What unites communities?

Students engage in a variety of community-building tasks as a way to understand some of the factors and variables that will help them respond to the unit-driving question: What unites communities? Throughout the unit, students learn how other communities are organized and formed. They learn about the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Igbo people of Nigeria, and Enlightenment philosophers to understand how their ideas of community and governance informed and influenced the founding of the United States. Working in teams, students look at ways the ideas from these three groups are found in the United States government today, then use what they have learned about uniting groups of people to create a Community Commitment that will support their project-based learning during the school year.

How should the government balance protecting life with protecting liberty?

Students consider a scenario where their privacy is impacted at school as a result of social media posts. This helps students begin thinking about their rights in school and outside of school, and what responsibilities they have to their community. Students learn about the Supreme Court’s role in interpreting the Constitution and explore how government actions have sought to balance the protection of life and liberty throughout U.S. history. Students research a constitutional issue of their choice, critically examining various perspectives and historical precedents and develop a response to the question: How should the government balance protecting life with protecting liberty? Students research one particular constitutional issue and develop a persuasive argument for change that they will present to an elected official.

Whose stories must be told to understand migration to the West?

Students begin by sharing their own stories of migration as a way to connect their personal experiences to history. Then students investigate the push and pull factors that influenced people moving to and through the American West during the 19th-century. To understand the diverse experiences of people during this time period, students use primary and secondary sources to learn the stories of Native Americans, children on the Oregon Trail, Black pioneers, and immigrants who worked on the railroads, among others, as they consider the question: Whose stories must be told to understand migration to the West? Students develop a response to the unit-driving question in the form of an original graphic story that draws on relevant historical information to tell a story about migration to the West.

How can we better understand, respect and protect indigenous people and their culture?

Students begin this unit with a virtual exploration of the remains of a Mayan city in Copan, Honduras where they analyze artifacts for evidence of the characteristics of civilization. From there, students explore how the Mayan civilization evolved and adapted over time including exploring how their languages and culture survive to the present day. Students learn about the collapse of the Mayan civilization through a structured academic discussion and then trace what has happened to the Maya since then. Throughout the unit, students are drawing connections between the history of the Maya and the histories of other Indigenous communities in their own area. The unit culminates with students working in teams to create a three-dimensional interactive exhibit to showcase their learnings.

How was life changing for Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction?

Students consider different arguments for and against the removal of Confederate statues to think about the connections between the Civil War and today. To understand what led to the Civil War, students compare the North and South and analyze perspectives on secession. They then examine the experiences of women, soldiers, and African Americans during and after the war as they respond to the unit driving question: How was life changing for Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction? Students analyze art and historical documents from the time to explore the importance of perspective and storytelling in understanding history. Working in teams, students combine art analysis with research into primary and secondary sources, and their own historical dramatization to create, curate, and present a living museum gallery that brings a specific period of the Civil War to life to engage and educate their audience.

Why is it important to tell untold stories of American history?

To understand the importance of multiple perspectives when interpreting an event and making informed decisions, students study a disruption at a high school basketball game with the lens of a historian. Students then apply that approach to the events of the American Revolution to help them identify the told and untold stories of colonialists, women, African Americans, and Native Americans. Students explore how historical stories can evolve and change based on perspective and bias as they develop an answer to the question: Why is it important to tell untold stories of American history? Throughout the unit, students apply and strengthen their social studies skills, including sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading as they research lesser-known stories from the American Revolution. Working in teams, students use primary and secondary sources to create an original podcast that highlights multiple perspectives and deepens understanding of this pivotal period in history.

How does living in a civilization impact people’s lives?

Students engage in an immersive narrative experience to learn about Sumerian and Babylonian history. They begin with a launch module that gets them in an investigative mindset through exploring the archeological remains of early man. From there, they jump forward in time to Sumer and learn more about the Tigris-Euphrates Valley as they build a setting for their city. Once they have a setting, they are organized into family groups and create characters that mimic the social hierarchy and specializations present during the time period. Next, the city copes with three challenges: how to respond to a famine, how to respond to lawlessness, and how to respond to an invasion. The unit culminates with students considering one component of civilization, a stable food supply, and exploring how access to a stable food supply varies within their own communities. They use what they’ve learned to create a publication that encourages taking action to ensure no children in their community go hungry.

Which form of government is best?

Students are introduced to Greece and Rome by looking at myths and analyzing them to understand how they help us think about power in the ancient world. Next, they divide into two groups–campaigners and citizens. Campaigners take a deep dive into a particular form of government as they prepare a campaign to convince citizens of Greece and Rome that their form of government is best. Citizens take a deep dive into either Greece or Rome and teach their classmates the key pieces of history and geography that will help the campaigns better understand each of these civilizations. Together, the class will use primary sources to understand the role of particular groups in each civilization. The unit culminates with the campaigners making their best case for governing and citizens making their choice.

How do the things we create inspire people in the future?

Students begin their exploration of ancient Egypt through exploring one of their most iconic monuments, the Pyramids. Their first challenge is to escape a pyramid using the information they learn about ancient Egypt. Next, they dig into that history by exploring how we have learned about ancient Egypt. They explore how the key characteristics of civilization show up through the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms and identify artifacts that best represent those characteristics. Finally, students design a gallery for the Grand Egyptian Museum and an accompanying experience that would engage and excite youth and pitch their plans to a shark tank of their peers.

How can we better understand America’s past and present by listening to often omitted and unheard voices from the slave trade?

This unit begins by asking students to consider life in Africa before colonization and the forced enslavement of Africans. Students read Omar ibn Said’s autobiography to understand the Islamic scholar’s experiences before he was captured in West Africa and after he was enslaved in America. Excerpts from Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography provide a detailed glimpse of his childhood in Africa before he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Students examine these two stories and others for evidence of resistance, liberation, connection to culture, and shared humanity as they develop a response to the question: How can we better understand America’s past and present by listening to often omitted and unheard voices from the slave trade? Working in teams, students create a podcast about an unheard story in order to start a conversation about the lasting effects of the Transatlantic slave trade and the importance of Black history in America.

What can the stories of Medieval Europe teach us today?

Students explore the European Middle Ages through the lens and the stories of the people and the major events of Medieval Europe. Beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Catholic Church, through the Battle of Tours, the Crusades, and the plague, students develop their content knowledge through reading a variety of primary and secondary sources. Then, they take on the role of characters, debate the issues from the time, and use their knowledge of the events that shaped the history of Medieval Europe to write and perform a monologue demonstrating their deep understanding of how the Middle Ages helped shape who we are today.

How can we repair the historic and current injustices perpetrated on the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas?

This unit is anchored in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Students explore the past and the present through an analysis of the legacies of the Columbian Exchange and its effects on Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. They examine how the rights of Indigenous Peoples have and have not been upheld around the world in preparation for a culminating U.N. Simulation advocating for the protection of the Amazon rainforest and the Indigenous Peoples who live there.