Lesson Plan One

History Lesson Plan

Teacher: Stephanie Ohtola

Lesson Date: 03/21/2016

I.

Major Topic: Social Studies: History

II.

Materials:

Google Slides Presentation

Practice: Analyzing Worksheet

III.

Resources:

Discovering Our Past: A History of the World, Early Ages

McGraw-Hill (2015)

IV.

Standards:

Grade Level: 7th

(a) State: OH.SS.7.3

Germanic invasions helped to break up the Roman Empire and set the stage for the development of
feudal and manorial systems. Later invasions helped establish Mongol dominance in central Asia and
led to the destruction of the Byzantine Empire by the Turks.
b) NCSS: D2.His.16.6-8
Evaluate the relative influence of various causes of events and developments in the past.
V:

Objective: By the end of the 40-minute class period, students will be able to analyze the effects of
the Black Death in Europe by collecting information to answer a critical-thinking question.

VI:

Lesson Introduction [11 minutes]

Strategic Information:
Direct / Indirect Strategies Used:
Direct: Lecture / explanation
Indirect: Critical Thinking Question
Direct: Discussion
Grouping: Whole class, individual, whole class
Size:

22 Students

(a) [1 minutes] Transition into lesson: Explanation that todays lesson continues our unit on the
Middle Ages by exploring the effects of the Black Death.
(b) [4 minutes] Motivation / hook: The students will view an artistic depiction of the bubonic
plague. They will be prompted to describe the painting and the tone that the artist might be
trying to convey.
(c) [1 minutes] Set behavior expectations: Explanation cooperation and good behavior is
expected and appreciated. Chromebooks are NOT needed today.
(d) [1 minutes] Set purpose: By 1351, the plague had reached Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and
Russia. Estimates of the dead in Europe between 1347 and 1351 range from 19 to 38 million

people nearly one out of every two Europeans. This massive loss of population had profound
effects on Europe socially, politically, and economically.
(e) [4 minutes] Assess and activate background knowledge:
1. What were living conditions like in medieval cities and towns?
2. What did people know about disease and illness in the middle ages?
3. What were some of the ways that people believed diseases spread in the middle ages?
VII:

Steps (learning activities): [24 minutes]

(a)

(b)

(c)
(d)

[12 minutes] Discussion / lecture about the bubonic plague. The guiding question for the
lesson asks, How did the Black Death effect Europe? The lecture begins by quickly
reviewing the many advancements made in the middle ages such as inventions and the rise
of urbanism. This sets the stage for explaining how a period of famine and epidemic could
have a great effect on Europes growth. We will then discuss the various outcomes of the
massive loss of population and how it worked to weaken feudalism. This lecture is
structured like a discussion, with questions peppered in between factual delivery.
a. How could trade be related to the spread of disease? (slide 5)
b. How might feudalism suffer in this scenario? (slide 8)
c. What were some of the explanations that people had for the Black Death? (slide 9)
[5 minutes] Students will then be directed to look at the worksheet Ive passed out. It is
scaffolded such that we do the first part together, then they answer the critical thinking
question on their own. It reinforces the concepts that the students just covered. I will
prompt the students with the cues from the Because of category while I accept
responses from the class. The students are encouraged to fill in the corresponding boxes, as
they are collecting information.
[5 minutes] The students are instructed to answer the critical thinking question on their own
(How did the Black Death affect medieval Europe?) They will be given five minutes to work
independently to form their response.
[2 minutes] We will go over their responses. I will ask the question and accept answers from
students that raise their hand.

VIII:

[5 minutes] Closure: Please save this worksheet in your binders. This will be helpful to you in
studying for the Chapter 19 exam. I highly encourage you to study this particular question in
preparation for the exam because you may find that you will be asked a very similar longanswer question on the exam. (Ask: Does anybody have any questions?)

IX:

Assessment Activities: The scaffolded worksheet activity will serve as todays assessment. It is not
being collected; the students are being gauged for understanding through discussion.
(a)

X:

Accommodations:
1. There are no specific accommodations for this lesson. The lesson is structured in such a
way that it adequately meets the needs of the students with documented disabilities in
this grade. The concepts are reinforced sufficiently and the students are able to keep the
sheet for reference.

Transition out of Lesson: Thank you for your cooperation today. Tomorrow we are going to
continue talking about the late middle ages.

Practice: Analyzing
Question: The late Middle Ages is characterized by significant strife. How did the
Black Death affect Medieval Europe?
We Do Together:
Before we can begin to answer a critical thinking question, we must collect important information that
would help us create a complete response.

Collecting Information
Because of.

This happens

Europes population
decreases significantly
Many Christians blame the
Jewish population
Trade drops sharply

You Do Alone:
Using the information you have collected, analyze what you have to formulate a response to the critical
thinking question.
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