Manny Morelli

14 August 2009

The Blood of Industry: Oil in Today’s World

Unit Plan

Abstract

“The Blood of Industry: Oil in Today’s World” is a unit is designed for sophomores
in Westwood High School in Westwood, MA enrolled in my Honors Modern History
course (although it will easily be adapted for the Standard Modern History
course). Modern History traces world history from the Protestant Reformation
through the end of the Cold War. This class follows the Massachusetts
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s standards for World
History II. Average numbers range from 18-22 students.

The unit will be structured around the following essential question, adapted from
the Oil and the Contemporary Globe curriculum:
How does oil impact foreign policy across the globe?

This unit, because it is small, has the potential to be expanded and to be fit into
several parts of my curriculum. Currently, I am planning on implementing this as
an extension to my unit on the Industrial Revolution, in order to reinforce
connections of the curriculum to the present. This would be implemented in
February 2010. The time allotted for the unit is five forty-seven minute class
periods.

Learning Objectives and Assessment

Content Objectives
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
Describe the central role that oil plays in contemporary industrial society
Predict what will happen when the world hits “peak oil” (the Hubbert curve)
Analyze and compare charts and graphs regarding world oil production and
consumption
Analyze and compare how important pipelines affect various foreign
policies
Evaluate international policies on oil production and consumption

Skill Objectives
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
Effectively use the note taking strategies such as SMPQCV
Analyze news sources in light of the content
Take the perspective of major oil-producing and oil-consuming nations
Interpret graphs and charts to draw conclusions about oil consumption and
production
Use Web 2.0 technology such as blogging and Glogster to synthesize and
analyze content

Assessment
 This unit will culminate in a part multimedia project in which students, in
pairs, create a Glog (online poster – see www.glogster.com). Each pair will
create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) of one of the following
assigned topics:
o The perspective on consumption and production from the perspective
of one of the following countries:
The United States
Russia
Venezuela
Saudi Arabia
Iran
China
Afghanistan
Mexico
India
(More nations may be added if necessary
due to class size)
o The pairs will then be responsible for presenting their
Glogs to the class, in which they explain the rationale
behind the PSA and evaluate the current foreign policy
in light of the essential question
o Each individual student will be responsible for
completing a 1-2 page response explaining her/his role
in the completion of the project and an evaluation of
her/his partner’s role.

Outline of Lessons and Teaching Procedure

NB: Parts of this unit plan were adapted from the PBS curriculum “World Without
Oil” (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/classroom/wwo_teachers.html)

Day 1 Aim: What is the role of oil in contemporary industrial society?

Students brainstorm and explore the uses for oil in our contemporary globe and
then are presented with the scope of these by the teacher. Students move into
small groups of 3 and teacher leads class in online quiz about oil consumption
from PBS’s World Without Oil to so students and teacher can assess their
knowledge.
HW: World Without Oil prompts about how a world oil shortage would affect
students personally and respond to at least one other student response on class
blog.
HW: Appenzeller’s “The End of Cheap Oil” for discussion the next day; students
must place read and use SMPQCV. They must also create a vocabulary list of 10
unfamiliar terms (2 nights)

Day 2 Aim: Where is oil located, and how is it transported?

Using Jeff Blossom’s Google Earth template, students will complete a webquest
about pipelines and sources of oil to be turned in at end of lesson.
HW: Complete Appenzeller reading
Manny Morelli
14 August 2009

Days 3-4 Aim: How does oil affect world economies?

Pop quiz to review reading (notes can be used). Vocab wall activity – students
generate the terms from their vocab lists and write them on the “vocab wall” with
definitions (teacher clarifies as necessary). Class discussion of reading via map
graphic organizer (fill in notes about each country on a map). Discussion of
international relations regarding key oil nations (those referenced in Glog final
project)
HW Day 3: Packet of charts and graphs regarding oil consumption and production
– students must complete questions
HW Day 4: Blog response: taking the perspective of a randomly assigned nation,
what is your perspective about how you regard your oil policies (expected to use
internet for additional research if necessary)

Day 5 Aim: How is the world dealing with the oil crisis?
Explanation of Glogster project, assigning of partners and topics for final
assessment