Name: Julie Weaver

Date: December 2, 2003

Content Area: Social studies, Language Arts

Grade Level: 4

Objectives with Illinois Learning Standards:

  1. Students will show an understanding of what different levels of government do. (Social Science 14.B.2)
  2. Students will research ways that everyone in a society effects and helps shape public policy. (Social Science 14.D.2)

Strategies:Group work, research, and presentation

Materials:Visual hierarchy

Paper

Pen

Pencils

Markers

Paint and paint brushes

Poster board

Computer with internet access

Various books about Egypt

Procedures:

Anticipatory Set:

The teacher will begin by reviewing the members of the Egyptian hierarchy.

Development:

  1. The teacher will separate students into groups of four or five students.
  2. The teacher will then assign each group a topic: either farmer or pharaoh.
  3. The students will research the everyday lives of their assigned topic using resources provided to them in class, such as the internet and books.
  4. The students will then create a display board that shows different aspects of the assigned topic’s lifestyle, such as food, family, etc., but must include information on how their topic influences public policy.
  5. The groups will present their posters to the class explaining what the important aspects of daily life are to their topic.

Closure:

The teacher will review the jobs of a farmer and pharaoh with the class.

Modifications/Adaptations:

  1. If students cannot understand the aspects of daily life presented on the posters, the students could also write a brief summary of the life of their topic.
  2. The students could repeat this lesson for the other topic if they cannot understand the differences in life based on another group’s work.

Extensions:

  1. While researching their topic, the students will complete a worksheet that refers to important aspects of the daily life of their topic.
  2. Students could write a paper, as if it were a diary page explaining the daily life of their topic.

Technology:1. The students will use internet access to research their topics

2. The students could create power point presentations instead of posters.

Assessment of Student Learning:

  1. Did students show knowledge of different levels of government through their posters?
  2. Did students explain how farmers and pharaohs both effect public policy?

Attached Student Work:

Self-reflection: