(Mr. Drews)
(adrews@daltonschool.kr)
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Modern World History
Course Description
Course Description
In 8th grade Social Studies, students develop and enhance their critical thinking, collaborative, inquiry, communication, and literacy abilities as we explore modern world history, beginning with the Industrial Revolution and into contemporary society. While this course is framed as a history course, students will pursue learning in multiple social studies disciplines including geography, culture, political science, economics, and history. The primary theme of this course revolves around the question: How ought we live together?
Units of Study & Assessment Information
Units of Study & Assessment Information
Unit 0: Historical Thinking & Digital Literacy
Unit 0: Historical Thinking & Digital Literacy
August 19-September 13
The focus of this unit will be building skills in historical thinking and digital literacy. Information has become increasingly available on the internet through an explosion of available sources. As an ever changing eco-system with limited regulation, it can be difficult to filter and detect reliable sources from misleading and malicious ones. Thus, students must be empowered with the tools to critically examine the sources and claims they encounter. With those tools, we will be able to jump into our study of modern world history beginning with an exploration of perhaps the most defining event of our modern world: the Industrial Revolution.
Unit Essential Questions
How can we be certain our beliefs are accurate?
Unit 0 Summative Assessment Formats
Unit Test
Unit 1: Industrialization in the Modern World
Unit 1: Industrialization in the Modern World
September 19 - November 17
With the tools we acquired from Unit 1, we will now be able to jump into our study of modern world history beginning with an exploration of perhaps the most defining event of our modern world: the Industrial Revolution. We will briefly review the origins and major breakthroughs of the First & Second Industrial Revolutions, as well as how industrialization impacted the daily lives of the working class. With this historical context, students will investigate industrialization in contemporary society and how it impacts humans and our environment by examining multiple perspectives. While examining these perspectives, students will be tasked with critically analyzing & evaluating the sources they utilize. Students will also study the development of human rights and apply human rights standards to help in answering the unit essential question. The unit will culminate with a formal class debate and the task of writing a position statement where students attempt to answer the unit essential question.
Unit Essential Questions
Is humanity better or worse off due to industrialization?
Is industrialization better at protecting or violating human rights?
Unit I Summative Assessment Formats
Source Assessment
Industrialization Position Statement
Unit Test
Unit 2: Power and the Collision of Cultures: Colonialism through the Eyes of Primary Sources
Unit 2: Power and the Collision of Cultures: Colonialism through the Eyes of Primary Sources
November 20- January 18
In Unit 2, students will explore how the colonization of various African societies impacted their politics, economics, social structure, cultural practices, and their geography through an examination of primary and secondary sources documents. To help guide students through unit concepts, the case study of Korea under occupation by Japan will be examined together as a class.
Unit Essential Questions
What happens when cultures meet?
How does migration change a place?
How can historical legacies help or hinder understanding today?
Unit II Summative Assessment Formats
CER Analysis Written Assessments
Quantitative Analysis Tets
Unit 3: Social Movements & Effecting Change
Unit 3: Social Movements & Effecting Change
January 24 - April 16
In this unit, students will be exploring social movements, a momentous and increasingly prevalent societal phenomenon in the past two centuries of human history. As part of our study, students will develop an understanding for how individuals and groups have been able to create meaningful change in society. Analysis of propaganda and types of political activism will contribute to constructing an understanding of how humans create and spread influence necessary to effect change. We will also examine how stereotypes influence our perception of others and the extent to which stereotypes are accurate (or not). Students will select a unique social movement within the past 150 years to analyze these various features and demonstrate their understanding and skill, which will include an oral presentation and quantitative data analysis.
Unit Essential Questions
How is change effected?
How does propaganda influence us?
How do stereotypes influence how we look at and understand the world?
Unit IV Summative Assessment Formats
Shaping Agenda Short Response
Propaganda Source Analysis - written assessment
Social Movement Mini-inquiry & Presentation
Social Movement Quantitative Data Analysis - written assessment
Unit 4: Economic Systems & the Cold War
Unit 4: Economic Systems & the Cold War
April 17- May 16
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.”
John F. Kennedy (U.S. President)
“(Of nuclear war:) The living will envy the dead.”
Nikita Khrushchev (USSR Leader)
With the end of World War II, the world entered into a new era of struggle. This time, the struggle was not between liberal democracy and authoritarian fascism bent on world domination as it had been during the war, but between the adherents of capitalist democracy and authoritarian communism. This struggle, coined The Cold War, was primarily instigated between the U.S. and Soviet Union (USSR). Each side believed their economic and political ideology was the best future for humanity and engaged in a race of technology and weaponry to project and protect their superiority. With the development and use of nuclear weapons at the end of the war, the stakes grew even greater, as fear of Armageddon and the extinction of humans became a real possibility in many people’s minds. The Cold War was not truly cold as its name appears to imply. Many violent conflicts emerged out of this ideological struggle, as seen in Korea, Cambodia, Cuba, and Vietnam, among others. Our primary focus for this unit will be an exploration of the merits and drawbacks of major modern economic systems that were at odds with each other during this period and in contemporary society.
Unit Essential Questions
How should society produce & allocate resources?
Who should be in control of producing & allocating resources?
What are the merits of governmental allocation of resources?
What are the merits of market‐determined allocation of resources?
Unit IV Summative Assessment Formats
Korean War Mini-Inquiry
Economic Reform Report
Unit 5: Living in a Technological Revolution
Unit 5: Living in a Technological Revolution
May 19 - EOY
Our final unit of the year will be an exploration of our unique position in human history as observers & participants in a transformation technological revolution. Students will examine how new technologies impact various aspects of society and will ultimately evaluate to what extent government should regulate a technology that impacts teens on a daily basis: social media. Students will participate in committee deliberations to collaboratively determine whether regulation is appropriate and write a joint petition letter to be presented to CDS community members to sign.
Unit Essential Questions
How can a new technology change the balance of power within a society or between societies?
Should new technologies be regulated?
Unit VI Summative Assessment Formats
Deliberation
Week by Week Breakdown by Section
Week by Week Breakdown by Section
Please find below the calendar which is attached to your Google Classroom. You will see due dates here and upcoming assessment dates.
Broad Learning Categories
Broad Learning Categories
Dimension 1 Essential Questions - 5%
Dimension 2 AERO Standards - 40%
(Time, Continuity, and Change) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of historical content.
(Connections and Conflict) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of geographical content.
(Geography) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of political content.
(Culture) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of cultural content.
(Society and Identity) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of society and identity content.
(Government) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of government content.
(Production, Distribution, and Consumption) -Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of economic content.
(Science, Technology, and Society) - Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding across a plethora of technology content.
Dimension 3 Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence - 25%
Dimension 4 Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action - 30%
Parents can find more information of the standards assessed in each Broad Learning Category on PowerSchool.
Grade Performance Levels & Descriptors
Grade Performance Levels & Descriptors
Course Expectations
Course Expectations
Social Studies Department Reassessment Policy
Reassessments are not a given, they are earned. Reassessment opportunities are for those students who have completed the original task by the specified due date. If a student does not complete formative assessments (visible documentation of the students learning journey) in class then reassessment is not possible. In cases of prolonged absences, please refer to the CDS handbook.
Should a student not have given authentic effort on the initial assessment, throughout the learning process, or on formative assessments, a conversation with the student, parent, and/or administrator may be scheduled before the school can consider providing a reassessment.
Following a reassessment, the most recent score on a reassessment is what will be entered into PowerSchool. The old score will be included as a comment.
General Policy:
Reassessments may range from an individual student to the entire class.
When tasks/assignments are re-assessed, they may be reassessed partially, entirely, or in a different format.
When reassessment is offered, students will be required to take the following steps to earn a reassessment opportunity.
Step 1: Within 3 school days from the assessment being returned, a student must communicate with their teacher concerning their desire to reassess.
This communication may be in the form of a mini-conference or a Google Form (see departmental specifics below).
Step 2: Student(s) must create a plan in order to attempt an improvement in proficiency. This must be done collaboratively in a mini-conference or on a Google Form. This may include but is not limited to:
Re-teaching or re-learning activities
Correcting or reviewing prior assignments
Correcting or reviewing the original task or assessment
Step 3: A reassessment date will be determined by the teacher and will likely be no more than 1 week after the mini-conference or form completion. However, this date is at the discretion of the teacher/department.
The student must have completed the collectively developed plan in order to attempt the reassessment.
Reassessment will not be possible in the following conditions across all content areas.
End-of-course or end of semester exams
Final research papers
Culminating projects/performances at the end of the semester or year
Late Work Policy
All work is expected to be submitted on the day it is due. In the event a student does not submit a summative assessment on the day it is due, that student will…
Be given an opportunity to submit their work up to two weeks after the original due date/time without penalty.
Forfeit their opportunity to be reassessed.
Special considerations may be made for students with extended absences because of sickness, family problems, or family tragedy.
Plagiarism
The following infographic describing unoriginality by Turnitin.com (updated 2023) summarizes each type of plagiarism that is deemed as a breach of academic integrity. Any instances of plagiarism or academic dishonesty will be subject to the school's academic integrity policy.
tii_gl_plagspec2.0-aiwritmisconductguide_us_0623.pdfStudents can expect the following from the teacher concerning the following:
GOOGLE CLASSROOM - All assignments will be posted in Google Classroom. If you are having trouble locating it, contact the teacher.
RUBRICS AND POLICIES - Once posted here they will not change. However, if a change is necessary the teacher will inform students well in advance and will clearly mark the changes.
Division Handbook
Division Handbook
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