EDUC 520

Overview

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This 5 week interdisciplinary unit is designed to take place later in the school year, so students are able to build upon a wide variety of topics. In addition, the nature of our topic, “Do we really learn from the past?” allows students to identify patterns from the past and then analyzing events afterwards to see if learning has occured.

 

In Social Studies, students will have studied the historical models of democracy in Athens and the Iroquois Confederacy. In science, students will understand ecosystems and the effect of human impact.

 

Building on students’ knowledge of historical democracy, this unit will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the federal, provincial and municipal governments specific to Calgary and Alberta. Students will be studying and analyzing these governments, comparing them to the Greek and Iroquois style of democracy, determining the strengths and weaknesses of each, and ultimately deciding how they believe it is best to govern a city.

 

In science, students will move from a general understanding of ecosystems and human impact into more Alberta specific examples. Students will analyze the human impact of the forestry, oil, and ranching industries in Alberta. Students will be investigating these industries have evolved over time, with a strong focus on environmental changes.

 

English Language Arts (ELA) is embedded throughout the unit, as students will be reflecting about what they learn, and think through various assignments. These assignments will touch on the 6 strands of ELA: Reading, Writing, Representing, Listening, Viewing, and Speaking.

 

Aspects of health will be imbedded into the later teachings, focusing generally on students making responsible and informed choices to maintain health and to promote safety for self and others.

 

Week One: Students will review their understandings from the year and then begin to build on them.

 

Social Studies:

The unit will begin by revisiting the governmental structures of Athens and the Iroquois Confederacy, with an emphasis on how these cultures used democracy. What seemed to work well? What did not work so well? This review can take many forms, including: class discussions, a variety of videos and media clips, revisiting KLW charts, kahoots, etc. (6.2.3, 7.1.3)

 

Next, on a high level, students will be exploring how Canada’s government and the justice system uses and protects democracy. Discussions about the responsibilities of citizens within a democratic society will also take place. (6.1.1, 6.1.2)

 

Going into more depth, students will examine how the provincial government of Alberta utilizes democracy, what the structure of the government is and how it supports democracy, and the government's responsibility to citizens. (6.1.5)

 

Students will review a number of documents produced by the Alberta government and be responsible for identifying the key features of democracy and the roles that citizens play within a democracy.

 

Science:

The unit will begin with a review of ecosystems and how humans impact them. There will be a focus on the interconnectedness of humans and their environments, including specific examples of the causal relationship between the two. This review will begin with a class discussion, and then the students will get into pairs and play an online game about human impacts on the environment.

 

Building on this previous knowledge, instruction will focus on Alberta specific industries which impact our environment, including forestry, oil and ranching. Conversation will begin with what these industries looked like in the past, and how that impacted the environment. Moving towards what these industries look like now, and the impacts they have on our environment. Including learning on how government decisions have altered industries and/or environmental impacts. (C) (D)

 

In order to learn about Alberta industries, students will engage in a jigsaw. In this activity, students are separated into three groups (one for each industry), students will become experts in their assigned industry. Afterwards, students will get into groups of three (one student from each industry) and enlighten the other group members.

There is an opportunity at this point to bring in an expert, preferably from one of the mentioned Alberta specific industries. The expert may explain the industry, talk about the benefits, as well as the environmental costs and the efforts made to mitigate these negative impacts.

 

Assessment: 

Formative assessment will be embedded throughout the week, beginning with the first review lesson. Teachers will gauge initial student understanding within the classroom, and fill in missing gaps as required. Some helpful initial assessment tools include: entrance quizzes, KWL charts and class discussions.

 

During the week it will be helpful for teachers to utilize class and small group interactions, in order to gain evidence of understanding.

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Week Two: Students will continue to build on their knowledge from week one.

 

Social Studies:

Students will move more locally, examining the government of their local city, Calgary. This will include studying the electoral process and the responsibilities of the government. (6.1.4) In order to gain a better understanding of our municipal government, students will have have a field trip to City Hall and sit in on a council meeting.

 

Bringing in an expert is a key component of inquiry projects states Friesen, S. et al. (2015). This will be a good time to bring in a local expert, such as an alderman or other government worker to come in and speak to the class.

 

To conclude, students will compare the government system in Canada to those in Athens and the Iroquois Confederacy. Some questions to consider are:

• What are the similarities and differences between each of the governments?

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

• Did we seem to learn from what worked and did not work in the past, and incorporate these learning into our current system?

• Is there anything you would change in our current system based on past learnings? Why?

 

Students will be responsible for designing a T-chart that outlines the major differences between the different styles of democracy. Students will then write a small reflection stating the positive and negative aspects of each style of democracy.

 

Science:

The conversation will continue with human impacts from Alberta specific industries, focusing more on the impacts they have on the City of Calgary. During this week, we will introduce the ways in which Indigenous groups utilized the land prior to contact.

 

To conclude, students will compare the environmental impact of these industries over time. Some questions to consider are:

• How have these industries changed over time?

• How has the environmental impact of these industries changed over time?

• Did we seem to learn from what worked and did not work in the past, and incorporate these learning into our current system?

• Is there anything you would change based on past learnings? Why?

 

In groups, students will examine specific case studies in Alberta where the environment was heavily affected by one of the industries being discussed and what was learned from the incidents.

 

English:

Students will choose a specific industry and environmental impact as a result of this industry, and write a letter to a person within one of the branches of government. Students will make this choice based on their understanding of the responsibilities of governments, and the structures of each government. The written piece will outline how the industry has impacted the environment in the past, how the environment is being impacted now, and a suggestion(s) for change.

 

After creating these letters, students will read them to the class, this will develop their presentation skills helping prepare them for the final presentation. After presenting their letters to the class, they will review the common qualities that emerged and identify the important features of writing a persuasive letter. After modifying their letters based on feedback, the class will democratically vote on which letter(s) to send to government officials.

 

Assessment:  

Teachers will review the student letters in order to determine the students’ understanding of how humans in Alberta are impacting the environment. The letter will also determine if students have an understanding of government structure in order to identify a reasonable individual that they could write to.

 

Week Three: Students will tie health topics to the science and social learning, before the final project is introduced.

 

Health:

Begin by conducting a brief review on health and safety. This will be in the form of a classroom brainstorming session.

 

The class will look at how human environmental impacts have affected individual’s health and safety in the past. Are the same, or similar, impacts occurring today? What are some ways that governments can ensure their citizens are healthy and safe? Are there any health and safety concerns humans are causing that should be addressed by governments? (W–6.8 analyze how laws, regulations and rules contribute to health and safety practices)

 

English:

Students will create a written debate around the question: Taking into consideration the City of Calgary, do we really learn from the past? In this assignment, students will participate in a debate, based on their beliefs and views of whether or not Calgary has learned from its past.

 

Tying it all together:

Introduce the project to students. It will be beneficial to provide each student a paper copy of the assignment, so that they can easily access it and are able to familiarize themselves with the topics. Answer any initial questions that the students have.

 

Provide examples of varying quality projects, from poor to excellent. This gives students a better idea of what the teacher is expecting from the assignment.

 

Once the students have a better understanding of the project, they will co-create the rubric with the teacher. They will consider all of the different elements that go into creating an outstanding project. Some of these elements should focus on important soft skills, such as collaboration, communication, and problem solving.

 

The finalized rubric will be distributed to each student, and referred to throughout the unit. Students will be given time to plan their ideal city, ensuring they consider government and environmental conditions.

 

The teacher will help students plan out their project, ensuring they are aware of important dates, such as peer review and presentation dates. The teacher will suggest group roles, soft deadlines, or other helpful project management tips to assist students. Encourage students to use organizational tools, such as the calendar on computers, Google drive, and other platforms which are utilized in the workforce. This can help increase student familiarity and comfort with these tools which are often used during projects in many companies.

 

Assessment:

The students co-creating the rubric also provides the teacher a good opportunity to evaluate student understanding of the project. If students are struggling when creating certain sections of the rubric, it is likely that they do not fully understand the project and further explanation is required.

 

While the students are working it is important that the teacher circulates the room, making observations, answering questions, and providing tailored lessons to small groups or the class as required. The observations made during this time provide great formative assessment pieces, and can help the teacher guide the students in creating their city.

 

Week Four: Students will continue to bring their learning together through working on the project.

 

Tying it all together:

Students will begin to work on their projects. Encourage students to keep their rubric handy, and constantly refer back to it. Additionally, the teacher should promote collaboration between groups, this reflects the nature of most disciplines - as people do not usually work in isolation.

 

According to Jacobsen, M., Lock, J., & Friesen, S. (2013), a good way to start each day is with a brief whole class instruction. This can help address any common themes between groups which may be arising, and is a chance to provide additional information. This time can also be used for groups to pose questions to the class or request feedback.

 

Once students have finished planning how their city will function, they will consider what mode of media they wish to use in order to persuade the class. They will then begin to transfer their ideas into their chosen mode of representation.

 

During the lesson, have groups fill out a self assessment, including a section for a reflection on the progress so far, areas of strength and project modifications. Allow students more time to modify and work on their project based on their self assessment.

 

After providing students with sufficient class time, provide them with the opportunity to engage in a peer feedback loop. This helps students to better understand the rubric, since they are forced to engage with it in order to analyze others work. This feedback loop also helps students gain insight from external parties. Students will continue to work on their project, making modification based on feedback.

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Assessment:

The teacher will continue to circulate during work time, continuing to make observations and provide assistance when needed. Again, these pieces of formative assessment can be used to provide catered instruction as needed.

 

Week Five: Students will wrap up their project, and prepare their arguments for persuading the class to move to their city.

 

Tying it all together:

Once students have finished creating their project, they will focus on how they are going to deliver their message to the class. What makes a successful presentation? If they are going to stand at the front and present to the class, what will they say? What else could be included in a presentation?

It is important to provide students with flexibility on how they wish to persuade the class. Although presentation skills are important, some students may be extremely uncomfortable presenting in front of the class. Alternate opportunities will be provided to the students, in order to build their confidence. For example, they could record a voiceover and play it for the class, or perhaps speak to the class while sitting at their desk.

 

After groups have finished creating their presentations, they will present them to the class. This will be an opportunity for students to practice their professional presentation in a safe environment. Afterwards, feedback will be given by the teacher and their classmates. Constructive feedback will take many forms, such as two stars and a wish. Beforehand, it may be beneficial to review providing and receiving constructive feedback.

 

Give students time to amend their projects based on the feedback that they received.

 

Following the in-class debate, the class will host an evening version in which parents and other external parties such as the experts are brought in. Jacobsen, M., Lock, J., & Friesen, S. (2013) states that learning is enhanced when external audiences are included.

 

Once the debates have concluded, students will create a voting system, mirroring our current system. The act of voting will create a sense of excitement for the students, but ensure to emphasize the hard work, and great ideas of everyone.

Assessment:

Based on the student created rubric, teachers should assess the projects. In order to encourage students to utilize the assessment feedback provided, allow students opportunities to improve their grade by incorporating their feedback. This could even be as simple as awarding students bonus marks if they show their project to their parents, and explain their mark based on the rubric.