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Unit Plan 1: Introduction to PsychologyOverviewThe primary purpose of this unit is to provide students with the relevant schematic framework with which they will be able to think more critically about research we encounter later in the course. Students are new to this subject and so have little context for how to approach the study of psychology. As understanding studies is a key part of this course, the main aim is for students to understand the purpose of experimental studies in psychology. These will also be explored in more depth later in the course after students have solid grounding in the subject.Duration10 Lessons/hours(8 content lessons following the textbook, 1 review, 1 test) Major Assessment/sPost-unit Test The test will compose of four parts:Key termsShort answer questions Identifying parts of an experimentDesigning an experiment There is a sample in the student workbookUnderlying conceptual understandingsExperimental studies in psychology compare results from different groups to draw conclusions about the effects of variables on behaviour.Knowledge in psychology is drawn from empirical evidence gathered in studies.Key TermsPsychology, Mental process, Cognition, Behaviour, Empirical evidence, Independent variable, Dependent variable, Treatment group, Control group, Causation, Correlation, Extraneous variable, Confounding variable, Negative correlation, Positive correlation, Phenomenon,Key resources required Student copies of the textbook, IB Psychology: A Student’s Guide (available here)Student copies of the workbook (here)Google slideshow (to be completed)Blog resources (here)Topics & Lessons(In order)This is Chapter One in IB Psychology: A Student’s Guide (pp08-28) Topics in this UnitLessons for Each Topic1.1 Introduction to PsychologyBehaviour and Mental processesStudying IndividualsPsychologists are Scientific 1.2 Psychological StudiesVariables and relationships Applying Conclusions CausationCorrelation1.3 Psychological Theories Psychological Theories See topic plans ic 1.1: Introduction to Psychology3 LessonsConceptual understanding (for the topic)Psychology is the study of how and why variables influence human behaviour and mental processes. Empirical research is integral to this approach.Learning outcomes (for the topic) Level One: Knowing Define key terms (see below)Level Two: UnderstandingExplain how psychologists try to study behaviour and mental processes.Level Three: Critical thinkingCompare and contrast psychology with other subjects.Key termsPsychology, Mental process, Cognition, Behaviour, Empirical evidenceGuiding QuestionsLesson a: Why do psychologists study behaviour and mental processes?Lesson b: How is psychology different from other social sciences, such as anthropology and sociology?Lesson c: Why is a scientific approach important when studying individual behaviour and/or cognitive processes?Assessment TasksFormativeKey terms traffic lights Consolidation activities at the start of each lessonStudent workbook activitiesWritten answers to guiding questions SummativeKey terms traffic lights (in workbook)Test (see workbook for example)Lesson 1.1 (a): Behaviour and Mental ProcessesLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Define: psychology, behaviour and mental processes (knowing).Differentiate: between behaviour and cognition (i.e. mental processes) (understanding).Explain: why psychologists study behaviour and mental processes (understanding).Explain: examples of behaviours that don’t quite fit as behaviors or mental processes (critical thinking).Lesson SequenceConsolidateFirst lesson of the course, so there is no consolidationBrain dump on an A4 page that just says - psychology (find it here). Students write down everything that comes to mind when they think of this. This will be kept on file and used later when we study “schema theory.” Submit when finished.Distribute textbooks. Students put names in and can keep these. Encourage active reading with highlighting and note taking. Draw attention to glossary at the back.HookRead introduction page in textbook, page 9 (take note of reading speed)Once finished reading come and collect workbooks. All students work on “Key Terms Traffic Lights” (instructions here) and complete until finished.Fast finishers: read the Preface on page 5 of the textbook and flick through the textbook to get familiar with content and structure. All students need to be finished key terms preassessment before moving on to the next task.Pair-teaching key terms: students rove about the room and find someone who has a red term that is green for them. They are to try to teach one-another the terms that they know (5 minutes).Slideshow explanation - the definition of psychology, including definitions of behaviour and mental processes.ActivityPairs to Fours with Behaviour and Mental ProcessesStudents work in pairs and small groups to list as many behaviours and mental processes as they can think of, as well as seeing which ones are difficult to categorize. They also discuss the lesson’s guiding question “why do psychologists study behaviour and mental processes.”Find the full explanation here on the blog Check-inCheck-in: Workbook Guiding Question: Students answer the guiding question in their workbooks and show me their answers.Remedial: If they are struggling with an answer they can read the textbook lesson - 1.1(a). ExtendFast finishers can watch the “Introduction to Psychology” video, or keep flicking through the textbook and read whatever appeals to them.ReflectExplain to students that completing homework is often up to them, depending on where they got to in the lesson. Lesson 1.1 (b): Studying IndividualsLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Explain why we must be careful when making generalizations from studies in psychology (understanding).Explain how psychology is different to other social sciences, such as anthropology and sociology (understanding).Explain how a psychologist might study the brain differently from a biologist (critical thinking).Lesson SequenceConsolidateWhiteboard recap: students write definitions to the following on mini-whiteboards:PsychologyBehaviour Cognition HookBrainstorm all the examples of violence students can think of (space in workbook).Think-pair-share: Why are people violent? Why does Japan have a much lower crime rate than the USA? Use the powerpoint to introduce the fact that southern American states have higher violence than northern states.ActivityActing and UnderstandingStep one: Students read the study summary in the workbook and in groups of four they try to re-enact the procedure and the results (1 x bumper, 1 x chicken target, 2 x participants - 1 from north and 1 from south). Show me their acting when they think they can do this.Step two: Students read the summary of Cohen’s culture of honor study (in workbook) and then answer the question on the relevant page (see blog post also)Teacher Note: The purpose of this activity is to spot and correct definitive statements and overgeneralizations.Step three: students read lesson (b) in the textbook (page 13 - 14). If they need to, they can make amendments to their original answer using the examples on page 13 to guide them.Check-inWorkbook guiding questionStudents show me their workbooks with their amended answer (if needed) and their answer to the guiding question.ExtendTry answering the abstraction extension in the textbook (there’s space in the workbook for this). ReflectLast five minutes explain the importance of language in their answers. Lesson 1.1 (c): Psychologists are ScientificLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Outline what is meant by “a scientific approach.” (knowing).Explain why a scientific approach is important when studying psychology (understanding).Apply the scientific approach to solve a problem (critical thinking)Lesson SequenceConsolidateUnderstanding through RelatingUse this image to compare: behaviour and cognition. Pair Discuss: post these questions on the board (or slideshow) and students have two minutes to discuss their answers in pairs/threes.Why do we make generalizations in psychology?Why do we need to be careful when making generalizations in psychology?HookWatch Ben Ambridge’s video “10 Myths about Psychology debunked” (near the bottom of this page).As students watch they’re trying to answer this question: why are studies important in psychology? They share their answers to the question after the video ends and then we discuss as a class.ActivityActivity #1: Problem solving in groups - growing tomatoes (can read the post on the blog here).Step One: Introduce the problem using the slideshow. It is also written in student workbooks.Step Two: Students work in pairs/threes to come up with a solution to the problem. Show me when they’re done.Fast Finishers: Read textbook lesson 1.1 (c) Step Three: When all groups have finished we discuss as a class. Be sure to explain the scientific approach.Step Four: Still working in groups, students can then discuss questions related to human behaviour and/or cognition that they’d be curious to find the answers to. Discuss as a class.Activity #2: Empirical versus Anecdotal dataStep One: Explain the difference between empirical and anecdotal data using the powerpoint. Step Two: Students (still working in groups) read through the examples in the workbook (pg8) and follow the instructions, including writing an answer to the question about what type of evidence is more credible. There’s an additional explanation of the differences between anecdotal and empirical evidence in the workbook.Check-inAnswer the guiding question on pg 8 in the workbook. If they need help they can read the textbook p15-16. ExtendAs usual, fast finishers can tackle the abstraction extension (all found on pg. 15). They could read ahead to the reference sections of the introduction if they wanted to.ReflectFive minute discussion about the importance of the scientific method in psychology. Topic 1.2: Psychological Studies4 LessonsConceptual understanding (for the topic)Psychological experiments are designed to investigate the relationships between variables and behaviour. Correlation does not mean causation.Learning outcomes (for the topic) Level One: Knowing Define key terms (see box above)Describe the experimental method. Identify key components of an experiment (e.g IV, DV, extraneous variables, etc.) Level Two: UnderstandingExplain how quantitative studies deepen our understanding of psychology. Level Three: Critical thinkingExplain possible limitations in the use of quantitative studies.Design an experiment that investigates a question or problem.Key termsIndependent variable, Dependent variable, Treatment group, Control group, Causation, Correlation, Extraneous variable, Confounding variable, Negative correlation, Positive correlation, Phenomenon,Guiding QuestionsWhat’s the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable?How does understanding relationships between variables assist in applying conclusions in psychology?How can laboratory experiments demonstrate causational relationships?What is the difference between causation and correlation in psychological studies?What do psychological studies and theories have in common?Assessment TasksFormativeKey terms traffic lights Consolidation activities at the start of each lessonAnswers to guiding questions for each lessonSummativeKey terms traffic lights Test (see workbook for example)Lesson 2.1 (a): Variables and RelationshipsLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Define the terms independent and dependent variable (knowing)Explain the difference between an IV and a DV (understanding)Explain why psychology could be considered a natural and/or a social science (critical thinking)Lesson SequenceConsolidateMini whiteboards: students diagram the steps they remember from the scientific approach. Q&A about anything so far in the course. HookWatch the first 6 minutes of this BBC documentary “Human Instincts” to show the males versus females replication of the Florida study on differences in response to sexual offers. After the video, use the slideshow to explain the concept of an IV and a DV.Think-pair-share: Students try to recall IVs and DVs in science experiments they’ve conducted (perhaps from their Grade 6 science fair).ActivityIdentifying IVs and DVs (workbook)Step One: In pairs, complete the activity on pg.9 of the workbook where students have to identify the IVs and DVs from a range of studies. Allow 10 minutes.Fast finishers: show me their answers and if they’re correct they can move on to the next task which is to state the aim of the experiments (on page 10 of the workbook).Step Two: discuss answers as a class. Step Three: students write the answer to the guiding question (in their workbooks). If they’re unsure or need help, they can read the textbook section 1.2 (a). Check-inStudents show me the answer to their guiding question once it’s completed. Remedial: partner up a fast finisher with someone who is struggling and have them explain the difference between an IV and a DV.ExtendStudents can watch the crash course video “Research and Experimentation” or can tackle the abstraction extension.ReflectStudents who didn’t quite finish can make a note in their planners for homework. Show students the crash course video (where to find it on youtube) if they want to watch to deepen their understanding.Lesson 2.1 (b): Applying ConclusionsLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Define key terms: participants, procedures, treatment and control groups (knowing).Explain how understanding the relationship between an IV and a DV can help draw conclusions in psychology (understanding).Explain the limitations of conducting controlled experiments in psychology (critical thinking).Lesson SequenceConsolidateThree levels of questions: Students discuss the following three questions (in order, starting from the green and moving to the red) that are in their workbooks:What’s the difference between an IV and a DV?Why is it important to have an IV and a DV in a psychology experiment?In psychology studies, do you think “behaviour” is more commonly the IV or the DV? HookMaking predictions: Have students in groups discuss this problem: if criminal and related behaviours (e.g. aggression, violence) are the dependent variable, as is often the case in criminology studies, what do you think some of the independent variables might be? In other words, what variables are influencing criminal behaviour? There’s a space in the workbook for students to jot down ideas.ActivityGroup Challenge: Understanding Studies(can be found here on the blog)Step one: Put students in groups of four. They are going to be giving four studies from the criminology unit (summaries can be found on the blog and are linked below). They have 15 minutes to be able to write a one sentence conclusion about each study. It might pay to briefly explain that the conclusion from an experiment is how an IV is affecting a DV.Remedial: after a few minutes of working on this task, if it’s clear students are lost or have no idea of how to write a conclusion, halt the activity and demonstrate an example, but let them have a crack at it first.After twenty minutes, students will be randomly called on to state the conclusion from the study. They should be something along these lines.Teaching note: these studies and conclusions are oversimplified for the purposes of this activity and bearing in mind where students are at with their understanding of research in psychology. Don’t worry about the definitive language so much at this stage (e.g. when they say it does influence a behaviour as opposed to it might influence a behaviour).Check-inThe informal check-in can happen with spot checks around the class - ask students to state the conclusion without looking at their notes.Teaching note: It’s likely that groups will adopt the approach of dividing the work and then not bothering to understand each other’s studies, but just copying the conclusions. If this happens, use this as a teaching point to emphasize the need for asking each other questions and understanding what is being covered, not just completing the task. Instruct students to read this lesson in the textbook and leave their workbooks open. Have a rove while they’re reading and check-in on their work. ExtendReading - fast finishers can read sections in the textbook if they’re interested or more on the blog (perhaps watching some of the videos, like the one with Molly Crockett in the serotonin study page). ReflectRemind students to use the guiding questions as their guide through the course - if they can answer these questions they’re fine, if they can’t they need to work harder and seek help outside of regular class hours.2.1 (c): CausationLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Define key terms: controls, confounding and extraneous variables (knowing).Explain how laboratory (true) experiments can demonstrate causational relationships (understanding).Identify examples of relationships between variables that could not be studied in a laboratory (Critical thinking).Lesson SequenceConsolidateVerbal tennis(find explanation here)Q&AHookThe hook is the activity as it’s problem-based learning.ActivityRememberol PBLStep one: Pose the problem to the class using the powerpoint slides. The problem is that I’ve developed a new drug called Rememberol that I think can help improve memory and so it will be really popular to sell to IB students and others. How can I test that it works?Step two: Students work in groups of three to design an experiment to test the drug. Step three: They are to identify the aim, IV and DV of the experiment.Check-point: if they are on the right track, they move forward. If not, provide guidance and feedback.Fast Finishers: For the next step in this activity it’s important that the class is at the same pace, so while fast groups wait for others to catch up they can read lesson 1.2 (c) in the textbook and even watch this video on the placebo effect as well. Step five: Class discussion: share out ideas for how the groups would test if the drug works.Step six: Explain the concept of “extraneous variables.” Step seven: Students work in groups to identify the possible extraneous variables in their experiments and figure out how they would control for them. Fast Finishers: Answer the guiding question in their notebooks followed by the treatment and control groups table.Final steps: Class share extraneous variables and how they could be controlled. I explain what a laboratory experiment is and how they can be used to determine causational relationships (i.e. by controlling for all extraneous variables and isolating the IV as the only variable affecting the DV).Check-inAnswer guiding question in workbookExtendAbstraction extension: there’s space in the workbook for this.ReflectRemind students to be keeping up with the key terms vocabulary and that if they don’t finish the guiding question in class, they should be completing this at home. Lesson 2.1 (d): CorrelationLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Define key terms: correlation, positive and negative correlation (knowing). Explain the difference between causation and correlation in psychology (understanding)Explain causational and correlational conclusions from example studies (critical thinking).Lesson SequenceConsolidateCrossword puzzle: (in workbook)HookWatch this clip from 8:25secs to 10:30secs. Pose these question: What conclusion can you make from this study?I’m hoping someone would say something like, “if we switch our browser we’ll do better at our job.” This is a good point to discuss re: thinking critically about studies and why it’s important to distinguish between correlation and causation.Why do chrome and firefox users outperform safari and explorer?Explain to the students how this is correlation, not causation.Blog post for this activity can be found here.Hook #2: Allow students some time to check out the graphs on the website: (in workbooks)Get students to look at correlational results and see if they could come up with two explanations. See blog post here: Give students a list of quasi experiments and correlational studies. They draw the obvious conclusion and then look at other possible factors that could explain the relationship:Brain injury and aggressionAmount of violent TVFish and depression Neglect and brain developmentChild abuse and adult antisocial behaviour More people living in a city the less helpful people arePeople who meditate for longer have more developed prefrontal cortices (the parts of the brain that help us concentrate)Share responses after 15 minutes.Fast finishers can move on to answering guiding question. Students answer the guiding question. They can read if they are struggling with the answers.Check-inRead students answers to the guiding question. The class discuss about the above correlations are also an indication of how well they comprehend the concepts.ExtendStudents can identify (space in workbooks) if the correlations in the studies are positive or negative. ReflectStudents need to be making notes of key terms each lesson that they’re not quite comprehending or if they’re not getting the guiding question finished.1.3 (a): Psychological TheoriesLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Define key terms:psychological theory and model (knowing). Explain the similarities between psychological studies and theories (understanding)Explain the differences between psychological theories and models (understanding).Lesson SequenceConsolidateAll students recap by identifying if the studies we looked at yesterday were positive or negative correlations. 5 minutes. Those students that have already completed this can use the time to review key terms from the unit and to be writing examples in the space provided in the workbook. HookWatch this video. While they’re watching they have to be thinking about two things:What patterns do they notice?What explanations can they come up with to explain those patterns?Students will hopefully identify that: a) most wars are happening in Europe and b) there are increasing wars as the timeline continued. Share out as a class the patterns first before discussing explanations so all students can have a chance at coming up with explanations. ActivityStudents read the three sample theories on page 26 and discuss what they think studies and theories have in common. They then read the full lesson 1.3 (a) “Psychological Theories.” They write their answer in the workbook and show me once they’ve finished. Check-inStudents show me their answers to the guiding question once they’ve finished. ExtendStudents refer to the comparison of models and theories in the workbook and they can complete the venn diagram. ReflectStudents make notes of what they need to review for their test. They have one lesson review before the test.Review LessonLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Review content from the unit.Review Activity Ideas Explain the three steps to learning anything as a whole class.Traffic lights review (in workbook, and see lesson idea here).Jeopardy (can find on the blog here).Practice test (students can find in the workbook).Kahoot (can find it here).Students can review terms and content in their workbooks independently. They may want to complete guiding questions they didn’t get a chance to answer, and/or ask questions of me individually. Test LessonLearning outcomes (for the lesson) Complete post-unit testTest Instructions There are four parts to the test (There is a sample in the student workbook)Key termsStudents write definitions of key termsShort answer questions These are guiding questions (or similar) and students write answers to. These are checking for understanding. Identifying parts of an experimentA brief summary of an experiment is provided and students identify aspects like the IV, DV, controls, etc.Designing an experiment This is assessing critical and creative thinking as students have to design their own experiment that would investigate a real-life problem. The problem they will be given is something like, “Do sports drink improve athletic performance?” They need to figure out how to test this.If students finish early they can review their workbooks, nap, or read ahead on Criminology (or any other part of the textbook that they want). ................
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