TEMPLATE FOR UNIT

by Belinda Evans

Unit developed during the Summer of 2000 School-to-Career

Teacher Internship Program using experiences and insights gained from internships at Tulip Graphics, Berkeley, California and University of California Printing Service, Berkeley, California. Employees of these

two companies stressed, again and again, that students be ready to

multi-task, think clearly and independently, listen/speak/write effectively, and work together towards a common goal to meet deadlines.

Saveth Soun (a math teacher) and Belinda Evans (an English teacher) partnered and collaborated to complete this internship. We hope these curriculum materials may be of assistance to students and instructors. Please see Saveth Soun's Template for math lesson plans.

PROJECT TITLE: Petrograms? Petroglyphs? Pictograms? Hieroglyphics?

Greek? Latin? German? Gutenberg? English? So how did we get to the computer age? by Belinda Evans.

OVERVIEW OF PROJECT:

1. Brief Description: Students will research the evolution of writing systems from approximately 3000 B.C. to 2000 A.D., submitting a general group report covering the timeline and an individual mystery person research report, using books, magazines, newspapers, and online information.

Advanced projects: If time allows, the entire class could collaborate to set up a scale model of a proposed print museum in which to display what has been learned. To continue the unit, the model could then be used as a visual aid to formulate a business start-up committee; the start-up committee would find venture capital, as well as all of the employees and equipment needed to start-up and continue operation of a profitable print museum business. (Also available from Belinda Evans is information re. organizational setup of a graphics company, if business students would enjoy starting-up.)

2. Time Frame: Four to six weeks, dependent upon extent of inter-disciplinary involvement and available time. (If advanced projects are used, the time frame should be doubled.)

3. Subjects Related/Integrated--English/History/Computers (Graphics)

(Although lesson plans have only been included for English, history, and computers, the following list represent ideas for lessons plans in other subjects):

a. Mathematics: Students to build scale models of a historical print museum using geometry and architectural drawings.

b. Drama/Theater Production/Video Production/Screen Writing: Students to use the completed timelines to write, act, and produce screen plays as seen through the eyes of prominent historical figures (ref. mystery person research report).

c. Printmaking: Students could use movable type and other print demonstration to create portions of oral presentation.

d. History of Languages: From whence did English come?(e.g. Which languages came first using examples of roots from Greek, Latin, Spanish, and French.)

e. Computers--Create timeline from Gutenberg's invention of movable type to the use of computers/graphics for printing purposes.

4. Lessons/How Interrelated:

a. English--Individual mystery person research report to be created and presented in written and oral forms. The person to be researched by each student must be chosen from the group's timeline of writing systems (history). In addition, the report must include a written report using reference materials such as magazines, newspapers, online information, and classical literature (English/computers).

b. History--One collaboratively-written research paper per group must be created incorporating reading, information processing, collaborative investigation, summarization, evaluation, and synthesis (English). A timeline sequentially connecting all writing systems and print systems in accordance with specific time periods and geographic locations investigated must be devised and utilized for group oral presentation of findings to the class.

c. Computer--Obtain research from the world wide web to be used in the mystery person research report (English), to be used in the group research report/timeline (history), and to be used in sequencing a timeline incorporating computer technology and graphics.

UNIT OUTCOME:

1. Product/Result: Students will required to do the following:

a. Mystery person research report (English) will be submitted by each student individually after thoroughly investigating, selecting, evaluating, organizing, interpreting, analyzing, and synthesizing the information studied. Students must show understanding in written and oral formats. The oral research report must exhibit the analysis and synthesis of information provided in the report, with the utilization of at least one originally-created visual aid, other than the timeline used in the history class presentation.

Examples of visual aids might include poster/architectural drawings of a proposed print museum from the mystery person's point of view, a video tape of pertinent information, a video clip about the mystery person, a poster denoting the mystery person's place in history/timeline of mystery person's life, or a scale model of any pertinent setting.

b. Group project requirements for written and oral presentation (history):

(1) Computer printout/manually-drawn timeline of the history of writing systems as well as print systems.

2) Presentation of student-chosen pertinent portions of research reports which could be in form of equally-apportioned speeches, screen plays, and videos.

(3) All visual aids used by each person in English class presentation.

2. Action Statement: Students will learn the following SCANS competencies:

a. Information processing

b. Computer usage

c. Technology usage

d. Resourcing

e. Oral Communications

f. Written Communications

g. Leadership

h. Group dynamics/organization

i. Problem solving

j. Responsibility

k. Self Confidence

l. Self Management/organization

m. Sociability

STANDARDS:

1. Reading 1.0-1.3--Students will explore vocabulary words, origins and concept development while studying the history of writing systems and printing.

2. Reading 2.0-2.6--Students will understand and analyze

informational materials at grade level in the use of expository critique to complete research reports and timelines.

ASSESSMENT:

1. Students' oral and written reports (group assignments) may be assessed using the Access Lifeskills Rubric of Accuracy, Completion, Cooperation, Creativity, Initiative, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Use of Resources.

2. Students' written reports (individual assignments) may be assessed using the Access Academic Rubric of Basic Skills (reading, writing, and speaking), Strategies (interpretation, analysis, and synthesis), Acquisition of Information (location, synthesis, and evaluation), and Application of Information (appropriate sources, factual accounts, and interconnections).

CONDITIONS:

(Mystery Person Report)

1. Who? Who is the person?

2. What? What role does the person play in history of print?

3. When? When did the person live in terms of technology/print?

4. Where? Where does the person fit into the timeline?

5. Why? Why is person significant to writing systems/print?

6. How? The Big Six Skills for Information Problem Solving

research report method.

(Group Project)

1. Who? Who (which persons) were responsible for the advancement

of writing systems from 3000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.?

2. What? Timeline of writing systems from 3000 B.C. to present.

3. When? From 3000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.

4. Where? Beginnings of civilizations (world) up to now (U.S.).

5. Why? Study of writing systems from historical, political,

social, and economic perspectives.

6. How? Group collaboration of facilitator, recorder, organizer,

and planner.

CRITERIA:

1. Rubrics to be used as listed under Assessment.

2. Grading of rough drafts of oral presentations and written presentations by teachers and students will be of

great assistance in guiding the progress of students.

MATERIALS:

1. Various research materials as appropriate using library, classroom, and internet sources.

2. "The Big Six Skills for Information Problem Solving" Method.

MODIFICATIONS/ACCOMMODATIONS:

1. Mystery Person research report--Partner work is recommended so that each student's talents will enhance another student's talents.

2. Group report--Collaboration and roles chosen within the group will enhance any student level.

STANDARDS: Each lesson refers to the State Standards applicable.

Lesson Plan 1: Who's the Mystery Person (English/History)

Lesson Outcome: Students will understand the purpose of the Mystery

Person Research report and begin to know what is expected to be in the report.

Conditions: Lesson will take one or two class periods, dependent upon

comprehension levels of students.

Materials: Paper, writing utensil, dictionaries, pocket folder/binder section.

Classroom Activities:

(Arrange students and classroom so that each person has a partner.):

1. Ask students to get out a sheet of paper, and tell them they will need a pocket folder for this new project.

2. Ask partners to brainstorm the definitions for words together: petrograms, petroglyphs, pictograms, hieroglyphics, Greek, Latin, German, English, Gutenberg.

3. Give dictionaries to students so they can check to see if the definitions are correct--if not, they may correct them.

4. Have one student from each partnership read the correct definition or words and discuss them. What do the first four words have in common? What do the next four words have in common?

5. Who is Gutenberg? Lead the discussion towards the search for a mystery person whom they may know--person had to have lived between 3000 B.C. and 2000 A.D.

6. How do you suppose we got from petrograms to computer printers?

7. Do you think perhaps people had anything to do with it?

8. Each person will be required to complete a mystery person research report, complete with information obtained from reference materials such as magazines, journals, newspapers, online information, and classical literature (discuss each type of publication--clarify and ask for examples).

9. Please find a person you find interesting or exciting who is found on a timeline from 3000 B.C. to 2000 A.D. and who contributed to the fact that we have computer printers and graphics today.

l0. As soon as you believe you have found a mystery person to study, please let me know. I'd like to have each person study a different mystery person, so you'll have to make sure no one else has chosen that particular person. Try to keep it a secret from everyone but your partner. I'd like to know tomorrow.

11. Make sure that you keep all information you find on the mystery person in your folder--we'll be discussing the details of the report tomorrow, so please be here with your choice in hand. (Have this written on board and ask students to write in planners.)

Method of Assessment: Access Lifeskills Rubric--Use of resources, teamwork, problem solving, initiative, creativity, cooperation, completion, accuracy.

Modifications/Accommodations: Partners to help each other with definitions and concepts.

Standards Addressed: Standard 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, Vocabulary Development