Curriculum

Research Question: How can the implementation of

technology-based curriculum rooted in Project-Based Learning impact the ability of
students to actively engage in Social Science content, challenge their perception of the
subject, and foster collaborative skills, such as effective communication?
How does PBL affect students extrinsic and intrinsic motivation for academic
success?
How does PBL affect students interest in the Social Sciences?
How does PBL affect students ability to effectively communicate in collaborative
groups?

Curriculum Title: Project-Based Learning as an approach to uncover the Roots,

Responses, and Remedies of Conflict.

Grades: 9-12

Subject/Topic Areas: Geography, U.S. History, Global Studies

Keywords: Digital Literacy, Constructivist Theory, Feedback, Collaboration,

Communication, Evaluation, Project-Based Learning, Motivation Theory.

Curricular Context and Audience:

This curriculum will be embedded in an Advanced Placement Human Geography

course, comprised mostly of High School Freshmen, in an attempt to expose learners to
Project-Based inquiry specific to the origins and possible solutions for local, regional, and
global conflict across varying timelines and geographic settings. Project-Based Learning, or
PBL, is believed to be one strategy that educators can employ towards better preparing
young learners to navigate their ever-changing social and economic lives mediated by the
omnipresence of technology (Blumenfeld, 1991; Cone, 2001; Fernandes, 2013; Hernandez,
2009; Lattimer, 2011, Moylan, 2008 ). PBL, dictates that learning experiences are
collaborative, guided by a central real-world open-ended question, that utilizes essential
content and skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving through a process of
reflection and revision, in which findings are communicated to a broadened audience. The
goal of this curriculum is to act as a guide through the initial exposure to PBL, with
appropriate and specific scaffolded skill and content lessons, imbedded inside a larger
overarching collaborative research project.

Rationale:

Technology has altered our relationship with information, thus changing the
demands of the 21 century learner.
st

Project-Based Learning, attempts to mimic, utilize and develop 21 century skills.

st

Project-Based Learning fosters the skills and dispositions which lead to greater
college and career readiness.
The skills fostered in Project-Based Learning curriculum can be transferred across
content and classrooms and used as a template for the implementation of other PBL
activities.

Assessments:

Formative:
Whole Class Discussion (Online & Face-to-Face)
Group Discussion (Online & Face-to-Face)
Group BLOG: As students progress through the Unit, evidence of their
collaboration will be cataloged via an BLOG.
Iterations of the group research question.
Online source evaluations.
Reflection on group collaboration
Video evidence of public speaking
Personal Reflective Blog: Focus on monitoring their learning.

Summative:
Group: Formal Presentation, graded by rubric.
The culminating assessment is an opportunity for students to show
what they have learned concerning the true nature of a specific
current or historic conflict.
In addition, the skills specific to PBL will be made evident
Research Question & Sub Questions
Use of relevant and credible sources
Functional group dynamic
Presentation Skills
Individual: Formal Paper on the Nature of Conflict
Using evidence from your own research coupled with evidence taken
from the projects presented by your peers, construct an argument for
the true nature of conflict form various perspectives, providing a
minimum of three different examples of conflict through time and
geography.

Standards Addressed:

Common Core State Standards:

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:

o 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.
o 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.
o 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.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.a
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.
o 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.
o 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.
o 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.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge:
o 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.
o 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 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.

Big Idea/Concept:

Project-Based Learning fosters the skills and understandings necessitated in the 21st
Century.

Enduring Understanding(s):

Effective construction of research questions is paramount in self-directed learning.

In order to research effectively, students must be able to find relevant sources and
to determine source credibility.
There is value in collaboration, as meaning making requires learners to understand
their individual knowledge in relation to that of others.
The nature of global, regional, and local conflict.

What Essential Question(s) will be considered?

What is the root cause of conflict at varying scales; local, regional, and global?
How does the conflict type; economic, political, racial/ethnic, impact the outcome.
Are responses to conflict universal?
What does the future of conflict look like?

Appropriate Technologies and Tools:

Writing Utensils
Student Chrome-books
Video Recording Device

Knowledge = Content

Describe the nature of conflict across various timelines and geographic locations.
Understand the complex layering of perspectives when inquiring about real world
topics.

Skills = Power Verbs

The ability to formulate, organize, and carry out a collaborative research project.
The strengthened ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate real world information
and events from various sources, online and print.
The ability to effectively communicate newly acquired understandings in addition to
the interpersonal communication necessitated by collaboration.
The ability to use 21st century tools as a means of presentation, and also as a
platform for evaluation and review.

Dispositions = Attitudes

Students will view themselves as vital producers of their own understanding.

Students will view themselves as a functional and an integral part of a team with a
shared goal.
Students will broaden their world perspective as they work towards becoming
global citizens.

Learning Objectives and Misconceptions

Explain:
Students will be able to explain the root causes of various forms of conflict and
subsequent impact.
Students will be able to provide evidence to support their explanations.

Apply
Students will be able to utilize Project-Based Learning strategies for future learning
experiences.
Students will be able to respond to adversity by using their new understandings of
past and present global conflict and resolution.

Interpret
Students will be able to find and synthesize various multimodal sources of
information in constructing a clear narrative.
Students will be able to leverage peer feedback and alternative perspectives in the
creation of their own learning.

Empathize
Students will construct a more global perspective, viewing conflict from a multipronged lens.
Students will garner a better understanding of those impacted by conflict - past,
present, and future.

Students will be exposed to the cognitive processes and perspectives of their peers
through the construction of communal knowledge.

Gain Perspective
Students will gain a broader world view.
Students will be able to identify and respect varying global perspectives
surrounding a common event.
Students will view themselves as a part of the collaborative process where they can
leverage the experiences and knowledge of others towards their academic and
personal growth.

Gain Self Knowledge
Students will come to view themselves as active participants in their own learning.
Students, through reflection, will have a better understanding of their personal
learning abilities and limitations.

Overcome the Naive View:
The global narrative is varied and vast, and not limited to a Eurocentric perspective.
Conflict is never one-sided and the regions of the world are not culturally
monothetic.
Teacher and textbooks are not the sole holders of knowledge in- and outside of the
classroom.