COURSE: Social Studies
UNIT: Czech Republic
CONTACT: Mr. Adams
GRADE: 8
TIME FRAME: 5 day cycle
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PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
STATE OF CONNECTICUT
08.1 SOCIAL STUDIES - HISTORY
08.1.1.0.5 Students will
identify ways different cultures record their histories, compare past and preset situations and events, and present findings
in appropriate oral, written and visual ways
08.1.1.5.2 Students will
gather information from multiple sources, including archives or electronic databases, to have experience with historical sources
and to appreciate the need for multiple perspectives
08.1.1.5.4 Students will
interpret data in historical maps, photographs, art works and other artifacts
08.1.1.0.3 Students will
describe sources of historical information
08.1.1.0.1 Students will
gather historical data from multiple sources
08.1.1.0.6 Students will
create timelines which sequence events and peoples, using days, weeks, months, years, decades and centuries
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FOCUS QUESTIONS
1. What are significant events in the Czech Republic's history and how do
significant events in Czech Republic history relate to events in today's world?
2. What effect does the geography of the Czech Republic have on the history of
the country?
3. What information about the Czech Republic would students feel is important to
their understanding of the country, and what are different ways
to convey this
information?
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CONTENT
1. Instruction on the use and citing of Internet sources;
2. Instruction on interpreting and creating timelines;
3. Instruction on the use of computer word processing programs (specifically
Word and PowerPoint);
4. Instruction on the creation of "travel brochures", dioramas, or other media that
represent areas of interest in the Czech Republic.
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STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize and correctly cite Internet sources,
and to consolidate information from varied sources to create timelines, brochures, or other representations of chosen areas
of interest in the history and/or geography of the Czech Republic.
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LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Day 1:
1. The teacher will introduce information on the correct process of citing Internet
sources.
2. Teacher will introduce sites that are "acceptable" for the current project.
3. Teacher will organize students in groups of four (teacher may choose method,
but ideally each
group should have students with different interests in either
(a)aspects of Czech Republic
history/geography or (b)the method being used for
assessment.)
4. Teacher will introduce rubric for assessment.
Day 2:
5. Students will search sites for information on the Czech Republic
and will
indicate their preference for one of the following forms of assessment:
A. A timeline of significant events in Czech Republic history.
B. Creation of a
"travel brochure" highlighting a specific period in Czech
Republic history.
C. Other options
such as dioramas, diary entry, or PowerPoint presentations.
Day 3:
6. Students will conduct research on selected, approved sites for their individual
projects, that
they will correctly cite as per teacher instructions.
Day 4:
7. Students will consolidate information into their chosen form of assessment.
Day 5:
8. Students will display chosen forms of assessment (See Additional Notes)
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DIFFERENTIATION
1. Differentiation will occur by level of activity chosen for assessment, and by
reading material level as identified by Special Education.
2. Differentiation will occur based on modified rubric for assessment.
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ASSESSMENTS
Rubrics for all activities.( Specific point rubrics preferred: "Students will receive
10 points if ... 9 points if..." etc.)
Teacher may opt to create specialized rubric for certain activities such as PowerPoint
presentation.
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MATERIALS/RESOURCES
1. Writing and illustrating materials, construction materials (where needed);
2. Computer access;
3. Printer access;
4. Computer projector;
5. Assessment rubric(s)
6. And the following websites:
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-191501725-czech_republic_vacations-i
https://www.cia.gov/redirects/factbookredirect.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic
https://gadamsct.tripod.com/
http://www.czech.cz/
http://www.czechtourism.com/
http://www.culturequest.us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habsburg
http://www.antiquesatoz.com/habsburg/
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech-history/hapsburg-joseph.html
http://czechrepublic4.tripod.com/index.html
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ADDITIONAL NOTES
The perfect venue for this activity would be a shared day of cultural education,
much in the same vein as a science fair.
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Cathedral in Prague, Czech Republic