MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers Unit 7 Planner Teacher(s) Unit title Unit 7: Agriculture & Civilization Subject group and discipline Individuals & Societies - History MYP year 4/5 Unit duration 5 weeks Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit Key concepts Related concept(s) Global context Change Causality (cause and consequence) Orientation in space and time: Choice of key concept Civilization Students will explore turning points in humankind; the relationships between, and the interconnectedness of, individuals and civilizations, from personal, local and global perspectives. IB guidelines for related concept(s): • Related concepts and their definitions are found in each MYP subject-group guide, along with examples of how they are used to develop MYP units. Teachers can develop additional related concepts to meet the needs of students • For each unit, teachers identify one or more related concept(s) that extend(s) learning, lead(s) to deeper understanding, or offer(s) another perspective from which to understand the identified key concept(s). IB guidelines for global context: Inquiry into the concept of change involves understanding and evaluating causes, processes, and consequences. For individuals and societies, the concept of change allows examination of the forces that shape the world: past, present, and future. The subject group explores the role of individuals and societies in shaping change. IB guidelines for key concepts: • The MYP identifies 16 key concepts • Teachers are to identify one key concept that drives theunit’s development • Teachers use key concepts from their own subject group(s)—as well as key concepts from other subject groups • These key concepts are found in the IB subject guides as well in MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 56. Key Concepts for Individuals & Societies - History can be found in the Individuals and Societies Guide, page 16. MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 57. Related concepts in individuals and societies list and definition can be found in pages 54-56 of the Individuals and Societies Guide. When teachers select a global context for learning, they are answering the following questions: • Why are we engaged in this inquiry? • Why are these concepts important? • Why is it important for me to understand? • Why do people care about this topic? These global contexts are found in the IB subject guides as well as in MYP: From Principles into Practice, pages 59-62. Statement of inquiry Agriculture transformed human history and accelerated the pace of change. Statements of inquiry set conceptual understanding in a global context, which frames classroom inquiry and directs purposeful learning. Statements of inquiry summarize “what we will be learning and why” in language that is meaningful to students. Examples of Statements of Inquiry for individuals and societies can be found in the Individuals and Societies Guide, page 21. IB guidelines for statement of inquiry: The statement of inquiry: • represents a contextualized, conceptual understanding • describes a complex relationship that is worthy of inquiry • explains clearly what students should understand and why that understanding is meaningful • can be qualified (using phrases such as “often,” “may,” and “can”) if it is not true in all situations, but is still an important idea • can be formulated at different levels of specificity. MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 62. MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers Inquiry questions The BHP Learning outcomes for the unit may be used to establish the line of Inquiry. Teachers are free to have multiple questions for each of the categories. Factual— • IB guidelines for inquiry questions: Examples of factual, conceptual, and debatable questions can be found in the Individuals and Societies Guide, Table 4, page 22. What are the features of agrarian civilizations? Factual— Conceptual— • Driving question (WH): What makes human societies similar and different? • Why can an uneven distribution of information and connectedness lead to uneven distribution of wealth and power in collective learning networks? Debatable— Characteristics of factual inquiry questions: • Knowledge/fact-based • Content-driven • Skills-related • Supported by evidence • Can be used to explore terminology in the statement of inquiry • Frequently topical • Encourage recall and comprehension • Driving question: To what extent was farming an improvement over foraging? MYP: From Principles into Practice - Characteristics of factual, conceptual, and debatable inquiry questions, Table 4, page 63. • Driving question (WH): Why do societies collapse? Conceptual— Characteristics of conceptual inquiry questions • Enable exploration of big ideas that connect facts and topics • Highlight opportunities to compare and contrast • Explore contradictions • Lead to deeper disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding • Promote transfer to familiar or less familiar situations, issues, ideas andcontexts • Encourage analysis and application MYP: From principles into practice - Characteristics of factual, conceptual and debatable inquiry questions Table 4 Page 63. Debatable— Characteristics of debatable inquiry questions • Enable the use of facts and concepts to debate a position • Promote discussion • Explore significant ideas and issues from multiple perspectives • Can be contested • Have tension • May be deliberately provocative • Encourage synthesis and evaluation MYP: From principles into practice - Characteristics of factual, conceptual and debatable inquiry questions. Table 4, page 63. Objectives Summative assessment Summative 1 Outline of summative assessment task(s) including assessment criteria: Objective A: Knowing and understanding Objective B: Investigating Objective C: Communicating Relationship between summative assessment task(s) and statement of inquiry: MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers Objective D: Thinking critically The MYP Objective strands for assessment need to be decided according to planning/ context. Additional information about assessing objectives can be found in the Individuals and Societies Guide, page 26. Summative 1: Summative 1: 7.1.14 Activity: Early Civilizations Museum Project The research students complete for this activity will enable them to broaden and reinforce their understanding of the characteristics of agrarian civilizations. Guidance for Teachers: Divide the class into 10 groups. Students will work together in their This project assesses students’ understanding of how groups to create a walk-through museum exhibit to illustrate the history agriculture transformed human history. and culture of one of ancient agrarian civilizations. The students’ goal is to convince visitors to the museum that their civilization made the greatest contribution to the world above and beyond that of the other civilizations. Members of each group need to collaborate to research. Each group will need to create four pieces for their exhibit: Visual artifacts. Written information. Video Interactive components Each of the components listed above should include information about the civilization’s government, religion, environment, arts and culture, science and technology, economics, and society. The following chart lists the topics and questions students should explore in their research. This therefore requires addressing all 4 Objectives. Summative 2 Summative 2: Summative 2: Objective A: Knowing and understanding Unit 7 - Investigation 7 Historical purpose of the Investigation: Objective D: Thinking critically To what extent was farming an improvement over foraging? The transition from foraging (or hunter-gatherer) societies to agrarian societies is one of the most significant events in human history and an important part of the Big History narrative. People often celebrate the merits of the agricultural revolution, but some scholars are reconsidering whether this transition was actually a success. Pedagogical purpose of the Investigation: In this Investigation, students assess anthropological evidence and examine data sets as they join a contemporary debate about whether agriculture improved humans’ quality of life. It’s important for students to articulate their conjectures first, as this Investigation challenges many assumptions that we make. Students should also consider competing points of view and address them as they make their arguments. This task allows the examination of the concept of change and the role of individuals and societies in shaping change. It is an inquiry into the concept of change and evaluation of causes, processes and consequences. MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers Approaches to learning (ATL) IB ATL CATEGORY / MYP ATL CLUSTER BHP CORE SKILL Research: Information literacy skills Integrating multiple disciplines Thinking: Critical thinking skills ATL SKILL DESCRIPTOR Integrating multiple disciplines LEARNING EXPERIENCES Information literacy: Make connections between various sources of information. The development over thousands of years of what we have come to call farming is based upon reason evidence (perception) and logic. Summative 2: Gather and organize relevant information to make an argument; revise understanding based Unit 7: Investigation 7 on new information and evidence. To what extent was farming 7.1—The First Cities and States Appear 7.1.14 Activity: Early Civilizations Museum Project An improvement over foraging? Group presentations on how human nutrition has evolved over time. Thinking: Transfer skills Transfer skills Social Skills: Collaboration skills Combine knowledge, understanding and skills to 7.2—Ways of Knowing: Agriculture and Civilization create products or solutions 7.2.4 Activity: What Do You Know? What Do You Ask? Delegate and share responsibility for decisionmaking 7.1—The First Cities and States Appear Help others to succeed Group presentations Take responsibility for one’s own actions Debates Manage and resolve conflict, and work collaboratively in teams Build consensus Listen actively to other perspectives and ideas Explicit teaching of ATL skills could also be planned through the class discussions and formatives. A few suggestions are as follows: Self-management (reflection): Reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of a research method; structure information appropriately in an oral presentation. Social skills: Seek out criticism and feedback from others, including teachers and peers, and make informed choices about including it in one’s work. IB guidelines for ATL: Teachers will find it useful to refer to MYP: From principles into practice Appendix 1: ATL skills framework, Page 107. 7.1.14 Activity: Early Civilizations Museum Project MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry Content Learning process Teachers will find the content in Big History Project / SY 2017-18 / Unit 7 Guide Learning experiences and teaching strategies The Big History Project / SY 2017-18 / Unit 7 Guide Teacher Material has a detailed list of both learning experiences and teaching strategies. IB guidelines for learning experiences: Teachers should purposefully choose strategies and learning experiences that are aligned with the unit’s statement of inquiry; help students meet subject-group objectives; support the development of effective ATL skills; and meaningfully prepare students to achieve high levels of performance in the unit’s summative assessment. Teachers should ensure that a range of learning experiences and teaching strategies is: • embedded in the curriculum • built upon prior learning • age-appropriate, thought-provoking and engaging • based on the differing needs of all students, • open-ended and involves teaching problem-solving skills. MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 67. 7.0—The Rise of Agriculture 7.0.1 Opening: This Threshold Today 7.0.3 Watch: Threshold 7— Agriculture Class discussion: Conceptual thinking The human population increased dramatically with the development of farming. What might happen if the population continues to grow? Can humans continue to produce enough food to support population growth? Can growth be infinite? Can development be infinite? If possible, guide your students into a discussion about how agriculture is still important to us today 7.0.4 Watch: Why Was Agriculture So Important? Class discussion: Key factual and Conceptual thinking Ask students if they believe there is any limit to the growth of agriculture around the world. Do they think that agricultural production can always be increased to support growing human populations? 7.0.5 Activity: DQ Notebook 7.0.7 Read: “Collective Learning” (Part 2) Class discussion: Conceptual thinking Complete the Three Close Reads worksheet Have students respond to this question at the end of their third close read: Do you consider yourself to be connected by your phone and computer to a lot of other people? Do you have friends who are less connected than you? Do you have friends who are more connected? Do you agree with the idea that when there are an uneven number of connections MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers among people, groups, or countries that this unevenness can lead to differences in the way power, wealth, and influence are distributed? 7.0.9 Read: “What’s for Dinner Tonight? Evidence of Early Agriculture – The First Farmers” (WH) Class discussion: Conceptual thinking Complete the Three Close Reads worksheet 7.1—The First Cities and States Appear 7.1.3 Watch: Where and Why Did the First Cities and States Appear? Conceptual thinking Ask students how geography and environmental factors can influence the structure of a civilization. Have them think of one civilization and provide examples of how the formation or growth of that civilization was impacted by geography. 7.1.12 Read: “We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: The Emergence of Early Cities” (WH) Class discussion: Conceptual thinking Complete the Three Close Reads worksheet At the end of the third close read, have students respond to the following questions: Are there additional interpretations you can make about these early cities beyond what Ravi wrote about? What else might we learn from Hammurabi’s Code or the other artifacts you encountered in this article? 7.1.13 Read: “ The Origin of World Religions” (WH) Class discussion: Conceptual thinking Complete the Three Close Reads worksheet What makes a religion different from an ethical system? What makes it the same? 7.2—Ways of Knowing: Agriculture and Civilization 7.2.1 Opening: Social Status, Power, and Human Burials 7.2.2 Watch: Intro to History Class discussion: Conceptual thinking At this point in the course, students have learned about the nature, evidence, and questions important in a number of scientific disciplines. Ask them whether what they have learned about the nature, evidence, and questions of history makes it sound like a “scientific” discipline or not. 7.2.3 Read: “Recordkeeping and History” Class discussion: Conceptual thinking Complete the Three Close Reads worksheet At the end of the third close read, have students respond to this question: How has writing been a positive innovation for humans? Does writing have any negative impacts that you can think of? 7.2.7 Read: “The Origin of Agriculture in Africa” Class discussion: Conceptual thinking Complete the Three Close Reads worksheet Ask students to answer the following question and then discuss as a class: What is the meaning of the following MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers statement: “Over long stretches of evolutionary time, humans had learned to live with Africa and Africa had learned to live with us.” 7.2.8 Activity: LBH–Research Questions 7.2.9 Activity: The Rise, Fall, and Collapse of Civilizations (WH) 7.2.10 Closing: Were They Pushed or Did They Jump? (WH) IB guidelines for formative assessment: • Comprehensively aligns with knowledge, understanding, and skills required for success in summative assessment. • Provides varied opportunities for practice and detailed feedback for learning. • Creates meaningful evidence that teachers can use to make adjustments to planned experiences and teaching strategies. • Includes opportunities for peer assessment and self- assessment. Evaluating MYP Unit Plans, pages 8-9. Formative assessment The “Closing” activities listed in Big History Project / SY 2017-18 / Unit 7 Guide Teacher Material could also be used for formative assessments. Formatives also include lesson quizzes, glossary challenges, and vocab activities. 7.0—The Rise of Agriculture 7.0.8 Activity: Biography of a Crop PBL: Project Question (found in “Other Materials”) How many people could Earth support now and 100 years from now? What conditions would be necessary to support those numbers? The PBL could kick off as a formative assessment in this unit. This would add more variety to assessment, which is what MYP looks for. Project Objective Your students will work in pairs to determine, based on sound scientific evidence and reasoning, how many people Earth could support today and how many people Earth could support 100 years from today. Your students must also describe the conditions that would have to be present for Earth to support those numbers of people. In their projects, students must define what they mean by “support.” Student Deliverables 1. An infographic 2. A narrative of each condition 3. A poster session presentation MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers IB guidelines for differentiation: • Documents specific strategies for accommodating learning diversity in terms of content, process, and product. • Addresses students’ diverse language profiles and learning support requirements in ways that use diversity as a resource for all students’ learning. Allows each studentto develop, pursue, and achieve appropriate learning goals. Evaluating MYP Unit Plans, page 9. Differentiation Big History Project / Quick Start Guide: Reading guide, vocab guide, discuss in-depth about differentiation--teachers need to refer to these guides for differentiation from the BHP website itself. The differentiation suggestions here are somewhat general to the course. We suggest you create differentiation strategies based on local context and your current students’ needs ELA – emphasis on core ELA skills of evaluating, crafting, and defending an argument, including hypothesis generation. Action planning for an Investigation, including goal setting. Multiple versions of each reading with a variety of Lexile levels. Unit 7 – Vocab guide. Using infographics. Videos including those by Crash Course, using key questions to guide the thinking process. Project-based learning o Students work in groups to research their questions, compose a written response, and share their results with their class and the community. Glossary challenge: a quiz covering the glossary terms for the unit. Resources https://school.bighistoryproject.com/pages/console#units/Unit-7 Reflection: Considering the planning, process, and impact of the inquiry Prior to teaching the unit During teaching After teaching the unit MYP UNIT PLANNERS BHP Guidance for Teachers / IB Guidance for Teachers IB guidelines for reflection prior to teaching the unit: • Why do we think that the unit or the selection of topics will be interesting? • • • • What do students already know, and what can they do? What have students encountered in this discipline before? What does experience tell us about what to expect in this unit? What attributes of the learner profile does this unit offer students opportunities to develop? • What potential interdisciplinary connections can we identify? • What do we know about students’ preferences and patterns of interaction? • Are there any possible opportunities for meaningfulservice learning? • What in the unit might be inspiring for community or personal projects? • Could we develop authentic opportunities for service learning? • How can we use students’ multilingualism as a resource for learning? MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 70. IB guidelines for reflection prior to teaching the unit: • • • • • Why do we think that the unit or the selection of topics will be interesting? • • • • • • What potential interdisciplinary connections can we identify? What do students already know, and what can they do? IB guidelines for reflection after teaching the unit: • What were the learning outcomes of this unit? • How well did the summative assessment task serve to distinguish achievement levels? What have students encountered in this discipline before? What does experience tell us about what to expect in this unit? What attributes of the learner profile does this unit offer students opportunities to develop? What do we know about students’ preferences and patterns of interaction? Are there any possible opportunities for meaningfulservice learning? What in the unit might be inspiring for community or personal projects? Could we develop authentic opportunities for service learning? How can we use students’ multilingualism as a resource for learning? MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 70. • Was the task sufficiently complex to allow students to reach the highest levels? • • • • • • • • • What evidence of learning can we identify? What artifacts of learning should we document? Which teaching strategies were effective? Why? What was surprising? What student-initiated action did we notice? What will we do differently next time? How will we build on our experience to plan the next unit? How effectively did we differentiate learning in this unit? What can students carry forward from this unit to the next year/ level of study? • Which subject groups could we work with next time? • What did we learn from standardizing the assessment? MYP: From Principles into Practice, page 71.
