COLLABORATIVE PLANNING FORM

GRADE: 9-World History and Geography to 1500 A.D. classes

TEACHER(S): Mrs. Moyer, Librarian and Ms. Trumbull, History Teacher
CONTENT TOPIC: Medieval Europe
LEARNING OBJECTIVE(S): The student will enhance previous learning on the Medieval
Period through in-depth research of a specific topic, culminating in a brief paper and an
authentic product that will be presented to the class.
SOL:
WHI.9-The student will
demonstrate knowledge of
Western Europe during the
Middle Ages from about 500 to
1000 A.D. (C.E.) in terms of its
impact on Western civilization
WHI.12-The student will
demonstrate knowledge of
social, economic, and political

STANDARDS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER:

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changes and cultural

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medieval period
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DATE/TIME OF LESSON: December 9-12 (3.5 blocks) in Ms. Trumbulls World History I
achievements in the late

classes-blocks 2, 3, and 4.
ESTIMATED LESSON LENGTH:
Day 1-Introduce project/sign up for topics (half class period)
Days 2-3-Library research time
Day 4-Presentations
JOINT PLANNING SCHEDULE:
Initial meeting (1 hour)-1 week prior to collaboration-Outline project topics,
requirements, define roles/tasks of librarian and teacher.
Planning form based upon Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action (2009) Action
Examples Template; Loertschers Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program (2000)
Collaborative Unit Planning Sheet; Buzzeos Collaboration Handbook (2008) Collaboration
Template; Last updated 01/2013

Second meeting (30 minutes)-Finalize project outline and topics, Pathfinder, rubrics.
Make changes as necessary.
Day before start of collaboration (30 minutes)-Meet to go over final changes. Any more
changes will necessitate a meeting the next morning!
(Teacher and librarian will stay in constant communication in days leading up to
collaboration using email as well)
After presentations-Librarian and teacher will work together to grade projects.
After collaboration (1 hour)-Librarian and teacher will meet to discuss project, evaluate
success, discuss changes that should be made.
OVERVIEW OF LESSON: Students will select a topic specifically related to Medieval
Europe-i.e. castles, knights, food, fashion, etc. The students will do in-depth research on
their specific topic, culminating in a one-page paper and a tangible product that will be
shared with the class. Product examples are a PowerPoint, a demonstration of a skill, a
model/sculpture, a living history presentation.
TEACHER WILL

LIBRARIAN WILL

-create project.

-create Pathfinder to assist students in research.

-create rubric.

-assist with creation of rubric.

-present project to class.

-present Pathfinder to class.

-sign up project topics and share with

-have resources prepared for research, including

librarian.

resource evaluation forms and citation help.

-assist students with research.

-assist students with research.

-grade students (using rubric) on

-grade students (using rubric) on effective use of

effective use of research time.

research time.

-grade summary papers.

-grade works cited page of project using rubric.

-grade presentations (to be averaged

-grade presentations (to be averaged with

with librarian grade).

teacher grade).

-add up rubrics to get final project

-add up rubrics to get final project grade.
grade.
FINAL PRODUCT/LEARNING OUTCOME: Upon completion of this project, students will be
able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Expand on contributions and important information from the Medieval Period

Follow project guidelines and rubric
Write a brief summary paper
Evaluate resources for accuracy and usefulness
Cite resources in MLA format
Present information with authentic product to a group

Planning form based upon Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action (2009) Action
Examples Template; Loertschers Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program (2000)
Collaborative Unit Planning Sheet; Buzzeos Collaboration Handbook (2008) Collaboration
Template; Last updated 01/2013

ASSESSMENTProduct: The teacher and librarian will use a rubric to assess the various
parts of the project-the completed product, the brief summary paper and the citations.
ASSESSMENTProcess: The rubric contains a section on effective use of class time to
ensure students stay on task during research time. This will be a part of the final project
grade.
Student Self-ASSESSMENT: Students will be given a short rubric to fill out on their project
experience. They will evaluate what they have learned, the research process, and the
effort they put in. This assessment will not be a part of the grade, but the teacher and
librarian will read this and comment.

STRATEGIES FOR REMEDIATION:

If a student struggles or falls behind during the project, either the teacher or librarian
will work one on one with that student to get him back on track. If the student produces
substandard work, they will be given an opportunity to fix their project until their work is
of an acceptable level.
RESOURCES STUDENTS WILL USE:
__*__Online subscription databases
__*__Periodicals/Newspapers
__*__Books
__*__Other?

__*__Nonprint materials
__*__Web sites
__*__Reference materials
__*__Reserve shelf needed

List titles here:

WorldBook Online
Library catalog to access books in library
Gale database
Websites as needed-biography.com, history.com, others as needed/found through search
process
INSTRUCTION/ACTIVITIES:
Direct Instruction: Ms. Trumbull will have taught the overview of the Medieval Period in
class. Ms. Trumbull and Mrs. Moyer will present the project and Pathfinder to the
students.

Modeling and Guided Practice: Students will be given the rubric in advance so they
know the requirements for the project. Mrs. Moyer will have citation information
available (with examples) for students to reference. Mrs. Moyer and Ms. Trumbull will
also monitor class during the entire research process to make sure students stay on task
and on track.

Planning form based upon Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action (2009) Action
Examples Template; Loertschers Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program (2000)
Collaborative Unit Planning Sheet; Buzzeos Collaboration Handbook (2008) Collaboration
Template; Last updated 01/2013

Independent Practice: Students will complete this project individually. They will be
encouraged to talk through their ideas with classmates and critique, but each student
will need to produce an independent product.

Sharing and Reflecting: Students will present their projects to the class. Presentations
should take 5 minutes each, and should help each student expand their knowledge.

Strategies for Differentiation: Students with 504/IEP accommodations should have their
assignments altered as necessary to fit with their individual requirements. Students
could have the paper shortened, not have to present to class, or many other options. If
the teacher and librarian need assistance with differentiation, they should consult the
students case manager. This needs to be done before the project begins. Project
requirements/rubrics should be altered to reflect differentiation for these students.

COLLABORATIVE LESSON EVALUATION

GRADE: 9-World History and Geography to 1500 A.D.
TEACHER: Mrs. Moyer, Librarian and Ms. Trumbull, History Teacher
COLLABORATION DATES: December 9-12 (3.5 class periods)
CONTENT TOPIC: Medieval Period
What worked well in this lesson/unit? The division of tasks between the librarian and
teacher made the project easier on all involved. The division of grading also allowed
feedback to be given to students in a timely manner, since everything got graded faster
due to 2 people being involved.
Was this lesson/unit enhanced through collaboration? Yes, having the librarian involved
eased the transition from the classroom into the library to do research. The librarians
expertise in the research materials in the library also made the research process easier.
Having 2 instructors available during the research process also ensured that students all
received individualized attention.
Planning form based upon Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action (2009) Action
Examples Template; Loertschers Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program (2000)
Collaborative Unit Planning Sheet; Buzzeos Collaboration Handbook (2008) Collaboration
Template; Last updated 01/2013

Was it successful enough to warrant doing it again in the future? Yes! The students
created wonderful products and learned a lot.
Suggestions for improvement? Make specific time for peer review. Even though the
projects are independent, students could still benefit from peer review. Create a peer
review sheet to use. Also, make sure students know how to use the library catalog and
databases; maybe a quick review during the first library research day.

How well did the library collection respond to the unit/lesson objectives?
Scale: 5=Excellent 4=Above average 3=Average 2=Below average

1=Poor

____4_____ Diversity of formats (print, electronic)

____4_____ Currency of resources
____3_____ Adequacy (sufficient materials for number of students)
____4_____ Appropriateness of reading/viewing/listening levels
Suggestions for additional materials? In large classes, sometimes the books were in high
demand due to their only being a few books that can be used. Maybe increase that
portion of the collection if this project is going to be done every year.

Planning form based upon Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action (2009) Action
Examples Template; Loertschers Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program (2000)
Collaborative Unit Planning Sheet; Buzzeos Collaboration Handbook (2008) Collaboration
Template; Last updated 01/2013