The EPS Unit Guide Explained
A typical EPS unit consists of eight class periods, and follows a sequence of introducing a concept and inquiry, investigating it by isolating the two kinds of sources—secondary and primary—and assessing understanding through different means. Once this style of delivering instruction is mastered, planning lessons becomes an easy, “plug-and-play” experience.
This abbreviated tutorial simplifies what is explained in full, through webinars presented in 2024, going through how to carry out a lesson for each class of an EPS unit.
Class 1: Introduction to the Unit
1) Organize class into theme groups
2) Introduce unit guide and inquiry questions
3) Vocabulary sort activity to build Terms and People to Know database
4) Set up Homework 1 and discuss predictions
Class 2: Use Secondary Sources to learn Terms and People to Know and develop a response to the inquiry.
A standard lesson plan for this class follows this sequence:
1) Evaluate a secondary source as a class (20 minutes)
2) Assign groups to evaluate another secondary source together (15 minutes)
3) Assign individuals to evaluate a third secondary source on their own (15 minutes)
4) Students report out to groups (5 minutes), groups report out to the rest of the class (15-20 minutes)
The secondary source column of the database/bibliography should be updated by the end of the class (5 minutes)
Class 3: Use Primary Sources to learn Terms and People to Know and develop a response to the inquiry.
A standard lesson plan for this class follows this sequence:
1) Evaluate a primary source as a class (20 minutes)
2) Assign groups to evaluate another primary source together (15 minutes)
3) Assign individuals to evaluate a third primary source on their own (15 minutes)
4) Students report out to groups (5 minutes), groups report out to the rest of the class (15-20 minutes)
The primary source column of the database/bibliography should be updated by the end of the class (5 minutes)
Additional primary source-centered lesson plans appropriate for class 3 can be found below, but each one relies on the use and completion of the PSA form.