Unit Rationale
This unit plan would be implemented in a 10th or 11th grade American History course. This unit may be applied to several topics of study in American history because it encourages students to develop their own research questions and investigate topics of interest. The example that we are using in this unit plan is the time period surrounding the Space Race in the 1950s. This example follows a small group of students who might choose the memoir titled, Rocket Boys as the accompanying text. Any Social Studies teacher may decide to work with an interested English teacher to truly integrate Social Studies with English. This unit plan would creatively build upon skills and ideas studied in a previous research based unit plan. The rationale for implementing this type of integrative unit plan into the Social Studies curriculum is based on the idea of blending theory with practice. This unit plan is not designed around rote memorization of facts and dates, but rather encourages students to be practitioners of history, to critically analyze history through these first-hand accounts of historical events. Students will find this unit plan meaningful because they are investigating topics of interest and applying them to themes and concepts in an integrative way, rather than accumulating facts and data for a unit test. The focus is on the process and not the product; in this unit plan, technology bridges the gap between the historical event and the student.
Students are able to visualize the past because they are using the technology and interview skills they learn during this unit to create oral histories from people who experienced the historic event. The rationale for collecting these oral histories is to learn from multiple perspectives and not only one source of information. These oral histories will be supplemented by the students' own research of the historical event.
Students are able to visualize the past because they are using the technology and interview skills they learn during this unit to create oral histories from people who experienced the historic event. The rationale for collecting these oral histories is to learn from multiple perspectives and not only one source of information. These oral histories will be supplemented by the students' own research of the historical event.
Social Studies National and State Standards
- 1.1. State Framework: Formulate historical questions and hypotheses from multiple perspectives, using multiple sources.2.3. State Framework: Explain relationships among the events and trends studied in local, national and world history.
- 2.3. State Framework: Explain relationships among the events and trends studied in local, national and world history.
- 4.5. State Framework: Describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues and personal concerns.