Integrated Unit: Your Two-Week Plan Book

This unit is envisioned as larger than 2 weeks. For this project I am including only two weeks, but I
imagine this unit extending from late October until early December, culminating with an end of Semester
Exposition hosted by the students. This first, two week section will focus on the Chicago Worlds Fair of
1893. This will serve as a historical basis for the later parts of the unit. I imagine the whole thing having a
past-present-future progression. I want students to learn about the overall event, what it was, the period of
history it was situated in, and the people that were there. As students learn this history, I want to explore
the cultural, racial, and gender issues of the fair which even at the time were contentious and are seen as
more clearly problematic now. I would like students to connect the past to now, both culturally/socially as
well as economically as we think about the products and innovations of the fair which impact us today.
Finally, I want the students to think about the future, using what they now know about the past and the
present, and create a new fair of their own which showcases their understanding of the past, the
connection to the present, and their vision and dreams for the future. I actually like that this preliminary
plan is only the 2 weeks focused on history because I would love for this to be a student driven unit, and to
turn a lot of the direction the unit takes over to the students, once they have a grounding in the context of
the Fairs history.

One reason this unit begins in late October is so that we, as a class, have had time to discuss Columbus
Day and the history of Columbus. I want students to have a foundation of that information before we begin
discussing the World Columbian Exposition

Briefly describe the activities that are taking place each day (morning and afternoon). You will want to
provide the learning objective for each activity and, if applicable, the topic question that is used to
hook students into the lesson of the day. (This should ultimately connect to the essential questions for the
unit!)

Week 1
Unit Launch:

Learning Objective:
Students will be
Chicago Worlds
able to take
Fair 1893. Can you
information
imagine it?
collected in the
previous days
Learning Objective: research block and
Students will be
assemble a short
able to identify the presentation using
place, date, and
technology to share
approximate scale
what they learned
of the Chicago
about the
Worlds Fair of 1893 structures of the
as well as some of
fair with the class.

Who attended the

fair?

Biography Project
assignments.

Learning Objective:
After this activity
students will be
familiar with the
names of some
famous figures
from history who
attended the fair.

Learning about
people at the fair.

Activity:
Present a list of

Learning Objective:
Students will be
able to explore
informational texts
and resources
about a specific
person and locate
information about

Biography Project
Assessment and
Conferences
What is
performative
Assessment? How
can you incorporate
primary sources
into your research?
Learning Objective:
Students will be
able to assemble

the major
technological
innovations and
cultural exhibits
which were part of
the fair.
Activity:
Brainstorm:
What do you think
of if I say we are
going to the fair?
What does it look
like? What kinds of
things are there?
How long does it
last? When does it
happen?
Introduce the topic
of the Unit by
presenting multiple
stations with
resources students
can explore (videos
on iPad, picture
books, non-fiction
books, sound
recordings).

Activity:
Presentation work
time.
Students will use a
variety of
technology devices
including iPads,
digital cameras,
and netbooks to
create short
presentations to
share with the class
the information
theyve collected
about the Fair.

names of famous
figures from history
who attended the
fair. Provide a
range of books
about these people
and give a series of
short book talks
about some of the
books. Place the
books around the
room and give
students time to
explore the books.
At the end of
activity, students
should submit a
numbered list of
historical figures
they would like to
research further in
preparation for
biography
presentations to
the class.

that persons
specific connection
to the fair.
Activity:
Students will be
assigned a specific
person based on
the previous days
book talks. Books
presented vary
widely in reading
level, but each has
rich information
about people who
attended the fair.
Two or three
students may be
assigned to one
person to study.
Students should
look for information
about that person.
Why they are
notable or
famous. Did they
attend the Fair as a
contributor,
spectator, or both?
Where there any

information from
biographies,
informational texts,
and primary
sources in order to
create a
performative
assessment to
share what theyve
learned with the
rest of the class.
Activity:
Describe
requirements for
performative
assessment
students will use to
demonstrate what
theyve learned and
share it with the
class. Teacher will
hold conferences
with each group of
students studying a
particular person to
help them
find/interpret
primary sources

Students will be
given 3 15 minute
rotations at the
information centers
and then whole
class we will create
a chart telling us
what we know and
what we want to
know about the
worlds fair.

Architecture of the
Fair
What did the
Chicago Worlds
Fair look like?

issues with that

persons
attendance at the
fair? Were they
welcome? Was
there something
special or important
about that persons
attendance?

and brainstorm
ideas for their
assessment.

Biography project
Worktime

Biography project
Conferences and
work time, contd

Presentations

Math and Fair Facts

How is this fair

different than we
imagined a fair
when we were

How can we
understand the size Students are to
of the Great
work independently
buildings of the
examining provided

**Performative
Assessment
Students will work
with a partner or in
small groups to
share what theyve
learned about the
person theyve
studied.
Presentations
should include
social
conflicts/issues
surrounding the
person and how
that person was
viewed at the time
vs now, when
relevant.

See above.

brainstorming?
Objective:
Exploring a variety
of teacher provided
resources, students
will be able to work
in small groups to
locate information
about the types of
structures and the
general layout of
the Fair, and collect
this information so
that they can share
it with their
classmates.

Learning Objective:
Students will be
able to share a
short presentation
with the class using
digital technology
and (optionally)
other media to
share with their
peers what they
learned about the
buildings and scale
of the fair.
Activity:

Activity:
We often think of
fairs as places
with tents and
carnival rides. The
Chicago Worlds
Fair was something
very different. In
teams of 3, explore
given resources
showing pictures,
maps, and videos

Group
presentations.
**Assessment #1
Students will work
in groups to give
digital
presentations which
include information
about the location,
size, and
technological

Worlds Fair
through Area, scale
drawing, and scale
modeling?
Activity:
Using the facts
about the
dimensions of the
Great Buildings
found on p. 44 of
The Worlds
Columbian
Exposition by
Bolotin and Laing
work with students
to find the areas of
all of the great
buildings. Translate
the dimensions into
scale drawings on
graph paper and
with legos or other
available materials.
If possible, include
the dimensions of
the school building
and typical house
in the

resources, making
notes. For the final
10 minutes of
worktime students
assigned to the
same person
should meet to
compare notes and
brainstorm
important
questions about
their person and
information theyve
found.
People to be
studied:
Thomas
Edison
Nikola Tesla
George Ferris
Scott Joplin
Frederick
Douglass
Harry Houdini
John Philip
Sousa
Ida B. Wells
(organized

of the fair. Prepare

a short
presentation for
tomorrows class to
help us understand
what the fair
looked like and to
understand its size.
How were science,
industry, and world
cultures part of the
fair?

innovations present
at the fair.
Presentations may
include names of
important historical
figures which
attended the fair,
scientific and
cultural exhibits at
the fair, and issues
surrounding the fair.
** Assessment #2
Quick Write - After
the presentations,
list 3 things you
learned about the
size, buildings, and
form of the Chicago
Worlds Fair, and
the exibits at the
fair that were
different than what
you initially
imagined a fair
would be like.
Indicate where in
the research or
presentations this
information came

neighborhood for
comparison.
Students should
think about
choosing a
reasonable scale to
represent the
buildings with
given materials.
Help students
compare the size of
these buildings
with structures
they are familiar
with.

boycott.
Explore why.
Meet with
students
exploring this
topic and
discuss
sources)
Susan B.
Anthony
Hellen Keller

from. Include at
least one scientific
and one
social/cultural/social
studies thing you
learned.

Week 2
Cultural
Appropriation:
The good and the
bad, the problems
of talking about
other cultures and
putting them on
display.
Learning Objective:
Students will be
able to consider

Science - The Ferris

Wheel: symbol of
the Chicago Worlds
Fair
Learning Objective:
students will be
able to develop a
plan to build a
model Ferris wheel
which is free
standing and can be
turned (by hand)
around an axis for a

Science The
Ferris Wheel
Learning
Objective Students will be
able to use their
plans to build
their proposed
Ferris wheel
design, making
notes of things
which did not
work as planned

Continue
Electricity inquiry
activities.
Learning Objective
Students will be
able to build and
sketch a basic
circuit which will
light a simple bulb
with a battery.
Introduce a simple

Biography project
presentations

multiple
perspectives on
cultural
appropriation as
part of learning
about other
cultures. Students
will participate in a
debate about the
issue and complete
a persuasive quick
write taking a
position on the
issue and
supporting their
thinking with 3
pieces of evidence
or arguments
related to what
theyve learned.
Watch this video:
https://www.youtub
e.com/watch?
v=dXmsRfDTjyA
Read articles:
http://www.naweekly.com/feature

budget of less than

$10 per group.

and what
modifications
needed to me
made.

circuit building
simulator on
ipads/chromebooks
Activity: Students
as well as stations
will work in groups
with additional
of between 2 and 4
Activity:
electrical
people. After a mini Students will work components. Allow
lesson about the
in their teams to
students to
Ferris Wheel at the
build their Ferris
explore.
Chicago Worlds
wheels. Students
Fair, students will
should keep notes Students should
work on an
in their science
explore if it is
engineering design
journals of
possible to light
project to plan and
changes they
more than one bulb
sketch a design for
made to their
with a single
a model Ferris
design based on
battery? Does the
wheel using
things they
light get dimmer if
materials which cost learned while
more than one bulb
less than $10 for
constructing their is lit at the same
the entire design.
wheels.
time? What if they
Students will be
use multiple
given a selection of ** assessment
batteries?
possible materials
Science journals
and their prices
will be reviewed
Come together as a
which they may
to see if students class to discuss
want to incorporate accurately
findings at the end
in their designs.
developed a plan of the class.
and then
Materials can
recorded
include:
modifications to

d/stave-churchmay-move-yetagain/
http://www.wkow.co
m/story/29168790/2
015/05/27/norwegia
n-city-councilapproves-project-toship-historic-littlenorway-buildingoverseas
http://www.chicagot
ribune.com/news/ctlittle-norway-bluemounds-met20150919story.html
Host a class debate
about artifacts such
as the Stave Church
from Norway. Divide
students to debate
whether or not
artifacts such as
this are valuable
parts of displays at
events like the

Tooth picks
Popsicle sticks
Marshmallows
Drinking
straws
Elmers glue
Scotch tape
Freezer tape
Duct tape
Dry
fettuccini/spa
ghetti
Playdough/clay
Modelling
foam

the plan required

in order to
complete
construction.

Worlds Fair or if
they promote
stereotypes? Where
do artifacts like this
belong long term.
Should the church
go back to Norway
or should it stay in
the United States as
part of a museum?
**Assessment
Quick Write What
do you think? Be
persuasive. Support
your position with at
least three reasons.

Music at the Fair

Biography project
work time
Continue student
conferences and
helping students

Learning objective
Students will learn
more about the
time period of the
fair by listening to

Science War of
Currents:
Electricity 101.
Learning
objectiveStudents will be
able to, through

Biography project
work time

Biography Project
Presentations
(wrap up) and
Grand
Conversation
What have we
learned about the

use primary sources

including
documents, photos,
and sound
recordings.

music from the time

period and
responding to the
music through quick
writes or sketching.

the process of
experimentation,
light a bulb using
two wires and a
battery.

Activity:

Activity:
Inquiry. Give
students wires,
batteries, and
bulbs, and ask
them to find a
way to light the
bulb using those
materials.
Students should
keep notes on
what they try,
what works, and
what doesnt. As
a class, make a
chart looking for
patterns to find
the rules about
what works to
make a battery
light a bulb.

Fair though the

people who were
there (or were
excluded)? What
surprised you?
Think back to our
first conversations
about a fair. How
does the Worlds
Fair in Chicago in
1893 seem
different to you
now? Is it an
important event in
history? Can you
make connections
between the Fair
and the things we
learned a few
weeks ago about
Christopher
Columbus? In what
ways do the
scientific
innovations from
the fair impact us
today?

Mini lesson about

electricity,

**Assessment #3
Participation in

Play selections of
music popular at
the time of the Fair.
Include, at least, a
piece by John Philip
Sousa and another
by Scott Joplin.
Students should
respond to the
music through
visual art or writing.
Invite students to
share their
responses with the
class.

include
information about
its connection to
the fair. More will
be shared in the
Tesla and Edison
presentations.

grand
conversation.
Every student
should contribute
to the
conversation.
Informal
assessment
gauging what
students have
learned, what they
are thinking about,
and their level of
engagement with
the unit.