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Plan
By Phase By Day Calendar
Launch
Students will launch the investigation by examining World War I human-impact sources, hearing from a community speaker, practicing source analysis routines, generating and refining initial inquiry questions, and producing first notebook entries that set up later research, writing, and art-making.
Days 1 - 6
Launch & Curiosity
Students will closely examine World War I letters, photographs, casualty records, posters, and speeches to notice patterns, contradictions, and absences related to how government decisions affected soldiers and civilians. They will practice source analysis, compare how different media represent human cost, generate and refine investigable questions, and create an initial visual response that begins linking historical evidence to artistic interpretation.
Days 7 - 16
Evidence Collection
Students will collect, evaluate, and organize evidence for their World War I investigation by working with letters, speeches, policies, casualty data, photographs, and historical analysis. They will strengthen source evaluation and citation habits, build visible evidence logs tied to a developing claim, test the completeness of their evidence through peer critique, and complete a checkpoint showing they are ready to move into pattern analysis.
Days 27 - 36
Analysis Checkpoint
Students will audit their WWI source records for credibility and traceability, code evidence for recurring themes across soldiers’ and civilians’ experiences, test whether patterns support or complicate their working claims, and produce a draft evidence map or data visualization that prepares them to write stronger conclusions and create historically grounded art.
Days 37 - 45
Conclusions & Share
Students will finalize evidence-based conclusions about how World War I leadership decisions affected soldiers and civilians, translate their interpretation into original artwork, test both products through critique, and prepare concise public-facing explanations grounded in corroborated sources, limitations, and empathy.
Days 46 - 54
Showcase
Students will finalize and present their World War I research papers, original artworks, and exhibit materials to a public audience, then reflect on how their investigation and creative choices communicate the human impact of wartime government decisions.
Days 55 - 60