(CORRECTIONS IN RED)
Kevin Hagan,
Lesson #1
Title: Ancient Egypt: The Middle Kingdom
Class: 9th Grade: World History (Actually used in a middle school social studies classroom)
Date: 9/12/11
Student Objectives:
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Through the critical analysis of Egyptian society and the use of a “SmartBoard” in showing the
country of Egypt, the students will hopefully better understand the importance of Egypt.
The students will create a Wordle while using all the Main and Big Ideas, along with definitions
in order to initiate a discussion about the Middle Kingdom but also through the use of Wordle
the student will be creating their own study guide.
Content Standards: (taken from the Illinois Learning Standards)
18. B.3a Analyze how individuals and groups interact with and within institutions (e.g.,
educational, military).
18. B.3b Explain how social institutions contribute to the development and transmission of
culture.
16. D.1 (W) Identify how customs and traditions from around the world influence the social
community.
16. A. 4a Analyze and report historical events to determine cause-and-effect relationships
16. A. 4b Compare competing historical interpretations of an event
Materials:
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Online-Text Book
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Notes to be projected on the screen
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Should have used Smart Board’s internet access to do possible discussions on article on the
internet.
1. I feel that a major weakness is in the materials used. Although our cooperating teacher gives us
access to the online textbook it still lacks a lot in the area of usage of technology.
2. If the classroom I observed at had a “SmartBoard”, I feel that the lesson I and my colleagues
presented would be a lot more interesting. Possibly we could have had the students come up
to the front and write on the “Smartboard” the important definitions and the main ideas of the
chapter. Also we should have increased the amount of critical thinking activities. This is
something that would be modified for a high school class.
3. Also, after using Wordle, I feel that I could have used the World in my Weebly (Ancient EgyptMiddle Kingdom) and had them make a Wordle with all the main ideas of the chapter. They
could also use the Wordle to study for a test because it would have all the most important ideas
and definitions in it.
4. Also, using the “Smartboard” would be great in showing the country of Egypt and writing on the
map important places, important aspects of the Nile and its surrounding areas.
Teachers Goals:
Teacher will help the students learn about the importance of the Middle Kingdom and Egyptian
Society. I want to focus on developing critical thinking skills by analysis of different perspectives and
comparing it to the past, present and future in order to develop an intelligent picture.
Time
2 minutes
Introduction of Lesson:
Teacher will introduce the lesson, stating the big and main ideas of the chapter and have
the students create a Wordle using the main and big ideas along with the definitions.
20-30
minutes
Lesson Instruction:
2 minutes
Assessments/Checks for Understanding:
Teacher will give a mini-lecture about the Middle Kingdom and the causes for its decline
and fall. We will then critically think about the causes for decline in the realms of
politics, military, economic and social. In this part, I will present a map of Egypt through
the use of the SmartBoard and have students write on the map presenting important
cities and artifacts. Teacher will give students enough time to copy down the key terms
for this section. (If they do not want to just rely on the Wordle). The terms can also be
found in their textbooks in chapter 4, section 3 if they don’t finish copying them down.
Teacher will ask if the students have any questions.
10-20
minutes
Closure/Wrap-Up/Review:
Teacher will reinforce the importance of the Middle Kingdom, saying that it is important
for the students to learn about the Middle Kingdom because it is influential in the
formation of future civilizations. As a class we will discuss the importance of this time in
history as a whole but try to compare it with the past and possibly discuss the future in
order to try and present cause and effect relationships.
PART 4:
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I may have addressed it above but the main problem was the fact that the students do not
retain information or stay concentrated when I just lecture in the front of the class. My
cooperating teacher always stresses that we need to have the students write notes so they pay
attention but through my past experiences and by analysis of the students reactions about
taking notes, I feel that if I integrated the use of a”SmartBoard” and Wordle, the students will be
more interested in the topic and because they actually get to come up in the front of class and
write their own notes.
I think these technologies would address my problem because they will keep the students active
in the class and keeping a student active will enhance learning and understanding but also
maintain discipline in the class because they will not be bored.
This integration of technology meets the needs of diversified learners because many learn
better when they see visuals and these activities will actually keep the interest of the students.
If some students do not learn better with the technology integrated they still have their
textbooks in which they can read and in which most of the information for the lesson is from.
If this lesson was presented in a high school classroom, specifically a freshman “World History”
class, there would be more of an emphasis trying to create a critical picture of history. Although
this is important for middle school students, obviously the level of comprehension should
increase as the student furthers his academic career.