Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

1

Students will be able to investigate how Islamic beliefs, scholarship, and institutions shaped medieval cities, art, science, architecture, and daily life using primary and secondary sources to build evidence-based claims.

2

Students will be able to analyze how water systems in medieval civilizations supported settlement, farming, and trade by comparing irrigation, canals, and access to water across sources.

3

Students will be able to trace how merchants, pilgrims, scholars, and travelers moved people and ideas across medieval regions and influenced cultural exchange.

4

Students will be able to compare how two or more sources present the same medieval topic by identifying different evidence, perspectives, and interpretations.

5

Students will be able to formulate focused investigable questions and revise them through peer feedback to narrow a historical inquiry.

6

Students will be able to collect and organize evidence in inquiry notes, source annotations, and data logs to support a defensible claim.

7

Students will be able to justify conclusions about why Islam, water, and movement of people and ideas still matter today by connecting medieval patterns to local water systems and community life.

Products

individual

Medieval Worlds Investigation Notebook

A research notebook that documents question development, source notes, evidence logs, comparison charts, and personal analysis from the investigation. It shows how each student built and refined a claim about Islam, water, and movement in medieval civilizations.

team

Medieval Worlds Museum Night Exhibit and Curator Presentation

A collaborative museum-style exhibit with labeled replicas, maps, visualizations, and recorded narration that synthesizes team evidence into a shared conclusion. The exhibit must explain the historical claim, acknowledge conflicting or anomalous findings, and connect the investigation to local water systems today.

Rubric
Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric
Category
Learning Goal
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
  • I can ask a clear question about how belief systems, water access, and movement of people and ideas shaped medieval cities, and I can find a few relevant sources to begin answering it
  • I can record what I notice from sources and use the information to support a basic claim.
  • I can revise my question into a focused researchable problem and generate 1–2 related follow-up questions to explore multiple angles
  • I can compare evidence across several sources, note how different authors or texts emphasize different details, and use that evidence to explain my reasoning in a short research response.
  • I can synthesize evidence from multiple sources (including primary/secondary excerpts and visuals) to build an interpretation of how ideas and events interacted in medieval settings
  • I can test my claim by checking it against the evidence, analyze how context affects what sources show, and propose next-step questions for deeper investigation.
  • I can independently develop and refine a strong, testable research question and pursue several focused avenues of inquiry to answer it
  • I can evaluate the reliability and purpose of sources, integrate patterns from texts and media to produce a nuanced claim, and justify how my conclusion connects medieval evidence to our local water-system questions.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Effective Communication
  • I can share my ideas clearly in group discussions by building on others’ comments and expressing my claim about medieval Islam and water patterns using evidence I found in the evidence kit or readings.
  • I can communicate my research with a clear, organized explanation by connecting multiple sources (maps, diagrams, quotes, and excerpts) and adding a few focused follow-up questions to guide further investigation.
  • I can present findings using multimedia and visuals (labels, maps, diagrams, narration) to emphasize key points, and I can revise my explanation after peer feedback using stronger evidence and clearer connections to the essential question.
  • I can act as a curator by delivering a polished, audience-aware museum-style interpretation that analyzes how sources differ in what they emphasize, and I can explain why the medieval water/ideas connections still matter in my community with accurate, well-integrated evidence.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Collaboration
  • I can participate respectfully in my group during class discussions by listening, taking turns, and sharing my ideas about the evidence we gathered from the quest materials
  • I can help complete assigned roles (notes, map annotation, or labels) using a shared plan.
  • I can collaborate by building on my peers’ ideas during seminar circles and gallery-walk peer review, using feedback to improve our exhibit pieces
  • I can share clear questions for our research (and record new follow-up questions) that connect Islamic beliefs, water access, and movement of people and ideas.
  • I can co-design and refine our museum exhibit with my team by making shared decisions, resolving differences productively, and ensuring our claims are supported by multiple sources
  • I can help organize multimedia/visual components (maps, diagrams, narration stations) so our group’s key points are easy for visitors to understand.
  • I can lead collaboration by coordinating group workflow, encouraging equitable participation, and using evidence-based revisions across draft and final exhibit materials
  • I can integrate diverse perspectives to strengthen our connection between medieval patterns and today’s local water system, and I can translate our learning into curator-style guidance for visitors.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Content Expertise
  • I can use the evidence from the mystery kit and class sources to answer my assigned question and identify key facts about Islamic beliefs, water systems, and city life, with help from my team.
  • I can conduct short research to answer my question using several sources, and I can generate focused follow-up questions to explore additional connections (beliefs ↔ institutions ↔ water access ↔ movement of people).
  • I can draw evidence from informational texts (and the sources my group selects) to build and revise claims, comparing how different authors or sources emphasize different evidence and explaining how ideas and events connect to medieval city life.
  • I can independently synthesize research and media-research insights to create a museum-quality explanation that analyzes relationships between time/place context and the artwork or information (including community-based connections), and I can clearly support my conclusions with well-chosen evidence and multiple perspectives.
Deeper Learning Competencies
Academic Mindset
  • I can keep trying when I’m unsure and use project evidence (maps, quotes, diagrams, partner demos) to explain my thinking with help, asking at least one focused question to guide my next steps.
  • I can independently choose questions and revise my ideas based on new evidence from multiple sources, using feedback from gallery walks or discussions to improve clarity and relevance to the essential question.
  • I can sustain a research and exhibit-building routine by connecting patterns across sources (and comparing medieval and local water systems), explaining how my claims grew and changing my work when evidence leads me to a better interpretation.
  • I can lead my learning by generating insightful follow-up questions, evaluating which evidence best supports my interpretation, and refining my multimedia exhibit so it accurately reflects the time/place context and clearly shows why this history still matters today.