How do I plan for teaching a LONG unit of study?

Ms. Dorothy,
I have to start teaching the Civil War soon and I don't know what to do. I'm just not sure how to begin. When I taught it before I had only two days, now I have a whole month. Any inspiration for me?
- High School Teacher

How exciting to have a long chunk of time to work with! Even in 90 minute sessions, having an extended period to focus on one topic really provides opportunities to let the students take on the content.

Do a little research and collect material for the students to work with. Articles, pictures and first hand accounts will make it come to life. Check out what the Library of Congress has to offer, their teacher section has some amazing primary source materials!

Then give that research to the class and let them work in collaborative groups to understand and share it with the rest of the class.

Find an expert or an enactor in your area to come in and talk to the class, or set up a skype session with one that isn't in your area. Giving students someone to interview can really help keep the subject from getting dry.

Pose a question for the class to debate and have them take sides and argue their case. Bring in an audience, or video tape the debate to send to experts and let someone other than you score them for their content knowledge.

The more work the students are doing and the less you are directly teaching them the content, the better they will absorb the material, and the more meaningful it will be.

Most of all, have fun with it, and the students will too!

How can I assess student learning?

Ms. Dorothy-
I have three students that I work with. They are home-schooled and are in 7th and 8th grade. They are taking the work seriously, and do a great job meeting all the criteria of the assignments. I'm just not sure that the information we cover is really being learned, or if they have just gotten really good at taking tests. Is there a difference? I need some way to grade them for what we do that is fair, and I want to be sure I'm measuring what I think I'm measuring. What do you think?
- Middle School Teacher


Finding out how much of what you've taught is really owned by the students is so different from counting how many questions were answered correctly on a test!


I think that completing an assignment well has to be about more than having accurate spelling and grammar, or even a well structured argument. To me, producing something for a teacher is about pleasing one person, and usually the person who has already directed you in how they wish to be pleased.


Justification is a powerful critical thinking skill that changes assignments from something you have to do to something you have to stand behind. I don't think it is possible to present your knowledge of a topic to an expert on that topic unless you have truly gained some mastery of the content.


If a student writes a paper about the plight of the black-footed ferret I would expect that student to present this paper to people who are interested in black-footed ferrets, and be convincing to someone to whom ferrets matter.


When it is done right, the authentic audience evaluates your success or failure in achieving your curricular goals.