following topic: How do you define
who is a hero and who is a villain in a situation? Is the person who starts a fight always a
villain? After discussion students will be introduced to the reasons why the war started, creating
the connection between whether the countries were justified in their decision to start war.
(3-5 minutes)
Instruction: Students will be given the rubric for the summative assessment as well as a
timeline for the first world war . Students will also be introduced to the causes of the war
(through the M.A.I.N acronym) and the key players/countries in the war through maps and
graphic organizers.Each group will be assigned a specific cause of the war and given time as a
group to use the resources given by the teacher to become a master of the subject. (5-10
minutes)

Activity: Students will then do the Jigsaw activity to explain the information to their peers.
Students will fill-out a the activity worksheet while the members of their group present
individually. (10-15 minutes)
For each cause of war, the student will need to know the definition of each cause and have an
example. For the alliance cause, students will fill out the bottom section of worksheet instead
of listing an example.
Wrap-up:On a Prezi, I will list out scenarios and each group will tell me what cause is best
represented through the scenario. The groups that answer the question correctly will get a extra
piece of ammo (a crumpled up piece of paper). After the assessment, students will have a paper
ball war to end class based on the number of ammo that they earned. (5-10 minutes)
The wrap-up allows for students to be assessed on what they learned, but also have fun and get
up out of their seats.
Homework: Students will choose the 3 activities that they will complete by the end of the unit
and brainstorm. If students chose the free space activity they will write the teacher a
description of the product that they will create. A rubric will be handed out farther along in the
unit, dependent on the specific projects chosen.

Militarism
http://www.gohistorygo.com/#!causes-of-wwi/c243q

During the colonial period, acquiring a rival country's colonies was typically achieved by
going to war(and winning). European countries who were always on the lookout for a
chance to enlarge their own empire and the 19th century saw plenty of action. Between
1803-1914 there were 48 wars fought somewhere in Europe. During times of peace
Europeans would spend enormous amounts of money and manpower building up their
armies (Militarism) in preparation for the next big conflict. Most of these wars were small
border clashes that resulted in not much of anything being accomplished; just a bunch
of puffing and political smack talk really.

Nationalism
http://www.gohistorygo.com/#!causes-of-wwi/c243q

Of course, the people who suddenly found themselves living in another land under a
new leader and a new set of laws didnt see all of this militarism as a positive thing.
Especially since it was often the poornot the politicians who saw their sons and
fathers killed in battle. During the 19th century a new philosophy was sweeping across
Europe known as nationalism which taught that people ought to be able to govern
themselves. Nationalism has inspired many freedom movements from the United States
to India but it also has a darker side. Nationalism often goes too far and become
extremist as people view their nation or struggle being worth committing murder for.
One such region existed in Eastern Europe called the Balkans. The Balkans (consisting
of Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia, and others) had long been under the rule of the
Ottoman Turks.

Imperialism
http://www.gohistorygo.com/#!causes-of-wwi/c243q

Ever since Columbus landed in the Americas, a handful of European countries had
grown wealthy and powerful by controlling other countries. By 1914, England, France,
Italy, Belgium, and Germany were busy carving up the rest the globe in a contest known

as imperialism. For the winners the stakes were high- land meant wealth in those days,
and the more you had the wealthier you were. No country did imperialism better than
Great Britain, in 1922 this California sized island nation controlled one-quarter of the
world's population! All of this imperialism caused conflicts, not only between the people
they conquered but between European nations that were constantly jockeying for a
better position.
The Great War might have gone down in history as the Austria-Serb War (a war you
probably wouldn't ever be reading about) had it not been for a complicated web of
alliances that Europe had gotten itself entangled in.

Messy Alliances
http://www.gohistorygo.com/#!causes-of-wwi/c243q

The fighting might have been between Russia and Serbia on one side and Austria and
Germany on the other but Russia had made a secret pact with France to come to each
others aid in case of attack. Belgium had made a similar pact with Great Britain, and
the rest as they say, is history.

1. July 28 Austria Declares war on Serbia

2. August 1 Germany Declares War on Russia. It also declares war on Russia's ally France. To get to France, German troops march through Belgium a neutral countrykilling many innocent civilians
3. August 4 Britain vows to protect Belgium and declares war on Germany and Austria.
4. August 13 Japan, an ally of Britain, declares war on Germany.
5. October 29- Ottoman Empire joins in the war on the side of the Central Powers
(Germany, Bulgaria and Austria) hoping to gain back some lost land.
6. Nov 2 Russia declares war on the Ottomans
7. Nov 5 Britain and France declare war on the Ottomans
8. May 23 Italy joins the Allied Powers (France, Britain, Greece, Russia)

Final Project Tic-TacToe

Circle 3 projects that create a tic-tac-toe to complete.

If you choose the free space, write a description of the project that you want to do and
submit to the teacher. DUE FRIDAY (Day 10)

Day 3:
Objectives:
RSL 8.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
W.8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
[Cog.] Students will evaluate a historical event.
1.1 Students will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of trench warfare.
[Aff.] Students will emphasize with a historical character.
2.1 Students will feel what life was like for a soldier in the trenches.
[Per.] Students will produce a product.
3.1 Students will reflect on the information and write as letter a soldier.

Materials:
Prezi- http://prezi.com/3vjyz9h0zaph/present/?auth_key=763wjz5&follow=exncr6hvkurm&kw=present-3vjyz9h0zap

h&rc=ref-

21474421

Graphic organizer
Pencil
Paper
Warm-up video on sacrifice and heroism
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjNovbdxZtc
Trench Research Information
-http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/43-britain-allies/393-trench-dieases.html
-http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25403864

Warm-up: Students will watch the following video about a man sacrificing his son in order to
save a group of people.(0:00-6:04). The teacher will stop the video before the father chooses to
save the son to engage the students in the which option is the heroic option
After the video, students will write down their reaction to the video. Students will answer the
following question. Which option is the heroic choice? (10-15 minutes)
It is important to assess a hero based on sacrifice. You said earlier that a hero was selfless so
lets look at the early years of the war and see if there are any correlations between the idea of
heroism and the concepts of the war

Instruction: Students will fill out a graphic organizer as the teacher covers the material through
a Prezi presentation. Throughout the content, students will participate in open discussions,
provided on the slides. (10-15 minutes)
Students will fill out the graphic organizer based on the lecture, the slides solely present a
representation of the ideas discussed through the presentation.
Now what we looked at different aspects of the war, lets focus on the hardships of trench
warfare. This will allow us to see what a day in the life of a soldier was like. We cannot assess
heroism without going a day in someone elses shoes.
Practice: Students will practice the content by focusing on the concept of trench warfare.
Students will be given materials to build a trench for their group. Each group will be assigned a
disadvantage and sources to better analyze the conditions of the trenches. Students will create
a letter (pretending to be a soldier) describing the condition the group was assigned (5-10
minutes)

Wrap-up: Open discussion What did you find interesting about your assigned hardship of the
trenches? (2-3 minutes)
Homework: Students will write a reflection on what they would have to sacrifice in order to be
hero in their own lives. Where have you seen sacrifice in a hero that you admired?

The Start of the War: 1914

(guided notes-fill in the blank)
There were many declarations of war during 1914. The start of World War 1 when
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

Trench warfare was a mode of combat created by German troops. A trench is

similar to a ditch.

Trenches were created to protect soldiers from open fire.

Some disadvantages of trench warfare were:

-disease
-death
-rats

Trench Activity
Groups will look at the following websites and write down facts that were interesting and
write a letter (as a soldier) describing a day in a trench
Group 1 and 4:
-http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/great-war-on-land/43-britain-allies/393trench-dieases.html
Group 2 and 5:
-http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/trenchlife.htm
Group 3 and 6:
-http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25403864

Write down your reaction and facts you found interesting:

Write your letter:

Day 4:
Objectives:
AH2.H.8 Analyze the relationship between progress, crisis and the American Dream within the
United States.
W.8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
S&L8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas
and expressing their own clearly.
[Cog.] Students will analyze characteristics of opposing points of view.
[Aff.] Students will reflect on an idea or concept.
2.1 Students will compare and contrast the concept of a hero and a villain.
[Per.] Students will produce a representation.
3.1 Students will collaborate to produce a skit.
3.2 Students will perform a product to their peers regarding heroism.
Materials:
Pencil
Paper
Mid-war Art
-http://www.ww1propaganda.com/sites/default/files/3g02794u-1562.jpg?1311537213
-http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/08/a-1038-100.jpg

Warm-up video (from previous lesson)

Warm-up: Students will refer back to the information given for the unit content from the previous
day and their opinion on the warm-up video. Students will watch the end of the video and have
an open group-discussion on their reflection of the video. (3-5 minutes)
There are different ways to look at heroism. This video is controversial and shows that the
concept of heroism is not always black in white. Can a good person do bad things? Can a bad
person do good things? How do you separate these different types of people? How is one a
hero and one isnt? Lets look at how the idea of heroism was affected in the middle of the war.
Instruction: Students will be given mid-war propaganda and will discuss with their group the
differences they see from the gallery walk on the first day of the unit. Students will write down
words on a posterboard to describe the propaganda.
How are these pictures different than the pictures we saw on the first day of the unit? How do
these pictures depict a villain? Is it okay for people to be depicted this way? (5-10 minutes)

Practice: Students will given a common fairy tale story. They will create a 1 minute skit based
on the skit, but create their own twist on the story turning the hero into the villain and the villain
into the hero.
Group 1 & 4: Little Red Riding Hood
Group 2 & 5: The 3 Little Pigs
Group 3 & 6: Cinderella

Wrap-up: Students will present their representations to the class. Students will raise their hand
during the skit when the portrayal of the characters shift, noting the events that took place in
order perception to switch. (5- 10 minutes)
Homework: Students will begin to work on their final projects.

PART III.

A. Evaluation Philosophy
One of the most important aspects of evaluation is allow students to thrive and create
through the information that they have been given through a student-centered unit.
Every assessment must be intentional, productive, and diverse. Teachers must take
every student in account when creating assessments for the classroom so that students
production counters the content as well as the students strengths and assets as an
individual. The assessments must cover different activities so that students can explore

different contents, methods, and types of learning. For example, giving students a
diverse amount activities allow students to thrive as well as challenging students to
better understand themselves as learners.
Providing an environment of collaboration allow the learning process to truly thrive.
Students better understand the concept of learning through experiences and through
peers which will enhance their social intelligence. Requiring post-collaboration reflection
challenges students to assess themselves as well as their peers in a constructive way.
In my unit, there is a diverse selection of evaluation methods that allows each student to
thrive. For example, activities such as Jack and Jill, Jigsaw, portfolios, and allowing
students to pick activities allows for students to focus on their specific academic
strengths and goals. Using writing assessments such as journal, written warm-ups, and
a summative paper helps students to practice structural pieces of writing as well as
personal accounts. These activities allow for different styles of literature and writing to be
introduced in the content and within the learning environment. Speaking assessments
such as the Socratic seminar, in-class discussions, skits, and group presentations allows
for students who struggle with written evaluations. Providing students with multiple
formative assessments creates a classroom that is student-focused with many low-risk
activities. This creates students to focus more on the learning process rather than a
product-based unit.
Formative Assessment Methods:
-Exit Slips (red, yellow, and green)
-Free write warm-ups
-Teacher directed question and answers
-Charts (KWL, graphic organizers, homework completion)
-Reflections
-Review games (Jeopardy,Kahoot,etc.)
-Twitter activity
-Jigsaw activities
-Class discussions
-Class participation
B. Summative Assessment Methods:
-Socratic seminar
-Rap, Skits, Propaganda, etc.
-Portfolio
-Jack and Jill group activity
-Vocabulary quiz
-Final presentation

PART IV.

A. Works Cited
(n.d.).bbc. Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/e3e1c979107245f9da339af5fa1afddb8f5bab58.jpg
(n.d.). Retrieved from
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/jhJgM0ndfxc/U1RkBk7XPKI/AAAAAAAABSY/7Sr28tIiSME/s1600/an
tigerman+2.jpg
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/BzdSRBBFQy8/TfRpX3Ok18I/AAAAAAAAHaQ/dgTU8ZsRa0Q/s1600/Demonizing-HunsWWI.jpg

African-American Soldiers in World War I: The 92nd and 93rd Divisions. (n.d.). Retrieved from
EDSITEment: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/african-american-soldiers-world-war-i92nd-and-93rd-divisions
Allen, C. (2014, July 28). 3 important lessons learned from World War I. Retrieved from USA
Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/28/world-war-1-lessonslearned/13045897/
Bombs, H. (Director). (2014). History of World War 1 (in One Take) [Motion Picture]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj43X-VBEPE
Causes of World War One. (n.d.). Retrieved from Go History Go:
http://www.gohistorygo.com/#!causes-of-wwi/c243q
Courson, P. (2011, February 28). Last living U.S. World War I veteran dies. Retrieved from CNN
U.S.: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/27/wwi.veteran.death/
Dix, O. (1916). Wounded Soldier. Retrieved from
http://doraartgallery.blogspot.com/2011/05/wounded-soldier-otto-dix-1916.html
Hemingway, E. (1957). A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner.
History, S. N. (Director). (n.d.). World War 1 [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/exhibition/flash.html
Jones, J. (2014, May 14). The first world war in German art: Otto Dix's first-hand visions of
horror. Retrieved from The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/may/14/first-world-war-german-art-otto-dix
Music, A. (Director). (2013). It's a Long Way To Tipperary / Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old
Kit Bag - Robert Mandell [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsynSgeo_Uo
Review, T. T. (Director). (2013). WWI The Great War Rap [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBHtisCtWMQ
Tamayo, T. (Director). (2009). Father sacrifice his own son [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjNovbdxZtc
warholsoup1002 (Director). (2014). Billy Murray - Are You From Dixie 1916 Cause I'm From
Dixie Too [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMP4pxSEmU
Williams, C. (n.d.). African Americans and World War I. Retrieved from Africana Age:
http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-world-war-i.html

B. Reflective Addendum

Dear Reader,
My theme of my unit is What is a hero?: What legacy will you leave behind?. I went
through many stages to make sure my theme was seen through every aspect of the unit. At first
my theme was What is worth fighting for?. Though this theme was very relevant to the content,
it did not seem like a theme that many middle school students would be impacted by. This
theme also did not seem to be a prominent idea that could be seen through most aspects of the
war. I decided on my new theme as I looked at the impacts that the progress of the war had on
the community.I wanted to focus on the concept that the idea of heroism changed through the
war, which impacted current day society. I decided to add the concept of legacy because it
challenges students to go beyond thinking about current day heros to becoming heroes in their
community. Heroism is also a universal concept that impacts students and create a
collaborative classroom community.
I believe that the biggest strength in my unit, is the diversity through the content and the
activities provided. Engaging differentiation within the content allowed for me to connect with the
students as well as challenge students strengths and goals within the classroom. Students are
provided with multiple choices in their assignments, so that they focus more on the learning and
creative process than any hindrances they mace face through production. I would like to have
more time to work on the variety of content provided throughout the unit. There were so many
events and ideas that I wanted to focus on during the unit, but was not able to because of the
time duration of the unit. For example, it was very difficult to focus on the war from every point of
view. While I tried to implement diversity within the information presented, I could not
wholistically represent every country and cultural group throughout the unit.
The majority of my limitations stemmed from technology and the amount of ELL students
within the classroom. A lot of my activities would have been more effective if the classroom
environment provided more technology. My classroom has limited technology and the students
are also not used to limitless uses of technology within the learning spectrum. Also, a majority of
my students are English Language Learners and may no connect with the activities in the way
other students who are comfortable with the language would be. In my ideal classroom, I would
love to have much practice with technology and implementation of content knowledge through
diverse means. I would also rely more on ESL teachers and resources to make the information
more accessible for diverse groups of students.
I will pay close attention to continually integrate the theme of my unit into every aspect of
the content and the assessments. I want to make sure that my students walk away from my
classroom understanding the point of each lesson. I also want to remember to stress the theme
within the unit because it will allow students to connect fully to the material being taught .On a
scale of 0 to 4, I would give my thematic unit a 3.95 because not only did I work very hard on
every aspect of the unit, but I was very intentional on providing a fair, thorough, and diverse
amount of primary sources, content, and activities throughout the unit. I also kept my audience
in mind when creating every element.
For future students I would advise other to start as early as possible and focus on the
unit holistically as well as daily. Another key element in the process of creating this unit was to
keep your cooperating classroom in mind. Knowing my students allowed for me to pull aspects
that would engage them to the content. It is very easy to get overwhelmed or over think the

project because there are so many possibilities, but it is important to focus on key element that
you want students to gain from the completion of this unit. For future unit plans, I would advise
more scaffolding on thematic units, which would help future teachers to better understand how
to implement a theme into a unit that is not only an effective strategy for teaching, but can
empower students to find themes on their own and apply to their own lives

Part IV:

Process Materials:
Collaboration with peers and teachers
Collaboration with CT
Numerous hours of research and refining
Use of primary source documents
Conferences with teachers
SO MANY HOURS OF PROCESS WORK!