I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Perspective

Essential Question:

How does your own vision of the world influence your decision-making?

Bridge:

Worldview through Art

Content:

Ancient Civilizations

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To help students think about perspective.

Activity: Each student will create a history of grade 8 (or the previous semester). This may be done in prose or as a drawing. Students may also opt to create a timeline or a cartoon strip approach. The only directions should be very general – the idea here is to get students to write a very personal perspective on their 8th grade year.

Assessment: Student activity – do they write, draw, participate?

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: Students analyze similarities and differences in perspective.

Activity: Have students work in groups to examine their histories.
1. Each student should read her/his history.
2. On a large sheet of paper the recorder should list the similarities noted.
3. On the same chart paper list the differences.
4. Discuss the reasons for the similarities and differences and list those on the back of the chart paper.
5. Class discussion –
The point of this is to help the students see how much of what they think is “history” is shaped by the perspective they bring to the study. Point out that even kids who went to the same school and had the same teachers wrote different histories, or chose different formats.

Assessment: The ability of each student to be able to articulate what perspective is and how it shapes what we believe to be important.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective:For students to see that civilizations, just like individuals, have a perspective (worldview) which shapes their institutions and societal development.

Activity: There are 2 activities recommended here to help move you from the personal histories to a bigger idea about perspective/worldview.
1. Examine a series of paintings found in your textbook. This can be done with any history text or art text. You need to find paintings from the early medieval, Renaissance and 20th Century which offer totally different perspectives on what is important in art and society. For examply, the early medieval will not be concerned with perspective or realistic portrayals of humans. In the Renaissance, perspective and proportion will be important. If you select a 20th century work like Picasso’s Guernica, you will find distortion.
The textbook I use, World History: Connections to the Today, (Prentice-Hall) has good pictures on p. 232, 350 and 790. Ask the students to determine what the artist was trying to say in the painting. What seems to be important to the artist? What evidence would you use? The goal in this exercise is that students will see how art reflects different worldvies, much like the personal histories did.
2. For homework, have students fill out a “Logos” sheet: America, 1999. On this sheet they must list (with support) what they believe to be the song, TV show, movie and sport which are most representative of America today. They should also ask their parents to fill this out. The next day in groups, they should share their lists and then the group should create a composite visual: America, 1999. This will cause considerable discussion in the groups and get the students to begin to see how a worldview could be analyzed at a national level. (A variation of this would be for the students to bring in materials for the creation of a time capsule. In groups, the students would discuss what items would best represent American society to a future generation of Americans).

Assessment: Ask each student for a written explanation of what he/she took away from these activities. In that way you will be able to evaluate how well the concept of perspective/worldview is being internalized before you get into the study of the civilizations

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To examine the concept of worldview as it develops in the civilizations of the Ancient Near East.

Activity: 1. Definition of worldview
2. Examine what the characteristics of civilizations are
3. In depth look at the following civilizations with the focus on the worldview of each civilization. This will require students to consider religion, politics, social structure and legal systems in each civilization. (See chart included for this.) Egypt, Sumer Babylon, Assyria, Hebrews
4. Read “A Hymn to the Nile”; “Penitential Prayer to Every God”; “Hammurabi’s Code”; “Ten Commandments” and discuss how these documents reflect what is important to their respective civilizations.
5. Visit a local art museum and spend time in the ancient near eastern section. If no good museums are in the area, the internet allows you to browse collections online. In either case, students should have a specific focus in their viewing.

Assessment: Level of understanding of worldview in various civilizations.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: Students begin to see for themselves how worldview works itself out in a civilization.

Activity: 1. Section survey questions from Chapter 2 of textbook
2. Skill Development - Cause and Effect- see page 18 of textbook
3. Review chart for comparing/contrasting aspects of civilizations which will assist in understanding worldviews.
4. Section quizzes and unit test.
5. Map work on Ancient Near East

Assessment: Evaluation of student assignments. Mastery shown on tests/quizzes

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: That the students begin to articulate their own worldview.

Activity: Now that the students have mastered the idea of worldview and developed it in terms of the ancient civilizations, each one must crate his/her own personal worldview. The product may take one of several forms:
1. A collage-the student must use current magazines/newspapers to develop this. In additions to being clearly articulated visually, a 1 page written explanation will also be required.
2. A poem -many times the worldview of a civilization can be determined by its poetry as we saw in some of the primary source readings. In the same way, a student may best express her/his worldview within this form of creative expression.
3. An essay – For those who prefer to write in prose form, an essay will be an option. The essay must have a thesis and several points of defense. It must be written in proper MLA form.
4. A 3D model – For the hands on student, the design and creation of a model using wood, or Legos, or some other material may be the most interesting way to express his/her worldview. Again, a written explanation will probably be necessary for this.
5. A visualization – the artistic student can draw or paint a symbolic perspective on her-his worldview.
This is also the time to involve students in the creation of a rubric for assessment.

Assessment: Level at which students work on the projects

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: Students evaluate theirs and other projects.

Activity: Students will work with a learning partner to discuss each other’s projects. The reviewer will make suggestions based on the agreed upon rubric in 3R. The most significant question to be considered is whether or not this project articulates a worldview as defined in 2L. I recommend giving each student an assessment form to fill out to hand to the person whose project is reviewed. This focuses the responses more.

Assessment: Ability to critique based on agreed upon standards

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: Students share their understanding of worldviews and see how worldviews can differ.

Activity: Students to present their projects. This is also a good opportunity for parents to join the celebration. Send out an invitation to parents to join and listen to the presentations. Have some food provided and enjoy what the kids have created. The projects should be displayed for a while and then placed in student portfolios.
A note about presentations – since this the first major project of the year, I often have the students present informally to each other. Allow them to set up their projects in a large space (a cafeteria, for instance) and then walk around and talk with each other. In that way, even the most reluctant does not have to present in fear to a group of 25 peers and parents.

Assessment: Degree to which student has internalized the concept of worldview and followed the rubric.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: