Students learn a new concept, universe of obligation, and use it to analyze the ways that their society designates who is deserving of respect and caring.
Students learn about the experiences of people in Nazi Germany through a variety of firsthand accounts and identify the range of choices that they faced.
Students begin the unit's historical case study by exploring the brutal realities of World War I and the impact of the armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.
Use this 23-lesson unit to lead middle or high school students through a study of the Holocaust that asks what this history can teach us about the power and impact of choices.
In step 1 of the unit assessment, students develop an initial position for an argumentative essay in response to a question about the importance and impact of choices in history.
In step 2 of the unit assessment, students start to gather evidence from historical sources that supports or challenges their initial thinking about the writing prompt.
In step 3 of the unit assessment, students address the writing prompt in a journal reflection and start to evaluate the quality and relevance of the evidence they are gathering.
In step 4 of the unit assessment, students review the documents and videos from Lessons 14-18 and consider which information supports, expands, or challenges their thinking about the writing prompt.
In step 5 of the unit assessment, students reflect on the writing prompt in its entirety, add evidence from Lessons 19-21 to evidence logs, and engage in mini-debates about the writing topic.