NEW CHY4U CCA Steps (spring 2025)
Prelude: students have to pick three themes from the themes list on the introduction to the CCA. Introduced April 30, 2025.
Step 1: students have to track their three themes throughout units 1 and 2 (and hopefully do the same for unit 3 while we are simultaneously finishing the unit). First they annotate their unit handouts. Then they track or summarize their annotations in tracking sheets. Due May 13.
I will check their unit materials for annotations, then check their tracking. Not for a mark but for completion and quality. If there are obvious gaps, the student will have to re-do the work or improve it. The purpose is to substitute their annotation and tracking for note-taking.
Ms. G’s Reflection: I need to make the annotation and tracking sheets bigger with more space to record information.
Support Materials for Step 1:
Step 2: students will have to construct a thesis statement. I will gather their thesis through a Google Form. If there are any revisions to be made, I will speak to the student. The emphasis in the thesis is how their three themes help to make an argument for the complexity of history.
Ms. G’s Reflection: I was happy with the theses and the thesis Google Form.
Support Materials for Step 2:
Thesis instructions PDF (video)
Step 3: Students will write an essay outline. Like before, outline creation will coincide with a unit topic on which we examine a sample essay outline (Belgian imperialism in Congo). The purpose is firstly, for students to organize their evidence/examples (either by unit or by theme). Secondly, the purpose is for students to record their explanations of how the evidence proves their thesis AND to incorporate Historical Thinking Concepts. Due May 22.
There will be some time given to producing the outline in class. If I allow them to type the outline, it would have to be done in class since I am not willing to invest dozens of hours into detecting AI usage. I checked over each outline and gave comments for improvement of examples and explanations (especially context).
Ms. G’s Reflection: I made the essay outline for students and had them follow my template where I included background information (context) before each example. This was helpful as I could track their progress. I checked in and noticed when very little work had been done. By the deadline, many students were not where they should have been.
Support Materials for Step 3:
Outline Example Using Imperialism Case Study
Steps 4 and 5: Drafting the Essay
Here I will use the same materials, generally, as for my previous essay format with all the tips about paragraphing, topic and concluding sentences, introductory and concluding paragraphs, incorporation of primary source quotes, etc.
There will be a reasonable amount of time given to in-class work while we complete unit 4.
Due June 13.
Ms. G’s Reflection: Most students did okay in their use of time on the essay, but I find that they were not concentrating enough on historical details. I showed them how to create the essay right from the outline. I hope this helped. Most students did not have enough time to proofread their essays, their footnotes and their bibliography.
Ms. G’s Sample Materials 2025:
Themocracy