Curriculum Project - Handout

Montclair State University
Department of Curriculum and Teaching
CURR 530: Principles of Curriculum Development

FINAL CURRICULUM PROJECT

Created by: Maria Debowska & Jill Friedman

Our project / presentation is a combined effort and therefore will be found in part on Maria’s blog and in part on Jill’s blog.

• This handout – appears on both blogs
• The memo, which discusses the need for change – Maria’s blog
• The video, which illustrates the improvement in the unit based on the original and the revised lessons – Jill’s blog
• The new lesson, based on the UbD template – Maria’s blog
• The old lesson, which had plenty of room for improvement – Maria’s blog

Works Cited

"Edutopia: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Motivating People to Learn.” 2005. 18 Nov. 2008 < http://www.glef.org >.

Friedman, Thomas L.. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. New York: Picador, 2007.

Hammer, Bradley. "Why The Blog Beats The Essay in Writing Class." Star Ledger 2 Sept. 2007.

McTighe, Jay, and Grant Wiggins. Understanding by Design (Expanded 2nd Edition) (ASCD). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall, 2005.

Schmoker, Michael J.. Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching And Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2006.

We hope you enjoy our presentation!

Curriculum Project - Memo

Lodi High School
99 Putnam Street, Lodi, NJ 07644
Phone: (973) 123-4567 Fax: (973) 987-6543

To: Barry A. Bachenheimer, Superintendent

From: Maria Debowska & Jill Friedman, Principals

Date: December 4, 2008

Re: Proposed Curriculum Changes

Animal Farm is a novel that is as relevant today as it has been in years past, which is why it has been studied on the freshman level for years and it should stay in the curriculum as such. However, many of the activities and assessments are not up to current standards; hence, the reason for this memo is to propose several curriculum changes that would steer away from the traditional lessons to ones that meet the demands of today’s society. By making the changes we propose – merging research based practices and a NJ Core Content Curriculum Standards driven curriculum – our students would highly benefit from the learning experience and the integration of technology, which would lead them to become better prepared critical thinkers and problem solvers.

It is essential that the following changes in activities and assessments take place:
• The lesson will be planned using Wiggins and McTighe’s UbD format, allowing teachers to be more goal-oriented as they use the backward design for planning. The lesson will include essential questions on both the overarching and topical levels and the related misconceptions. By having teachers create such a learning plan, they will be better prepared to help students with the big questions. Additionally, students will be able to reflect and rethink before moving on. Ultimately, the assessments will be varied to optimize the engagement and effectiveness of all students, without compromising the goals of the unit.
• Based on Schmoker’s research, all “crayola curriculum” activities will be removed, which take time away from the reading and writing that is essential in the English classroom.
• Team projects will be assigned, since Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow experience” most likely occurs during team work.
• Technology will be incorporated into numerous lessons in this unit.

There is absolutely no monetary cost involved in revising this curriculum. Additionally, if you approve it prior to the end of this year, the freshman English teachers can put it into effect immediately since the Animal Farm unit is usually taught in the spring.

Curriculum Project - New Unit

Understanding by Design Lesson Template

Title of Lesson Animal Farm
Grade Level 9th Grade
Curriculum Area Language Arts
Time Frame Three weeks
Developed By Maria Debowska & Jill Friedman

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)

Content Standards

Language Arts Literacy
LAL 3.1 Reading – A, B, C, D, E, F, F, G, and H
LAL 3.2 Writing – A, B, C, and D
LAL 3.3 Speaking – A, B, C, and D
LAL 3.4 Listening – A and B
LAL 3.5 Viewing and Media Literacy – A, B, and C
Technological Literacy
TL 8.1
TL 8.2 A, B, and C

Understandings

Overarching Understanding

• Leadership is a necessary ingredient of political revolution and the social order that evolves from it.
• People’s ignorance contributes to their political and social oppression.
• In society individuals are not treated equally.

Related Misconceptions

• Power corrupts all those that possess it.
• Revolutuions are usually short-lived.
• All members of society would be willing to work harder if it would lead to a sense of equality among people.
• Equality is something every member of any society would desire.
  
  Essential Questions - Overarching
  
  • What is power?
  • What is leadership?
  • What are control techniques?
  • What are capitalism, communism, democracy, and totalitarianism?
  • What does Animal Farm have to say about oppression and the responsibility of those who rule?
  
  Essential Questions - Topical
  
  • How do the struggles between Animal Farm compare with those between rival nations?
  • How is propaganda used in Animal Farm?
  • How is propaganda used in our daily lives?
  • Why do the pigs enter into trade with humans?
  • What does this say about developing nations and their problems in dealing with the world’s economic order?
  
  Knowledge
  Students will know…
  
  • The plot of Animal Farm.
  • The way the actions and beliefs of the animals correspond to human actions and beliefs.
  • The allegorical symbols found in the novel.
  • The ways propaganda is used in the novel.
  
  Skills
  Students will be able to...
  
  • Identify the themes.
  • Discuss how Animal Farm, a seemingly unbelievable story, makes a political point about the real world.
  • Consider how Animal Farm closely parallels Soviet history.
  • Examine how Animal Farm is an excellent example of political satire.
  • Identify and explain the meanings of the animals’ names and why Orwell chose them.
  
  Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
  Performance Task Description
  
  Goal
  Using the Internet, research the Russian Revolution and the individuals involved in it. Make sure you also research life immediately before and after the Revolution. Once you gather your information, figure out one aspect, event, or person that interests you the most and create a Mash Video to present your findings to the rest of the class. Use at least four direct quotes from your research. For your last slide, site the sources that you used in your video.
  
  Role You are to teach a mini-history lesson on the Russian Revolution to your peers.
  
  Audience All the members of the class.
  
  Situation You will have to teach a ten minute class.
  
  Product/Performance Mash Video
  
  Standards
  LAL 3.1 H 1. Select appropriate electronic media for research and evaluate the quality of the information received.
  LAL 3.1 H 3. Develop increased ability to critically select works to support a research topic. LAL 3.5 C 1. Use print and electronic media texts to explore human relationships, new ideas, and aspects of culture.
  LT 8.1 All students will use computer applications to gather and organize information and to solve problems.
  
  Other Evidence
  1. Since it’s an election year – analyze and critique the presidential candidatesʼ televised debates. Next, compare the candidatesʼ effective versus ineffective public speaking techniques, and use the effective techniques from the debates as a model for creating in-class debates between Snowball and Napoleon. Afterward, students will write a reflection paper stating which candidate should win and why.
  2. Before the class begins the novel, a class discussion will take place about the specific opinions the students have about many of the themes treated in the novel. The main objective of this activity is to have students formulate, discuss, listen to, and respect each other’s opinions about the issues. The themes that will be discussed are:
  • Power corrupts those who possess it.
  • People’s ignorance contributes to their political and social oppression.
  • Revolutions may result in a change of political power, but often the lives of the majority of people stay about the same.
  • In society individuals are not treated equal.
  3. As a listening activity – take notes on the lecture the teacher will give on the background of Orwell. Of course, pertinent topics will also be written on the board.
  4. In a journal, record your impressions, reactions, and questions about the assigned reading.
  5. Design a perfect society for a group that is currently oppressed. Describe five components of the oppressed society (such as education, government, economy, family life, and personal life) and how you would change them.
  6. Identify and explain in a short essay the meanings of the animals’ names. Why did Orwell choose them? Can animals be stereotyped?
  7. Graph conditions on Animal Farm over time. Choose at least three conditions (such as productivity, contentment, and equality) to measure. Graph these conditions at five different times, starting with before the rebellion and ending with the pigs’ party.
  8. Create a list of allegorical symbols found in the novel. Then briefly explain how the persons, objects, or events in the book and in Russian history are similar.
  9. In a short essay explain the use of propaganda in the novel. Additionally, discuss how people, specifically leaders, can use tactics to manipulate and control society.
  10. Write a composition on the conflicts found in the novel, including the opponents involved, with an explanation of their motivations.
  11. Animal Farm was published in August 1945. Make a timeline of important events that occurred worldwide during that year and in a short essay explain whether the publication date helped or hurt Orwell’s message.
  12. Create a three-page Newsletter covering the life and times of George Orwell. Be certain to use clipart and have several sections appear in the newsletter – not only editorials.
  
  Learning Plan (Stage 3)
  
  Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are going?
  Many questions in relation to themes and the lessons of the day will be asked of the students and later discussed after they have had time to think about them. Each student will be involved in the class discussion – whether they will volunteer their answers or be called on randomly. They will know where they are going because the daily objectives will be listed on the board.
  
  How will you hook students at the beginning of the unit?
  Before beginning the reading of Animal Farm, we will show the students a few minutes of the animated version of Animal Farm. This will hook them in as they find the movie humorous, but then we’ll explain how there is a real and serious side to it. This will be followed by several pre-reading questions, such as: Do you think anyone will ever create a utopian society? Why do you think the author chose to use animal characters in a book which criticizes human politics? How do you think people should react when their rights are violated?
  
  What events will help students experience and explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge?
  The class will tackle big questions about power, control, oppression, and propaganda. They will be equipped to answer these questions as they evaluate the actions of the characters and compare and contrast them to other individuals in society with similar characteristics, after we explore and discuss several examples as a class.
  
  How will you cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work?
  We will expect our students to reflect and rethink as they write their journal. Since the journal writing is an on-going assignment, as we read the novel, we will expect our students to have a reflection as a daily entry. We will model at least one example (early on in the novel) of how our own thought processes have changed, due to our rethinking; hence, as they read they should find something to reflect and rethink on their own as well.
  
  How will you help students to exhibit and self-evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and understanding throughout the unit?
  As the novel is read daily, the students will have to keep a journal exhibiting their thoughts about that day’s reading. The entries will be reflections of their growing knowledge or question they may have that they should ask the next day, before we continue reading.
  
  How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the learning plan to optimize the engagement and effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising the goals of the unit?
  There will be many varied assignments to meet the needs of all the students, so it is not all about discussing, writing, or presenting. But instead, there will be a wider variety of tasks, so that each student’s style of learning will be addressed.
  
  How will you organize and sequence the learning activities to optimize the engagement and achievement of ALL students?
  Since the novel will be read daily, we can pace the class in such a way that no one feels overwhelmed or lost. Each chapter will be discussed and essential notes will be written on the board. All assignments will be given during the appropriate times. For example, we will start with a class discussion on specific opinions that students have about many of the themes treated in this play. Next, the Russian Revolution must be examined, so when the students read Animal Farm, they can compare the animals to Russian leaders. On the other hand, an essay discussing propaganda in the novel could be left towards the end because by then the students will have been exposed to all the tactics; whereas, if it was assigned earlier, they wouldn’t have gotten the full picture yet.
  
  From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
  ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)

Curriculum Project - Old Unit

Unit: Utopia

Topic of Instruction: Animal Farm

Essential Questions for Unit

1. In what ways can people be politically oppressed? Socially oppressed?
2. What are control techniques?
3. What are capitalism, communism, democracy, and totalitarianism?
4. What is propaganda?
5. How is propaganda used in Animal Farm?

Assessment

1. Class preparation and participation
2. All writing assignments
3. Russian Revolution research
4. Vocabulary worksheet and quiz
5. Movie critique
6. Structured debate
7. Magazine cover
8. Objective test

Activities and Experience

1. Before the class begins the novel, Animal Farm, a class discussion will take place about the specific opinions the students have about many of the themes treated in the novel. The importance of this exercise is to have the students formulate, discuss, listen to, and respect each other’s opinions about the issues. The themes that will be discussed are:
a. Power corrupts those who possess it.
b. People’s ignorance contributes to their political and social oppression.
c. Revolutions may result in a change of political power, but often the lives of a majority of people stay about the same.
d. In society individuals are not treated equally.
2. Research information on George Orwell.
3. Complete a teacher created vocabulary sheet.
4. Keep a journal recording impressions, reactions, and questions about the assigned reading.
5. Identify and explain the meanings of the animals’ names. Why did Orwell choose them? Can animals be stereotyped? Explain your answer.
6. Create a list of allegorical symbols found in Animal Farm. Explain how the persons, objects, or events in the book and in Russian history are similar.
7. Identify and in a short essay, explain the use of propaganda.
8. Discuss how people, can use tactics to manipulate and control us.
9. Write and present a short play that shows what life on Manor Farm is like five years after the novel ends.
10. View the animated version of Animal Farm and critique it. How many “stars” would you rate this film?
11. George Orwell was featured on the cover of Time magazine’s November 28, 1983, issue. Design a magazine cover that shows Orwell’s relevance to today.
12. Create a chart or diagram, showing the parallels between characters in Animal Farm and figures in Soviet history. Students may want to include photos of Marx, Trotsky, Stalin, the Kremlin, and so on as well as pictures of a farm and farm animals.