I recently completed the unit I recently posted about in my 9th-grade Geographic Cultural Studies course that covered the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment. Unfortunately, it did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. This post is reflective, but also has many of the resources I used in the unit linked again.

The unit’s driving question was a little too grandiose, and the answers students arrived at by the end of the unit did not make as strong a connection to the present-day as I had hoped. I was happy with the structure and flow of the supporting questions, but the constraints of time meant we were not able to go as deep as I had originally planned.

The unit covered four of the standards C3 standards from Dimension 2. These skills are listed below. The geography skills proved a bit of a challenge to assess as well and as often as the historical thinking skills.

• Geo.3 – Use geographic data to analyze variations in the spatial patterns of cultural and environmental characteristics at multiple scales.
• Geo.4 – Analyze relationships and interactions within and between human and physical systems to explain reciprocal influences that occur among them.
• His.1 – Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place as well as broader historical contexts.
• His.14 – Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past.

I interpreted the Geo.3 standard quite broadly, considering it is still early in the year. To engage students, I used various historical annotated maps to encourage critical thinking about physical geography, cultural characteristics, and spatial patterns. Both formative and summative data showed that most students demonstrated strong evidence of learning. However, success with the Geo.4 standard was more limited, as there was not enough time to fully emphasize the role of physical geography on historical events. Seamlessly integrating geography and history standards can be challenging. However, the historical maps are excellent. Check out the DK History of the World by Map; A few examples are below.

Overall, the students demonstrated the most proficiency with the historical thinking standards. To help them practice contextualizing both sources and topics, I used the NHD contextualization graphic organizer. The skill of causation was assessed through small-group and Harkness discussions. This unit marked the 9th graders’ introduction to the Harkness method. While it always requires some practice, I was incredibly pleased with how quickly many of them moved beyond simply citing content and began engaging in deeper analysis. If you are interested, here is the rubric I am using this year for 9th grade Harkness discussions. They receive a score at the end of the unit that is reflective of their engagement across all discussions. The intention is to reward growth over time and emphasize quality of discussion over the quantity of comments.

We used a substantial number of primary sources throughout the unit. While students may have grown a bit tired of reading and analyzing so many sources, I wanted to consistently model the practices and expectations of primary source analysis that they are also applying to their National History Day projects. It can be challenging, but my goal is to align our class activities with the skills they need for the various stages of their projects. Some of the text-based primary sources I used are linked below. I pulled many of them from Fordham Online Sourcebook among other places, creating most of the excerpts myself. The exception was the Reformation primary sources, which came from an AP European History released DBQ.

• Thomas Aquinas & Humanism Primary Sources
• Rousseau’s Social Contract Excerpt
• Wealth of Nations Excerpt
• Reformation Primary Sources

While the unit was broadly successful, it highlighted some potential pitfalls of using the C3 IDM structure. The inquiry needs clearly defined boundaries and should not attempt to cover more than students can reasonably manage. Effectively integrating the standards also requires creative assessment methods. The Harkness discussions proved effective in this regard, while traditional quizzes did not; they tended to lean too heavily towards assessing content knowledge and not skill or analysis. For my next unit I have planned a bit more balance.

At the end of the day, I like having some curricular freedom within the prioritized standards and content to make tweaks and try out new strategies. It’s based on anecdotal evidence, but I believe students appreciate and respond to teachers who take risks and show passion. The next unit is on China and the themes of isolation and modernization; I begin in a week after we spend some time making further progress on NHD projects.