Claim Testing - Imperialism

Hey Curt!

Did this today as review - I used 5 claims (& 5 groups):

1. Economic gain was the greatest motivating factor for a new wave of imperialism in the late 1800s.
2. Colonized people were unable to effectively resist imperial powers from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries.
3. Imperialism resulted in the exchange of traditions, cultural ideologies and customs.
4. Imperialism had long-lasting, detrimental effects on the societies of people over whom they ruled.
5. The Age of Imperialism (1880s-1914) represented revolutionary and unprecedented actions by Western nations to control foreign territory. 

Took about an hour to accomplish and go over as a class but it was definitely worth it!  The Shared Doc was a key component - I attached just a row or two of one class' work from today... I'm not sure the Doc fully represents the classroom discussion that this activity bred, but it was a weighty conversation on the content and the skill.  

Overall, they were able to filter their notes effectively and find supporting evidence, but the class as a whole needed more teacher intervention on the counterclaim round (to be expected I think).  Once they got the hang of it I was happy with what they came up with.  Notice the evidence pulled from "Responses to Industrial Imperialism" by Eman M. Elshaikh (1750 course reading)!  

Hey Curt!

Did this today as review - I used 5 claims (& 5 groups):

1. Economic gain was the greatest motivating factor for a new wave of imperialism in the late 1800s.
2. Colonized people were unable to effectively resist imperial powers from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries.
3. Imperialism resulted in the exchange of traditions, cultural ideologies and customs.
4. Imperialism had long-lasting, detrimental effects on the societies of people over whom they ruled.
5. The Age of Imperialism (1880s-1914) represented revolutionary and unprecedented actions by Western nations to control foreign territory. 

Took about an hour to accomplish and go over as a class but it was definitely worth it!  The Shared Doc was a key component - I attached just a row or two of one class' work from today... I'm not sure the Doc fully represents the classroom discussion that this activity bred, but it was a weighty conversation on the content and the skill.  

Overall, they were able to filter their notes effectively and find supporting evidence, but the class as a whole needed more teacher intervention on the counterclaim round (to be expected I think).  Once they got the hang of it I was happy with what they came up with.  Notice the evidence pulled from "Responses to Industrial Imperialism" by Eman M. Elshaikh (1750 course reading)!  

Worked like a charm, the collaborative document is a deal changer in the positive. The kids got really into it, even competitive at times. This is the third time we have done claim testing and it seems as if they are getting more adept.  It was good to get them up and move into other groups 20 or 25 minutes into class, I separated groups by numbering desks and having them report to the same numbered station as their card they randomly chose.  Looking forward to building on this exercise soon.  Thanks for sharing your tweaks Julianne Horowitz, they paid off for me.