Jesse Schmidbauer
Grade 6
Social Studies
Time Required: 60 to 90 minutes
Objectives: Student will be able to identify, analyze and draw conclusions based on Hammurabi’s Code by comparing it to laws through responses to short answers and essay formats.
Common Core Standard: Historical Literacy
2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary of secondary resource with respect to the context or topic of a document.
Anticipatory Set: 5 minutes
1.
Students will be shown a picture of the relief of Hammurabi receiving laws from Shamash.
(picture here) http://www.flickr.com/photos/savingfutures/8124845798/in/photostream/
2. Teacher will ask the students to identify Hammurabi and explain that Shamash is a god handing down laws.
3. Students and teacher will have a quick discussion, reminder and comparison of story of the Moses and the 10 commandments and other laws.
Direct Instruction: 15 to 20 minutes
4. Teacher will ask the students the function of laws in society.
5. Students will engage in a short teacher led discussion.
6. Teacher will hand out worksheet with information giving the background information of what
Hammurabi’s Code is and have laws from the code written on it. (Laws are found at http://www.commonlaw.com/Hammurabi.html
)
7. Students and teacher will read the hand out together and discuss.
8. Teachers will read with the students several of the laws.
9. Teacher will discuss the laws and solicit student response.
10. Teacher will ask students to compare them to any laws they may know of or previously discussed.

11. Teacher and students will discuss these comparisons.
Guided Practice: 5- 10 minutes
12. Teacher will model through a think a loud and discuss the following five questions centering around one law that has been read. 1. Do you know of similar laws? 2. What part of life does this law affect?
3. Whom is this law designed to benefit or be protected? 4. Why do you think this law was created?
5. What kinds of behaviors does the law prevent?
13. Teacher will ask these questions of these students.
Closure: 5 minutes
14. Teacher will play the following video on a computer with projector http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB_l-uQB5XQ and discuss with students.
Independent Practice: 10 -20 minutes (or more)
15. On separate sheet of paper students with answer those same five questions on individually assigned laws. (amount of and the specifically assigned laws will differentiated based on ability- Students may be placed in groups and may be assigned for homework)
Required Materials and Equipment:
Handouts with laws from Hammurabi’s code
Picture of the relief of Hammurabi and Shamash
Pens and paper computer with projector
Assessment and Follow-up:
Student will be asked to do a Venn diagram or T-chart of several of the laws discussed and assigned.
REFLECTION

Lesson taught week of 10/20/2012 in a 6 th grade class of 16 male students.
The lesson went well for the most part. Time seemed to be the greatest hindrance to student success. Much of the lesson seemed rushed. The lesson was planned to be taught in one 45 minute period but was barely covered in two. I underestimated the level of modeling and discussion needed to go over the laws. The students seemed to be interested in the topic so behavior issues were not too bad. However, I had to keep the students from going on tangents. I had to keep getting them to focus during discussion. They easily related it to the story of the Ten Commandments but struggled with the idea of prescribed punishments. The “eye for an eye” example was discussed at great length especially when comparing to modern laws the students knew of. The independent practice proved to be challenging for some. I feel that the some students did not have the background knowledge to excel in the task. Some students just were not familiar with laws of today. I tried to assign students whom needed it to small groups but this led to some students being more distracted. The lesson was designed to fit in with a larger unit on Mesopotamia and its famous empires and rulers of the ancient world. It fit in seamlessly.