Adding to Evidence Logs, 4 of 4

How can learning about the choices people made during past episodes of injustice, mass violence, or genocide help guide our choices today?

This assessment includes:

• 4 activities
• 2 teaching strategy
• 1 book

• Have students review their journal responses, handouts, and readings from Lessons 20 to 22. Then ask them to respond to the following questions in their journals:

  • Which choices made by individuals, groups, and nations in these lessons seemed most significant?
  • What made those choices powerful or impactful? What can we learn from those choices about history or human behavior?

• Use the Wraparound strategy to allow each student to share one choice from their reflection that they think is most significant.

Students should work in pairs or small groups to add to their evidence logs any information from Lessons 20 to 22 that helps them respond to the essay question. As in past evidence-gathering activities, start together as a class by making a list of relevant handouts, readings, and videos that help students address the essay prompt before asking them to select relevant evidence to add to their logs.

Although students can continue to gather evidence throughout the final two lessons of this unit, this is an appropriate time for them to begin the process of developing their position in response to the writing prompt by engaging in structured discussions with their peers. You can select from the Common Core Writing Prompts and Strategies supplement’s Strategy 14: Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues: Speaking and Listening Strategies or Strategy 15: Building Arguments through Mini-Debates. Or you might select a different pre-writing teaching strategy from the website.

• Ask students to reread their previous journal entries in response to the unit assessment prompt. Challenge them to look for, and maybe even mark with a star, places where their thinking about the question has evolved or changed.
• Then project or pass out the unit essay prompt in its entirety (see above) and read it out loud together.
• In a final journal response or on exit cards, ask students to respond to the following questions:

  • How has your thinking about the essay assessment prompt changed over the course of the unit? Which text (reading, image, video), lesson, or activity contributed the most to this change?
  • What do you feel you need to review or learn more about in order to address the essay topic question and write your essay?