UNIT PLANNING

LEARNING AREA: History

YEAR LEVEL: 7 TIME: 50 mins (12 lessons)

UNIT TOPIC: Ancient Egypt/Greece/Rome

UNIT AIM:
Achievement Standard:
Students explain the role of groups and the significance of particular individuals in past
societies. They describe the effects of change on societies, individuals and groups and
describe events and developments from the perspectives of people who lived at the time.
They identify past events and developments that have been interpreted in different ways.
When researching, students develop significant questions to frame a historical inquiry.
They identify and select a range of primary and secondary sources and locate, compare
and use relevant information and evidence to answer inquiry questions. In developing
texts and organising and presenting their findings, students use historical terms and
concepts.

Content Descriptors:
The physical features of ancient Greece, Egypt or Rome and how they influenced the
civilisation that developed there (ACHASSK172).
Roles of key groups in the ancient Greece, Egypt or Rome, including the influence
of law and religion (ACHASSK173)
The significant beliefs, values and practices of ancient Greece, Egypt or Rome, with a
particular emphasis on ONE of the following areas: everyday life, warfare, or death and
funerary customs (ACHASSK174)
Contacts and conflicts within and/or with other societies, resulting in developments such
as the conquest of other lands, the expansion of trade, and peace treaties (ACHASSK175).
The role of a significant individual in ancient Egyptian, Greek or Roman history
(ACHASSK176).
Construct significant questions and propositions to guide investigations about people,
events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI152).
Interpret and analyse data and information displayed in a range of formats to identify and
propose explanations for distributions, patterns, trends and relationships (ACHASSI158).
Present ideas, findings, viewpoints, explanations and conclusions in a range of texts and
modes that incorporate source materials, citations, graphic representations and
discipline-specific terms, conventions and concepts (ACHASSI163).

Students will come up with their own inquiry questions, and complete a research study on an
ancient society (either Greece, Egypt, or Rome). Students will be in charge of creating their own
learning plans and rubrics for the inquiry study and this will foster student centred learning.

Lesson 1:
LESSON OUTCOMES:

Students will know how their inquiry skills can be improved based on their last inquiry.
Students will understand that there is a specific process to go through when inquiring
about a topic.
Students will be able to reflect on their own inquiry skills.

RESOURCES:

Students need their Learning Plans from the previous inquiry

Students need their final products from the previous inquiry
Students need workbook and pen
STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Formatively assess student reflections.

SELF-ASSESSMENT:
Reflection questions: Have the students understood my explanations? If not, how can I ensure
they do in the future? Did my lesson engage students? If not, how can I make sure students are
engaged in their learning? Was my assessment differentiated to meet the levels of all students?
Did I move around the classroom in an effective manner? Were my behaviour management
strategies effective?
Ask mentor for feedback regarding these questions.

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Introduction: Students are to gather the resources they used/created whilst undertaking
their last inquiry. Students will be asked to give themselves a score out of 10 on how well
they thought they did on their previous inquiry assignment in respect to the processes
they used. (Not the final product)

Main: Explain the inquiry process again, clarifying any key misconceptions. (Create
questions, plan research process, research using multiple sources and opinions, evaluate
research, answer questions, present findings). Have students write a small paragraph
answering each of the following questions.
 How did you use your learning plans to guide your inquiries?
 Did your questions allow you to create your own opinions based on the research
you did, or were they to specific and fact based?
 Did you use a broad range of sources and opinions when answering your
questions, and how did this help/could this have helped?
 How could you have found the correct information easier?
 How did your inquiry skills develop throughout this assignment?
These questions do not have to be completed by the end of the lesson.

Conclusion: Students are to give themselves a new score out of 10 for the same question
asked in the introduction. Students are to write down 3 things they need to improve on
for their next inquiry, and consider how they will do these things.

Lesson 2:
LESSON OUTCOMES:

Students will know how inquiry works in real life scenarios.

Students will understand that people inquire everyday to different extents, no matter what
their jobs are.
Students will be able to participate in an authentic and engaging inquiry process.

RESOURCES:

Mark Pullen Activity resource kit (1 for each table group)

Props if possible (police hat/uniform)
Police speech

STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Observation of teamwork and inquiry skills

SELF-ASSESSMENT:
Reflection questions: Have the students understood my explanations? If not, how can I ensure
they do in the future? Did my lesson engage students? If not, how can I make sure students are
engaged in their learning? Was my assessment differentiated to meet the levels of all students?
Did I move around the classroom in an effective manner? Were my behaviour management
strategies effective?
Ask mentor for feedback regarding these questions.

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Introduction: Have one student read the police case without explaining the reasoning (or
introducing the lesson) to students. Use props if possible and have them use formal adult
voices.

Main: Give each table group an activity kit and tell them that they will be solving the
mystery of what happened to Mark Pullen. Give them 20-25 minutes.

Conclusion: Have each group explain what they thought happened. Explain that what they
have just done was use an inquiry process (analysing a range of evidence to formulate
their own opinions to answer a question).

Lesson 3:
LESSON OUTCOMES:

Students will know how to use an inquiry approach in their learning.

Students will understand that successful inquiry takes careful planning.
Students will be able to reflect on their inquiry skills.

RESOURCES:

Students need the work they did in Lesson 1.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Formative assessment on each student’s inquiry reflection.

SELF-ASSESSMENT:
Reflection questions: Have the students understood my explanations? If not, how can I ensure
they do in the future? Did my lesson engage students? If not, how can I make sure students are
engaged in their learning? Was my assessment differentiated to meet the levels of all students?
Did I move around the classroom in an effective manner? Were my behaviour management
strategies effective?
Ask mentor for feedback regarding these questions.

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Introduction: Get students to open their books and revisit the work done in lesson 1 and
2.

Main: Allow students to finish answering the questions from lesson 1. Once complete,
every student will need to write three things that they will need to improve on for their
next inquiry. They will write a paragraph on how they will do this for each improvement.

Conclusion: Have some students share their improvement strategies with the class.

Lesson 4:
LESSON OUTCOMES:

Students will understand that a solid plan is the foundation to a successful inquiry process.
Students will be able to use their planning templates to plan their next inquiry.

RESOURCES:

Students will need a print out of their planning templates.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Formative assessment of the inquiry plans.

SELF-ASSESSMENT:
Reflection questions: Have the students understood my explanations? If not, how can I ensure
they do in the future? Did my lesson engage students? If not, how can I make sure students are
engaged in their learning? Was my assessment differentiated to meet the levels of all students?
Did I move around the classroom in an effective manner? Were my behaviour management
strategies effective?
Ask mentor for feedback regarding these questions.

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Introduction: Have each student get out his or her Student Learning Plan template and
revisit how these were used previously.

Main: Allow each student to create his or her learning plan. It is important to ensure that
all of the students have questions that can allow them to meet the achievement standards
and therefore guidance will be necessary. A teacher should check off the questions
throughout the lesson.

Conclusion: Check for any questions at the end of the lesson and clarify any
misconceptions.

Lesson 5:
LESSON OUTCOMES:

Students will know how the criteria that teachers use to assess their learning against.
Students will understand that for quality inquiry learning to occur, they must carefully
consider and complete each of the inquiry steps to a high level.
Students will be able to create rubrics that they will be assessed against.

RESOURCES:

Whiteboard and whiteboard markers.

1 student will need a laptop to copy the rubric.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Observation

SELF-ASSESSMENT:
Reflection questions: Have the students understood my explanations? If not, how can I ensure
they do in the future? Did my lesson engage students? If not, how can I make sure students are
engaged in their learning? Was my assessment differentiated to meet the levels of all students?
Did I move around the classroom in an effective manner? Were my behaviour management
strategies effective?
Ask mentor for feedback regarding these questions.

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Introduction: Remind students of the importance of assessment rubrics and look at how
they are structures. Remind students that certain points need to be addressed in the
rubric, whilst others can be up to the students.

Main: Collaboratively create a rubric with the class on the whiteboard. Make sure all
achievement standards are somewhat addressed, but do not take over the process as this
is student centred learning. Have one student copying the rubric on a laptop.

Conclusion: Revisit the rubric making sure nothing has been missed.

Lesson 6:
LESSON OUTCOMES:

Students will know strategies to check for source reliability.

Students will understand that not everything on the Internet is true, even when websites
seem believable.
Students will be able to identify fake websites.

RESOURCES:

Laptops
Worksheet Part 1 and Part 2 from
http://nortonbcs.weebly.com/uploads/1/6/0/0/16007664/pacificnorthwesttreeoctopus-
lessonplan.pdf (1 between 2)
Web link for Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus website: https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Observation

SELF-ASSESSMENT:
Reflection questions: Have the students understood my explanations? If not, how can I ensure
they do in the future? Did my lesson engage students? If not, how can I make sure students are
engaged in their learning? Was my assessment differentiated to meet the levels of all students?
Did I move around the classroom in an effective manner? Were my behaviour management
strategies effective?
Ask mentor for feedback regarding these questions.

TEACHING PROCEDURE:

Introduction: Tell students that we will be to a 1-lesson inquiry study on the Pacific
Northwest Tree Octopus in partners. Allow students to get into pairs and give them the
link to the website as well as Part 1 of the worksheet.

Main: Give students time to complete part 1 of the worksheet. Once complete, announce
that they have been looking at a fake website, and all of the information is fake. Give the
students Part 2 of the worksheet and allow them to discuss the questions in their pairs.
Depending on time, different pairings could discuss different questions.
Conclusion: Have the students report back to the class and have a class discussion
surrounding the ways that you can check the reliability and validity of a website. (Google
the author, double check facts with other websites, etc.)
Lesson 7-12:
Students will complete their inquiry studies during this time and no explicit
teaching is planned. Once a student finishes, I will collaboratively mark their
assignments with them using the rubric created by the class. If students
finish early they can work on an assessment piece for another topic. This
inquiry study will be summatively assessed.