Carrye+DeCrane

Content-Area Unit Plan Overview: MILITARY DRAFT PBL
**Course:** American History

**Grade:** 9-10

**Overview:** In this lesson, students will gather knowledge, develop a position statement, and debate the necessity of reinstating the military draft in the United States.


 * Standard: ** Ohio Social Studies Citizenship, Rights and Responsibilities for grades 9-12 Students use knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in community life and the American democratic system.

 Technology opperations and concepts
**Lesson:** 1. Students will use internet resources and a digital timeline template to research and record the history of the military draft.

2. In pairs, students will list the advantages and disadvantages of the draft.

3. Through whole-class discussion, students will use their list to create a concept definition map that centers on the question “should the US reinstitute the military draft?”

4. Students will view video clips and listen to audio files of several politicians sharing their views about the draft and how it might be modified to better meet the needs of our nation.

5. Students will be instructed on the rules of formal debate.

6. Students will be divided into six groups, each group will be randomly given one of the following arguments, and prepare a statement to support that position. 7. Students groups will debate their issue in front of the class audience. Relevance: ** For students who are approaching their eighteenth birthday, specifically the young men required to register for the draft, this lesson resonates with personal meaning. A s old conflicts continue in the Middle East and new ones erupt in Israel and Korea, is it our responsibility as citizens to examine America’s military preparedness. Technology: ** Students will use internet resources for research, two digital graphic organizers, view video, hear audio, and use word processing software to prepare for their participation in their culminating debate activity.
 * 1) Women should also have to register for the draft on their eighteenth birthday.
 * 2) (Only men should have to register for the draft.)
 * 3) The draft should be re-instituted.
 * 4) (The draft should not be re-instituted.)
 * 5) Registration should be discontinued and the draft should be abolished.
 * 6) (Registration should continue and the draft continue to be an option.)
 * Diversity:** Student groups can be assigned according to ability. Students with advanced abilities might choose their own argument instead of having one assigned to the group at random. The debate format might be modified for students with special needs or be substituted with an alternate form of assessment.
 * Assessment:** Performance-based assessment based on the culminating debate activity.

Carrye, What a great lesson! I really like how you divided up the groups. I think this will be a great way to get the kids thinking about the patriotic dedication of past soldiers - those who did not necessarily want to join the armed forces, but did so out of honor and respect. I really like the idea of using a timeline to build background information. I am wondering if you could find local citizens who were drafted during the Vietnam War. This would provide students with a great primary source of information. Perhaps they would have there Notice of Draft they could share. I find that it is always good to bring in guest speakers. Thanks for sharing. Lori Yes, having a speaker (or two) would really give the issue some authenticity! Great idea. Thanks! ~Carrye

MILITARY DRAFT ONLINE COLLABORATION LESSON
**Course:** American History

**Grade:** 9-10

**Overview:** In this lesson, students will use Skype to interview a member of the armed forces currently serving the United States.


 * Standard: ** Ohio Social Studies Citizenship, Rights and Responsibilities for grades 9-12 Students use knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in community life and the American democratic system.

**ISTE NETS-S:** Communication and collaboration among the classroom Digital citizenship Technology operations and concepts **Lesson:**

//Prior to class:// Arrange for Skype connection using internet provider, install software, create account and test that it is working properly. Schedule a meeting time with a member of the armed forces, preferably on active duty abroad. I have family members who are willing to participate from Afghanistan.

1. Bell work: After learning about the potential benefits and drawbacks of re-instituting the military draft in the previous day's lesson, students will respond to a writing prompt with a digital journal entry imagining how a current serviceman or woman might feel about it.

2. Review the content standard with students. Discuss "civic ideal" and list some rights and responsibilities of citizenship using the classroom projection system to record the class brainstorming. 3. Instead of inviting a speaker into the classroom, students will be introduced to a serving member of the armed forces on location via Skype.

4. After our guest has had an opportunity to speak, open the discussion up to students to respond and ask questions, particularly their opinion regarding selective service, registration requirement for young men, and is the draft something necessary given the situation we face as a nation today.

5. At the conclusion of the interview, students will react to the encounter in their digital journals by responding to a prompt asking how the interview may have changed their own personal position on the draft.

6. Students will be asked at the close of the lesson to spend a few moments before our next meeting to consider how the content standard will be incorporated into their roles as adult members of the community and country.

Technology: ** Classroom projection system will provide students with visual reference during class discussion. Students will use an internet connection and Skype software. Students will use word-processing software and the school network storage space to record their digital journal entries.
 * Relevance: ** For many students, the draft is merely an academic discussion or one best left to politicians. Making eye-contact with someone actually in harm's way brings a new authenticity to the discussion that was not part of the debate during the previous day's lesson.
 * Diversity:** For students of mixed abilities, a group session with the speaker on Skype will allow everyone to participate. The session will be moderated to encourage everyone to speak and share as time permits.
 * Assessment:** Journal entries will be considered as formative assessment to reveal how the students have connected with the content and developed a personal position. Participation in the Skype interview is also a formative assessment where students can apply what they have learned and how military service may or may not be a civic ideal.

COMMUNITY SERVICE DIGITAL STORYTELLING LESSON
**Course:** American History

**Grade:** 9-10

**Overview:** We have focused on the service of men and women in our armed forces to our country and to protect the liberty of others. In this culminating lesson, student partners will create short individual films illustrating how they imagine themselves living up to their responsibilities of citizenship by participating in their community as an adult. This lesson will take 2-3 class periods for students to create and share their 1-3 minute movies.


 * Standard: ** Ohio Social Studies Citizenship, Rights and Responsibilities for grades 9-12 Students use knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in community life and the American democratic system.

**ISTE NETS-S:** Communication and collaboration among the classroom Creativity and innovation Research and information fluency Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making Digital citizenship Technology operations and concepts **Lesson:**

//Prior to class:// Students will have been asked at the close of yesterday's lesson to consider how the content standard will be incorporated into their roles as adult members of the community and country.

1. Bell work: After choosing a partner, students will have a few minutes to brainstorm a list of goals for themselves as adults to serve their community or nation.

2. Remind students that we reviewed the content standard with yesterday. Emphasize "civic ideal," "rights and responsibilities of citizenship," and what it means to participate in community life. 3. Distribute and review the instructions and assessment rubric for the digital storytelling activity.

4. Dismiss student pairs to begin their pre-writing activities: brainstorming, collecting images, researching, and outlining.

5. Instructor will briefly meet with each student pair, ensure that they have a goal selected and pre-writing activities complete before giving them permission to begin drafting a script and creating a storyboard.

6. Using iMovie, the students will assemble their images, dialogue and/or narration, and music.

7. Instructor will preview each pair's initial product and suggest revisions.

8. After editing, final product will be published to the class blog. From here, all the movies will be shared with the class.

** Technology: ** Classroom projection system will provide students with visual reference during class discussion. Students will use an internet connection for their research, word-processing software to write their script and prepare a storyboard, and iMovie software to create their final product. Students will publish their final product to the class blog via an internet or intranet connection. Students will share their products with the class using the classroom projection system.
 * Relevance: ** Public service is an aspect of citizenship that may not be seen as a responsibility. It may not mean risking your life in the battlefield, but as the military draft illustrates in a most extreme way, public service can be legislated as an obligation of citizens. If we accept this responsibility freely, then we may retain the freedom of serving as we choose.
 * Diversity:** Students pairs may be assigned so students of mixed abilities can assist each other with this digital storytelling activity. A pre-determined list of possible service goals can be distributed for student pairs to choose from for the assignment. Students may elect to use a tool other than iMovie to present their digital story as long as they meet the requirements of the lesson.
 * Assessment:** Formative assessment will occur twice during this activity: once as the student pairs complete their pre-writing steps and again after students a rough product to review for editing. Final products, including hard copies of the script and storyboard as well as the published film, will be evaluated using a rubric.