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ACARA History Unit Plan (Proforma utilising the 'Backwards by Design' by Wiggins and McTighe, based on the Australian Curriculum Framework)

School and Class Description The school is category 3 in terms of socio economic status and is situated on the Fleurieu Peninsula. There are a number of indigenous students. The school has a special education unit; however, I will be working with a class of 15-20 students in their foundation year in the mainstream section of the school. The class is comprised of students with a range of reading, writing and language abilities. For five of the students, this will be their fourth term in the foundation year and for others this will be their first. Although none of the students have a NEP or have been found to be gifted and talented at this stage, due to the wide range of ability within the class, accommodations need to be made to allow for the differentiation within the class.

Year Level - Foundation Unit Length– 6 weeks (2 x 50 min lessons p/w) Topic - Personal and Family Histories – ‘Exploring My Family History’ Links to other Learning Areas English

Recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and share experiences that may be similar or different to students’ own experiences (ACELT1575)

Share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts (ACELT1783)

Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images (ACELT1580)

Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations (ACELY1646)

Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently (ACELY1650)

Maths

Answer yes/no questions to collect information (ACMSP011) Compare and order the duration of events using the everyday language of time

(ACMMG007) Science

Respond to questions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS014) Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012)

Geography

Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing: Collecting information from primary and/or secondary sources, recording the information and evaluating it for reliability and bias.

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Brief Description – This unit begins using literature as a source, developing student’s personal understanding of who the people in their family are and how they are related. Students engage with their families, exploring their own family story. As the children’s knowledge of family develops, the unit focus moves to the differences and commonalities of families. This unit will be taught in an integrated way – Family/belonging being a core theme across the 6 weeks of my practicum; encouraging connection and deep learning within students.

Aims/Strands What relevant curriculum aims will this design address?

o Historical Knowledge and Understanding Who the people in their family are, where they were born and raised and how they are

related to each other (ACHHK001) The different structures of families and family groups today, and what they have in

common (ACHHK002)

o Historical Skills Chronology, terms and concepts

Sequence familiar objects and events (ACHHS015)Distinguish between the past, present and future (ACHHS016)

Historical questions and research

Pose questions about the past using sources provided (ACHHS017) Analysis and use of sources

Explore a range of sources about the past (ACHHS018) Identify and compare features of objects from the past and present (ACHHS019)

Perspectives and interpretations

Explore a point of view (ACHHS020) Explanation and communication

Develop a narrative about the past (ACHHS021) Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written, role play) and digital

technologies (ACHHS022)

Historical Skills Overview In this unit, students will focus on the following historical skills:

using simple historical terms related to the past and present posing questions about the past

exploring a range of sources identifying and comparing sources exploring a point of view by:

o developing an oral narrative o explaining and communicating in a range of forms, including digital technologies

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General Capabilities

Literacy Participate in group and class discussions about family using oral interaction skills

Numeracy Describe patterns in the world around them by ordering important family events in a time sequence and using the language of time (to describe events)

ICT competence Use ICT to identify, record, group and classify textual and graphic information to show what is known

Critical and creative thinking Compare and contrast and pose questions about information gathered about families

Personal and social capability Discover who they are and where they fit into their family. Work with partners and within small groups using collaborative strategies, such as taking turns

Intercultural understanding. Describe aspects of their personal identity (for example describing place/role in family)

Cross Curriculum Priorities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

Explore sense of identity through the interconnected aspects of Country/Place

o Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

Global Education Concepts

Interdependence & Globalisation Explore interconnection between people through families.

Identity & cultural diversity Explore differences and similarities between cultural and family beliefs/customs.

Social justice & human rights Consider the importance of respecting difference.

o Peace building & conflict resolution o Sustainable Futures

Stage 1 – Identify Desired Results 'What is worthy of understanding?'

The Big Idea What are the big ideas?

We all belong to a family; however family structures and experiences may differ.

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Historical Knowledge & Understandings What students will KNOW and need to UNDERSTAND?

Identification or description of similarities and differences between students own and other

families.

Historical Skills What essential questions will foster SKILL Development?

What is my family history and how do I know? How are families similar and different? How can I sequence significant familiar events in an order?

Accommodations for Special Needs and Gifted & Talented What accommodations will be made for the diversity of learners?

The history unit I have planned provides opportunities for students to respond in a variety of ways. Historical knowledge/understanding and skills are presented in a manner that addresses differences in learning styles/profile across the class. This unit also takes into account the differences in families within the class.

With the use of continuous assessment for learning (formative assessment - student self-assessment, anecdotal records of observations) and with the adjustment of resources and scaffolding throughout the unit, students who need extra support and/or extension will be accommodated for.

Accommodations for students with special learning needs – see appendix 2, 6 and pairing in lesson 12

Accommodations for students who are gifted and talented – see appendix 3, 7 and pairing in lesson 12

An adjustment in lesson 9 also takes place.

Stage 2 – Determine Acceptable Evidence 'What assessment evidence will determine Knowledge and Understanding; Historical Inquiry and Skill development?'

Assessment Tasks What formative and summative tasks will be set to foster learning? A portfolio of student learning across the unit will be used to assess student’s progress and achievement of outcomes. Timely and relevant feedback will be given verbally and written in history books. Formative:

Observation of student’s progress across the unit will take place in each lesson. Students will keep a history journal titled ‘Family Stories’.

A formative assessment rubric will be used throughout the unit (see appendix 5) Student self-assessment - students respond with an exit card (see appendix 8).

Summative: Summative assessment tasks will take place in lessons 4 and 12 (see appendices 2, 3, 4, 9 and

10).

Achievement Standards What criteria will used to assess student performance?

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Evidence will be gathered to make judgements against and about the following characteristics of student’s work for the summative tasks and in their final history portfolios: Understanding

Identification of similarities and differences between their own and other families Skills

Sequencing significant familiar events in an order

Distinguishing between the past and present

Communication of stories relevant to personal histories using a variety of texts

Types of Tasks o tests/ quizzes observations work samples oral presentations

essay/ reports

anecdotal comments o checklists portfolios o prompts

poster

display o practical demonstration

conferences/ discussions

Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences: Scope and Sequence of Lessons ‘What learning experiences will enable students to achieve the desired results?’ Lesson Activity Resources Letter to go home – (see appendix 1)

Tuning In (week 1) Lesson 1 – who is in my family?

Read ‘Oliver Bright’ - Ask ‘what is family?’ (discuss)

Ask – Who is in your family? – draw attention to different family

structures.

Using the IWB, students to draw family members (have fun).

Cut out, label (mum, dad etc.) and play with different family

structures, copy and laminate and place around the room to use during following lessons.

Introduce ‘Our Question Wall’ and ‘Our Word Wall’.

Encourage students to have a go and contribute.

English/art – what does family feel like? –

poems about family

Using watercolour, paint how it feels to be in your family.

Lesson 2 - Play song on IWB -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiRUF7hvWuM

Play Family flashcard clip –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEWXE_V4Mqw Students to continue to draw their family on IWB. Draw attention to

other members – aunty, uncle, cousins etc. Ask ‘which one is

oldest, which is youngest? Introduce History Journal – ‘My Family Story’

Reminder note requesting photos from home

English/science – Animal families

Mem Fox books and exploration of Australian animal families

‘Oliver Bright’ by Megan de

Kantzow and Sally Rippin IWB

Printer

Scissors

YouTube clips

IWB

Finding Out (week 2) Lesson 3 - What is my family history? –past/present

Show my daughter’s photos – baby to school child.

Discuss as a class how she has changed over time.

Ask – What happened first? Then what? Etc.

Sequence as a group.

Students to work in groups of 3 sharing and exploring photos of

Photos of daughter

IWB

Students photos of

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students as babies and children growing up.

Students to sequence – support where necessary.

Bring group together - discuss relationships.

Introduce the historical terms – past/present, youngest/oldest and

family history – sequence together. Using laminated family pictures ask – What is the relationship here?

Ask for other questions.

Science – life cycle of a butterfly

Students explore the life-cycle of a butterfly, role play, plasticine,

paint. Lesson 4 – (Summative assess. – see appendix 2,3+4)

In history journals, students draw themselves as a baby, then a

toddler and lastly a schoolchild in a sequential order.

Students to write a sentence about each picture.

Read ‘Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge’

Put on gran’s national costume, share my history box and introduce

the history box for next lesson. Encourage questioning.

Lesson 5/6 (week 3)– History box

Students to share their history box – support where necessary and

ask students appropriate questions. Students to present to class – oral, encourage questions.

Photograph each student when presenting their history box (to go

in journal).

Geography – what is a map?

Explore simple maps

Make a map of school playground

Lesson 7 (week 4) – Where were the people in my family born? –

Show clip of Chaska interviewing me and show old photos of my

family. Explore world map poster – Estonia/Australia and Google Earth as a

class – Adelaide to Estonia (how long would it take to get there?)

Ask – Does anyone know where their parents and/or grandparents

were born? How might you be able to find out about where your family members were born?

Brainstorm family members to interview and possible questions –

list on IWB.

Ask – Who might we be able to find out from? How will we record

the information? Lesson 8 – Posing questions

Revisit the list of ideas and questions.

Students to make up a list of questions with help of teacher.

Students to stick questions in book ready to ask

parent/grandparent. Show clip of Chaska asking questions again.

Recap explanation of task.

Check for understanding.

themselves as babies,

growing up etc. Photos of babies, children

growing up.

Laminated drawings from

lesson 1.

Book – ‘Wilfred Gordon

McDonald Partridge’ by Mem Fox

National Estonian costume

Questions to ask students.

Camera

History journals

Clip of Chaska (interview)

Google Earth

IWB

World map

Clip of Chaska’s interview

IWB

2 questions for each student

History journals

Coloured pencils

Students to take questions home and interview a family member. Students to bring answered questions back to class for the next lesson the following week.

Sorting Out

Lesson 9 (week 5) – Students to bring answered questions to class.

Ask – What did you find out from your family members – which

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family member did you talk to? Where were they born?

Sitting in a circle on the mat, ask students to share their responses

to the interview questions.

Using a large world map, assist students to find the places of their

family member’s birth.

List places on IWB.

Students are given a world map (see appendix 6 and 7) and

asked to circle where their interviewed family member was born.

Students to write ‘My __________ was born in ________. (Some students have the sentence structure to begin while others do not).

Some students may not have questions answered. A note may need

to go home making sure each child has the questions answered. If there are students without questions answered, an interview could

take place between the students and I based on an imaginary

family structure created using the drawings created in lesson 1. Maths – graphs

Students explore using simple data to make graphs

Lesson 10 – organise data

Students to sit on mat.

Using the list of places of birth of interviewed family members, ask

– How many people’s interviewed family member was born in _________. And so on.

Students to stand up and join a group according to where their

family member was born.

As a group, decide on a colour to represent your country.

Find one thing each in the classroom of that colour.

Play with various ways of organising the coloured objects.

Large world map poster

Map for each student

Pencils

A3 piece of paper for each

student (one side for map,

other side for picture of family – lesson 11).

History journals

IWB

Coloured objects in the

classroom

Making Conclusions Lesson 11 (week 6) – differences and similarities

Read the shack that dad built.

Show clip about different families

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POofYM4ZiKg

Using the piece of A3 paper used in lesson 9, students draw their

family including all family members.

Encourage detail in drawings.

Students to label family members (scribe where necessary)

Class discussion/reflection - what we have learnt so far.

Self-assessment (exit card – see appendix 8)

Geography – my place Students go on a walk to the nearby bushland/creek area.

Art/science – draw nature; natural history, nature mandalas (Andy

Goldsworthy)

Lesson 12 – Differences and similarities (summative assessment –

see appendix 9)

As a class, model comparing activity using student’s laminated family pictures from lesson 1 – have students make two very

different families and compare – have students identify similarities.

Model circling the similarities with the place of birth (using map on IWB) of the interviewed family member.

Students to be placed in pairs.

Using their photocopied A3 sheet with their world map and picture of family, students swap with their partner and circle similarities.

Book – ‘The Shack that Dad

Built’ by Elaine Russell

YouTube clip

IWB

History journals

Coloured pencils

Exit cards

IWB

Laminated family pictures

PDF of maps – for IWB

Students completed family picture with map

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Students are paired according to readiness for task – students of

similar ability.

Bring class back together – using drawings, discuss similarities and differences.

In History journals respond to the ‘what if’ thinking key – ‘what if

there were no families?

photocopied to A4.

‘What If’ laminated thinking

key.

Taking Action

Lesson 13 - Class presentation

Concluding class presentation – ‘Our Families’ exhibition.

Students make a display of their work.

Students invite family members to come and share their work for

the unit after school.

A final reflection would take place after the presentation, following

the completion of the unit.

Display includes: History journals

Laminated family pictures

A3 poster of family/circled

map

Photos of history box presentation

Coloured object data

presentation (where our family members were born)

Thinking Tools

o KWHL – Prior Knowledge o De Bono’s Hats o Extended Brain Storming

Bloom’s Taxonomy

o Creative Problem Solving

o Question Matrix Thinkers Keys Graphic Organisers

o Moral Dilemmas Gardiner Multiple

Intelligences Inquiry Active Learning

Unit Evaluation/Reflections

activities that worked well and why

activities that could be improved and how

assessment that worked well and why

assessment that could be improved and how

student misconceptions that need, or needed, to be clarified Kingsley Head, February, 2013

Appendices

1- Introduction to the unit – note home 2- Scaffolded summative assessment 1 (lesson 4) 3- Summative assessment 2 (lesson 4) 4- Summative assessment rubric (lesson 4) 5- Formative assessment observation sheet 6- World map – scaffolded version (lesson 9) 7- World map – more advanced (lesson 9)

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8- Exit card – student self-assessment (lesson 11) 9- Summative assessment rubric (lesson 12) 10- Assessment of portfolio 11- References

Appendix 1 – letter to parents/caregivers Name: Date:

Dear Parent/caregiver,

Over the following six weeks, as part of a unit of work based on The Australian

Curriculum for History, your child will be exploring their ‘family history’.

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To assist with the learning being connected and meaningful for your child, I am

asking that you work with them whilst they build their ‘family story’.

As part of the unit, I am asking that your child brings some things from home that

will be used in the lessons at school. I have listed them below, along with when

they will be required.

Week 1 - Please bring photographs from home (baby, toddler, school child –

these will be kept safe and returned at the completion of the unit).

Week 3 - Each child needs to bring one special object from home. This object

may be a gift from someone special, a souvenir from somewhere or simply

something that is special to them (these will also be kept safe and returned at the

end of week 3).

Week 4 – Each student will be coming home with two simple interview questions

(asking about a family member’s place of birth). They will need you or another

family member to help them answer the interview questions. (You may need to

write the answers for your child.)

Week 6 - The class will be holding an exhibition of their work and would love for

you to join them after school. An invitation will be going home at a later date.

I look forward to working with you and your child, thank you for your support!

Please contact me if you have any queries or concerns,

Heidi Karo – 0452211816 or heidi@aaev.net

Appendix 2 – summative assessment lesson 4 (scaffolded version)

Name: Date:

1

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Appendix 3 – summative assessment lesson 4

Name: Date:

1

This is me when

I_________________________________________.

This is me when

I____________________________________.

This is me when

I____________________________________.

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Appendix 4

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT RUBRIC - sequencing (Lesson 4)

NAME: DATE:

Excellent Appropriate Developing

COMMENTS

Student sequences events from 3 stages of life

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Student has used terms to do with time/change in appropriate tense

Student has related details of events at three stages of life

Appendix 5 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT RUBRIC – my family

Anecdotal observation

TASKS

Who is in my family – draw your family

History box

Contribution to questioning/discussion

/group work

Interview/collating data

DATE NAME

DATE NAME

DATE NAME

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DATE NAME

DATE NAME

DATE NAME

DATE NAME

DATE NAME

Appendix 6 – scaffolded version of map

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Appendix 7 – more advanced version of map

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Appendix 8

STUDENT SELF – ASSESSMENT

Lesson 11

EXIT CARD Name: Date:

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Appendix 9 SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT RUBRIC

Families, similarities and differences

NAME: DATE:

Excellent appropriate developing

COMMENTS

I feel great about what I

have learnt in history

I feel OK about what I

have learnt in history

I don’t feel so good about

what I have learnt in

history

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Student has provided information about their own family

Student has identified similarities between places of birth of their family member and another student

Student has identified similarities between family structure in relation to their drawing of their family and another student

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Appendix 10

Assessment of portfolio

Appendix 11

Name: Date:

History – portfolio (exploring my family history)

COMMENTS:

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References

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). The Australian curriculum:

H History. Retrieved on 10th

April 2013 from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/

Kantzow, M. D. (2009). Me, Oliver Bright. Schoolastic Australia: Omnibus Books.

McTighe, G. W. (2011). The Understanding By Design Guide to Creating High Quality Units. Alexandria:

ASCD.

Russell, E. (2004). The Shack That Dad Built. VIC: Little Hare Books.

Sullivan, R. (2008). Tom Tom. Adelaide: Working Title Press.

Taylor, T. (2012). Place and Time, Explorations in Teaching Geography and History. NSW: Pearson

Australia.