CROSSROADS

1. Curriculum should be written at an appropriate but challenging developmental level. The concepts and lessons are aimed at students in the late concrete operational or early formal operational stages. In addition, wherever possible lessons and activities were written to develop upper level thinking skills; for instance, students are called upon to analyze events, rank them in importance, and defend their decisions. Emphasis is also placed on taking advantage of middle level students' social and personal interests; for instance, several lessons focus on what life was like during a certain period of time or how historical events affected the individuals or the groups involved in them.

2. Curriculum should be appropriate for heterogeneously grouped classrooms. Most of the literature about middle level education suggests that students should be grouped heterogeneously in classrooms, and that within those classes students might be grouped and regrouped as is most appropriate for the lesson and student ability. The curriculum provides activities that students of various levels of ability and interest can find both challenging and rewarding. A variety of methodologies are suggested, and whole class, independent, and cooperative group instruction are all incorporated into the curriculum. While many of the activities culminate in some form of written work (essays, letters to the editor, journal entries), others include working on maps, drawing political cartoons, creating collages, and other methods of expressing understanding of key concepts.

3. Curriculum should provide students with opportunities to act as an historian. Throughout the curriculum hundreds of primary sources (such as constitutional documents, personal accounts of events, and even period advertisements) have been reproduced. Students can be engaged in the work of an historian; for instance, they can perceive past events as they were experienced at the time and appreciate the interplay of change and continuity. Teachers may have to help students decipher the more difficult passages, but it is important that every student participates in viewing the past through primary source materials.

4. Curriculum should integrate skills development with content. The curriculum emphasizes the skills of research and writing, and lessons requiring both are found in every unit. Students are called upon to gather information from many resources and write cogently about what they have learned. However, lessons are also included that require students to interpret political cartoons, give oral reports, and make use of several other skills typically taught to middle school students. Importantly, no skill is taught in a vacuum; the concept taught is matched as closely as possible to the skills used as a vehicle for teaching that concept.

5. Curriculum should provide opportunities for authentic assessment of instruction. In each unit at least one lesson culminates with an activity for which a grading rubric is provided, referred to in the curriculum as assessment criteria. Each of these is an integral part of the unit, so that the assessment is part of the learning process. While quizzes or tests could be added to this curriculum by an individual teacher, none are included in the curriculum.

6. Curriculum should be relevant, interesting, and engaging. A variety of activities and methodologies are included in every unit; every student should be able to find something he or she really enjoys. Many lessons ask students to play roles or assume a position to better understand the views of historical individuals or groups. Personalizing social history helps students feel more involved with history.

• The Content to be Covered in the unit is listed on the first page in statement form.

• A Teacher's Rationale describes the thrust of the unit from the teacher's point of view, and was written by the team of teachers who developed the unit. In addition, the project historian's chapter on the unit should be read prior to reviewing lessons and activities included in the unit.

• The Table of Contents lists the questions/problems in the unit. The department organized the lessons around questions/problems to underline the inquiry nature of the curriculum.

• Detailed Lessons and Activities suggested for the unit follow. Teachers may feel free to use their own professional judgment to modify these lessons; however, please note that often one lesson builds upon another, so that one should preview the entire unit before changing individual lessons.

• Materials for the student (and occasionally the teacher) are included as CROSSROADS Resources. These include primary and secondary source materials, maps, charts, and a variety of other handouts developed for the lesson.

• Included in each unit are one or more lessons that can be used as an authentic assessment. Each lesson is accompanied by assessment criteria for grading purposes. The majority of assessments require some form of student writing, but also included are assessments of oral reports, political cartoons, collages and other engaging activities.

Iroquois School	Van Antwerp School
Donna Cavallaro	Susan Burke
Donna Cavallaro	Patricia Hamilton
Holly DelAquilla	Dennis Frank
Henry Mueller (Department Coordinator)	Charline Hoffman
Karen Polsinelli	Raymond LeBel
Stephanie Schechter