UbD Template 2.

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Note: Questions within the template are not meant to be answered directly but are meant to prompt your thinking as to what to include in each box.
Course: Contemporary Issues Teacher: Mike Giovannangelo Topic/Unit: Abortion/ Death with Dignity/ Death Penalty Duration: 12 days

Established Goal(s)/Standard(s):
CC.8.6.11-12.A: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

Transfer
Transfer Goals: Students will be able to independently use their learning to: Students will be able to make educated decisions on controversial topics debated in their society Student will be able to use research to find balanced arguments before determining their stance on a topic Students will be able to view issues from the perspective of others, and recognize why others hold the stances they have chosen

Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Meaning
Understandings: Student will understand: 1) The role state and federal law has in abortion regulations 2) The role state and federal law has in death with dignity regulations 3) The role state and federal law has in death penalty regulations 4) How the laws governing these issues progressed to their current state 5) Where they stand on each topic and why they believe their position is the appropriate one Essential Questions: Students will keep considering

Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audiences knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

1) Should the United States Government play a role in the human experience from conception to death and decisions made concerning abortion, death with dignity, and the death penalty? 2) What affects do the laws currently regulating abortion, death with dignity and the death penalty have in my own life? 3) How would you change current laws regarding abortion, death with dignity, and the death penalty if it was within your power to do so?

Acquisition
Knowledge: Students will know . . . 1) The role Roe v Wade, Planned Parenthood v Casey, and Griswold v Connecticut have played in the abortion debate 2) The pros and cons of abortion as they are argued by each sides proponents 3) The relationship between the ninth and fourteenth amendment and abortion Skills: Students will be skilled at . . .

Use words, phrases, and

1) Written expression of ideas 2) Oral expression of ideas 3) Tracing the influence of laws and their relationship to the Constitution and topic being discussed 4) Communicating with peers about findings or opinions with composure, discussing differences or similarities found never

EDUC 775

Based on ideas of Wiggins & McTighe 2011

UbD Template 2.0

clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.

4) The difference between judicial restraint and judicial activism, and how they relate to the abortion issue. 5) The role of Gonzales v Oregon, Cruzan v. Director Missouri Department of Health, Washington v. Glucksberg, and Vacco v. Quill in the death with dignity debate 6) The requirements placed on assisted suicide put in place by the Death With Dignity Act. 7) The role of the controlled substances act in the death with dignity debate 8) The pros and cons of death with dignity as they are argued by each sides proponents 9) The relationship between the fourteenth amendment and death with dignity 10) The role of Trop v Dulles, US v Jackson, Furman v. Georgia, and Gregg v Georgia in the death penalty debate 11) The pros and cons of the death penalty as they are argued by each sides proponents 12) The relationship that exists between the fifth, eighth and fourteenth amendment and the death penalty

arguing 5) Interpreting legal documents in terms of what they mean to peoples lives today in relationship to the topic being covered

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Coding Alignment Performance Tasks:

1) Students will work in groups 3-4 to design their own abortion act. The act must adhere to both Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey. Groups must come to a consensus about their stance and the requirements of their act, which will include three titles and three sections per title. The title may stipulate any parameters they whish to set in the abortion debate without circumventing current abortion laws. Groups will be given class time and school resources to complete the assignment, after which all groups will present their acts to the class. 2) Student will perform free-search in order to become acquainted with the details of the Death With Dignity Act currently in place in Oregon. The activity begins with students asking a question about death with dignity followed by researching to find the answer to the question they posed to themselves. After finding their answer and recording it on their worksheets, students then ask another question they now have after gaining new knowledge as a result of asking their first question. Students will repeat this cycle until they have asked and answered four questions pertaining to death with dignity. Questions must be one sentence, answers will be one to three

EDUC 775

Based on ideas of Wiggins & McTighe 2011

UbD Template 2.0

sentences. After completing the research stage of the assignment, student must write a four to five sentence conclusion summarizing what they have learned about death with dignity. Students will meet in groups of 3-4 to discuss their findings and share with one another the line of questioning they followed. Following group sharing we will discuss as a class the lines of questioning pursued. 3) One student in each group of four will begin writing and introduction on a topic discussed (and stance) of their choosing. After five minutes that students will then pass their writing to the person to their right, who will write the first body paragraph of the same paper. They will be required to continue the thoughts of the initial writer, and defend the topic and stance taken by them. After ten minutes the paper will pass to the right again, with the new writer adding a second body paragraph (which will be the second point in the thesis statement written by the introduction writer). After ten minutes the paper will pass for the final time at which point the final person to receive each essay will have ten minutes to write a conclusion summarizing the ideas presented in the paper and relating them back to the introduction. The paper should flow smoothly from writer to writer and defend one stance seamlessly as though it was written by a single author. (Groups of three will be allowed to write their conclusion as a team). 4) Students will take a quiz covering abortion, death with dignity, and capital punishment during the rotating essay time when they are not writing their portion of the essay.

Other Evidence:

Making strong connections between the federal and state laws that mandate abortion/ death with dignity/ capital punishment and the Unites States Constitution. Proof of understanding of the affects that the laws regulating abortion/ death with dignity/ capital punishment have on their lives. Students group discussions will be monitored through my circulation of the room while they discuss their ideas. This will give me the opportunity to assess who is actively participating in the conversation and who is not. I will also be given a strong understanding of what questions may still be unanswered and need be reviewed before the cumulative assessment.

Stage 3: Learning Plan

EDUC 775 Based on ideas of Wiggins & McTighe 2011

UbD Template 2.0

Coding Pre-Assessments: Students understanding and misconceptions will be checked in a number of ways prior to their cumulative assessment: Researching and presenting information about death with dignity designed around the questions they have posed on the topic. Debating the pros and cons of various aspects surrounding abortion in preparation for their creation of their own abortion act in groups. Students will be assessed through classroom discussions during teacher presentations based on the questions they ask and their responses to peer or teacher questions posed throughout the unit.

Learning Events: Use this space to match each learning task with your learning goals. 1) I will present to students the information surrounding the abortion debate, history of the progression of abortion law, and the laws that regulate it today. (2 days) give students part of a period at the end of class to meet with groups and brainstorm before library day 2) Students will work in groups 3-4 to design their own abortion act in the library. The act must adhere to both Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey (1 day) 3) Students will present their abortion acts to the class (2 days) 4) Students will use library resources to perform free-search on death with dignity and complete the free-search worksheet (1 day) 5) Have student share free-search and discuss their findings as a class (1 day) 6) I will present the key topics I would like students to take away from the death with dignity topic to ensure no critical points are missed (1 day) 7) I will present the issues surrounding the capital punishment debate, laws regulating it, and history of those laws in America (2 days) 8) I will review abortion, death with dignity, and capital punishment with students to prepare them for the assessment the following day. I will also review how the rotating essay works (1day) 9) Students will complete the rotating essay and quiz assessment (1 day)

Progress Monitoring Students progress will be monitored through a number of formative assessments. I will assess understanding prior to the final essay quiz in students writing of abortion acts, and their freesearch assignments based on death with dignity. I will also regularly assess students understanding through classroom activities and discussions.

Students will receive feedback regularly throughout the unit. I will return assignments with feedback prior to the assessment to allow students the opportunity to review their work and my comments, as well as ask any question they may have about my feedback. Feedback will also begin given throughout each class period as we discuss the topics and students ask and answer questions based on the days lesson. I will also be available to answer questions and provide feedback before or after school daily.

EDUC 775

Based on ideas of Wiggins & McTighe 2011

UbD Template 2.0

EDUC 775

Based on ideas of Wiggins & McTighe 2011