Essential Question Planning Sheet

Start with the Essential Question:

EQ = Is fighting necessary? If so, when and how is it effective?

This is the overarching EQ we will all be working with for this unit.

The EQ is broad enough that

● students can refer back to as they go through life.
● is informed by many content areas (and thus, supported by many SOL content areas).
● students will have to grapple with as they grow and learn more.
● there often is not a single right answer.
● different perspectives are encouraged as a means for learning.
● may change a student’s own answer as they encounter new information and grow.

A good EQ develops enduring understandings because it affords ongoing reflection and assimilation of new
knowledge and perspectives from a variety of disciplines.

Content Area: History and Social Science

Grade Level: 4th Grade

SOL:

Virginia Studies
VS.7 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil
War by
a. explaining the major events and the difference between northern and southern states that divided
Virginians and led to secession, war, and the creation of West Virginia.

English Language Arts

Communication: Speaking, Listening, Media Literacy
4.3 The student will learn how media messages are constructed and for what purposes.
a. Differentiate between auditory, visual, and written media messages.
b. Identify the characteristics of various media messages.

Writing
4.9 The student will demonstrate comprehension of information resources to research a topic.
a. Construct questions about a topic.
 b. Collect information from multiple resources including online, print, and media.
c. Use technology as a tool to organize, evaluate, and communicate information.

Enduring Understandings:
What are the big take-away themes students will learn as a result of this unit? These elements are the same
across ALL groups, no matter which line of inquiry they select.

These are the WHOLE GROUP type conversations. You will think about these ideas as the types of things the
teacher talks through in the whole group. Students may work on different inquiry lines related to your EQ
individually or in small groups, but each group should be able to speak to these larger themes when the
groups come back together, supporting their responses with evidence from their line of inquiry.

List here your Enduring Understandings for the SOL you selected.

● What might cause two individuals to disagree? What about an entire state or country?
○ People place value in different tangible and intangible things.
■ A person’s experiences determine their value or beliefs in something.
■
○ A need for being correct can cause a person to misunderstand another person’s opinion.
■ What does it take to be open-minded to someone else’s beliefs or values?
■ What might be a barrier preventing a person from understanding another person’s
values?
○ The desire to have what others have (power, material items, etc.)
■ Conversely, the desire to protect what is yours from falling into the hands of someone
else.
● Are there any benefits to fighting? Are there any downsides to fighting?
○ Growth in unity between two people or a country.
○ Growth of a person’s knowledge pertaining to a specific topic.
○ May result in great personal consequences/loss (friendship/community, possessions,
rights/freedoms, life, etc.).
○ May result in making positive improvements for a large group of people.
● What are ways people can manage conflict between one another?
○ The parties involved collaborate and come to a compromise.
○ Someone is willing to accommodate the other person’s needs without competition.
○ Violence or aggressive behavior.
○ Refer to an unbiased perspective from an outside party.
● How do you know if something is worth fighting for?
○ If our reputation, values, or traditions are challenged.
○ If we have lost something/someone that we desperately need back.
○ If we or our loved ones are threatened or in trouble.
■ What is considered a serious enough threat?
Outcome Measures:
How will you know that students have achieved the learning objective?
● The student will identify four events that led to creation of West Virginia and the secession of Virginia
from the Union.

Write what you want the student to KNOW as a result of the learning. Tie this directly to the learning obj in the
SOL.
● The importance and aftermath of the rebellion led by Nat Turner.
● The role of John Brown as an abolitionist before the start of the Civil War.
● Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and her role in the abolitionist movement.
● Abraham Lincoln’s stance on slavery and how that led to secession and the start of the war.
● The reasons that led to division within Virginia, ultimately creating West Virginia.

End of Unit Summative Assessment:

What is the end of unit evaluation?

The student may choose from one of the following project options or propose an idea of their own to the
teacher:
● Wax Museum Biography report with visual aid (poster, brochure, PowerPoint, etc.)
● 3D Diorama presentation with a written report
● Media presentation (documentary, skit, news report, etc.)

Learning that must be demonstrated by student:

● Choose one historical figure
○ Three or more facts about their personal life.
○ A description of their role in the start of the Civil War.
○ A brief paragraph about the student’s viewpoint on the lasting impacts that person may have
made.
○ A brief paragraph about the student’s viewpoint on the choices the historical figure made
(justified or unjustified).
○ A brief paragraph of how the historical figure’s actions may have led to conflict in Virginia and
the division of the state.

● Presentation:
○ An accurate portrayal of the historical figure.
○ Details presented were relevant to the time period and on topic.
○ Creative and thoughtful visual aid.

● Peer Presentation Observation

○ View two other historical figure presentations and write a brief summary of what you learned.
Range of Classroom Reading Abilities:
Resources:
Types of print sources:
● traditional print
● non-traditional print
● “consider the source” (original
sources, varied perspectives,
news, personal testimony, etc.)
● digital media
● infographics
● pictures, videos, etc.
● Interview relevant persons
● artifacts
Whole Group Unit Talking Points
throughout the Unit
(could be used to form anchor charts for
classroom viewing; graphic organizers
that connect across inquiry lines, etc.)
Small Group Unit Talking Points
throughout the Unit
(these types of daily questions can act as
exit tickets, google doc collaborations,
etc.)
● Civil War on This Day Twitter post
● Articles and videos about the Civil War
● Articles and videos about the abolitionist
movement
● Virtual tours of the historical landmarks
● Maps of Virginia before and after the division
● Websites for VR experiences
● Civil War reenactments
● Dknews
● Digital versions of artifact newspapers
● Documentaries
● What big questions can we discuss as a group, using
what we’ve each learned on different topics in our
own inquiry lines of research?
● What information and varying perspectives can the
whole group benefit from hearing?
● How do these little questions tie the group back to the
overarching EQ?
o Was fighting the Civil War inevitable?
o What impact did the Civil War have in our
country? In Virginia? Do we still see these
effects?
o How much impact can one person really have
on the course of history?
o When does one person’s fight become
everyone’s fight?
o Is it right or justified to stay neutral in situations
like this? Should a person have to choose
slides in a scenario so serious/important?
● Nat Turner
○ Was the Nat Turner Rebellion effective?
What effects of it do we still see today?
○ Why are Nat Turner’s actions viewed as
controversial?
○ How could slaves legally fight against their
enslavement?
● John Brown
○ What do you think could have happened if
he succeeded and was not arrested?
○ Do you think his plan and subsequent
hanging sparked something in others to
 fight? How so (wouldn’t they have been
discouraged by that?)
○ Why would a white man from the south
choose to stand up to slavery?
○ How did John Brown’s actions impact the
split of eastern and western counties in
Virginia?
● Harriet Tubman
○ Would you have done what she did, or
chosen to stay in safety up North?
○ Do you think she knew she would be
famous one day?
○ Imagine she chose a route more like what
Nat Turner did. Would she have made as
much of an impact? Why or why not?
○ How did Harriet Tubman’s impact the split
of eastern and western counties in Virginia?
● Abraham Lincoln
○ Do you really think he wanted to end
slavery, or was he pressured by people in
the north to just promise it so he would be
elected?
○ How did his form of “fighting” help or harm
the country during that time?
○ Thinking about his later death, and the
reason for it, do you think his form of
fighting was still worth it?
○ Do you think if he knew that would happen
to him, that he would still do it all again or
stay out of it?
○ How did Abraham Lincoln’s actions impact
the split of eastern and western counties in
Virginia?