Holocaust I-Search

Summary

Students will create questions about the Holocaust, develop a focus question, research a topic, and write a paper on the Holocaust. Students will use technologies such as blogging, visual mapping, Pioneer library, and a Customized Google Search during the research process.

Materials

1) Blog posts--create blog through Edublogs

2) Holocaust Delicious Stack

3) Visual map created by Inspiration software

4) Conduct research using Pioneer Library

5) Conduct research using the Internet, including Wikipedia, in a Customized Google Search

6) Extract information using 2-column notes

Student Prior Knowledge

This lesson assumes that students know little about the Holocaust, but that they have had experience in their 7th grade classes with the research process.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Theme and Overarching Concepts--Man's Inhumanity to Man

• Examples from the Holocaust-Concentration camps, Ghettos, Medical experimentation

• What motivates it?

• What can we learn from it--Importance of individual rights, Importance of compassion of individuals

1. Students will blog their research process.

2. Students will participate in immersion activities.

3. Students will create a variety of research questions, and then narrow their choices to one focus question

4. Students will create a variety of additional questions about the focus question

5. Students will research a variety of sources to answer their research questions

6. Students will create a visual map of their project

7. Students will create 2-column notes for electronic resources 8. Students will outline their project.

9. Students will write their papers.

10. Students will create a bibliography for their project.

11. Students will peer review each other's projects.

Instructional Procedures

1. Phase 1--Immersion Activities--(read, watch, ask, and do):

• View I-movie of photos from the Holocaust (created by another teacher in my school) and complete a K-W-L sheet after viewing

• Ask the "5 Why" questions to investigate underlying reasons for behavior and attitudes

• Write a reflective essay on making difficult moral choices

• Participate in a book share where students look at 8-10 informational books briefly during a 35-minute time period

• View video interviews of Holocaust survivors

• Create a "Wonder Wall" of student questions

• Create a blog to record your progress

2. Phase 2--Developing a Search Plan

Mini-lessons to help students search (as needed):

• Using World Book and SIRS Discoverer

• Using Webpath Express (part of library online catalog)

• Using print resources

• Using Google searches including a Google Custom Search

• Using Wikipedia responsibly

• Conducting an Interview

• Using pictures, podcasts and videos

• Creating a survey with Google Docs

• Citing your source

I have created a Holocaust Pathfinder showing all the resources.

Minimum Search Criteria:

• 1 print resource

• 1 encyclopedia source

• 3 Internet sources

• 1 source from Wikipedia references, footnotes, or external links

• 1 interview or video resource

• 3 photographs, graphs or charts

Phase 3--Making Meaning

Mini-lessons to help students make meaning (as needed):

• Avoiding Plagiarism

• Distinguishing fact from opinion

• Distinguishing relevant information from "interesting" information

• Answering why and how questions--why these questions will end up being the most important!

• Creating a visual map of your concepts on Inspiration

• Keeping track of your sources through 2-column notes

Phase 4--Present your research

Mini-lessons for presentation:

• Writing an outline--answer questions about your i-search focus question, have topic sentences and supporting details in each paragraph, format the outline correctly

• Synthesizing--use information from sources as evidence to support your own ideas, use paraphrasing, summarizing and direct quotes correctly to avoid plagiarism

• Revising your paper through edits--self-edit (look at the rubric and self-edit based on rubric), peer review, parent review

• Conducting a peer review

• Writing a reflection

Assessment Plan

Ongoing assessments to evaluate progress:

1) List of 5 topics you are interested in (1st blog post)[Phase 1]

2) 2 questions you have about each topic, then pick focus topic--most interesting topic (2nd blog post) [Phase 1]

3) 10 questions about focus topic (3rd blog post) [Phase 2]

4) Visual map [Phase 3]

5) Outline (4th blog post) [Phase 3]

6) Citing sources graphic organizer [Phase 3]

7) Final reflection (5th blog post) [Phase 4]

Culminating Assessments

1) Final product [Phase 4]

2) Peer review [Phase 4]