Lesson Plan For Avoiding Historical Presentism

Understanding By Design – Backwards Design Process

(Developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, 2002)

Here is the lesson that our group came up with for understanding multiple perspectives of events leading up to the Revolutionary War--Individually, I plan to use this with primary source documents that show contrasting perspectives of the Boston "Massacre."

Stage 1 – Desired Results
Standards: 1.    Historical Skill:  Comparing and contrasting the different perspective of an event through the analysis of primary source documents. 2.    Writing Standard: 2.2:  Write response to literature: a.  Demonstrate an understanding of a literary work. b.  Support judgments through references to the text and to prior knowledge. c.  Develop interpretations that exhibit careful reading and understanding. 3.    CA SS Standard: 5.5.1:  Understand how political, religious, and economic ideas and interests brought about the revolution (e.g. resistance to Imperial Policy, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, taxes on tea, Coercive acts).
Understanding (s)/goals Students will understand that: 1.    the same historical event can be interpreted through multiple perspectives. 2.    it is important to evaluate historical events through the lens of the past.	Essential Question(s): 1.  What is the subjective viewpoint of the Patriots in the colonies in the time leading up to the Revolutionary War. 2. What is the subjective viewpoint of the Loyalists in the colonies in the time leading up to the Revolutionary War.
Student objectives (outcomes): Students will be able to: 1.    Historical Skill:  analyze and interpret primary sources from multiple accounts of a historical event leading up to the time of the Revolutionary War. 2.    Writing Skill:  write a double speak poem that will show their understanding of the different perspectives of the same historical event. 3.    CA SS Standard:  interpret and include relevant evidence supporting the contrasting perspectives.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task(s): 1.    Well organized “T” chart that shows correctly placed evidence under the perspective it supports. 2.    Write a “double speak” poem clearly presenting the contrasting perspectives using figurative language.	Other Evidence: 1.   Students will correctly identify the origin of a famous painting or primary source of that particular event. 2.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities: ·         Evaluate two primary source documents from differing perspectives. ·         Create a “T” chart. ·         Write a “double speak” poem.