Related Lessons: Digital Story Telling, Online Collaboration
Introduction:
This unit is designed for a 7th grade Social Studies core. It is designed to cover the four universal elements of culture (beliefs, economics, government & social customs) and explore the influence interacting with other civilizations can have on one’s own culture. Students will achieve these goals through collaborative problem-based research and digital story telling. This unit will take two to three weeks to complete. With the first week and half focused on researching Ancient China and discussing findings with teammates. The final week of the project will focus on the creation of a digital story.
GOALS
Content Standards: (Bergeson, 2005a,b)
SS 2.2.2 ECONOMICS: I can explain how the forces of supply and demand affect trade and culture.
SS 4.2.2 SOCIAL CUSTOMS: I can identify and explain how social customs influence cultural development
SS 1.3.1b INTERACTING: I can analyze and explain how societies are impacted by interacting with one another.
SS 4.2.3a PRODUCE CHANGE: I can explain how important events, individuals, and movements have shaped history and changed cultures.
SS 5.2.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS: I can create and use research questions to guide inquiry of a historical event.
SS 5.2.2 VALIDITY OF SOURCES: I can analyze the validity, reliability, and credibility of information from a variety of primary and secondary sources.
Read 3.1.1a SELECTING RESOURCES: I can select appropriate sources from library, web-based, and internet materials for a specific task.
Read 3.1.1b USING RESOURCES: I can effectively use information from various sources to investigate a topic.
ISTE NETS-S § Creativity and innovation § Communication and collaboration § Research and information fluency § Critical thinking, problem-solving, & decision-making Instructional Objective(s): § Students will be able to weigh the positive and negative consequences of cross-cultural interaction.
|| Action Plan
|| Working in small groups, students will respond to the following scenario: Your team has just been appointed as the new advisors to the Emperor of China. Specifically, you’ll be focusing on areas of economic development, foreign relations, and cultural preservation. Certain elite members of society are encouraging the Emperor to open up trade with civilizations to the west. He’s asked you to research the positive and negative implications of this idea. Would China prosper from trade with civilizations in the Middle East and Europe? Would it impact the safety and well being of Chinese citizens? What impact would interacting with outsiders have on your culture?
Using prior knowledge about the other civilizations we’ve studied, each group will focus on the consequences of interacting with a different ‘western’ civilization (Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Medieval Europe).
1. Develop Inquiry Questions- building on prior research experience, we will develop our first set of inquiry questions as a class.
2. Collecting Preliminary Information- students will review their text book chapter on China to build a basic foundational understanding of Ancient China at this time.
3. Refining Inquiry Questions- Based on their new foundational knowledge, as a class we will discussion the need to refine or add to our inquiry questions.
4. Dividing Research Tasks- Within their small groups, students will divide their research so that each person will focus on a different area (economic issues, government issues, beliefs, and social customs).
5. Collecting and Sharing Information- As students locate resources, they will bookmark and annotate them via Diigo accounts and share their findings with their groups. Important notes will be added to collaborative documents in Google Apps.
6. Compare & Contrast- After collecting research about Ancient China, groups will create venn diagrams (via mind mapping software) to compare and contrast their knowledge of Ancient China with their prior knowledge of their ‘western’ civilization.
7. Predicting & Inferring Consequences- Use these venn diagram, groups will begin to predict and infer the positive and negative consequences of cultural interaction between Ancient China and their ‘western’ civilization.
8. Formulating Position Statements- Based on their predictions and inferences, groups will draw conclusions about whether cross-cultural interaction would be a positive or negative choice for the Chinese at this period of time.
|| Use of Technology || Students will use technology at many stages of this unit. Specifically during the PBL process, students will use the Internet to conduct research and share their findings via collaborative tools like Diigo and Google Apps.
|| Student Grouping & Accommodations || Students will be grouped heterogeneously. Lower students will be supported with more guidance in finding appropriate resources (for a few special ed. and ELL students, resources will be directly handed to them). Students will higher skill levels will challenged by directing them towards resources with higher reading levels and more complex content.
|| MONITOR/ ASSESSMENT || Student growth and progress with be assessed by monitoring content added and notes recorded in their Diigo accounts and contributions to their Google Apps documents.
|| EVALUATE AND EXTEND || Lesson reflections and notes: None at this time.
Conclusion:
In today’s globalized world, cross-cultural interactions are an increasingly common part of our daily lives. Our governmental systems are increasingly under pressure to develop policies that support the economic systems that are already extensively globalized already. Although less noticeable within the United State, cultural blending is happening more and more every day. Even in our small Eastern Washington community, we have cultural blending between Native American tribes, Anglo-American heritage and Latino/Hispanic cultures. Understanding the positive motivating factors for cross-cultural interaction as well as the negative consequences are directly and immediately relevant to my students lives.
References: Bergeson, T. (2005a). Reading K-10 Grade Level Expectations: A New Level of Specificity. Olympia, WA: OSPI. Bergeson, T. (2005b). Social Studies K-10 Grade Level Expectations: A New Level of Specificity. Olympia, WA: OSPI. Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009a). Program Two. Spotlight on technology: problem-based learning, part 1. [Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Program Two. Spotlight on technology: problem-based learning, part 2. [Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author. Add Rubric Aaron, You have incorporated a lot of wonderful technology that I am sure your students will benefit from. I like that your students will be able to use Diigo and Google Apps. Not only does it get them working with the computes, but with sites that are used commonly in education and the work place. I think the scenario you have created will be engaging for students. I’m excited to see how it is all put together with digital storytelling. Kathryn Aaron,You mentioned two of my favorite things in your lesson plan: China and Google Apps (too bad they the two of them can't seem to get along, right?) I spent this past summer teaching in China and needless to say I found your prompt questions for your PBL lesson very intriguing. One of my lasting impressions from touring the Forbidden City was just how awesome a responsibility it must have been to govern a land and a people as vast and diverse as that of China. I also personally love using Google Apps with my students and I've found that it opens up many doors in terms of how they collaborate with me and with each other. I love your lesson, can't wait to hear more about it in the weeks ahead.Brian
Daily Lesson GAME Plan Template
|| Lesson Title: Emperor’s AdvisoryIntroduction:
This unit is designed for a 7th grade Social Studies core. It is designed to cover the four universal elements of culture (beliefs, economics, government & social customs) and explore the influence interacting with other civilizations can have on one’s own culture. Students will achieve these goals through collaborative problem-based research and digital story telling. This unit will take two to three weeks to complete. With the first week and half focused on researching Ancient China and discussing findings with teammates. The final week of the project will focus on the creation of a digital story.- SS 2.2.2 ECONOMICS: I can explain how the forces of supply and demand affect trade and culture.
- SS 4.2.2 SOCIAL CUSTOMS: I can identify and explain how social customs influence cultural development
- SS 1.3.1b INTERACTING: I can analyze and explain how societies are impacted by interacting with one another.
- SS 4.2.3a PRODUCE CHANGE: I can explain how important events, individuals, and movements have shaped history and changed cultures.
- SS 5.2.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS: I can create and use research questions to guide inquiry of a historical event.
- SS 5.2.2 VALIDITY OF SOURCES: I can analyze the validity, reliability, and credibility of information from a variety of primary and secondary sources.
- Read 3.1.1a SELECTING RESOURCES: I can select appropriate sources from library, web-based, and internet materials for a specific task.
- Read 3.1.1b USING RESOURCES: I can effectively use information from various sources to investigate a topic.
ISTE NETS-S§ Creativity and innovation
§ Communication and collaboration
§ Research and information fluency
§ Critical thinking, problem-solving, & decision-making
Instructional Objective(s):
§ Students will be able to weigh the positive and negative consequences of cross-cultural interaction.
|| Action Plan
||
Working in small groups, students will respond to the following scenario:
Your team has just been appointed as the new advisors to the Emperor of China. Specifically, you’ll be focusing on areas of economic development, foreign relations, and cultural preservation. Certain elite members of society are encouraging the Emperor to open up trade with civilizations to the west. He’s asked you to research the positive and negative implications of this idea. Would China prosper from trade with civilizations in the Middle East and Europe? Would it impact the safety and well being of Chinese citizens? What impact would interacting with outsiders have on your culture?
Using prior knowledge about the other civilizations we’ve studied, each group will focus on the consequences of interacting with a different ‘western’ civilization (Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Medieval Europe).
1. Develop Inquiry Questions- building on prior research experience, we will develop our first set of inquiry questions as a class.
2. Collecting Preliminary Information- students will review their text book chapter on China to build a basic foundational understanding of Ancient China at this time.
3. Refining Inquiry Questions- Based on their new foundational knowledge, as a class we will discussion the need to refine or add to our inquiry questions.
4. Dividing Research Tasks- Within their small groups, students will divide their research so that each person will focus on a different area (economic issues, government issues, beliefs, and social customs).
5. Collecting and Sharing Information- As students locate resources, they will bookmark and annotate them via Diigo accounts and share their findings with their groups. Important notes will be added to collaborative documents in Google Apps.
6. Compare & Contrast- After collecting research about Ancient China, groups will create venn diagrams (via mind mapping software) to compare and contrast their knowledge of Ancient China with their prior knowledge of their ‘western’ civilization.
7. Predicting & Inferring Consequences- Use these venn diagram, groups will begin to predict and infer the positive and negative consequences of cultural interaction between Ancient China and their ‘western’ civilization.
8. Formulating Position Statements- Based on their predictions and inferences, groups will draw conclusions about whether cross-cultural interaction would be a positive or negative choice for the Chinese at this period of time.
|| Use of Technology ||
Students will use technology at many stages of this unit. Specifically during the PBL process, students will use the Internet to conduct research and share their findings via collaborative tools like Diigo and Google Apps.
|| Student Grouping & Accommodations ||
Students will be grouped heterogeneously. Lower students will be supported with more guidance in finding appropriate resources (for a few special ed. and ELL students, resources will be directly handed to them). Students will higher skill levels will challenged by directing them towards resources with higher reading levels and more complex content.
|| MONITOR/ ASSESSMENT ||
Student growth and progress with be assessed by monitoring content added and notes recorded in their Diigo accounts and contributions to their Google Apps documents.
|| EVALUATE AND EXTEND ||
Lesson reflections and notes:
None at this time.
Conclusion:
In today’s globalized world, cross-cultural interactions are an increasingly common part of our daily lives. Our governmental systems are increasingly under pressure to develop policies that support the economic systems that are already extensively globalized already. Although less noticeable within the United State, cultural blending is happening more and more every day. Even in our small Eastern Washington community, we have cultural blending between Native American tribes, Anglo-American heritage and Latino/Hispanic cultures. Understanding the positive motivating factors for cross-cultural interaction as well as the negative consequences are directly and immediately relevant to my students lives.References:
Bergeson, T. (2005a). Reading K-10 Grade Level Expectations: A New Level of Specificity. Olympia, WA: OSPI.
Bergeson, T. (2005b). Social Studies K-10 Grade Level Expectations: A New Level of Specificity. Olympia, WA: OSPI.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. (Laureate Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009a). Program Two. Spotlight on technology: problem-based learning, part 1. [Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009b). Program Two. Spotlight on technology: problem-based learning, part 2. [Motion picture]. Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
Add Rubric
Aaron,
You have incorporated a lot of wonderful technology that I am sure your students will benefit from. I like that your students will be able to use Diigo and Google Apps. Not only does it get them working with the computes, but with sites that are used commonly in education and the work place. I think the scenario you have created will be engaging for students. I’m excited to see how it is all put together with digital storytelling.
Kathryn
Aaron,You mentioned two of my favorite things in your lesson plan: China and Google Apps (too bad they the two of them can't seem to get along, right?) I spent this past summer teaching in China and needless to say I found your prompt questions for your PBL lesson very intriguing. One of my lasting impressions from touring the Forbidden City was just how awesome a responsibility it must have been to govern a land and a people as vast and diverse as that of China. I also personally love using Google Apps with my students and I've found that it opens up many doors in terms of how they collaborate with me and with each other. I love your lesson, can't wait to hear more about it in the weeks ahead.Brian