Causes+of+WWI+-+Dijana



Usha's comments in Blue.

Your name__:__  Dijana MacMillan

__Initial Reading and Assessment of Textbook Treatment of the Topic __
__Name of Gr. 10 Textbook examined: __ Canadian History: a Sense of Time

__Name of more "scholarly" source examined: __ The Twentieth-Century World: An International History, Canadian Edition

===__Your Initial Thoughts: Please provide a brief (5-10 sentences) initial assessment of the textbook's treatment of the subject. We have not developed any particular criteria by which to assess the textbook so this is really simply you initial reactions, feelings, questions about what you have read. Thanks! __===

 In comparing the two texts I found the curriculum text to be quite simplified and brief (1.5 pages). One of the problems of the simplification of the text was in how it explains the alliances. It states the participating countries in the Triple Entente and Triple Alliance, but leaves out the details of these alliances. For example: why each country joined the specific alliance and why the alliances were so central in the war becoming a world war. Another point I think should have been made was that Italy never actually fought for the Triple Alliance (it does mention that Italy joined the triple Entente in 1915).  The university textbook focused greatly on the role Germany played in starting WWI. In comparison the curriculum text did not really touch on this.  The curriculum text does not capture a variety of perspectives nor does it mention differing interpretations of historical evidence, however I did find it to be informative.


 * Critical Challenge**
 * Did any of the four main causes of WWI play a larger role in causing the war than the others****?**


 * Thank you for your comments on the text, Dijana. I think you have a sound critical challenge here. It is sort of a "judge the better or the best" - asking which cause was most significant. But it does leave a bit of wiggle room for students to opt out of making a decision in the way that it's framed: they could say "no, they were all equally important" which might be a valid answer. I think you need to decide whether saying that would be a "cop out" from your question or whether they could passionately argue that all 4 causes were equally important. What do you think? **

Judge the better or the best was exactly what I was going for. When forming the question I did think about the fact that someone could argue that they were all equally important and I decided that was ok because they would still need to back up their decision. Because they would need to explain why they were equally important (if that is what they choose to do) they would still have to look closely at each of the causes. It would also make them think about how important each of the causes were. Great - you will certainly have to model so they know they will have to justify their position regardless of their judgement. Nicely done.


 * //Identify Key Learning / “Big Idea” / Learning Target//**
 * Students will learn the definition and importance of the four causes of WWI, the importance of the role the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand played in starting the war, and why Canada got involved. Students will walk away with the knowledge that major events, such as WWI, are caused by a variety of long and short term causes. Students will learn the importance and differences of short term and long term causes in complex events such as WWI.


 * //Frame Critical Challenge//**
 * Did any of the four main causes of WWI play a larger role in causing the war than the others?


 * //How will this lesson help students build skills they will need for the summative assessment task for the unit?//**
 * students will learn how to analyse a map and determine the role location has in nationalism, militarism, alliances, and imperialism. good

Cause and consequence
 * //What dimension of Historical Thinking will students actively engage in during this lesson?//**

- What //specific expectations// (directly from curriculum document) will need to be addressed?
 * Background Knowledge**
 * assess the influence of Great Britain and Europe on Canada's participation in war
 * explain the causes of World War I and how Canada became involved
 * formulate and use a thesis statement when researching a historical topic or issue
 * analyse information, employing concepts and approaches appropriate to historical inquiry
 * draw conclusions on the basis of relevant and sufficient supporting evidence
 * express ideas, arguments, and conclusions, as appropriate for the audience and purpose

- What content / skills will students need to learn to be successful?
 * the dates of WWI
 * the countries involved in WWI and why they were involved
 * the causes of WWI and their individual importance in causing the war
 * definition of the causes of WWI (imperialism, militarism, alliance system, nationalism)
 * the connection between Bosnia-Herzigovina, Serbia, and Austria-Hungary
 * who was Archduke Franz Ferdinand, why he was important, and why his death was important as a trigger for WWI
 * why Canada got involved in the war
 * what foreign policy is
 * mapping skills: identify the location of countries involved in the war and how their location on the map played a role in participating in the war
 * critical thinking skills
 * reading and writing skills


 * Criteria for Judgement**

a) What criteria will students use to make a decision about the question being asked of them? (e.g. criteria for a good friend; criteria for a hero; criteria for a an effective solution; criteria for a plausible inference) I was having difficulty coming up with the criteria. These are the two I came up with. How do they sound? do you have any other suggestions? · Plays a crucial role in causing an event   · Is directly related to causing the event  Yes, I think these are good. The first one will have kids thinking about whether the war would have started if one particular cause had not been present which will help them get at significance. The second one might be trickier because some of the indirect causes might be more significant than the direct cause (i.e. the assassination). I wonder whether the criteria outlined for significance in Chapter 9 of the Anthology might work here. They suggest that to determine signficance, we can look at a number of criteria including: - breadth (i.e. it affected many people/countries or it affected many aspects of the issue) - depth (i.e. it didn't just have a superficial impact but had a substantial effect on the issue) - duration (i.e. it had long-lasting consequences)
 * criteria for what makes one cause more significant than another. Yes - but you need to decide what this criteria will be ahead of time (even if you plan to draw out the criteria from students or have them come up with it - you still need to have a sense of what you hope they will come up with. So, an event is significant if...

I'm not sure if all of these works but some of them might or maybe all of them do... what do you think? Does that help?

yes that helps, thank you. how does this sound for criteria? · - Plays a crucial role in causing an event · - The range of impact is larger than any other cause (affected more people/countries/aspects of the event) · - The depth of impact is more substantial than any other cause · - The consequences are longer lasting than any other cause

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b) What criteria will students use to develop an effective product? (e.g. criteria for an engaging headline; criteria for a convincing poster; criteria for an effective presentation; criteria for a an authentic portrayal in a role-play; criteria for an engaging children’s book) > - clearly states your position > - constructively backs up your position with examples > - Shows why your position is more beneficial than other possible viewpoints Good
 * criteria for an effective argument: An effective argument is one that:

- Consultative
 * Habit of Mind**
 * (choose 1 to focus on)**


 * Thinking Strategies**

- What are some of the key thinking strategies students will use to sift through background information, apply criteria and make a decision? (e.g. a rating scale, a report card, a decision making matrix, etc.)


 * Critical Thinking Vocabulary**
 * -** Argument **-** students will need to argue which, if any, of the four major causes of WWI played a larger role in causing the war than the other**.** Defining this term will help state that they need to back up their point with evidence.