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Jacqueline Ali

I. How I will organize my class

The most important thing to having an effective classroom is to make sure it is organized,
I plan on organizing my classroom content in chronological order. I feel that chronological order
helps students explore cause and effect and be able to see drastic changes over time. It is very
important that I teach my students to analyze the reasoning for events and then analyze the
outcome, and this I feel is much easier to accomplish when the content is taught chronologically.
Also, history is not only to be defined by these huge earthquakes of change but also by more
subtle changes in beliefs and social changes that should be analyzed as well. History can not only
be focused in on major events such as war but minor influences such as changes in thinking.
Chronological order is helps see how changes of human thought and beliefs alter throughout
history in response to major events occurring at that time,
I plan on teaching in a chronological order because at the end of the year, students can
look back and see the big picture. They can go back and reflect on people lived in ancient times
and look at the course of history which has now led us to the society we live in today. Also while
reflecting on the course of history, it is possible to see how history repeats itself and how that can
be taken into the students account to prevent certain events from reoccurring in their lifetime. I
feel that chronological order helps when it comes to cause and effect, comparing and contrasting
and understanding the bigger picture.

II. What I wish to accomplish

A. Habits of Mind: Historical thinking prepares students for citizenship. It is important to
teach students how to use historical thinking in a variety of different ways using the
sourcing heuristic and the corroboration heuristic and other heuristic strategies:
The sourcing heuristic: What historians do before reading for content
comprehension.
Is used before analyzing a primary source document.
Involves asking questions about the authors credentials, motivations, and
participation in the time the document was written.
Students are to consider the audience for whom the document was
intended for.
Students will be able to create a distance between their own views and the
views of the people from earlier eras.
Corroboration heuristic: What historians do to relate one document to another
document.
Students gain historical sophistication while engaging in the analysis of
documents.
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Students are able to practice and accretion of knowledge results while

increasing competency in applying levels of historical understanding to
the analysis of documents.
Students are able to analyze different viewpoints.
Students are able to use critical thinking skills to decipher the differences
between sources.
Contextualization: What historians do to describe the time frame and conditions
locally, nationally, and globally.
Enables students to appreciate ways of perceiving and thinking that are
quite different from conventional ways of perceiving and thinking today.
Historians, as well as students, are constantly able to compare their
analysis of a document with ideas and events in other parts of the world at
that time.
Comparative thinking: What historians do to describe conditions in other parts of
the world at a time.
Students need to understand progressively sophisticated thinking levels
when learning history.
Students use these skills to compare history in one place of the world to
another.
Problem-solving questions: Historians use these questions as they probe the
meaning of a document.
Often used before even reading the document,
These questions are to engage students in thinking about the document in
historical contexts.
B. Values: There are many values that I hope to teach my students throughout the course of
the year. These are values that will serve them outside of the classroom and for the rest of
their lives as well rounded individuals.
To be respectful.
It is very important to me that all my students are respectful to one
another. There will be a lot of discussions in my class and students are
going to disagree with one another and I want my students to understand
not everyone sees everything the same way and they have to accept that.
To listen.
Students will have to listen while their peers share and express their
opinion and I want all my students to listen to one another even though
they might not agree. Also, I do not want any of my students feelings to
be hurt when they are trying to speak and nobody is listening.
To care.
I want all my students to care for one another and for there to be no cases
of bullying. We all have to be with each other for an hour a day, five days
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a week and we need to treat each other as if we are a family away from
home. It is important to care for one another and be respectful.
Integrity.
I want all my students to have integrity and be true to their word. I will
teach them to have high moral principles and all that you truly have is
your word.
Generosity.
I will teach all my students to be kind and generous with one another. I
will not tolerate bullying in my classroom and I want all my students to be
well rounded adults who know how to be kind.
Gratitude.
My students will learn how to be thankful and show gratitude. There is a
lot to be thankful for and I want my students to appreciate everything that
they have and the opportunities that are given to them.
C. Subject/Content Objectives:
Concept 1: Be able to interpret historical data displayed in multiple forms,
distinguish among dating methods, and construct a variety of charts, graphs and
timelines to interpret historical data,
Concept 1 (cont.): Be able to evaluate primary and secondary sources and apply
historical analysis to current events and formulate historical questions,
Concept 2: Be able to analyze the development, advancement, and historical
significance of ancient civilizations such as Ancient Greece, Rome and China and
analyze the significance these civilizations had on current society.
Concept 3: Be able to compare and contrast the rise and fall of different Empires
across the globe and be able to describe the interactions between Europe and Asia
during the 12th and 16th centuries.
Concept 4: Be able to analyze how Renaissance thoughts and theories reconnect
with past ideas as well as influence present society as well as the influence of
todays ideas from the Protestant and Catholic Reformations.
Concept 5: Be able to describe the religious, economic, social, and political
interactions among civilizations that resulted from early exploration:
Concept 6: Be able to analyze the different developments of thought through
multiple Revolutions and how these Revolutions had an impact on political
thought and societal change.
Concept 7: Be able to describe the effect of imperialism on the world from the
points of view of the colonists versus the countries being colonized and the
different responses to imperialism.
Concept 8: Be able to analyze how different aspects led to World War I then
transitioned to World II and the Cold War and how these three wars had major
impact politically, economically and socially.
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Concept 9: Be able to explain the roots of terrorism and the current issues in the
Middle East as well as the development of political and economic
interdependence during the second half of the twentieth century as well as the
early twenty first century.
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Works Cited

Drake, F.D. & Nelson, L.R. (2009). Teaching history: Theory and practice for middle and

secondary teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Inc. ISBN: 9780131586734.