PROJECT

DESIGN: OVERVIEW

page 1

Name of Project: Conflict Inquiry Project #1 OVERARCHING PROJECT Duration: 3-4 weeks 50 min
periods

Subject/Course: Social Science/AP Human Geography

Teacher(s): Morris

Grade Level: 9

Other subject areas to be included, if any: English

Key Knowledge and

Common Core State Standards:
Understanding
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.a
(CCSS or other standards) Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an
organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information
clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing
products, taking advantage of technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information
flexibly and dynamically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2
Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners
can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to
purpose, audience, and task.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in
presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources
on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches
effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information

effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information
into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format
for citation.
21st Century Standards:
3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting on the
learning.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and understanding in
ways that others can view, use, and assess.
3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.
National Geography Standards:
10 Human Systems: The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earths cultural mosaics.
13 Human Systems: How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and
control of the Earths surface.
18 The Uses of Geography: How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
Success Skills
(to be taught and
assessed)

Project Summary
(include student role,
issue, problem or
challenge, action taken,
and purpose/beneficiary)

Critical Thinking/Problem Solving

Self-Management

Collaboration

Other:

This is the overarching Unit project, in which students utilize the content and skills accumulated through
mini-projects to create and present their findings. In collaborative groups (4-5 members), students will
select an ongoing conflict to research and present their findings/artifacts in a formal oral presentation given
to seniors in a political science class.
Through their work throughout this project unit, students will:
1. Define of conflict in relation to their Research Question and Sub Questions.
2. Catalog the type of conflict and its significance.
3. Outline the underlying causes of conflict.
4. Discuss the implications of scale and its impact on perception.
5. Argue how media coverage formed public perception of conflict.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of responses to conflict and supply their own recommendations.
7. Predict the eventual outcome based on evidence.
Throughout this process students will maintain two BLOGs; one for individual refection and the other a
group BLOG were they will be posting the artifacts produced during their subsequent lessons.

Driving Question

(Possible Extension)
Formal Essay: After projects are presented, individually, students will compose a formal essay responding
to the driving question: What are the inherent causes of conflict and the effectiveness of the attempts to
resolve them? Learners are to use their own research coupled with the information presented by their peers
in comparing conflicts.
What are the inherent causes of conflict and the effectiveness of resolutions? How do we compare conflicts?

Driving Question

What are the inherent causes of conflict and the effectiveness of resolutions? How do we compare conflicts?

Entry Event

Individually, students will respond via discussion board to the following prompt: Why does conflict occur?
Why does war happen? After which they will need to respond to two of the posts made by their peers in an
attempt to form some consensus. Then they will read: The Economist Article: Why wars Happen and,
initially in pairs, discuss the meaning of the article and how it relates to the understanding constructed in
their online discussion, leading to a whole class discussion on the nature of conflict.

Products

Individual: (These are summative products, to be scored at the

very end of the Unit, after the subsequent supporting lessons).

Formal Presentation: Individual Score (Anchored by

Group Score).
1. Define of conflict in relation to their Research
Question and Sub Questions.
2. Catalog the type of conflict and its significance.
3. Outline the underlying causes of conflict.
4. Discuss the implications of scale and its impact on
perception.
5. Argue how media coverage formed public perception
of conflict.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of responses to conflict
and supply their own recommendations.
7. Predict the eventual outcome based on evidence.

BLOG: Reflection
(Possible Extension) Formal Essay: What are the inherent
causes of conflict and the effectiveness of the attempts to
resolve them?
Team:(These are summative products, to be scored at the very
end of the Unit, after the subsequent supporting lessons).

Formal Presentation: Group (Anchor Score)

1. Define of conflict in relation to their Research
Question and Sub Questions.

2. Catalog the type of conflict and its significance.

3. Outline the underlying causes of conflict.
4. Discuss the implications of scale and its impact on
perception.

5. Argue how media coverage formed public perception

of conflict.

6. Evaluate the effectiveness of responses to conflict

and supply their own recommendations.
7. Predict the eventual outcome based on evidence.

BLOG: Curation of entire project process.

Specific content and success skills to be

assessed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.a
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8
21CS: 3.1.1
21CS: 3.1.4
21CS: 3.2.3
NGS: 10
NGS: 13
NGS: 18

Specific content and success skills to be

assessed:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.8
21CS: 3.1.1
21CS: 3.1.4
21CS: 3.2.3
NGS: 10
NGS: 13
NGS: 18

BLOG: Curation of entire project process.

PROJECT

DESIGN: OVERVIEW

page 2

Making Products
Public
(include how the
products will be made
public and who students
will engage with
during/at end of project)

Students will be cataloging their work over the course of the entire unit on a group BLOG in addition to
posting a video recording of their final formal presentation being made to a senior political science course.
The videos produced and posted are to be used as evidence/source material for their individual formal
writing piece.

Resources Needed

On-site people, facilities: Instructor as moderator.

Equipment: Chrome-Books, Internet Access, Video Recorder
Materials: Pen, Paper
Community Resources: Senior Political Science Class

Reflection Methods
(how individual, team,
and/or whole class will
reflect during/at end of
project)

Notes:

Journal/Learning Log/Reflection BLOG

Focus Group

Whole-Class Discussion

Fishbowl Discussion

Survey

Other: