Critical Challenge and Guiding Question:

How have changing ideas about the world created tension

between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting
to preserve established ways and traditions?
Curriculum Content
K: B1
D: A1, A2, A4, A6
U: Changing ideas
about the world
created tension
between people
wanting to adopt new
ideas and those
wanting to preserve
established ways and
traditions.
Assessment
Overview
1. In groups students
will build a website
around a
nonviolent
revolution they
research.
2. Annotated
bibliography
3. Peer review
4. Self and group
assessment

Grade: 9
Lessons:
10

Textbooks
Crossroads: A Meeting of Nations
Lesson length: 90 minutes

Unit Goals
1. Students will expand their understanding of revolution to include nonviolent and contemporary
events and movements.
2. Students will develop their collaboration skills through inquiry and project based learning.
3. Students will learn how to find and evaluate sources for their usefulness to an assignment or
study.
4. Students will develop their ability to present information using technology and web platforms.

Rationale
Previously in this course students have studied a number of different revolutions that took
place in Europe from 1500-1815, including the English civil war and the French revolution.
Students have built an understanding of what revolutions are, their causes and consequences,
and their long term impacts. In this inquiry unit, students will broaden their understanding of
revolutions through a group inquiry into a nonviolent contemporary revolution, either taking
place now or in theirs or their parents lifetimes. Students will work to expand the definition of
revolution from history into contemporary circumstances and situations. In groups students
will explore scientific and technological innovations or philosophical and cultural shifts in order
to better understand how the definition of revolution can apply when changing ideas about
the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to
preserve established traditions. Students will develop their research and collaborative skills
through critical evaluation of sources and group work on an extended project.

Lesson Title
Essential
Questions

Lesson Outcomes,
Unit Goals, and
Curriculum Objectives

1. Review of
revolution and
revolutions

SWBAT
1. Define revolution
and apply it to the
different contexts
they have studied.
2. Recognise that
revolutions do not
always fit all the
criteria
encompassed in
the definition.

Essential Question
How does the
definition of
revolution apply to
historical
revolutions?

Unit Goals
1

Resources

Paper
Writing
utensils
Device for
mind
mapping
Mindmeister
exemplar

Annotations
This lesson will
primarily serve to
refresh knowledge
on the revolutions
they have studied
in the course.

Methods and Activities

Activities
Snowball
Students will discuss the
definition of revolution
with each other
Prior knowledge
Teacher led discussion on
the different revolutions
they have studied and
their characteristics.
Students will make a
mind map of the
characteristics of
revolution and how the
ones theyve studied fit
into it.

Assessment
Strategies,
Criteria, and
Rubrics
FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
FOR- I will look at
the mind maps for
completion and
understanding.

2. Assignment
introduction
class
Essential Question
Do all revolutions
need to be violent
or political? How
can the definition
of revolution be
applied to different
social or personal
events?

SWBAT
1. Understand the
steps of inquiry.
2. Apply the inquiry
process to a
subject of their
choice.
3. Set goals and
assign roles in
order to work
collaboratively in a
group.

Inquiry
project
handouts
Groups
assigned
Project
exemplar

Activities
Padlet on collaborative
work
Something about what is
inquiry?
Teacher will present the
project, step by step.
Website building tutorial:
students will have the
chance to create profiles
and play around with the
tools.

Students will meet

with their groups for
the inquiry project.

Methods and Activities

Assessment
Strategies,
Criteria, and
Rubrics

Unit Goals
2

Lesson Title
Essential
Questions

Lesson Outcomes,
Unit Goals, and
Curriculum Objectives

Resources and
Annotations

FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
FOR- students will
build a practice
website so they can
become familiar
with the tools they
will be using.

3. Source
evaluation and
annotated
bibliography
tutorial
Essential Question
How do I know that
a source is
legitimate and how
is it useful to my
project?

SWBAT
1. Identify the
differences
between primary
and secondary
sources
2. Recognise and
describe the
usefulness and
drawbacks of
different kinds of
sources
3. Use the OPVL
method to better
understand the
sources they are
working with
Unit Goals
3

Different
primary and
secondary
source
examples.
OPVL
handouts
Annotated
bibliography
exemplar
and handout

Activities
Class discussion about
primary and secondary
sources.
OPVL: In groups, students
will practice applying
OPVL to different sources
to gauge their usefulness.
Students will be
introduced to and
practice writing an
annotated bibliography.
Students will be given
time to start research on
their projects

FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
FOR- OPVL
assignments and
annotated
bibliography
practice

4. Research block

SWBAT
1. Use their class time
effectively to
conduct research,
collect material,
and evaluate
sources
2. Build their
collaboration skills
through research
and group work

Library time
for research
Devices
Books on
revolutions

Activities
Students will receive their
work from the previous
class and have the
chance to work with
teacher feedback.
Students will have this
period to continue
research on their projects.

FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.

Methods and Activities

Assessment
Strategies,
Criteria, and
Rubrics
FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.

Unit Goals
2, 3, 4

Lesson Title
Essential
Questions
5. Research block

Lesson Outcomes,
Unit Goals, and
Curriculum Objectives
SWBAT
1. Use their class time
effectively to
conduct research,
collect material,
and evaluate
sources
2. Build their
collaboration skills
through research
and group work
Unit Goals
2, 3, 4

Resources and
Annotations
-

Library time
for research
Devices
Books on
revolutions

Activities
Students will have this
period to continue
research on their projects.

6. work block

SWBAT
1. Use their class time
effectively to
amalgamate
material and build
a website
2. Build their
collaboration skills
through research
and group work

Library time
for research
Devices
Books on
revolutions

Activities
Students will have this
period to continue
research on their projects.

FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
OF- annotated
bibliography due

Unit Goals
2, 3, 4

Lesson Title
Essential
Questions

Lesson Outcomes,
Unit Goals, and
Curriculum Objectives

7. Peer evaluations

SWBAT
1. Develop their skills
at giving useful
and relevant
feedback to their
peers
2. Recognise the
areas they can
personally improve
in their
collaborative and
individual
academic work

Essential Question
How can we
improve upon the
work we have done
so far? Where have
we been
successful?

Unit Goals

Resources and
Annotations
-

Devices peer
and selfevaluation
forms
Rubrics and
criteria for
the
assignment

Methods and Activities

Activities
Students will exchange
their work with other
groups for evaluation.
Peers will provide
feedback on each others
websites

Assessment
Strategies,
Criteria, and
Rubrics
FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
AS- Peerassessment and
feedback

2, 3, 4

8. Final work block

SWBAT
1. Develop their
ability to
incorporate
feedback in order
to improve their
work
2. Use their class time
effectively to
amalgamate
material and build
a website
3. Build their
collaboration skills
through research
and group work
Unit Goals
2, 3, 4

Library time
for research
Devices
Books on
revolutions

Activities
Students will work in their
groups to finalize their
websites by incorporating
the peer feedback,
proofreading, and setting
the website to live.

FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
AS- Group and selfevaluation done in
class and handed in.

Lesson Title
Essential
Questions

Lesson Outcomes,
Unit Goals, and
Curriculum Objectives

9. Presentation day

SWBAT
1. Give an overview
of their websites
and the work they
have accomplished
2. Formulate and ask
effective questions
of their peers

Essential Question
Do all revolutions
need to be violent
to political? How
can the definition
of revolution be
applied to different
social or personal
events?

Unit Goals
1, 2, 3, 4

Resources and
Annotations
-

Presentation
materials
Devices
Guiding
questions
handout for
the gallery
walk

Methods and Activities

Assessment
Strategies,
Criteria, and
Rubrics
FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.

Activities
Each group will give a 5
minute overview of their
projects to the class.
Students will have time to
think about and write
OF- websites must
down questions they want be live and
to ask of their peers.
complete.
Students will set up their
websites on a device for
their peers to view and
ask questions about.
Students will actively
engage with their peers
projects through effective
questions and active
listening.

10. Project
reflection and
further
questioning
Essential Question
What other
questions do you
have about
revolutions? How
can you explore
these questions?

SWBAT
1. Reflect on their
inquiry and
collaboration
experience to
identify their
learning and ways
they could improve
their process
2. Identify and
explore ways in
which the project
left them with
further questions
about the topic
Unit Goals
1, 3

Devices
Guiding
questions for
further
inquiry
handout

Activities
As a class, we will
brainstorm things we
learned about revolutions
from the projects.
In their groups, students
will work to identify
questions their research
didnt answer, or ways
they would like to
continue exploring the
topic of revolutions.
Students will begin the
research process for
answering these further
questions.
Share to the class in
closing

FOR- observation on
student
engagement and
understanding.
FOR- Students will
submit the
questions they
explored