Lesson Plan #2

Kayla Collins
Class: History of Psychology
Objective: Students will be able to understand and be able to write
about Kohlbergs theory of Moral Development and describe the
various stages. In addition, students will be able to relate these
concepts to real life examples and situations.
Procedure:
Introduce the students to a brief introduction of Kohlbergs
theory of development highlighting the main differences of each
theory. This can be done in a brief PowerPoint.
Show students the video clip detailing the Milgram Experiment
and hand out the accompanying sheet (found below) for
students to fill out while watching the video. -Clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk
In addition, the second clip can be used to demonstrate
Kohlberg different theories. This second clip focuses on the
moral development of children and babies. The handout also
includes questions regarding this clip. Cliphttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/babies-help-unlock-the-origins-ofmorality/
After students have watched both films, discuss the handout in
class and emphasize the differences between the different
stages of moral development.
Assessment: At the end of the class period have the students
complete a type II in which they answer the following question
regarding moral development. This will assess how well the students
are able to create a coherent response that is supported with evidence
to demonstrate their understanding of the stages of Moral
Development.
Writing Prompt:
In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer.
There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was
a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently
discovered. the drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was
charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $400
for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug. The
sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow
the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get
together about $2,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the
druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or

let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug
and I'm going to make money from if." So, having tried every legal
means, Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking into the man's
store to steal the drug for his wife.

Questions to Follow:
If the husband decides to steal the drug, what stage of Moral
Development is he operating in, and why? Explain how the stage
you have chosen differs from the other two stages of Moral
Development.
Should the husband steal the medicine for his wife? Why or why
not?
Total Time: 1) 44-Minute Class period
Adaptations:
If the teacher has students with a hearing impairment then
subtitles for the videos would be helpful to their understanding. In
addition, students with reading/writing difficulties may be given
more time to fill out the handouts and answer the extended
response questions.

Supporting Documents Below

Name:_________________________________________________
Date__________
Lawrence Kohlberg: Stages of Moral Development
Fill in the following chart using the information from your book on
pages 85-86.
Stage

1.

2.

Typical Age Range

Description of Stage

3.

Name:________________________________________________
Date:_________
Questions for the Video Clip, Babies Help Unlock the Origins
of Morality:
Jot down some bullet points to answer the following questions. Make
sure your thoughts are complete. We will then discuss them in class.
1) How is the preconventional stage different than the
postconventional stage? Use evidence from the clip to support
your answer.

2) Do you think humans are born with an innate sense of what is

right and wrong, is it learned, or is it a combination of both?
Explain.

Milligram Experiment Video Clip (parts 2 and 3):

3) Were you surprised at the results of the experiment? Why?

4) Why do you think people would be more likely to go against their

own morality in these situations?

5) Do the actions of the participants relate to any of the stages of

Moral Development? Which ones and why?