Unit Standards and Objectives

The unit covering the Enlightenment and the French Revolution has the following content
objectives:

SWBAT Discuss the historical development and impact of major world religions and
philosophies (the enlightenment) by researching and presenting on the enlightenment
philosophers, followed by imagining how the enlightenment philosophers would view
fossil ridge.
This objective is tightly aligned with Colorado History standard 3.a. (Discuss the
historical development and impact of major world religions and philosophies. Topics to
include the Enlightenment.) Students research of the thinkers addresses the development
of the ideas, while students contemplating the way that enlightenment philosophers
would view their school demonstrates continuing impact. While the research and
presentation off the philosophers is lower order thinking, the application of the students
learning about the philosophers is certainly higher order thinking.
Assessments include the presentation and student's notions of enlightenment thinkers and
their school.

SWBAT Investigate causes and effects of significant events in world history by

participating in a popcorn simulation of economic realities of the ancient regime that
were a cause of the revolution
This objective is aligned with Colorado History Standard 2.b. (Investigate the causes and
effects of significant events in world history) Students experience a modicum of the
frustration that members of the third estate felt at the eve of the French revolution, which
helps students to understand one of the causes of the revolution. Student reflection asks
the students to contemplate the experience and think about it in the larger world.
Assessments include a student reflection and reactions during the class

SWBAT Evaluate the historical development and impact of political

thought, theory and actions by reading the declaration of the rights of
man, summarizing a pair of rights, and then drawing them and sharing
them, followed by writing a right of their own that they would like to
see implemented.
This objective is aligned with Colorado State Standard 3.c. (Evaluate
the historical development and impact of political thought, theory and
actions) as students grapple with the ideas of rights, and how the
similarities and differences across cultures. The idea of rights is a
political thought and theory, while the adoption of those rights is a

political action. This includes contemplation of what rights are, as a

lower order of thinking, application as students draw the rights, and
finally creation, as students must think of their own rights. Thus the
lesson includes a variety of questions in Blooms taxonomy.
Assessments include the summary, the drawings, and the created
rights.

SWBAT Construct and defend a written historical argument using

relevant primary and secondary sources as evidence by reading
sources on the reign of terror and answering questions about the
validity of the terror.
This objective is aligned with Colorado History Standard 1.c. (Construct
and defend a written historical argument using relevant primary and
secondary sources as evidence) Students will read both primary and
secondary sources on the Reign of Terror, and write an response to the
question "was the reign of terror justified in the time?" The questions
about the documents move from knowledge to synthesis to evaluation
and so include a spectrum of Blooms taxonomy.
Assessments include the written responses about the Terror and a
reflection about what the student learned, how they did and how they
could improve.

SWBAT Gather and analyze historical information, including

contradictory data, from a variety of primary and secondary sources,
including sources located on the internet, to support or reject
hypotheses by researching to create an article on one of Napoleons
exploits, followed by judging whether Napoleon was a hero or villain.
This objective is aligned with Colorado History Standard 1.b. (Gather
and analyze historical information, including contradictory data, from a
variety of primary and secondary sources, including sources located on
the internet, to support or reject hypotheses.) Students will research
using the internet to find primary and secondary sources to support or
reject the hypothesis that Napoleon was a hero or a villain. This is
based on the individual moments in his rise and fall. Questions begin
with memory (what were his exploits) and move to evaluation.
Assessments include the judgment on his heroism or villainy.

The unit covering the Enlightenment and the French Revolution has the following literacy and
numeracy objectives:

SWBAT Employ standard English language properly and fluently in

reading, writing, listening and speaking by writing arguments,
speaking and listening to different arguments about killing the king.

This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness standard

for literacy (Employ Standard English language properly and fluently in
reading, writing, listening and speaking) Students will write, speak and
listen in the debate about executing the king.
Assessments include the written arguments and the debate itself

SWBAT Access and use primary and secondary sources to explain

questions being researched by researching to answer the question
what does this philosopher believe in a presentation.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard for literacy (Access and use primary sources to explain
questions being researched) Students will research using the internet
to find and use sources for their presentation.
Assessments include the presentation as well as the bibliography

SWBAT Use logic and rhetoric to analyze and critique ideas by

analyzing rights in order to draw them and create their own.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard for literacy (Use logic and rhetoric to analyze and critique
ideas) Students must analyze the idea of rights in order that they may
summarize and draw the right and create their own right. This includes
Blooms creation.
Assessments include the summary, the drawing and the new right

SWBAT Reason abstractly and quantitatively by placing the events of

the French Revolution into a timeline using a spreadsheet, thus
quantifying the French Revolution chronologically using a spreadsheet.
This objective aligns with the common core standard of mathematics
(Reason abstractly and quantitatively). Students must place the events
of the French Revolution into a timeline, and so quantify them.
Assessments include the timeline and their use of the spreadsheet.

The unit covering the Enlightenment and the French Revolution has the following 21st century
skills objectives:

SWBAT read, write, listen and speak effectively by reading about an

enlightenment thinker, writing a presentation, listening to classmates
presentations, and speaking to the class about their thinker.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard (Read, write, listen and speak effectively). Students will do
each of these in the lesson
Assessments include observation of group interaction and productivity
and the presentation

SWBAT develop new connections where none previously existed by

connecting the enlightenment philosophers to their high school
experience.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard (Develop new connections where none previously existed)
Students may think that enlightenment philosophers do not relate to
their own lives, this lesson shows that their ideas do connect.
Assessments include student written responses about the
enlightenment ideas and their school, as well as the ensuing
discussion.

SWBAT Generate, evaluate and implement new ideas and novel

approaches by working to draw the rights that they have worked to
understand and summarize.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard (Generate, evaluate and implement new ideas and novel
approaches) Students must generate and evaluate what they will
draw, followed by implementing the drawing.
Assessments include discussions with students and the drawings

SWBAT Construct clear, coherent, and persuasive arguments writing

and arguing about killing the king.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard (Construct clear, coherent, and persuasive arguments)

Students must write arguments for both sides as well as verbalize their
arguments in classroom debate.
Assessments include the written arguments as well as the oral
arguments.
SWBAT Cooperate for a common purpose by working together to
understand the reign of terror sources and answer questions about
those sources.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard (Cooperate for a common purpose) Students must work
together to discuss and understand the sources, and must work
together to answer the questions.
Assessments include observation of the groups and their interaction
and the answers to the questions

SWBAT Manage time effectively by creating a timeline with eight

events in the time given in a period.
This objective aligns with the postsecondary workforce readiness
standard (Manage Time Effectively) Students are given one period to
create the timeline which requires eight points. They must manage to
finish in the time allotted
Assessments include the completion of the timeline and reflection on
how the students might have been able to be more efficient.