@clclyne Colinda Clyne

In my response to Joe’s post, I outlined how I plan units using backward design, starting with the enduring understandings for the course, the exam and culminating assignment and a list of tentative assignments by unit. It took us a long time to flesh out the EUs, and they remain a work in progress since we have only had the new curriculum since September. Here is the link if you are interested https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UZJifkrX2E4KhErKIKhHIVGdFZzsORSbBMu5gYMRu0M/edit?usp=sharing The assignments are tentative as I like to have some flex (for reasons again explained in my response to Joe’s post). Each unit task uses the content of the unit as the vehicle through which students demonstrate their understanding of the historical thinking concepts. For example, the first assignment for the junior students is a personal time line. I like to start where they feel confident, knowledge of their own lives, and stretch them just a bit to try on historical thinking hats. So they choose an event for its historical significance, and analyse it using the criteria: well remembered, long-lasting, impact far reaching and reveals something. They then choose any one other of the Big Six, and explain how this one other thinking concept fits with a particular event. It is not earth-shattering, but a connection that I think is a nice segue into the critical thinking I am going to be asking them to do. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1VhUTdTRbhbZkxIcWJhX01nRFE/edit?usp=sharing For each big topic in the course, I pose a question that we will work to unravel. For the first unit which starts with the Great War, How did Canada change the war? How did the war change Canada? As we investigate the topics from specific battles to conscription to suffrage to seats at the Paris Peace Conference, students circle back to the essential question. The battle of Vimy Ridge is linked to Canadian pride and ingenuity on the battlefield, which led to the reputation as storm troopers, which led to international recognition separate from the Dominion, which led to increased autonomy. As much as possible, these little bits are gathered through inquiry and primary source investigation. This is still very much a work in progress for me. I am only back in the class since last year, having spent the last 10 years as a department head of Special Education (which has meant a guidance role for students with learning issues), and before that I mostly taught either congregated classes of special needs students or English. So much has changed, including my own perspective. And there is a real challenge in history, as the science curricula, of balancing the massive amount of curriculum with the time it takes to develop skilled investigative thinking and clear, concise reporting. I completely agree with Kaelyn that there is such a pressure of time, in the class, because inquiry takes longer, and on the teacher, because setting up inquiry takes longer. But every time through, it gets just a little bit better.