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Description of Unit

In this project, students will investigate provocative questions about the life of an influential contributor (or group) to history or contemporary society. Though teachers may wish to narrow the subjects of study, for purposes of this project, the subject may come from any period of history and any geographic area. If a student selects important figures from outside the period of history being studied in class, the student can explore and identify connections between the time and place of the subject of his/her study and the period of time and place of class study. It is important to remember that this is an analysis in which students must show how a person or group has impacted and influenced the rights and responsibilities of others.

This guide links the Sudden Impact unit to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for eighth graders. Sudden Impact is a social studies unit that allows students to study influential individuals, groups, ideas, and documents from various periods of history. Sudden Impact also teaches students skills in the other subject areas of English language arts, mathematics, and science. For example, students use graphs and tables and draw conclusions, as addressed in the Mathematics TEKS; inquire and conduct research using a variety of sources, as covered in the English Language Arts and Reading TEKS; and use critical thinking and problem solving, which are part of the Science TEKS. The following document includes the applicable TEKS and the details of the Sudden Impact unit. The asterisks indicate that those TEKS are testable on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). The final section of this document presents the applicable Texas College and Career Readiness Standards adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) on January 24, 2008.

Phase I. Learning Experiences

  1. Select an individual (or group) influential to a period of history on which to focus. Use the following discussion questions with students:
    • What influence did the individual (or group) have at the time?
    • What impact does the individual (or group) have on your life today?
    • What was their motivation?
    • What factors contributed to your subject’s success or demise?

    After the class brainstorms possible answers, provide the class with resources to explore these and other pertinent questions. You may wish to have the students present their findings in a paper or in another format.

    Then explain that, in this project, each student will have an opportunity to find the answers to their own questions about an individual or group of their own choice.

  2. Introduce the concept of museum exhibits by creating or examining a museum exhibit that tells the story of a person who or group that has influenced history. This can be done by conducting a class visit to a museum or using an online virtual tour. Help students understand that each artifact included in an exhibit tells a part of the story. Have them note the components of an exhibit and the purpose of each component.

    You may wish to use some internet resources to design and implement lessons that will help students understand what it means to curate an exhibit.

Phase II. Independent Research

A. Research process

  1. Selecting an individual or group. Each student selects a subject to study that interests him/her. The person or group could be from any area, including the arts, social science, politics, history, or science.
  2. Asking guiding questions. To understand the historical importance of a subject, students must ask questions of time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance. They must not only ask when their subject(s) lived but also how the events of the time contributed to the impact the subject(s) had. What factors contributed to their development? How did the subject affect other individuals, communities, states, nations, and the world? Each student should think of three to five guiding questions to explore, such as:
    • What political, economic, religious, environmental, or sociocultural perspectives influenced and/or motivated your subject’s life or lives?
    • What contributing factors led to the subject’s success or demise?
    • How did the subject impact society? What groups or individuals did your subject affect?
    • How did the person or group communicate their perspectives? Who were his/her/their primary/secondary audiences?
    • What if the person or group had lived in another time? Would his/her/their point of view have changed?
    • What if the person or group had lived in another part of the country or the world? How might he/she/they have been different?
    • Has the person or group increased or decreased in popularity over time?
    • What rights or responsibilities did your subject’s work influence? How?
    • What perspectives (e.g., political, historic, scientific, economic, religious, environmental, gender, etc.) did person or group influence?
    While these examples are general, the student’s questions should be specific to the chosen topic. The questions should lead him/her to form individual research-based opinions. The student should also develop a hypothesis or some possible answers to the questions. Each student should think of guiding questions about the person or group that will lead to his/her own research-based opinions. The student should also develop a hypothesis or some possible answers to the questions.
  3. Designing and submitting a research proposal. The student should include numerous components in the research proposal:
    • The subject he/she will research
    • The five questions he/she will investigate
    • Resources he/she will need to find answers to questions, such as primary and secondary sources, correspondence with experts on the subject, etc.
    In the process of writing the research proposal, students may refine their guiding questions. Here are some questions to guide students’ identification of resources:
    • What libraries, research centers, archival institutions, museums, or organizations will have information on the topic?
    • What are some key words, dates, or people related to the subject?
    • What types of primary sources might exist? Who might you interview to gather information?
    • What letters, diaries, or other first-person narratives are available?
    • What manuscripts, songs, hymns, photographs, court proceedings, governmental records, original newspaper articles or cartoons, or oral histories are available?
  4. Conducting the research. After the teacher has approved student proposals, each student begins using the identified resources or other sources he/she may encounter. During this stage, the student will need to keep a log, note cards, or resource process sheets of all the sources he/she uses and what he/she learn from each one.

B. The product

A museum exhibit. The student should create a museum exhibit with approximately ten artifacts, highlighting the impact of this person or group on history and/or contemporary life. Highlight changes in American society that this person or group influenced. Include artifacts that represent issues that the person or group impacted. Each artifact need not be student-created. For example, students may photocopy, as appropriate, maps, photographs, or drawings. Students should think about how they can convey what the person or group stood for and how they impacted the times in which they lived and/or the future.

For example, a study of Al Qaeda could show the impact of the September 11, 2001, hijackings on subsequent American history. The Smithsonian exhibit at http://americanhistory.si.edu/september11/ shows the impact of the event from a variety of perspectives. A wide range of artifacts depicts events. Audiotapes illustrate the impact of the events on Americans. Audiotapes of the curators explain the selections. If extended, the exhibit could go on to show how domestic and foreign policy have been impacted since 9/11.

The student must also complete a Reference List/Works Cited Page that includes at least ten references.

C. Communication

In a period of no more than 15 minutes, students present their exhibit as a docent in a museum would, engaging other students in the content of the exhibit. Museum visitors should ask questions for the student docent to respond to.

D. Submission

  1. A cover sheet
  2. The research proposal, including guiding questions
  3. A research log, note cards, or resource process sheets
  4. A list of the ten items in the exhibit and a rationale for including each of them
  5. A sketch of the exhibit with each artifact labeled
  6. A Works Cited Page with at least ten references
  7. A videotape or audiotape of the docent talk, including the Q&A session
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