Grade 7 - Unit 3
Inclusion, Fairness, and Developmental Rights through the Eyes of Legendary Women
Equity v. Equality
When looking at the ideals of inclusion, fairness, and developmental rights it is important to understand the difference between Equity and Equality. Equity refers to fairness and equality in outcomes, not just in supports and opportunity. Equality, on the other hand, is the effect of treating each as without difference; each individual is considered without the counting of their measurable attributes; treated as the same of those with differing attributes. The image below does a good job of explaining this.
Understand the Project
This unit is all about the research process. Students will pick one of the women below and then create a research project analysing the extent in which a woman overcame obstacles to advance the ideals of inclusion, fairness, and developmental rights. The project will follow a modified structure of National History Day so students will be required to document their research in one of the five ways listed below. Click on the button to find out more about the different project categories.
|
You Will Pick One of the Women Below
Doing the Research
Now that you know who you will be creating your project on it's time to start the research process! It is important to follow the steps in order to ensure that you get the most out of this unit.
Step 1: Develop a Research Question
The first step in creating a successful research project is to figure out a question to be researched. Use the parameters of the project to determine what your research question (RQ) will be.
Step 2: Use Smart Research Strategies
Academic research can be time consuming. Because of this, it is important that you use your time wisely. One way to do this is through the use of smart search strategies. The videos below explain this in more detail. Next, you must critique every source you encounter. This is done by look at the source's origin, purpose, value, and limitation (OPVL). An example of this can be found HERE. Lastly, it is important to think about the historical significance of the sources you look at. This is also explained below.
|
|
|
Step 3: Create a Thesis Statement
Your project should do more than just tell a story. Every exhibit, performance, documentary, paper and website should make the argument that this woman has overcame obstacles to advance the ideals of inclusion, fairness, and developmental rights. To do this, you must develop your own argument of the historical impact of the person you are studying. The point you make is called a thesis statement. A thesis statement is not the same as a topic. Instead, it is an argument that you are making which explains why you believe this woman was legendary.
Step 4: Start with Secondary Sources
A secondary source is a source that was not created first-hand by someone who participated in the historical event. Secondary sources are usually created by historians and are based on their reading of primary sources. The purpose of a secondary source is to help build the story of your research from multiple perspectives and to give your research historical context. They are a great starting point in helping you see the big picture and fully understand what you are discussing. Understanding the context of your topic will help you make sense of the primary sources that you find. Lastly, secondary sources point you towards primary sources which can be useful in your research. Watch the video on the right to better understand what makes something a secondary source.
|
|
Step 5: Look at Primary Sources
|
A primary source is a piece of information about a historical event or period in which the creator of the source was an actual participant in or a contemporary of a historical moment. The purpose of primary sources is to capture the words, the thoughts and the intentions of the past. Primary sources help you to interpret what happened and why it happened. Examples of primary sources include documents, artifacts, historic sites, songs, or other written and tangible items created during the historical period you are studying. Watch the video on the left to better understand what makes something a primary source.
|
Step 6: Organise Your Information
Before creating your project, you should plan what it will look like. This can be done by using an outline, mind map, or PEEL. This will allow you to ensure that everything is covered in your project and that the order of information makes logical sense. An outline should be done after completing and evaluating all the evidence.
Step 7: Plan the Final Project
Now that you have connected your ideas it is time to plan for your specific style of project. How you do this depends upon the type of project you are doing. If you are making a documentary or performance, you should create a storyboard. Those who decided to do an exhibit or website should begin planning your layout using an action plan. If you are doing a paper, you need to refine your outline and make it more specific.
Step 8: Make Your Project
Here is where all your hard work comes to pay off! Look at your plans and follow them to create your final product. Remember to proofread before adding something to your project. All spelling and grammar should be correct. Additionally, everything you used to create the project must be cited in APA format. For more information on the mechanics of writings, and for writing tips, click HERE.