End of Year Research Project: Modern World History Contemporary Issues

This Mini Unit on Modern Issues in World History allows students to learn a few interesting issues about 4 regions of the world: Latin America, the Middle East, Asia & Africa. The first part (2-4 days) will guide students through the digital notebook to expose them to interesting information and current issues in the regions. This will help them choose ONE country to research. Detailed, step-by-step research guides are included to guide students through the process -- & are no-prep for teachers (though fully editable). The project will finish with a Showcase Day in which students will learn from their classmates' projects.

This mini unit should take approximately 2 weeks. (2 - 4 days for the intro notebook & 3 - 5 days to complete the project + one day for the showcase)

This Mini Unit...

• is fully editable
• requires no textbook
• is ready to assign on Google Classroom: No prep needed & ideal for online or in-class use

OVERVIEW: Giving students a choice to explore something they are interested in and can connect to is a GREAT way to end your year. Students will have to use their higher-level thinking skills to make connections between the past and present… and make predictions about the future. This is no easy, task, so take advantage of all the project planning tools & research guides included in this resource.

I suggest you introduce the project before you start the digital notebook. This way students can be thinking about what region or country they may want to learn more about while you do the digital notebook.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

1. DIGITAL NOTEBOOK: OVERVIEW OF WORLD ISSUES - this introductory assignment will give students some inspiration and a better foundation for their research. It is suggested that you work through the material with them (slide-by-slide as a class) to build their understanding. It can be assigned as individual work, but it definitely is more effective done collaboratively.

SUGGESTIONS:

You should try to cover 1 - 2 regions per day depending on your class length & students. Build in time for discussion after each slide. Use the teacher PPT to guide your students through the material

The slides can be printed to make the assignment handwritten (2 pages per sheet) PDF saved in this format is in the folder. However, the digital notebook format is suggested as the slides are ink-heavy & the maps will not copy well. 

2. TEACHER PPT - Use the Teacher PPT to guide students through the Digital Notebook. You can insert slides from the Key if you would like to go over the answers in class. The videos are embedded in the PPT. You should test them with your school’s firewalls before assigning.

3. KEY - includes suggested answers to the questions. For an assignment like this, I usually just check for completion as students are really just gathering info and reflecting. Since I go over most answers in class to check their understanding, I don’t always assign a grade to it beyond credit for completion. 

4. THE PROJECT! - Now for the main event! The students will work their way through the research and planning sheet. The will get to CHOOSE how the present their research: PPT, poster, documentary, etc.

I suggest the following pacing:

• 1 DAY - Steps 1 & 2: General Instructions (plus rubric breakdown), Country Profile & Current Events. 
• 1 DAY - Step 3: Historical Context
• 1 DAY - Predictions & Project Planning
• 1 - 2 DAYS: creating the final Project

• OPTIONAL: “SHOWCASE DAY” - presentation or gallery display day. It is nice to let students share their work. You can do this in a small group or display the projects and have students walk around and take a look. If you decide to showcase the projects, you can use the NOTE SHEET in the folder to have students take notes on their classmates’ projects. 

Check out my other World History Activities & Units! I am developing more World History & AP Euro Curriculum, so make sure to follow my store to get notifications when new resources are available.

Please let me know if you have questions. You can email me at yeoldeushistoryshoppe@gmail.com and I am happy to help.

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