Secondary Curriculum 2B

Unit of work

Teaching Area: Modern History

By Michael Carmona

Student Number: 15090573

 UNIT OUTLINE
Subject: Modern History Course: Year 11 (Stage 6) Number of Weeks 4 weeks
(3-4 hours per week/total
14hrs)
Unit title: Understanding the Afghan-Soviet war

Key Concepts/ Big Ideas The importance of this learning

Key concepts that students should be able to Students will learn about the ways in which history can be represented and commemorated.
understand at the end of this unit of work are;
- the public nature of history and the uses of Students will learn how to critique these representations and learn how to validate the
history meanings created or desired by these representations.
- how history is represented through ONE of
the following: memorials, museums, the Students will become critical citizens, who can analyse and criticize any historical
media, film, documentaries and online representations justly, allowing them to become informed citizens.
- the need for critical analysis of
representations of the past and historical
methods that can be used for this purpose
- the various ways the past is
commemorated, including the role of key
influences, eg nationalism and nation-
building
Unit context within Scope and Sequence/Purpose Syllabus Outcomes
- This unit of work will be the introductory MH11-3 – analyses the role of historical features, individuals, groups and ideas in shaping the
unit for this course. past
- It should be designed in such a way as to MH11-6 – analyses and interprets different types of sources for evidence to support an historical
ignite interest from the students and be account or argument
engaging. MH11-7 – discusses and evaluates differing interpretations and representations of the past
- This unit should help students to see history MH11-9 – communicates historical understanding, using historical knowledge, concepts and
as a “living” thing, which needs to be valued terms, in appropriate and well-structured forms
and understood.
- Used as “scaffolding” for Year 12 ‘Peace and
Conflict’ unit The Cold War 1945 – 1991
 Literacy Focus Numeracy Focus ICT Focus Differentiation
-Written exercises will be N/A -Students will use -Use the multiple formative assessments to gain an
assessed not only as computers to research understanding of student’s strengths and abilities to better
demonstration of different types of shape classroom learning instructions
knowledge and information
understanding, but clarity in -Tailored learning instructions to cater for students of
the communication of their different abilities (Additional tasks for capable students,
ideas and opinions. who need to be engaged by the teacher to want to take on
additional tasks & additional support programmes for
-Discussions based on students who might require it)
classroom readings/case
studies will allow students
to show their ability to
understand a variety of
texts, and their ability to
their understanding in a
variety of ways.

General capabilities

Critical and creative thinking Ethical understanding Information and communication technology capability

Intercultural understanding Literacy Numeracy Personal and social capability

Week/ Syllabus Content Teaching and Learning Strategies including Resources
Sequence assessment for learning.
Week 1 Students learn about the public Students are to work in groups and answer the https://www.uts.edu.au/research-and-
(3 hours) nature of histories and uses of five (5) following questions? (1-4 in small teaching/our-research/australian-centre-public-
public histories. groups, 4 & 5 to be answered as a class) history/about-acph/what-public-history
- MH11-7 1. Why is history so important?
2. Can history ever be recorded 100%
right? Why or why not?
3. What is the danger in historical
knowledge that is incorrect?
4. What do we as an Australian society
hold as an ‘important historical fact’?
(Could be event, individual, a group or
specific movement)
5. Find 2 Australian historical events and 2
Australian historical individuals that
everyone knows at least a little bit
about?
6. Now as a group, students are to
provide examples of public histories of
them. Students can research to find
potential sites for, or the public uses of,
these histories.
Have groups share answers to questions 1 – 4
as a class. During the discussion, define public
history to the students as the following.

Public history
1. Understanding how histories are made
and interpreted in the broader
community.
2. How history can be used by the broader
community (access to historical

Historical Context (scaffolding
lesson)
How History is represented –
students learn about the basics of
the Cold War so they know what is
being represented in the main text.
information e.g. public museum), and
for the broader community (e.g. Anzac
celebrations to preserve historical
events and building cultural
significance).
Questions 5 & 6 are to be answered as a class.
Find two examples from each category that
all/most students know about and have each
group work on their answer for question 6.
Then have students share their answers as a
class. **assessment – group
discussion**
In order for students to know what is being Scaffold 1 – provided websites to students who
represented in the film, students will may be struggling to find suitable resources.
investigate facts about the cold war in groups
and report back to the class. Students will be
asked to investigate the answers to the
following questions and need to provide
references for where they found these answers
(will be recorded for future lessons)
What is the cold war?
Who were the two main countries involved?
What was one of the main reason for the war
(main point of conflict or disagreement)?
Who won the cold war?
Why did they win?
Differentiation: For students struggling
research effectively, they can be given the list
 of suitable sites from the teacher to assist them
(scaffold 1).

Historical Context (scaffolding In order for students to know what is being

lesson)
Information about Afghanistan
(History/culture/Geography)
represented in the film, students will
investigate facts about the Afghanistan in
groups and report back to the class. Students
will be asked to investigate the answers to the
following questions and need to provide
references for where they found these answers
(will be recorded for future lessons)

1. How old is this modern day society

called Afghanistan?
2. What countries have mainly bordered
this country?
3. Name at least 2 major wars they have
had and who the other countries
where?
4. Is there any significance to this area?
Why?
5. What has been the racial background of
this country?

Week 2 Critical analysis of representations From the previous class exercise, investigate
(4 hours) of the past. the writers of each/some of the
- MH11-6 article/websites used. Have students
investigate each one and try to identify what
their justification is for what they stated
Key questions to ask about them is?
- Are they historians, journalist, authors
etc.?

How History is represented –
“Charlie Wilson’s War”
- MH11-10
- What else are they known for (creative
writing, political associations, novels,
etc.)
- Do they have an affiliation to a
particular group or side?
- Can we find out about their education?
- Does their information contain
references for their
points/arguments/facts?
- Are any of these references relevant?
Justifiable?
The key is not to have students create a
definitive biography/extensive knowledge
about the writers/sources of the previously
used resources, but to have students begin to
think about “who is saying what?”, “why would
they be inclined to say that?” and “can they
justify what they are saying with factual,
reliable sources?” **assessment – group
discussion**
Students are to watch the film “Charlie Wilson’s “The Rise of the West and Historical
War” over two lessons. Before the film, Methodology: Crash Course World History #212”
students are to watch YouTube clip “The Rise of https://youtu.be/nosJVTuCHFk
the West and Historical Methodology: Crash
Course World History #212”, to help students
understand historical methodology and its
limitations/potential for bias. Classroom
discussion to be had about these issues before
movie starts
 How History is represented – Students are to complete the Charlie Wilson’s Exercise 1
“Charlie Wilson’s War” & Critical War summery exercise questions (exercise 1),
analysis of representations of the so they can recall key moments represented in
past. the film and begin to analyse the film and its
- MH11-6 accuracy. **assessment – submission of
written work**
Week 3 A short war for the Soviets Read an extract from “The Great Gamble – The Resource 1
(3 Hours) - MH11-3 Soviet war in Afghanistan” regarding why and
how the Soviet Union approached and entered
the war. This will assist students to better
understand their role and why the result of the
war was so significant to the world events of
that day.

Ways the past is commemorated
- MH11-3
Replay the “Zen Master” scene from the movie. Charlie Wilson's War - Zen master and the little
Students are to discuss what, according to the boy https://youtu.be/e2cjVhUrmII
film, were the consequences of key actions
from Charlie Wilson’s involvement in the war.
Students are then to read the collection of
articles regarding some other perspectives of
his involvements (resource 2). After viewing all
of these sources, students to have group
discussions/create arguments for their answer
to the following questions – “How do these
new representations affect some of the claims
made in the film? **assessment –
group discussion**

Images taken from

Ways the past is commemorated View images of Afghanistan before the https://www.businessinsider.com.au/astonishing-
- MH11-6 breakout of this war. Have students analyse
and create arguments for what the direction of

Week 4 Critical analysis of representations
(4 hours) of the past and historical methods
that can be used for this purpose
- MH11-3
Critical Analysis of the
representations of the past
- MH11-6
Various ways the past is
commemorated – Lessons learned?
- MH11-7
the nation of Afghanistan was and what the photos-of-prewar-afghanistan-show-everyday-
cost of the Soviet war truly had on it, and the life-in-peaceful-kabul-2013-2?r=US&IR=T
rest of the world.
Students are to research about four writers of
historical texts about the Afghanistan vs soviet
war and analyse their role in the shaping of this
historical event.
Writers
- Gregory Fiefer
- Rodic Braithwaite
- Jonathan Steele
- George Crile
Questions that can be asked of the students
include; Where were these writers from
(background, work experience, education etc)?
Whose opinion’s would they most likely have
represented?
Goal of the class is for students to know who a
writer’s perspective can influence the
presentation of their texts and the texts ideas.
In one lesson, watch the documentary Afghanistan 1979 The War That Changed the
“Afghanistan 1979 The War That Changed the World
World”. Students will see another perspective https://youtu.be/xJs7udS-fZ4
of the war and the challenges with ending it.
Students are to read a second extract from the Resource 3
“The Great Gamble – The Soviet war in
Afghanistan”, regarding questions over the

Assessment Details
Participation in group discussions. Teacher
encouraged to seek participation for a variety of
members of the class (not just hear from the same
students/group of students)
Provided written work. Work where students
need to submit their answers in writing need to be
assessed by the teacher for two key elements;
literacy skills of the students in communicating
their ideas & understanding of the
content/concepts of the unit of work
viability of this kind of war (a war to introduce
or push another countries doctrine/principles
to another place). Draws parallels with the 2nd
Iraq VS US war and questions why these types
of wars are considered even possible.
Key task for the students to complete is to
write a 1-page answer to the following
questions “Can these types of wars be won?
Why or why not?”
Additional Scaffolding: Website to be provided Website on the Iraq VS US war of 2003
for students who have little knowledge of the https://www.britannica.com/event/Iraq-War
2nd Iraq VS US war.
Differentiation: Students can choose to present
their answer as an assessment of learning from
this unit of work. Written work will still need to
be submitted and used to assess only the
students literacy skills
**assessment – submission of written work**
Outcomes
MH11-3: Students have studied and analysed the roles of several key groups, individuals and ideas
from the Afghan VS Soviet Union war.
MH11-6: A variety of sources have been presented to the students for analysis and interpretation
regarding the historical accounts of the Afghan VS Soviet Union war.
MH11-7: Students have been required to consider the various sources and evaluate them in the
construction of their understanding of the issues involved with the Afghan VS Soviet Union war.
MH11-9: Students have been required to communicate their understanding of the Afghan VS Soviet
Union war, using the correct terms and concepts in the appropriate contexts.
 Exit pass/glossary creator. At the end of every
lesson, students will be required to write on a
post-it note a word or person they do not know
the meaning of or about. Teacher will collect
these every lesson and used to compile a
classroom glossary to help build the student’s
knowledge of the Afghan VS Soviet war.

Key Resources

Braithwaite, R. (2011). AFGANTSY THE RUSSIANS IN AFGHANISTAN 1979–89. London: Profile Books Ltd.

Feifer, G. (2014). The great gamble. HarperCollins e-Books.

Nicholls, M. (2008). Charlie Wilson's War [DVD]. Universal Pictures.

Steele, J. (2012). Ghosts of Afghanistan. London: Portobello.

Rationale
 “The study of Modern History engages students in an investigation of the forces that have shaped the world, based on the analysis and
interpretation of sources”

The purpose of the Modern History syllabus is to develop students who are able to think critically about the world around them. The world that we live in
today, is formed and shaped by ideas from past events. For society to evolve, these ideas need to be tested and scrutinized by the generations that have to
live under them, even when they are based on events that often precede their own existence. This is where the curriculum can come into play. Using the
Modern History syllabus, teachers can create units of work that allow students to see how history has shaped our current way of thinking, why many of the
lessons of history are still applicable today, and potentially how they can perhaps learn more effectively from histories mistakes. This unit of work has been
designed to help foster critical thinking in the classroom by using a number of techniques. The unit is built using the principles of Blooms taxonomy, to layer
students learning over the weeks in alignment with the different levels of cognitive skills. Each lesson, or layer, include the use of inquiry based learning in
certain lessons to build knowledge, and all require consistent and effective assessments to ensure students understanding is progressing throughout the
unit. By using historical representations of the Afghan VS Soviet war, students will be able to learn how much of our present day is directly shaped by the
past, and examples of how in some ways, societies have not learnt their lessons from history.

The focus of schooling today has shifted from a focus on facts, to a focus on thinking. Students are being required to learn the sophisticated skills of critical
thinking, creativity and problems solving skills, in order to keep up with the demands of the modern and future workforces (Darling-Hammond & Adamson,
2010). To develop the skills of critical thinking, this unit utilizes the process of repeated comparison, reflection and reaction model towards learning. This
model has been shown to be effective at producing critical thinking skills in students in the teaching of science and engineering (Holmes, Wieman & Bonn,
2015). While this model is applied and practiced in a certain way for these disciplines, the principle of the model can still be applied to history. Students
who are presented with a series of data (information) on a reaction (past events), are then exposed to a new series of data from a similar reaction (new
information based on the previous event), and are then asked to hypothesis how the reactions worked and why (what happened and why or how). In this
unit of work, the main subject has remained the same throughout the unit, but the perspectives have changed. This has allowed students to assess different
versions (or experiments) on the events and are able to test their understanding of how the events unfolded and why. History is always shaped by those
who are presenting it, and students need to be critical of this. By reviewing the differing perspectives of the same subject, students can get a more holistic
view of the event, and a more sophisticated understanding of the consequences of said historical events.

According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, the cognitive skills required for critical thinking are at the higher end of the pyramid (analysis, synthesis and evaluation),
while the foundational cognitive skills required before these can be achieved are the ones found on the base (knowledge, comprehension and application)
(Adams, 2015). In order to develop the students critical thinking skills throughout this unit of work, each lesson is programmed with Bloom’s Pyramid as the
guide. The unit commences with a general concept focused lesson, to ensure all students understand the overall purpose of the unit of work
(understanding what public histories are and how they are used). The lessons then focus on building the foundational knowledge needed to think critically
about this topic (e.g. the Cold War, Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, CIA, etc.). As these foundational cognitive focused lessons are taught, effective
assessments need to be completed against each lessons clearly defined learning outcomes, to ensure the students have built their knowledge bases enough
(McTighe, 2010) to proceed with processing and analysing critically the different representations of history effectively. As students journey through this unit
of work, guided by the use of effective assessments of learning, students should be progressing on a path towards being critical thinkers of the world
around them, one of the key goals of education itself, let alone the Modern History syllabus.

Thought the unit of work, the use of a “driving question” is practiced to encourage curiosity and allow students to identify and research for the necessary
information themselves. They are required research, asses, evaluate and communicate their new understandings (Sproken-smith et al. 2008). This lesson is
effective in building the student’s knowledge, by allowing them to take ownership of the learning. Several lessons require students to research a specific
topic or answer 1 key question, synthesis information together as a class, and then build their understanding. By structuring several of the lessons in this
way, the unit of work can effectively teach students the necessary knowledge and skills required of the syllabus.

The final lesson of this unit of work requires students to think about a war that, while technically over (the Iraq VS US war of 2003), the effects of which
society is still dealing with today. In fact, many of the consequences of the focus war of this study (the Afghan VS Soviet war) are still being dealt with today.
By progressing though this unit of work, students are able to build their knowledge of historical events, reflect on them, and critically analyses the steps of
the past, and of today, to hopefully be a part of a future generation that will be able make a better future through better decision making abilities. Building
critical thinking skills by using continual assessments, Bloom’s taxonomy, and inquiry based learning, has created a unit that will be engaging for students,
and equip them for an unknown future.

References

Adams, N. (2015). Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 103(3), 152-153.
Darling-Hammond, L., & Adamson, F. (2010). Beyond basic skills: The role of performance assessment in achieving 21st century standards of learning.
Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education.

McTighe, J. (2010). “Understanding be Design and Instruction”, in Marzano, R. (ed). On Excellence in Teaching, Melbourne, Victoria: Hawker Brownlow
Education

N. G. Holmes, Carl E. Wieman, & D. A. Bonn. (2015). Teaching critical thinking. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(36), 11199-204.

Spronken-Smith, R., Bullard, J., Ray, W., Roberts, C., & Keiffer, A. (2008). Where Might Sand Dunes be on Mars? Engaging Students through Inquiry-based
Learning in Geography. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 32(1), 71-86.