Overview

Unit Name: ________ Who are you as a historian? ___________________

Teacher: _______Kate Collier____________________

Subject:

Grade:

________________ Social Studies ________________________

__________7th_________________________

Briefly give a narrative overview of the learning unit: This week long unit for the first week of class will focus on developing the students
identity as historians. Via various activities and projects, the individuals in the class and the class as a whole will come to learn and respect the
diversity of their identities.
Desired Results
Established Goals:
Students will explore who they are as individuals and what makes up their identity. Students will engage and talk with their peers in order to
understand and respect the diversity of their peers. Students will understand that they will be historians in this class.
Understandings:

Essential Questions:

Students will understand that their identity shapes the way they
approach history and historical texts. Students will understand
that the way they view history or historical events may be
different from their peers.

What is identity?
Who am I?
What happened in my past?
How am I connected to those people, places, events in the past?
How do our personal stories reflect varying points of view and inform
contemporary ideas and actions?
What is an autobiography?
How are autobiographies useful for historical studies?
How do we really know what happened in the past?
How is your identity and that of a historian connected?

Students will engage as historians in this class through: exploring

multiple points of view of historical events, analyzing evidence
(recognizing disparities and similarities between sources), and
understanding how context and background information
influences the event.

Students will understand that different types of texts have

different purposes. In this case, students will understand that
autobiographies are useful when you want to understand how an
individual interprets his or her own past.
Assessment Evidence

Commented [KC1]: Based on my current experience with

7th grade students, I think this lesson as a whole is too
ambitious. In my current field placement, I see one 7th grade
section of about 25 students on Mondays and Wednesdays,
and the other on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On these days,
there is block scheduling, so I see the students for 90 minutes
at a time. In addition, my Classroom Mentor sees both
sections on Fridays for 45 minutes each. Since I am not at
my field placement on Fridays, I do not see them these days.
Based on these new experiences I have had co-teaching the
7th grade students, I think, for the first week of school, that
attempting to have students explore who they are as
individuals and what makes up their identity, understand and
respect the diversity of the classroom, and understand how to
be historians is too lofty of a goal, especially since I
designed this unit under the assumption that I would see all
7th grade students for 45 minutes a day. Therefore, reflecting
on this lesson plan, I would elect to pick one of these topics
and dive deeply into it. In particular, I would most likely
pick the first goal: students will explore who they are as
individuals and what makes up their identity. I think this is a
good starting point for the year.
Commented [KC3]: I would keep these essential questions
for the first week of school unit.
Commented [KC4]: I would keep this essential question as
well and get rid of the rest.
Commented [KC2]: Reflecting on the understandings I
wished students would come away with, I think that these are
a little too complex. I think better understandings would be
something along the lines of:
1. Students will understand what identity is.
2. Students will engage in self-reflection to uncover what
makes up their identity.
3. Students will understand that their peers and teacher
have different identities, which are to be respected.

Performance Tasks:

Other Evidence:

Identity chart.
Autobiography assignment- journal reflection, illustrated pamphlet,
interview of classmate and someone who remembers the event.

Where the wind blows game.

Pair shares.
Class discussion.

Commented [KC5]: I would keep this activity because I

think this is a helpful learning tool for those who are spatial
learners (Gardner, n.d.).
Commented [KC6]: I would revise this assignment entirely.
In fact, this year at my current field placement, during the
second week of school I adapted this activity for my
students. To see how I implemented this activity in my
classroom, please go to the Secondary Field Seminar tab of
this website, click on button that links to my Working
Theories of Classroom Management and Learning
Environment, and from there, click on the button that reads
Principle 2: Relationships (Collier, 2016). Essentially, I
revised this activity by taking out the autobiography
component of it, making it a get-to-know-you activity
between my students and I. I gave the students a full 90
minutes to work on their pamphlets, and even then some of
them did not finish. I truly enjoyed this activity because,
especially as a new teacher in a new school, I found it to be
an important tool in helping me form relationships with all of
my students. If I were to implement this revised activity for a
future first week of school unit, I would add in the identity
and diversity discussion in order to give it a bit more of an
academic purpose.
In addition, I would keep the identity chart in the
Performance Tasks column and move the autobiography
assignment to the Other Evidence column. This is because
I would formally assess whether the students understand the
components of identity, something I think is fairly objective.
Upon reflection, I think the autobiography project is a very
personal activity, and I would not want the students thinking
I am grading them as individuals. I think that could be
viewed as a personal attack of sorts. Therefore, I would
create a rubric for the identity chart instead of the
autobiography project.
I would also re-name the autobiography activity, which I
discuss in further detail below.
Commented [KC7]: Continuing off of the previous
comment, it is this section of the autobiography assignment
that I would keep.
Commented [KC8]: I would keep these elements of the first
week of school lesson plan. I think the where the wind blows
games gives a great introduction to the ideas of what makes
up someones identity and allows kinesthetic learners to get
up and out of their seats to engage in a learning activity
(Gardner, n.d.). I also think the pair shares and class
discussions are ideal for brainstorming more formally what
makes up identity.

Learning Plan:
Day:

Essential
Question(s):

What is identity?

Who am I?
What happened in
my past?

Standard(s):

Content:
Introductions- classroom desks will be set up in
a circle- I will introduce myself and then we
will go around the circle and introduce yourself
by name- first and last.
I will introduce classroom routine- check in
with me for attendance and say good morning
or good afternoon, turn in homework in bin,
and take a seat- no assigned seats. I will explain
that this is the routine for every class. When
everyone is seated I will introduce the signal
that class is about to begin and everyone should
be ready to pay attentions: me-Are you ready
to learn?, students- Yes!
Play introduction game: where the wind blowsstatements will be true to the individual about
some aspect of themselves or some experience
they have had.
This will segue into big class brainstorm
discussion on what makes up identity. I will
write on the board what the students come up
with.
Desks will be organized in groups of 4.
Classroom routine.
I will introduce the activities for the day and
write the directions on the board. After, I will
share my own identity chart.
Next, I will hand out the materials.
Students will complete an identity chart
individually and pair/share. Students will share
with the class a fact they learned about the
other student.
This will segue into a journal-free write on:
What is the story of your birth?
Alternate question: what is your first
memory with your family?

Resources/
Materials:

Learning
Activities:

N/A.

Where the wind blows

game; class
brainstorm/discussion.

Plain white
paper, markers.
I will provide
an example
identity chart of
my own
identity.
Journal.

Identity chart activity

and pair share;
classroom share out;
journal reflection
activity.

Commented [KC9]: For the first day of the first week of

school, I would not change much. I think the physical layout
of the desks will foster a welcoming community, which will
ideally build safe, inclusive relationships between myself
and students and between students (Weinstein and
Novodvorsky, 2011). In particular, I think the routine that I
outlined here is vitally important (Weinstein and
Novodvorsky, 2011). I think it will enable those who need
structure from their schooling will find solace in knowing
what will happen at the beginning of every class.
My only change would be that I would most likely assign
seats for the first few weeks of school (Weinstein and
Novodvorsky, 2011). Currently, at my field placement, my
Classroom Mentor and I created seating charts for the 7th and
8th grade students because my Classroom Mentor knew the
students from previous years and understood who works best
with who, who will talk when put together, and who do not
like each other. These seating arrangements are used
whenever lecture instruction is taking place. If we are doing
an activity or project, then students typically sit where they
need to sit in order to accomplish the goals for the day. In
addition, for the 6th grade students that my Classroom
Mentor had not taught before, we arranged the students
alphabetically. This has given us a few problems in terms of
side conversations, so my Classroom Mentor has asked me
to create seating charts for the two 6th grade sections. I would
utilize this format in my future classroom.
Finally, I like the idea of using the where the wind blows
game to segue into a class discussion on what makes up
identity. In addition to writing on the brainstorm on the
board, I would take a picture of this and post it on Google
Classroom, a tool that ideally all my students will have
access to in both school and at home.

Commented [KC11]:
In terms of the resources/materials column of Day 2,
hopefully my school will have the resources available to me,
like they are at my current field placement. However, I
acknowledge that my future school may be under-funded so I
would definitely make sure that I provide these items out of
my own pocket and encourage students, the day before, to
bring in their own materials if they have them at home.

Who am I?
What happened in
my past?
How am I connected
to those people,
places, events in the
past?
What is an
autobiography?

Before they begin writing, I will provide the

students with oral examples of my own birth
story and first memory with my family that I
will read from my own journal.
Desks will be arranged in groups of 4.
Classroom routine.
I will then explain the goals of this classroom
are to respect each other and learn from others
diverse experiences- some of the accounts told
in others journals and in the upcoming
autobiography project will be different from
yours and that is ok and in fact welcomed and
appreciated. Questions are welcomed here,
brainstorm any other classroom rules. I will
write these on the board and create a poster for
the classroom to reference in the future.
Students will reflect and re-read their journal
entry from the previous day. Students will
pair/share.
We will then reconvene for a whole class
discussion.
How do you know the story of your
birth?
What evidence do you have to back
your story? How do you know the story
happened this way?
How might someone else remember this
story?
This will segue into my introduction of the
autobiography project, complete with rubric,
which I will present to the class and read
through with them. I will present my own
autobiography project pamphlet as an example
for students.
Questions to discuss:
When I went through my autobiography
pamphlet, what types of things did you
notice that make up an autobiography?

Journals.
Instructions,
worksheets, and
rubric handouts
will be
provided.
Paper already
folded for the
pamphlets for
students to take
home to
complete.
I will provide a
model pamphlet
of my own
autobiography.

Class brainstorm;
pair/share and class
discussion;
explanation of
project/class
discussion.

Commented [KC10]: Throughout the remaining days of the

week, I would continue the classroom routine. I would also
do this for the rest of the year to maintain continuity for
those who learn best with structure.
Here, in keeping with what I said in the previous comment, I
would most likely have seating assignments for the desks.
In particular, I like how I specified that I will introduce the
activities for the day and write the instructions on the board.
I think it is vital to be explicit with students about what I will
be asking them to do throughout the period because, in doing
so, I hope to be transparent and honest with them in order to
foster a welcoming classroom community (Weinstein and
Novodvorsky, 2011). In addition, when I share my identity
chart, the students will learn more about me. As a change,
however, I would not write instructions on the board, but
rather project them, if my future school has a SmartBoard,
and give the instructions out on a handout.
For the activities I have listed here, since this is a 45-minute
period, I would definitely cut out the journal activity. I think
that asking 7th grade students to dive into a deep selfreflection activity with the identity charts would take them
the rest of the period since I would think the first 10-15
minutes would be the classroom routine, explicit instruction,
me sharing my identity chart, and leaving time for student
questions. If at during the last 5 minutes, a few students are
finished with the activity, I would ask for volunteers to share
out.

Who am I?
What happened in
my past?
How am I connected
to those people,
places, events in the
past?
How do our
personal stories
reflect varying
points of view and
inform
contemporary ideas
and actions?
What is an
autobiography?
What is identity?
Who am I?
What happened in
my past?
How am I connected
to those people,
places, events in the
past?
How do our
personal stories
reflect varying
points of view and
inform
contemporary ideas

What structures do you see?

What do you notice about
time/chronology?
What person is used?
Students may ask clarifying questions at any
point.
Homework: students will begin the pamphlet
activity of the autobiography project.
Desks will be arranged in groups of 4.
Classroom routine.
Students will be given time at the beginning of
class to complete their pamphlets (during this
time I will remind them of the rubric).
Students will pair/share one event with a
classmate. Students will take notes in their
journals during this interview to then present
the other persons event and explaining their
illustration(s) of it to the class.
Homework: students will interview someone
who remembers that event and complete the
worksheet (during this time I will remind them
of the rubric).

Desks will be arranged in a circle.

Classroom routine.
Students will pair/share what they found out
about the event they explained yesterday from
the person they interviewed.
Whole class discussion.
Is it difficult to select specific events?
Why or why not?
What types of evidence would be
necessary to corroborate that your
selected event actually happened?
What happened when you asked
someone about the event? Did they

Paper and
markers will be
provided.
Journals.

Pamphlet activity;
pair share; class share
out.

N/A.

Pair share; class

discussion.

Commented [KC12]: For Day 3, I like that I decided to

maintain consistency with the desk formation and classroom
routine.
I also like my decision to create classroom rules as a class.
Ideally with student input, the class will understand and be
more willing to abide by the rules they created for our
classroom (Weinstein and Novodvorsky, 2011). In addition,
I like the idea of putting the poster on the wall, as it would
help students see themselves in the classroom (Weinstein
and Novodvorsky, 2011). I think this activity would take
quite a while with 7th grade students in a 45-minute class
period.
Therefore, I would cut the journal section of the class that I
had planned, and instead flow right into the introduction of
the autobiography project, which I would re-name, Who are
you? Activity. I think this new name would connect more to
the three essential questions I elected to keep as the focus for
the week-long unit, thereby focusing my students and I on
answering these essential questions.
I would definitely model my Who are you? Activity, just
as I had done previously with the identity chart activity. This
is a practice I would continue throughout the year as it
involves me in building the classroom community and, I
think, adds legitimacy to the project; if I am willing to
engage in the project and be vulnerable with the students in
sharing my background, then I think this action of modeling
gives the project more legitimacy. At this juncture, I would
welcome all questions from students. I would also make sure
to provide the students with the pamphlets pre-folded, as
some may not have access to blank printer paper at home.
I think I would not assign the Who are you? Activity for
homework. The first week of school is hectic for all of the
students, teachers, and administration and I do not think that
it would be worth it in the long run.
Commented [KC13]: For Day 4, yet again I think it is vital
to maintain the desk formation and classroom routine.
As I previously mentioned in the comment above, I would
not assign the Who are you? Activity for homework,
meaning that Days 4 and 5 would be dedicated to working on
them. When I did the revised version of this activity at my
current field placement, it took the students a full 90
minutes, so I would definitely allow two 45-minute class
periods.
In addition, since this project is no longer about the
autobiography component, I would cut the interview activity
and homework.

and actions?
What is an
autobiography?
How are
autobiographies
useful for historical
studies?
How do we really
know what
happened in the
past?
How is your identity
and that of a
historian connected?

agree with your version? Did they

remember things differently?
Class wrap up on how this process of
investigation is what historians do every day.
Explain the notion that different people have
different perspectives on historical eventswhether in your life or on a broader scale (give
personal examples from an event from my
pamphlet and also expand on this idea and give
historical examples). Explain there will be
accounts that may conflict or agree with one
another.
Explain that our work this year is to think
critically, explore multiple points of view of
historical events, and figure out how we can
gather enough evidence to get the clearest
picture possible of what happened in the past.

Commented [KC14]: Finally, for Day 5, I like the

continuation of the classroom routine. I would change the
desk formation however to the previously used groups-of-4
layout to maintain consistency. I would most likely use this
arrangement for the remainder of the year, unless we did
another project that required a different format to facilitate
student learning (Weinstein and Novodvorsky, 2011).
For Day 5, I would give the first 30 minutes to students to
finish working on their pamphlets. For the next 10 minutes, I
would ask for volunteers. As this could be a very personal
activity for some students, I would not cold call. In asking
for volunteers, I would reiterate and make explicit the
classroom rules that we created in an effort to create a safe
space where each students identity is welcomed and
respected (Weinstein and Novodvorsky, 2011).
Again, since the autobiography project has become the Who
are you? Activity, I would cut the class discussion and wrap
up, but I agree with my idea that there needs to be a class
wrap up. Therefore, for the last 5 minutes of class, I would
reiterate the classroom rules, gesturing to the newly hung
poster, which will be located in a spot at the front of the
classroom for all to see. Finally, I would explicitly
acknowledge the students, ideally, good work and behavior
throughout the week and encourage them to keep it up
throughout the year.

References:
Weinstein, C., & Novodvorsky I. (2011). Middle and secondary classroom management: Lessons from research and practice. NY, NY: M cGraw
Hill.
Collier, K. (2016). Principle 2: Relationships. Retrieved from http://learningreflectingteaching.weebly.com/principle-2-relationships.html.