Causes+of+WWI

Usha's comments in Blue.

Your name: Derek Chiu ID: 995355805

**Initial Reading and Assessment of Textbook Treatment of the Topic**
Name of Gr. 10 Textbook examined: //Canada: Face of a Nation// (Bolotta, Hawkes, Jarman, Keirstead, Watt)

Name of more "scholarly" source(s) examined: //Destinies (6th ed.) Canadian History Since Confederation//; (Francis, Jones, Smith)

__Your Initial Thoughts:__ Please provide a **brief** (5-10 sentences) initial assessment of the textbook's treatment of the subject. We have not developed any particular criteria by which to assess the textbook so this is really simply you initial reactions, feelings, questions about what you have read. Thanks!

Thoughts on //Canada: Face of a Nation// - This text does a pretty decent job on the causes that led to World War I and also how Canada became involved. It splits up the causes between long-term and short-term. Long-term being the Imperialistic nature of the Western world in the early 20th century along with the different alliances nation's were tied into. It also gives a brief introduction to each country involved at the start of the war and the competitive nature between the British and Germans. The short-term cause introduced in the book had to do with the assasination of Archduke Ferdinand and the authors explain the implications of this event and how it forced all involved countries into war with each other. In total, there are 6 pages written solely about the causes to World War I.

Thoughts on //Destinies// - This university-level text only includes a small paragraph detailing the causes of World War I, the most key factor being the murder of Archduke Ferdinand. There is also mentioned a reference regarding the intricate network of alliances between countries at the time. It concludes that Canada was involved in the war due to its ties with the British empire.

I will be looking into an additional scholarly source that I feel adequately addresses this topic in greater detail.

Thanks for your assessment, Derek. This is very interesting. Grade 10 teachers often spend a great deal of time on the causes of WWI and yet it appears very briefly in the university text you examined. I wonder why that is? It might be worthwhile to look at the curriculum documents to see whether the weight given to the topic in the text is warranted.

//﻿Type 3 Question//: Would World War I have started regardless of whether or not Archduke Ferdinand been assassinated? Nicely done, Derek. This fundamentally asks students to weigh short and long terms causes. I think what you identify as happening as "after the lesson" below is actually a great framing for the whole lesson.

//Critical Challenge//: Before the lesson, Imagine yourself the leader of a nation, a foreign power close in proximity is challenging your military strength. What might be your first response? And why?

After the lesson, Given the long-term and short-term causes of WWI, assess which of these factors played the most significant role in war being declared.

**Lesson Design - Initial Planning Stages**
//Identify Key Learning / "Big Idea" / Learning Target// Well framed key learning.
 * This lesson is designed to ensure students' understanding that very often, one event cannot be attributed to any singular cause. More specifically, that WWI occurred as a result of Euro-centric Imperialism, a web of intricate alliances made between nations, growing tensions between Germany and Great Britain, and ultimately the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.
 * This lesson is also designed so that students will be able to develop criteria as to what constitutes a "significant" event and to rank events from most relevant to least relevant.

//Frame Critical Challenge//
 * Given the long and short-term causes of World War I, determine the most significant factor that led to war being declared and justify your response. Good choice.
 * Challenge type: Critique the piece/Judge the Better or the Best

//How will this lesson help students build skills they will need for the summative assessment task for the unit?// Yes - and you might also explicitly mention how it will specifically help them with the newspaper spread that is their summative task.
 * This lesson will help students develop criteria in deciding what constitutes "significance" when dealing with multiple factors.
 * This lesson will also help students judge the significance of different factors and argue their position.

//What dimension of Historical Thinking will students actively engage in during this lesson?//
 * Cause and consequence

**Intellectual Tools**
//Background Knowledge (Specific expectations)//

Curriculum Expectations (Content)
 * Explain the causes of WWI and how Canada became involved
 * Assess the influence of Great Britain and Europe on Canada's participation in WWI

Methods of Historical Inquiry and Communication (Skills)
 * Formulate different types of questions (factual, causal, comparative, speculative) when researching historical topics
 * Gather information on Canadian history and current events from a variety of sources
 * Organize and record information gathered through research (timelines and maps)
 * Analyse information, employing concepts and theories appropriate to historical inquiry (cause and effect, short- and long-term consequences)
 * Draw conclusions and make reasoned generalizations or appropriate predictions on the basis of relevant and sufficient supporting evidence

//Criteria for Judgement// Well articulated criteria. You might find that 5 is a large number (the greater number of criteria, the more complex the task). You might be able to collapse some of these so that students can focus on fewer criteria. Your choice.
 * Criteria for what constitutes a "significant" event
 * A significant event, affects numerous parties
 * A significant event, has profound consequences
 * A significant event, has several precipitating consequences
 * A significant event, has outcomes that cannot be reversed
 * A significant event, is agreed upon by many others as significant

//Habit of Mind//
 * Students will develop their ability to **attend to details** (looking at cause and consequence for each specific event)

//Thinking Strategies//
 * Students will engage in a decision-making matrix such that by meeting the criteria for determining significance, will come up with one or two events that can then be considered the most significant

//Critical Thinking Vocabulary//
 * The word most crucial for students to understand in this lesson is, **evaluation**
 * By the end of this lesson, students will be able to evaluate what constitutes a significant event, and possibly continue on to develop a thesis for an essay they will have to complete by the end of the unit.