Unit overview

Unit plan title

Timeline
Unit summary
Students will get a feel for what History as a topic is. Students will be able to get a broad view of what they
will be studying that semester and what historical skills they will be developing. Students will get an in
depth view of one event from the time period c.650 1750 AD as they create a project on it.
Year level
8
Curriculum-framing questions
How did societies change from the end of the ancient period to the beginning of the modern age?
Unit questions
What key beliefs and values emerged and how did they influence societies?
What key beliefs and values continue to impact us today?
Content questions
Which significant people, groups and ideas from this period have influenced the world today?
What were the causes and effects of contact between societies in this period?
Standards / Curriculum Outcome
The transformation of the Roman world and the spread of Christianity and Islam (ACOKFH008)
Key features of the medieval world (feudalism, trade routes, voyages of discovery, contact and conflict)
(ACOKFH009)
The emergence of ideas about the world and the place of people in it by the end of the period (such as the
Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment) (ACOKFH010)

Teaching and learning

Strategies
This is a large class that contains a wide range of learners. Six NEPS, four or five high achievers, three or
four low achievers and the rest a blend. Distinct learning types dont stand out here but overall most
students work best on individual work with the option of working in groups occasionally. Class discussion is
also popular but can go off task easily. Most boys in the class are distracted easily by their friends. Keep the
focus on individual assignments and avoid doubling up friends with the same topic so they wont get
distracted while researching. Allow conversation during long periods of work on the assignment but monitor
and make sure students arent falling behind. Have something fun but not too important set up for Lesson 4
Week 10 as it is the last lesson on Friday before school holidays and students will not work well.

Activities
Class discussion
Worksheets
Group work
Individual work
Quiz

Student assessment
Students will research and create a poster giving a reader the basic facts about an event from the time period
studied (c.650 1750 AD). Each student will be responsible for a different event (there will be some double
ups due to class size) and together the class will use these posters to create a class timeline. On presentation
day everyone will show the class their posters and tell us one or two facts they discovered in their research.
This is a broad assignment that allows the higher achievers to create creative, imaginative posters with
different sections and layers while still allowing the low achievers to create a basic poster with the facts about
their topic.
Accommodations for diverse needs
Student E: Low literacy skills and self-conscious about his writing and comprehension abilities. Anxious
about public speaking and can have breakdowns if he gets frustrated. Attends Quicksmart during one English
lesson a week and has SSO support during one lesson.
Student B: Low literacy skills. Attends Quicksmart during one English lesson a week and has SSO support
during one lesson.
Student M: On the autism spectrum but parents dont want him to know. Easily frustrated and will give up on
tasks. Often misses school. Attends Quicksmart during one English lesson a week and has SSO support
during one lesson.
Student H: Low literacy and being tested for any other learning issues. Good natured but almost always off
task. Attends Quicksmart during one English lesson a week and has SSO support during one lesson.
Student R: Low literacy and anger management issues. Quickly gets frustrated and has violent outbursts.
Often misses school. Attends Quicksmart during one English lesson a week and has SSO support during one
lesson.
Student T: On the autism spectrum and has SSO support during one lesson. Quiet and capable of achieving
high standards but often off task.
Differentiation: Students E, B, M, and R will be given one of two topics that are connected making the SSOs
job easier. SSO often takes these students in small group work because they need constant monitoring to keep
them on task. Student T is self-driven but will need help keeping to his topic. All should be able to pass this
assignment but this school preferences differentiating in the learning so this will be reflected in their marks.
Learning preparation
Students prior knowledge
Basic writing tools (grammar, basic sentence structure, punctuation etc.)
Stylist conventions of posters
Computer literacy and word processing skills

Materials and resources

Technology - hardware
Camera

Printer

Video camera

Computer(s)

Data show projector

Video conferencing equipment

Digital camera

Scanner

Interactive white board

DVD player

Television

Mp3 player

Internet connection

VCR

PDA/mobile technologies

Other:
Technology - software
CD-roms

Editing software

Webpage development

Database/spreadsheet

Internet web browser

Word processing

Desktop publishing

Multimedia

Digital learning objects

Email software

Animation software

Other

Supplies
PowerPoint Presentations
Whiteboard markers
Worksheets
Assignment sheets
Poster cardboard
Scissors
Glue
Coloured pencils/textas
Timeline cards

Lesson Breakdown Planned

Week 8

Topic

Lesson 1

Previous unit

Lesson 2

Previous unit

Lesson 3 (double)

Timeline Introduction

Lesson 4

Sources

Brief

Introduce students to History

as a topic and this unit
Discuss the use of sources and
the difference between
primary and secondary
sources and their strengths
and weaknesses

Week 9
Lesson 1

Medieval life

Lesson 2

Start work on posters

Lesson 3

Work on posters

Lesson 4

Work on posters

Learn what life was like in

medieval society. Empathy
driven
Run through assignment
details and get started on
research plan
Finishing up research plan and
starting to collect information
about their topic
Collate information and
images, designing poster

Week 10
Lesson 1

Discovery

Lesson 2

Finalise posters

Lesson 3

Presentation

Lesson 4

Fun

Discuss how trade routes and

exploration opened up the
world and changed peoples
thinking
Finishing posters for
presentation
Poster presentations. May run
over into next lesson.
Final presentations and fun
work to get us thinking about
next unit

Current Lesson Breakdown

Week 8

Topic

Brief

Lesson 1

Previous unit

Lesson 2

Previous unit

Lesson 3 (double)

Previous Unit

Lesson 4

Timeline introduction

Introduce students to History

as a topic and this unit

Sources

Discuss the use of sources and

the difference between
primary and secondary
sources and their strengths
and weaknesses

Week 9

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Start poster research

Lesson 3

Work on posters

Lesson 4

Work on posters

Run through assignment

details and get started on
research plan
Finishing up research plan and
starting to collect information
about their topic
Finishing up research plan and
starting to collect information
about their topic

Week 10
Lesson 1

Finishing posters

Lesson 2

Finishing posters

Lesson 3

Finishing posters

Lesson 4

Finishing posters

Finishing up research plan and

starting to collect information
about their topic
Finishing up research plan and
starting to collect information
about their topic
Finishing posters for
presentation
Finishing posters for
presentation

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Week 1
Lesson 1

Finishing posters

Lesson 2

Presentation

Lesson 3

New Unit

Lesson 4

New unit

Finishing posters for

presentation
Poster presentations. Viking
games to get us thinking
about next unit