Message from llogan

[Anonymous]

I am attaching the unit I wrote for the seminar requirements. There are a couple of minor issues I would like to update but generally I am pleased with it.

This is a mini-project that I have yet to teach, but I am attaching all of the necessary materials for you to take a look at. Once I begin the unit and teach the mini-lesson I will update and edit this post with information regarding what I would fix and change. Isn't that always the case??

OK technological difficulties...

I could not attach the document so here is the rationale. Check back later for the full unit.
Overall Unit Explanation and Rationale:
Within the school year I teach nine units of study. One of the units is the Asian Civilizations, as promoted and directed through the California State Standards. This unit of study takes three full weeks of instructional days. At my school an instructional day consists of forty-six minutes. Generally, in my class, units are set-up to provide time for preview, guided instruction, independent practice and then review and assessment. Three weeks allows me one day to introduce the units with a unit study guide and check for prior knowledge about the topics presented. I then make sure that there is one day on the backend for assessment and then another for review of the unit. That leaves me with twelve instructional days to teach actual content and go into mini-projects.

The text we use for the class:
Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History: Modern Times. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

I will spend three days on each lesson of the chapter. The focus of this mini-lesson
curriculum project will be the Mongol Ascendancy and Marco Polo. Before I teach this unit my students will have showed a concrete understanding of the previous two lessons: (1) Reunifying China and (2) Advances Under the Tang and Song. The third lesson the book presents is, The Mongol Empire. This is going to be the section of text the students will be required to have read before we start the mini-project.

The students will also have knowledge of how to read primary documents, summarize information, and hold a debate. In the mini-project, the students will be reading about the Mongol Empire and Marco Polo. They will then have to research two sides to the historical debate about whether or not Marco Polo actually traveled to China via the silk roads. The students will have half a day to receive directions, two days for research and preparation of the debate, and half a day to engage in the debate.
[Edit by="llogan on Jul 29, 4:12:13 PM"][/Edit]