Wilson Foundation Academy

MYP Course Outline: Individuals and Societies

Course:IB MYP Year2 Individuals and Societies

Teachers:Lori Locker, Chantal Lischer, Tracy Czudak,

Year:2013-2014

Course Description

This course will use themes to look at the history of America from the time of European encounters to the present day with an emphasis on thestructure and function of governments and how individuals and groups throughout history have challenged and influenced public policy and constitutional change. This course will incorporate the International Baccalaureate learner profile to prepare students to take on their roles as citizens and become informed, committed participants in democracy.

Aims & Objectives

The aim of MYP Humanities at WFA is to encourage and enable students to develop:

  • an inquiring mind, including the skills necessary for the effective study of humanities
  • a sense of change over time
  • a respect and understanding of others’ perspectives, values and attitudes
  • awareness and understanding of people, cultures and events over time
  • an understanding of the interactions and interdependence of individuals, societies, and their environments
  • an understanding of the causes and consequences of change through physical and human interactions
  • an understanding of current events and issues
  • a sense of intercultural awareness and a desire to be a responsible global citizen
  • an awareness of the connections with other subjects

The objective of this course is to increase students’:

  • Knowledge
  • Content knowledge, Terminology
  • Concepts
  • Time, Place and Space, Change, Systems, Global awareness
  • Skills
  • Technical, Analytical, Decision-making, Investigative
  • Organization & Presentation

You will begin to embody the IB Learner Profile as you display and further develop your ability to be knowledgeable, principled, open-minded, caring, reflective, balanced, a thinker, a communicator, an inquirer, and a risk-taker.

Areas of Interaction

At the core of the MYP is the unit question and areas of interaction (AOI). There are 5 AOI, which will provide a framework for inquiry and give each unit a context. The AOI are

  • Approaches to Learning
  • How do I learn?
  • How do I improve my learning skills?
  • Community & Service
  • How do I engage with the outside world?
  • What is my responsibility to my community?
  • Health & Social Education
  • How do historical issues affect me today?
  • How can I be an effective member of society?
  • Environments
  • What is my role in my environments (classroom, community, state, country, world)?
  • How do my decisions affect my environments?
  • Human Ingenuity
  • How have humans influenced the world throughout history?
  • What are the consequences of my thoughts and actions?

At the end of the year, students should be able to:

  • Know and use basic humanities terminology in context
  • Demonstrate content knowledge and understanding through explanations supported by relevant examples and facts
  • Describe characteristics of people and aspects of societies throughout US history
  • Demonstrate an awareness of links between people, places, and events through time
  • Recognize the similarities and differences that exist between people, places, and events through time
  • Identify the limitations and opportunities afforded by location
  • Understand and explain the short-term and long-term causes and effects of change
  • Identify their rights and responsibilities within systems
  • Recognize issues of equity, justice, and responsibility
  • Interpret and use relevant maps and graphs
  • Use a variety of sources to research, interpret, and communicate data
  • Compare and contrast events, issues, ideas, models, and arguments
  • Formulate clear, valid arguments, make balanced judgments, and draw conclusions
  • Organize information in a logically sequenced manner with proper documentation and present it clearly and concisely

Methodology

Students will learn in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

Comprehension activities / Cloze activities / Writing assignments / Maps (reading & drawing) / Graphs
Poster-making / Debates / Cornell notes / Movies/Video clips / Books
Think-Pair-Shares / DBQs / Essays / Jigsaws / Research
Group work / Station activities / Photo analysis / Independent work / Vocabulary strategies
Literature strategies / Role playing / Newspaper articles / Reflections / Presentations

Resources & Materials

Textbooks / Computers / Websites / Literary sources / Primary sources
Newspapers / DVDs / Worksheets / Library

Assessment

The following assessment criteria have been established by the IB for MYP Humanities:

Criterion A / Knowing and Understanding / Maximum 8
Criterion B / Investigating / Maximum 8
Criterion C / Thinking Critically / Maximum 8
Criterion D / Communicating / Maximum 8

All summative (end-of-unit) assessments will be based on the above criteria. For each criterion, descriptors will be defined that describe a range of achievement levels (with the lowest represented as zero). These descriptors focus on positive achievement, although failure to achieve may be included in the descriptions for lower levels. Students will be made aware of what criteria are being assessed for each summative task. During the year, each criteria must be measured at least twice, but not necessarily at the same time. All work will be compiled in a student portfolio.

Unit Title / AOI / Unit Question / Topics of Study / Summative (Final) Assessment / Unit Length
Land Matters / Environments / Why North America? / Basic geography skills, Native Americans, exploration / Travel Brochure / 6 weeks
Creating a Place / Environments / How do people live? / Colonial Life, Regional Differences / RAFT: Letters home / 4 weeks
Finding our Voices / Human Ingenuity / How far are you willing to go for what you believe in? / Leading to Revolution, American Revolution / Children’s Book / 4 weeks
Community Counts / Community & Service / Why can’t I do what I want? / Structure of government, people’s responsibilities within communities, power and authority throughout US history, challenges / DBQ
Position Paper / 10 weeks
From Sea to Shining Sea / Human Ingenuity / How can I get more? / Manifest destiny, Westward expansion, land use and settlement, social and cultural impacts of growth / Newspaper Project / 4 weeks
Brother vs. Brother / Community & Service / Why do we fight? How do we make up? / Civil War & Reconstruction / Historical Journal Scrapbook / 8 weeks

WFA MYP Assessment Policy

  • Assessment is essential to identify what students know, understand, and can apply. It is central to all teaching and learning.
  • Inquiry-based assessments involve exploring the natural world and making discoveries for new understandings.
  • Reflection and evaluation are integral to the evaluation process.
  • Authentic assessments require students to apply newly learned skills to real-world situations.
  • Formative assessments inform both teachers and students about students’ understanding and allow teachers to provide immediate feedback.
  • Summative assessments (given at the end of each unit) are used to determine student mastery of specific MYP objectives and overall understanding.
  • Criterion-based evaluations give students the opportunity to clearly understand what the expectations are prior to being assessed.
  • Students’ grades represent their abilities to perform with respect to expectations outlined by the State Department of Education and the IB MYP.

Teacher Contact Information

Teacher Name / Email Address / Phone Extension
Lori Locker / / 2370
Chantal Lischer / / 2530
Tracy Czudak / / 2360
Jessica Herring / / 2530

Necessary Supplies for class daily:

  • 2 pocket folder (for homework and to travel back and forth)
  • Spiral notebook
  • Pens/pencils

Helpful materials (for use at home):

  • Colored pencils or markers
  • Glue sticks
  • Loose-leaf paper

Always happy to receive donations of:

  • Hand sanitizer
  • Hand lotion
  • Tissues