1

Class: Year 7

Date: 8.4.14 Time: Start: 1.20
Finish: 2.10
Key Learning Area: History

Lesson Topic: Topic 2 : Societies and Civilisations of the Past (Ancient Society: Egypt)
Social Structure
Recent Prior Experience (specific relevant concepts, skills and values the school students have experienced prior to this lesson):
Ss have covered origins of the society. Ss have investigated aspects of daily life (both men and women). Ss were asked to bring scissors and glue for this lesson. Ss
were asked to ensure they bring their laptops to class (every student in the school is issued with individual laptop)
Syllabus Outcome(s):
One or two only. Please note the syllabus
reference number AND write out in full.

- 4.1 describes and explains the nature
of history, the main features of past
societies and period and their
legacy


- 4.8 locates, selects and organises
relevant information from a number
of sources

Indicators of Learning for this lesson:
Behaviours that contribute toward achievement of outcome(s).
Quote syllabus numbers. Must be clear, specific, observable.
Curriculum Content Strands may be used as headings.

By the end of this lesson, the students will:
- Receive and organise information from a variety of sources
(4.8)

- Identify and correctly order the main groups that make up the
social structure of Ancient Egypt (4.1)

- Describe the role and significance of each of these groups
(4.1)
Assessment:
Strategies, which will be used to assess
learners attainment of learning outcomes.
Should be linked to each learning indicator.


- No formal assessment - T observes
student's ability to apply information to
following activities
- Ss create 'social pyramid,' correctly
identifying and ordering social groups

- Ss complete 'role and significance' table

Any safety issues to be considered:
- Ensure students are seated at all times - use of
scissors
- Ensure electrical cords are safe and out of the
way


Resources:
List resources you used in preparing the lesson AND those used in the lesson implementation.
- Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (2003). History Years 7 - 10 Syllabus. NSW
- 'Ancient History' Hollar, Sherman (2012); 'History of Ancient Egypt' Harris, Nathaniel (2000)
- Egyptian Social Structure website link (http://www.ushistory.org/civ/3b.asp)
- Worksheets (1 per student): Social Order Information Sheets; Social Pyramid Worksheets; Roles
and Significance Worksheet
- Scissors and Glue
Lesson Plan
(Lesson actually taught to a small group of 7 Students)
Comment [1]: 2.3 - Lesson topic taken
from NSW History Syllabus (Stage 4).
Comment [2]: 2.2 - Lesson organised while
keeping in mind of students prior knowledge.
Comment [3]: 2.3 - This lesson was
planned based on outcomes taken from the
NSW History Syllabus (Stage 4).
Comment [4]: 3.1 - The learning indicators,
which I have developed, present the students
with achievable learning goes for the lesson.
Comment [5]: 5.1 - Informal assessments
will assist in monitoring students
development throughout the lesson.
Comment [6]: 4.4 - Safety issues are
considered and evaluated to ensure the well-
being of all students.
Comment [7]: 1.5 - Resources of varying
difficulty were used to cater for students of
varying learning abilities.
2
LESSON SEQUENCE
Lesson Content / Indicators of
Learning (What is Taught):
Note key skills, concepts and values
addressed in each section. Link to your
Indicators of Learning.
Timing
(mins)
Teaching Strategies / Learning Experiences:
(How it is taught)
Write detailed steps showing what the teacher (T) will do
and what students (Ss) will do.
Resources and Organisation:



INTRODUCTION
















1.20 - 1.25
(5 mins)





- T greets Ss outside the classroom
- T tells Ss to settle and line up in 2 lines
- T explains that when Ss enter the classroom they are
to take out their laptops and be ready to begin
- When Ss are settled, T lets them enter the classroom
- T gains Ss attention by standing out the front and
asking for silence
- T explains that Ss are moving on from daily life and
introduces today's topic: social structure
- T outlines order of today's activities: gather information
from website & text; creating social pyramid; filling out
roles and rights table












- Website address written on the
whiteboard
DEVELOPMENT












1.25 - 1.40
(15 mins)











- T hands out Social Order Information Sheets
- T explains that Ss are to explore the website and read
through the information sheets
- T roves around classroom ensuring Ss are on task
- T assists Ss that are struggling with the information -
explains that easier information sheet can be used
- T calls out by name / moves to individual Ss who are
not on task


- Social order Information Sheets
- Student laptops
- T describes front page of webpage so Ss
can confirm they are on the correct page
- Note to Self: If majority of Ss are
struggling with the information - read
information sheet as whole class


Comment [8]: 4.2 - This demonstrates my
ability to organise and control classroom
activities as well as provide clear directions to
the students of what is expected once they
enter the classroom.
Comment [9]: 2.2 - Demonstrates, to
students, the organisation of the lesson and
sequence of activities.
Comment [10]: 3.4 - I have ensured
students are able to use a variety of sources to
complete the activity, including ICT.
Comment [11]: 1.5 - This is a strategy I
will use in order to cater for those students
who are struggling.
3

Social Hierarchy of Ancient Egypt:
1. Pharaoh
2. Government Officials
3. Soldiers
4. Scribes
5. Merchants
6. Craftsmen
7. Farmers / Peasants
8. Slaves


Main roles of each class and their
significance to everyday life in Ancient
Egypt.






1.40 - 1.50
(10 mins)







1.50 - 2.05
(15 mins)





- T hands out Social Pyramid worksheets
- Ss cut out social classes and pictures. Ss place them in
order from highest to lowest ranking based on
information read from website
- T roves and assists Ss where necessary
- Once sheets are completed and checked, Ss paste
sheets into the book

- T hands out Role and Significance worksheet
- Ss fill out table with information from website and
information sheets
- Ss attempt to fill entire space
- T roves and assists Ss where necessary
- T calls out by name / moves to individual Ss who are
not on task
- T explains that any work not completed will need to be
completed for homework

- Pyramid and social class worksheets
- Scissors and glue



- ASSES Ss completed sheet



- Role and Significance table



- ASSES Ss ability to complete sheet

CLOSURE


Q/ Who was at the apex of the social
pyramid in Ancient Egyptian times?
A/ Pharaoh

Q/ What was the role of the slaves in
everyday life?
A/ Harvested crops; irrigation work;
quarried stone built tombs and temples

Q/ Did anyone else find something
interesting they want to share?
A/ Individual student answers





2.05 - 2.10
(5 mins)


- T asks Ss revision questions to close the lesson
- T asks Ss to pack up
- T reminds Ss to complete the table for homework if
they havent already finished
- T commends Ss for effort in class and thanks Ss for
their participation
- T dismisses Ss when next period bell goes and class is
silent

- Review Ss answers to questions
- Make mental note of who participated in
discussion



Comment [12]: 3.3 - This demonstrates
just one teaching strategy used within the
lesson. In this case, students are undertaking a
practical task to show their comprehension.
Comment [13]: 3.3 - The use of lower-
order questioning is demonstration of another
teaching strategy. This allows me to check
students understanding of content from this
lesson.
4


Assessment of Learning Outcomes
To what extent did the learners achieve the intended learning outcomes?
Students were able to identify and describe the main societal groups of Ancient society Egypt. They were also successfully able to gather information from a
variety of sources and organise this information appropriately. By doing so, students were able to successfully achieve both outcomes 4.1 and 4.8.

Describe the evidence you have for this.
Samples taken from individual students demonstrated that students were successfully able to complete the learning activities. Student Sample 1 (see
appendices) was taken from a male student of average ability, who used both information sheets to complete the task. Student Sample 2 (see appendices)
was taken from a female student who struggles in reading and used only the basic information sheet. Students ability to answer the revision questions was
also a good indicator of their understanding.

Outline the follow-up to this lesson for the learners.
During the next lesson, the teacher will check that students have completed tables. The teacher and students will spend more time reviewing the significance
of each individual group on the life of the Ancient Egyptians (Outcome 4.1 continued). Using all information given, and their own research, students will be
asked to compile a paragraph assessing the significance of a particular group (Outcome 4.10 - selects and uses appropriate oral, written and other forms,
including ICT, to communicate effectively about the past).


_________________________________________________________________________________________
Evaluation of Teaching
Identify the teaching strategies / learning experiences that were most effective. Explain why.
The teaching strategy that proved most effective was ensuring the availability of resources that varied in difficulty. Students who are lacking in reading and
comprehension skills found it much easier to follow the simpler information sheet.
All the students involved had enjoyed creating the Social Pyramid more than the Roles and Significance table because they were able to be more hands-on
and appreciated ability to see the information visually rather than in writing.

Identify the teaching strategies / learning experiences that were least effective. Explain why.
Asking the students to read the information sheets on their own proved to be less effective than desired. Students mainly focused on the information from the
website and many did no look at the information sheets until reminded by the teacher.
Students were also finding it hard to stay on task when they were left to fill out the table on their own. Some students were distracted and had little motivation
to complete the table.

How appropriate was the timing throughout the various sections of the lesson? Why?
Timing throughout the lesson worked reasonably well. The 15 mins reading time students had to work through the website and information sheets may have
been too long as students were getting disruptive by the end of the allocated time. 5 mins of this time could have been allocated to the activities following as
many students found they ran out of time to complete the work and found themselves with homework.





Student Teachers Evaluation
(Reflecting on own teaching)
5
Describe how the selection and use of resources supported learning in the lesson.
The selection of resources supported the learning significantly as all the activities were based on selecting and organizing information of these resources.
Amongst the students, all 3 information sources were used prominently to complete the learning activities. As previously mentioned, using information sources
that catered for students with diverse abilities proved helpful in allowing students to achieve the outcomes.

Identify what motivated the students. Explain why.
Students were motivated by the learning activity that allowed them to be hands-on rather than simply regurgitating the information they were reading. Students
seemed excited to construct the Social Pyramid as it was something fun and different to what they usually do in a content-heavy subject such as history.
The incentive to avoid homework also motivated the majority of Ss to stay on task complete the learning activity however; this did not concern all students in
the class.

Identify the classroom management strategies that were most effective. Explain why.
Settling students outside the classroom and outlining what was expected of them once they entered in the classroom proved to be most effective. When
students entered the classroom, they were reasonably quiet and the lesson was able to start with minimal time wasted.
Roving around the classroom while students completed their work allowed the noise level in the classroom to be minimized and kept the majority of students
on task, as they were aware the teacher was accessing the entire room. For those students who were becoming distracted, calling on them individually and
consistently moving closer to their area proved to be effective in reminding them to continue with the work.

What was most satisfying about the lesson?
The most satisfying aspect of the lesson was the revision questions during the closure of the lesson. The students ability to correctly answer the revision
questions and the brief discussion they had about facts that they had found interesting was reflective of the effectiveness of the lesson. Students
demonstrated that they had taken in information from the lesson and were able to find some interest in learning about an ancient civilization.

What impact and/or learning did your teaching and reflection have on you?
The teaching and reflection was incredibly helpful in my personal development as a pre-service teacher and potentially as a professional teacher. Being able
to implement my own teaching strategies and learning activities allowed me to see and evaluate what works and what needs improvement. It also gave me
first hand insight into what students of todays classroom respond to in terms of learning. It being a while since I had been in high school, I have been able to
realize changes in the types of resources that contribute to effective teaching such as the increasing significance of ICT technology in todays classroom
environment.

Based on these reflections, outline the steps you should now take to improve your teaching in future lessons.
Based on the lesson, the first step in improving would be to try and incorporate more practical activities in future lessons, as students found this to be the most
enjoyable and engaging aspect. ICT could also be integrated more within future lessons as students were inclined to use the ICT based resource over the
written resources. Finally, perhaps more reinforcement (chocolate or merits) could be attached to the learning activities to enhance the motivation of students;
particularly those who tend to get off task.