In this unit on Mesopotamia, students will use The DBQ Project's curriculum with a collaborative model and Common Core Standards in History to write a script and record a video response using FlipGrid to examine the big question stated above. Students will also respond to classmates posts and give feedback. Students must have a parent release form to record and post their responses on FlipGrid. Students will examine a background essay and five documents to gather evidence for their response. All documents will be examined using close reading techniques.

Time Frame two-three weeks.

Culminating activity: Students will take part in Socratic Seminar answering the question, "Was Hammurabi's Code Fair?"

CALIFORNIA HISTORY CONTENT STANDARDS

6.2 Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.

6.6.4. Know the Significance of Hammurabi's Code

COMMON CORE READING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES 6–12

RH 1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

RH 2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

RH 8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

WHST 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

Students were then given 6 historical documents to analyze. The students used close reading technique to read and re-read documents to then answer text dependent questions for each document. They will use CEI (Claim, Evidence, Interpretation) DOK Level 1-3

After the students answered the text dependent questions individually they were then given a window to fill out a Google Form that contained some of the text dependent questions that focused on the big question. By filling out this form they created a class data pool of information about the documents and the big question. Then students were able to analyze ALL the text dependent answers and collaborate to collect evidence to prepare for class discussion. Below is the responses to the Google Form in a spreadsheet. I have removed students names from their responses. DOK Level 3

Students then reviewed the data pool of all their classmates' answers and wrote their SCRIPT for their video responses. A sample script is linked here. To provide all students an opportunity to succeed, I provided the following paragraph structure to developing students. All students were responsible for turning in a script and those students who had parent permission forms signed and returned could record a video response and post it in the class grid. Then students had to write and possibly record a response to a classmate's post. The class grids are posted below. DOK Level 4