Download Lesson Plan Format – MSSE 570/470/571/471

SOCIAL STUDIES
Lesson Plan Format – MSSE 570/470/571/471
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/08
Name: Alex Lagoda
Date: 10-23-08
Original / Revision
103979656
Subject/Class: World History Grade Level: 10 Topic: The Mesopotamian Civilization (90 minutes)
NCSS Strand # II: Time Continuity and Change; (c) identify and describe significant historical
periods and patterns of change within and across cultures, such as the development of ancient cultures
and civilizations, the rise of nation-states, and social, economic, and political revolutions;
Substrands: # VI: Power Authority and Governance; (a) examine persistent issues involving the
rights, roles, and status of the individual in relation to the general welfare; (b) explain the purpose of
government and analyze how its powers are acquired, used, and justified;
#V: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions; (a) apply concepts such as role, status, and social class in
describing the connections and interactions of individuals, groups, and institutions in society;
Essential Questions/Big Ideas: [Can be unit focused rather than lesson specific, broad in scope;
questions worth pursuing which often relate to the students’ lives in some way.]
1. How did life around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers influence the civilization of the Fertile
Crescent?
2. Why did early civilizations develop a social hierarchy? What was its purpose?
3. How did civilization and the development of city-states lead to the development of a social
hierarchy and a patriarchal society?
4. What can we learn about ancient Babylonian Society from the Code of Hammurabi?
5. How do the laws in Code of Hammurabi compare to today’s idea of social justice and social
norms?
General Objective[s]:
Standard WHI.1: The students will improve skills in historical research and geographical analysis by
a) identifying, analyzing, and interpreting primary and secondary sources to make generalizations
about events and life in world history to 1500 A.D.;
b) using maps, globes, artifacts, and pictures to analyze the physical and cultural landscapes of the
world and interpret the past to 1500 A.D.;
c) identifying major geographic features important to the study of world history to 1500 A.D.;
Standard WHI.3: The students will demonstrate knowledge of ancient river valley civilizations,
including Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley, and China and the civilization of the Hebrews,
Phoenicians, and Kush, by
a) locating these civilizations in time and place;
b) describing the development of social, political, and economic patterns, including slavery;
c) explaining the development of religious traditions;
d) explaining the development of language and writing.
Learning Outcomes:
Understand…
 The structure, beliefs, and characteristics of ancient societies were influenced by the geographic
features, climate, and environment of the area in which they lived. (Comprehension)
 Ancient civilizations developed a social hierarchy for the purpose of allocating various jobs and
duties among social classes so as to create a functional society. (Comprehension)

The laws of a society are based on age-old traditions and norms of social conduct and social
justice. (Comprehension)
Know…
 The unpredictable flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers shaped the religion of the ancient
Sumerians and Babylonians; they believed that the gods must be kept happy in order to ward of
catastrophic floods and to ensure a good harvest, prosperity, and well being. (Analysis)
 The development of civilization and city-states resulted in the formation of a social hierarchy
and a patriarchal society; because different people needed to do different jobs in order to have a
functional society; and men ultimately became responsible for protecting their city-state and
rulers were chosen according to their abilities as military leaders. Analysis)
 The ancient Sumerians and Babylonians made major advances in learning including; writing
(cuneiform), mathematics, astronomy, medicine. (Knowledge)
 The Code of Hammurabi is the best preserved and most important ancient Mesopotamian code
of law; many precepts and ideas in modern democratic law date back to the Code of
Hammurabi, the code is sometimes thought of as the oldest known version of a constitution, in
which even a king was not able to change certain fundamental laws. (Knowledge)
Do…
 Identify Mesopotamia on map and explain how the geographic features of the region influenced
the civilization of the Fertile Crescent. (Analysis)
 Describe the Sumerian’s religious beliefs and view of the afterlife; how might the hardships of
living with the unpredictable and often catastrophic flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
have shaped their beliefs and outlook on life? (Analysis)
 Explain how the development of civilization and city-states resulted in the formation of a social
hierarchy and a patriarchal society. (Analysis)
 Analyze the Code of Hammurabi and see the similarities and differences between it and today’s
ideas of social justice and social norms. (Analysis)
Assessment: Methods of Evaluating Student Progress/Performance: First there will be a review of
the previous lesson; students will be asked to repeat the key things that they have learned about the
Egyptian civilization. Students will get a KWL graphic organizer with key terms that they will fill out
before, during, and after the lecture. Before the lecture students will have ten minutes to write down
what they already know about the key terms and what they would like to know. During the lecture
they are free to jot down other things that they would like to know. After the lecture they will have 10
minutes to write down what they have learned about the key terms. The teacher will ask questions
during the lecture to make sure that students are staying engaged. Students will also be doing a
worksheet on the Code of Hammurabi in which they will be writing down what they can learn about
Babylonian society by studying a few laws from the Code of Hammurabi. For homework students will
be comparing and contrasting the Flood Story from the Epic of Gilgamesh with the Biblical story of
Noah and the Ark. Gifted students who feel like they already have an understanding of the new
material going into the lesson will have the option of going to the library to do further research on the
Mesopotamian civilization instead of staying for the lecture. They will participate in filling out their
KWL before the lecture. They will show what they have written in their KWL to the instructor. If
what they have written down in their KWL confirms the fact that they are already fairly familiar with
the new material they will be allowed to go to the library to do independent research on the
Mesopotamian civilization. Specifically, they will be looking for information on Sumerian city-states,
prominent Sumerian rulers, and codes of law which predate the Code of Hammurabi, such as the code
of Ur-Nammu, the Laws of Eshnunna, and the codex of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin. They will be instructed to
return in half an hour for the Code of Hammurabi guided practice activity.
Content Outline:
a. Hook
b. Review
 Ancient Egypt
c. Lecture
 The Mesopotamian Civilization
1. Mesopotamia: “the land between the rivers,” also called the Fertile Crescent.
 The Sumerians
 The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
2. Floods and Irrigation
 Just as the Nile was vital to the survival of the Egyptians, the Tigris and the Euphrates were
the lifeblood of the Sumerians.
 Unlike the Nile, the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates was unpredictable and often
catastrophic.
 The Epic of Gilgamesh, story of the Great Flood.
3. The First Cities
 Southern Mesopotamia- Ur, Erech, Eridu.
 Few natural resources, built with sundried brick.
 Trade
 Use of the wheel
4. Government and Society
 Hierarchy
 Ruler
I.
Led armies into battle with other city-states
II.
Seen as the chief servant of the gods
III.
Responsible for maintaining the city walls and the irrigation system
 High class
o Leading Officials and high priests
 Middle class
o Lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
 Lower class
a. Peasant farmers- Majority of the people
 Slaves
o Most captured in war
o Some sold themselves into slavery to pay off debts
 Role of Women
o Patriarchal Society: As city-states grew men became more responsible for protecting
and maintaining them.
o Male gods replaced the Mother-goddess
o Women became more dependent on men, but upper-class women still engaged in trade
and owned property
5. Religion
 Polytheistic
 Believed that the gods must be kept happy in order to ward of catastrophic floods and to ensure
a good harvest, prosperity, and well being.

Ziggurat
6.




Advances in Learning
Cuneiform
Mathematics
Astronomy
Medicine
7.



The Code of Hammurabi
First important attempt by a ruler to Codify law.
Most of the laws had been around for centuries, Hammurabi codified them.
The code is unusually strict by today’s standards but it did set down the fundamental principles
of crime and punishment.
Punishment varied according to the class of the person—hierarchy
Criminal Law
Civil Law



d. KWL: Key Terms graphic organizer
e. Guided Practice: Code of Hammurabi worksheet
f. Whole-class activity: discussing Code of Hammurabi worksheet
g. Introduce Homework Assignment
DEAN CHART
vocab. word
City-state
Cuneiform
D=define
Cities which
exerted political
and economic
control over the
surrounding
countryside.
E=examples
Ur, Lagash,
Uruk, Eridu.
“Wedge-shaped,” Writing on the
a system of
cone of
writing
Uruinimgina.
developed by the
Sumerians using
A=attributes
Basic units of
Sumerian
civilization,
Surrounded by a
wall, dwellings
were crammed
together, the
temple was the
central and most
prominent
building, Ruled
by a king who
maintained an
army and
protected his
subjects.
Pictograms,
Words are
represented by
simple pictures.
N=non-examples
Roman Empire,
Babylonian
Empire, A
country or
nation-state; Iraq,
Israel, United
States, Russia.
Cyrillic.
Ziggurat
a reed stylus to
create wedgeshaped
impressions on a
clay tablet.
(Spielvogel 784).
Pyramid-like
temple dedicated
to the chief god
or goddess of an
ancient Sumerian
city-state (Ellis
1021).
Ziggurat of Ur
Codify
To arrange and
set down in
writing (Ellis
1014).
Code of
Hammurabi
Hierarchy
System of
ranking people
within a society
(Ellis 1016).
Rulers, Nobles,
Priests, Freemen, slaves.
Like everything
else it was
constructed of
sun-dried brick.
The pyramid-like
temple was
supposed to give
the illusion of a
stairway to
heaven upon
which gods could
come down to
Earth. At the top
was a shrine to
the chief god or
goddess of the
city. It was
stepped.
Usually refers to
the setting down
of laws in
writing and
making them
official. These
laws may have
existed as an oral
tradition before
they were
codified.
Has been an
inherent trait of
human society
since the dawn of
civilization. Its
purpose is to
make sure that
everyone has a
job in the
society.
However, the
system is often
manipulated so
Egyptian
pyramids,
Washington
Monument,
church.
Cuneiform
records of an
annual grain
harvest.
Congress,
Communism (in
theory)
Patriarchal
Criminal law
Civil law
A society
characterized by
families which
are headed by the
father, husband,
or oldest male.
The branch of
law which deals
with offenses
against others
such as robbery,
assault, or
murder (Ellis
40).
Protestant
Christian
Society, Muslim
Society
The branch of
law which deals
with private
rights and
matters, such as
business
contracts,
property
inheritance,
taxes, marriage,
and divorce
(Ellis 40).
The Code of
Hammurabi;
Law #129 &
131: Concerning
marital
unfaithfulness.
The Code of
Hammurabi;
Law # 25,196,
210: Concerning
robbery, assault,
and murder.
that the higher
classes (priests,
nobles) prosper
at the expense of
the lower classes.
Male children are Iroquois tribe of
preferred; Wives Native
are to submit to
Americans
their husbands in
all things.
Comprised of
standards and
norms of civic
and moral
behaviors of a
particular
society; such as
the concept of
“an eye for an
eye.” The
severity of the
punishment
depended on the
social class of
the offender.
Comprised of
standards and
norms of civic
and moral
behaviors of a
particular
society; such as
the idea of
having only one
spouse, the idea
that children
should be
respectful and
obedient to their
parents at all
times and that
wives should be
submissive to
their husbands,
and the idea that
unfaithfulness
was legal
The Code of
Hammurabi; Law
#129 & 131:
Concerning
marital
unfaithfulness.
The Code of
Hammurabi; Law
#210: Murder
should be repaid
by death.
grounds for
divorce.
Student and Teacher Activities with Estimated Time Blocks:
a. Hook: (5 min.) Students are asked the following question: Please do not mention any names, but do
any of you know somebody who has taken something that wasn’t theirs before, or shall we say
“stolen”? Students will be asked to write down in their notebooks what they think would be an
appropriate penalty for stealing. The instructor will ask for some examples of what students wrote
down. Then the instructor will ask if anybody knows what the punishment for theft was according to
the Code of Hammurabi (those that did the assigned reading in the text book have a good chance of
know the answer). Students will be asked what they think about that punishment and whether they
think it is appropriate. Instructor will tell the students that they will learn more about Hammurabi’s
Code today.
b. Review: (10 min.) Ancient Egypt
 Life along the Nile River
 Yearly floods
 The Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom
 Pharaohs had absolute power, built pyramids
 Religion
 Hieroglyphics, papyrus
c. Lecture: (20 min.)
The instructor will be using a power point and the students will get a graphic organizer with key terms.
o KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) Graphic Organizer: Students will be working on a
Key Terms KWL graphic organizer before, during, and after the lecture.
 Before the lecture: (10 min.) Students will have 10 minutes to fill out some of what they
know and what they want to know.
 During the lecture: Students will be able to add things to their KWL.
 After the lecture: Students will have 10 minutes to write things that they have learned in
their KWL.
1. Mesopotamia: “the land between the rivers,” also called the Fertile Crescent.
 Map of the Fertile Crescent: Instructor will point out that this area is where present-day Iraq is
located as well as parts of Iran, Turkey, Jordan, and Kuwait.
 The Sumerians: Developed agricultural communities and established the first cities.
 The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
2. Floods and Irrigation
 Just as the Nile was vital to the survival of the Egyptians, the Tigris and the Euphrates were
the lifeblood of the Sumerians.
 Unlike the Nile, the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates was unpredictable and often
catastrophic.
 The Epic of Gilgamesh, story of the Great Flood. It is very similar to the Biblical flood
story. There were actually numerous ancient civilizations around the world which had a
version of the flood story, even the civilizations of the Americas had one. You will learn
about the Aztecs later this year.
3. The First Cities

Southern Mesopotamia- Map: Instructor will point out a few ancient Sumerian cities in
southern Mesopotamia such as Ur, Erech, and Eridu.
 Few natural resources, built with sundried brick.
What do you think happened to mud-brick buildings when the river flooded them?
Answer: They got swept away!
 Trade: Archeologists have found goods from as far away as Egypt and India in the
remains of Sumerian cities.
 Use of the wheel: We do not actually know for sure where the wheel was first invented,
but the Sumerians made extensive use of the wheel.
4. Government and Society
 Hierarchy
 Ruler
I.
Led armies into battle with other city-states
II.
Seen as the chief servant of the gods
III.
Responsible for maintaining the city walls and the irrigation system
 High class
o Leading Officials and high priests
 Middle class
o Lesser priests, scribes, merchants, artisans
 Lower class
a. Peasant farmers- Majority of the people
 Slaves
o Most captured in war
o Some sold themselves into slavery to pay off debts
 Role of Women
o Patriarchal Society: As city-states grew men became more responsible for protecting
and maintaining them.
o Male gods replaced the Mother-goddess
o Women became more dependent on men, but upper-class women still engaged in trade
and owned property
5. Religion
 Polytheistic
 Believed that the gods must be kept happy in order to ward of catastrophic floods and to ensure
a good harvest, prosperity, and well being.
 Ziggurat: A temple or stairway to the gods. It is interesting that very similar structures were
built in Mexico by the Ancient Aztecs who you will learn about later this year.
6. Advances in Learning
 Cuneiform: “Wedge-shaped” writing in which a reed stylus was used to create wedge-shaped
impressions on a clay tablet. Grew out of a system of pictographs that priests used to record
goods brought to temple storehouses. As the writing evolved it was used not only in recording
grain harvests but also myths, prayers, laws, treaties, and business contracts (Ellis 36).
 Mathematics: Mathematics-developed basic algebra and geometry- Number system based on 6,
divided the hour into 60 minutes and the circle into 360 degrees, as we still do today.
 Astronomy: Studied the stars- created an accurate calendar.
 Medicine: Complex surgeries, Eye Surgery.
7.







The Code of Hammurabi
First important attempt by a ruler to Codify law.
Most of the laws had been around for centuries, Hammurabi codified them.
The code is unusually strict by today’s standards but it did set down the fundamental principles
of crime and punishment.
Punishment varied according to the class of the person—hierarchy
Criminal Law
Civil Law
282 laws, there was no number 13, it was an unlucky number even then.
d. KWL: (10 min.) Students will write down what they have learned about the key terms in their KWL
graphic organizer.
e. Guided practice: (15 min.) Hand out the worksheet with the laws from the Code of Hammurabi,
and instruct students to use those laws to make inferences about Babylonian society. Students may
work alone or with a partner to complete this part of the activity (Taylor).
f. Whole-class activity: (15 min.) Have students share their inferences about Babylonian society
regarding religion, jobs, marriage and the family, slavery, etc.
g. Introduce Homework Assignment:(5 min.) Instructor will hand out and explain a worksheet on
“The Great Flood,” which is a comparison of the flood story from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible.
Students will be using an on-line source to answer the questions on the worksheet
(http://www.religioustolerance.org/noah_com).
Materials Needed for the Lesson:
Bibliography/Resources Used:
1. Duiker, W. J., Spielvogel, J. J. (2001). World History: Comprehensive Volume.
Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
2. Gaynor Ellis, E., Esler, A. (2003). World History: Connections to Today. Upper Saddle
River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
3. Spielvogel, J. J. (2003). World History: Modern Times. Columbus, Ohio:
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.
4. Comparison of the Epic of Gilgamesh flood story and the Biblical flood story. Retrieved
October 20, 2008 from http://www.religioustolerance.org/noah_com
5. Taylor, M. B. Laws and government: Hammurabi’s Code. Retrieved October 27, 2008,
from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/careerstart-grade7/4442
6. Map of Ancient Mesopotamia. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/maps/
7. Noah’s Ark. Retrieved October 20, 2008 from
http://images.google.com/url?q=http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p82.htm&usg=AF
QjCNEjabA9bCeOePXcPdsmjOtsnT9DYA
8. Ziggurat of Ur. Retrieved October 20, 2008 from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmcfall/46769923/
9. The upper part of the stela of Hammurabi's code. Retrieved October 20, 2008 from
http://www.islamic-architecture.info/WA-IQ/WA-IQ.htm
Differentiation:
ELL/struggling
readers
ADHD
Gifted
The KWL graphic organizer should help ELLs and struggling readers focus
on the key terms that they should be looking out for. The laws on the Code
of Hammurabi Worksheet are paraphrased into a level of everyday English
that is easy for young people to understand. ELLs and struggling readers
will find this especially helpful, but all students will find it easier to make
sense of the laws, and even bright and gifted students shouldn’t find the
language to be too simple. The fact that we will be going over the Code of
Hammurabi worksheet as a class is helpful for ELLs and struggling readers
because they get a chance to ask questions and clarify what they may have
not understood. The power point contains some nice illustrations, which
are always good for ELLs and struggling readers.
The KWL graphic organizer should help ADHD students focus their
attention by letting them know which terms they should be looking out. So
even if their attention often wanders they will at least be pulled back in
when they hear a term that they need to be listening for.
Gifted students who feel like they already have an understanding of the
new material going into the lesson will have the option of going to the
library to do further research on the Mesopotamian civilization instead of
staying for the lecture. Specifically, they will be looking for information
on Sumerian city-states, prominent Sumerian rulers, and codes of law
which predate the Code of Hammurabi, such as the code of Ur-Nammu, the
Laws of Eshnunna, and the codex of Lipit-Ishtar of Isin. They will be
instructed to return in half an hour for the Code of Hammurabi guided
practice activity.
Subject Matter Integration/Extension: This lesson is the second lesson on the cradles if civilization.
The previous lesson was on Ancient Egypt and the lesson after this one will be on the Indus River
Valley and the Yellow River valley civilizations. Coming into this lesson, students would have
already studied the basic components of early civilizations including farming, the domestication of
animals, and the establishment of permanent settlements in a lesson entitled “The Dawn of History and
the Beginnings of Civilization,” which was before the lesson on Ancient Egypt. They would have
been introduced to irrigation and the importance of living near rivers in the lesson on Ancient Egypt.
The most important new material or concepts that students will be taking from this lesson are the ideas
of hierarchy and the codification of law. Students get to see how people of different social strata got
different treatment before the law. They also get to expand their understanding of how a people’s
surroundings, in this case the river, influence their religious beliefs and outlooks on life. They also get
to see how great stories or Epics are passed around and modified over the years by various
civilizations.
Reflections on Lesson Plan
I believe that a lesson should be differentiated and should address the needs of a diverse classroom. I
provided the opportunity for gifted students to do some further independent study from which they
may actually learn something instead of sitting through a lesson on things that they already know. I
also tried to help students who may have trouble staying focused by providing a KWL graphic
organizer so that they would know to look out for key terms. In this lesson the instructor refers to a
map quite often. I believe that geography and history go hand in hand. Borders of civilizations,
empires, and regions have shifted over the millennia. Names of countries and cities have changed over
the years. It is important for students to be familiar with the geography of the world today and also
with the historical geography of the world. I also believe that illustrations are very helpful and they
make things interesting not only for ELLs and struggling readers, but for all students.