Unit 1: What is History? is an introductory history sequence designed for a Special Education replacement history classroom (supporting students with Autism, SLD, CI, and ADHD). It covers the basics of history, hunter-gatherer communities, challenges of early human life, and natural resources, culminating in a unit quiz.
2. "History" is the story of which three things? (Circle the correct list)
A People, Places, and Events B Cars, Trucks, and Highways
Who Were Hunter-Gatherers?
Long ago, people did not have grocery stores. They got their food from nature!
COMMUNITY
A group that lives and works together.
HUNTER
Kills wild animals for food.
GATHERER
Collects berries and plants.
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Assignment: 1.2 CW
Tanya's Story
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Team/Room: ___________________________
Reading: Tanya's Life (7,000 Years Ago)
1
Tanya is a 12-year-old girl. She lived 7,000 years ago!
2
Tanya sleeps outside under the stars. She wears the same clothes every day.
3
Every morning, Tanya gathers wild berries and plants with her mother.
4
Her family hunts animals to eat. She caught a wild lizard for dinner yesterday!
Compare: Tanya's Life vs. Your Life
Read each question. Circle YES or NO.
1. Family Tanya lives with her family. Do you live with family?
YES NO
2. Bed Tanya sleeps outside on the ground. Do you sleep outside?
YES NO
3. Food Tanya hunts wild lizards for food. Do you eat wild lizards?
YES NO
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Assignment: 1.2 ET
Lesson 1.2: Exit Ticket (Tuesday)
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Team/Room: ___________________________
Exit Ticket (5 Minutes)
Turn In
Fill in the blanks using the choices provided.
1. Why do we study history?
History is important because it helps us learn about our ____________.
PAST (yesterday) FUTURE (tomorrow)
2. Is Tanya part of a hunter-gatherer community?
YES, she hunts wild animals and gathers berries
NO, she buys her soup at a grocery store
Self-Check: Did you circle your selections before writing them? ( Yes / No )
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Assignment: 1.2 HW
Lesson 1.2: Homework
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Team/Room: ___________________________
Homework: History at Home
Homework
1. What is one interesting story about a relative or ancestor in your family's past?
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Day 2 (Tuesday): Hunter-Gatherer Communities (1.2)
Students learn definitions of hunter, gatherer, and community. Read Tanya's Story (7,000 years ago) together. Lap student comparisons (similarities vs. differences).
Tuesday Laps: Lap 1: Underline Tanya vocab (berries, hunts). Lap 2: Check similarities/differences chart.
End of Tuesday: Combined Exit Ticket Assessment
Provide 5-8 minutes for students to complete the Combined Exit Ticket on Page 6 of the packet.
Exit Ticket LAP Protocol (Crucial Special Ed Scan Details):
Lap 1 (Question 1): Verify complete sentences explaining why study history.
Lap 2 (Question 2): Confirm students have correctly answered Tanya's status with evidence (hunting/gathering).
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Teacher Guide: Lesson 1.1 & 1.2
Combined Exit Ticket Exemplars (1.1 & 1.2 Key)
Combined Exit Ticket Answers (Page 6)
Question 1: Why do we study history? What does it help us learn about?
"We study history to learn about the past. It helps us learn about past people, places, and events, and understand how people lived before us."
Question 2: Is Tanya part of a hunter-gatherer community? How do you know?
"Yes, Tanya is part of a hunter-gatherer community. I know this because the reading says her family hunts wild animals for meat, and she gathers wild berries and plants with her mother in nature."
Tier B (Accommodated) Exit Ticket Answers
Question 1: History is important because it helps us learn about our PAST (yesterday).
Question 2: Is Tanya part of a hunter-gatherer community? Correct Choice: YES, she hunts wild animals and gathers berries.
Tuesday Homework: History at Home Key
Question 1 Exemplar:
"My grandmother grew up on a farm in Puerto Rico. She had to wake up early every day to feed the chickens and help gather eggs for breakfast."
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This is how early humans survived 7,000 years ago!
a) People and places b) Events that happened c) All of the above
3. Draw a picture that helps you remember history.
Classwork: Who Were Hunter-Gatherers? (Omitted from Key)
Thousands of years ago, people didn't live in houses... got food from nature... hunter-gatherer communities...
Community:
Hunter:
Gatherer:
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Teacher Exemplar Packet
Lesson 1.1: Tanya's Story Key (Wednesday)
Name: TEACHER KEY
Date: ___________________________
Team/Room: ___________________________
Reading: Tanya's Day (7,000 Years Ago)
Tanya is a 12-year-old who lived with her family almost 7,000 years ago. She likes warm weather best because she can sleep outside under the stars. When the sun comes up, Tanya gets up. She wears the same clothes all the time—no pajamas or changing!
Every morning, Tanya and her brothers help their mother search for plants and berries. Her older brother and father hunt wild animals for meat. Yesterday, Tanya spotted a lizard squirming in a log. She snatched it up and dropped it into her bag! She can't wait to taste her mother's warm lizard soup.
Comparing Life: Then vs. Now
1. How is Tanya's life SIMILAR to yours? List two (2) examples.
Example 1:
"Tanya is 12 years old, which is the exact same age as me."
Example 2:
"She lives with her family and loves her parents, just like me."
2. How is your life DIFFERENT from Tanya's? List two (2) examples.
Example 1:
"Tanya sleeps outside on the ground under the stars, while I sleep inside a warm bed."
Example 2:
"She hunts lizards and gathers plants to survive, while I buy my food at the grocery store."
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Teacher Exemplar Packet
Lesson 1.1: Combined Exit Ticket Key (Wednesday)
Name: TEACHER KEY
Date: ___________________________
Team/Room: ___________________________
Exit Ticket (5 Minutes)
Turn In
1. Why do we study history? What does it help us learn about?
"We study history to learn about the past. It helps us learn about past people, places, and events, and understand how people lived before us."
2. Is Tanya part of a hunter-gatherer community? How do you know?
"Yes, Tanya is part of a hunter-gatherer community. I know because the reading says her family hunts wild animals for meat, and she gathers wild berries and plants with her mother in nature."
Self-Check: Did you use evidence from Tanya's story? ( Yes / No )
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Teacher Exemplar Packet
Lesson 1.1: Homework (Wednesday)
Name: TEACHER KEY
Date: ___________________________
Team/Room: ___________________________
Homework: History at Home (Graded on completion - Omitted from Key)
Homework
1. What is one interesting story about a relative or ancestor in your family's past?
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Homework: Challenge Scenarios
Homework
Read the scenario and decide what the hunter-gatherer community should do.
Scenario: Your community has been living near a forest for three months. You have picked all the berries, and the deer herds have run away to the mountains.
What is the BEST action for your community to take?
A Stay and starve in the forest B Pack up and follow the deer
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Homework: Choice Scenarios
Homework
Circle the best choice for this survival scenario.
Scenario: The wild plants are gone. The deer have run away.
What must the hunter-gatherer community do?
Pack up and MOVE Stay and watch TV
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"Track me. Pencils down. We know hunter-gatherers lived in close communities. But did they have grocery stores? No. Let's read why their life was so tough. Put your finger on the word 'Life'..."
LAP Tracking Protocol (Comprehension & Organizer):
Lap 1 (Highlighting): Underline key sentences in reading text (e.g. "pick all the plants", "animals would move away").
Lap 2 (Challenge boxes): Check the 3 Challenge boxes. Ensure "Plants", "Animals", and "Safety" are written.
20 - 35 Minutes: Connection & Discussion
Teacher Script & Actions:
"Now think: would YOU want to live like Tanya? Circle YES or NO. Let's list reasons. Share with your partner. What is one fact your partner shared?"
35 - 40 Minutes: Exit Ticket
Exit Ticket LAP Protocol (Scans Aligned):
Lap 1: Identify two problems. (Ex: "1) Animals moving, 2) Plants dying")
Lap 2: Check prediction. Ensure complete sentence structure and logical thoughts (Ex: "I think they will build better tools to keep plants and animals.")
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Teacher Guide: Lesson 1.3
Workbook Exemplars (1.3 Key)
1. Do Now Vocabulary Key
Hunter definition: Someone who hunts and kills wild animals for food.
Gatherer definition: Someone who picks plants, fruits, and berries from nature.
Question 3 choice: Correct choice is c) Move around.
2. Core Survival Challenges Key
Plants challenge: If they stay in one place too long, all the wild fruits and berries are eaten and stop growing.
Animals challenge: Animals get scared of hunters and move away to other territories.
Safety challenge: Sleeping outdoors leaves them vulnerable to attacks from wild animals like bears at night.
3. Personal Connections (Exemplars)
Question 1: Describe a hunter-gatherer community:
"A hunter-gatherer community is a group of people who move around to find food. They hunt wild animals and gather berries together to survive."
Question 2: Would you want to live in one? (Exemplar NO)
"No. I do not want to sleep outside in the cold. Also, scary wild animals could attack us at night."
4. Exit Ticket & Homework Key
Exit Ticket #1: Two major problems
"1) Wild animals ran away from hunters. 2) Wild plants and berries stopped growing."
Exit Ticket #2: Prediction on solutions
"I think they will solve their problems by starting to grow crops (plants) and raise animals in one place instead of moving."
Homework Scenario choice: Correct choice is B) Pack up and follow the deer.
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Homework: Home Resource Hunt
Homework
Find three (3) things in or around your house that are made from natural resources.
1. Made from Wood (Trees)
2. Uses Water (River)
3. Made from Plants/Animals
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Need help with reading?
Homework: Circle the Natural Resource
Homework
Look at the items below. Circle the three (3) things that come from NATURE.
Water
Computer
Trees
Fish
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"Track me in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Excellent attention. Wendy's class is starting a pioneer town project. Let's read what natural resources she found. Tracking finger on 'Wendy'..."
LAP Tracking Protocol (Comprehension & Organizer):
Lap 1 (Definition): Check if definitions are complete. Prompt: "Natural resource means materials that occur in nature."
Lap 2 (Wendy Examples): Verify three resources from text are written: trees/wood, river/water, fish/animals.
"Why is water the most important natural resource? Can you survive without it? No! Let's write that down: 'We need water to nourish our bodies and grow food.' Why do towns build near rivers? Let's discuss."
35 - 40 Minutes: Exit Ticket
Exit Ticket LAP Protocol (Scans Aligned):
Lap 1: Confirm definition is written correctly. (Ex: "A natural resource is materials that occur in nature.")
Lap 2: Check river usefulness reasons. (Ex: "Drinking water, catch fish, move supplies.") Ensure complete sentences.
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Uncommon Schools | MIT Teacher Guide: Lesson 1.4
Workbook Exemplars (1.4 Key)
1. Do Now Review Key
Hunter-gatherer characteristics: 1) They hunt animals and gather plants for food. 2) They do not live in settled houses and must move around constantly.
Why keep moving: They must move because they eat all the wild plants in one area, and the wild animals migrate/run away when being hunted.
2. Needs vs. Wants Key
Survival Needs: Water, Food, Shelter, Clothing, Air.
Luxury Wants: Cell phones, Video games, Computers, TV, Cars.
3. Wendy Pioneer project Key
Natural Resource definition: Useful materials that occur naturally in nature, not made by humans.
"Water is the most important resource because our bodies need it to live, and it helps us grow plants and food."
Question 2: Why rivers are important?
"Rivers are important because they give a constant supply of drinking water, let people catch fish for food, and allow pioneers to use boats to transport supplies."
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"Yes, this text describes a hunter-gatherer community. I know because the character says they have been walking a long way in the forest to collect plants and fruits for supper."
Question 2: Describe a hunter-gatherer community.
"A hunter-gatherer community is a group that hunts wild animals and gathers fruits/berries to survive. They do not live in settled homes and must constantly move to find food."
Question 3: Describe one issue or challenge people in a hunter-gatherer community face.
"One challenge they faced was hunger and running out of food, which forced them to move camps constantly. They also faced attacks from wild animals at night."
Question 4: Why is history important to study?
"History is important to study because it teaches us about people, places, and events in the past, helping us understand how our modern world was built."
Tier B Reading Comprehension Answers
1. Does this passage describe a hunter-gatherer community? Correct choice: YES, because they gather plants and move.
2. Describe a hunter-gatherer community. Circle what they do: Correct choice: They hunt animals and pick berries.
3. What is one major challenge they faced? Correct choice: Running out of food (plants/animals).
4. Complete the sentence: History is important because it helps us learn about our PAST.
Replacement Rubric (Total: 100 points)
Accuracy (60 pts) Correctly identifying multiple-choice, matching, and text analysis facts.
Syntax Support (20 pts) Completing tracing components and sentence frames in final drafts.
Formatting (20 pts) Punctuation, capitalization, and clear handwriting on answer lines.
