The students started out the unit by experiencing what it would be like to be an archaeologist. They were able to observe pottery with ancient writing and drawings displayed on them, smash the pottery, and try to put them back together. After a discussion about the differences between anthropologists and archaeologists, the students researched the major findings of two famous anthropologists and created electronic timelines on the Excel program to display their findings (see the "Student Presentation" section for samples of their timelines.
Three Corners Debate: 3 Corners Debate Pictures.docx
Here are a few pictures of Group A doing the 3 corners debate strategy. They started by learning about two types of Homo Sapiens via a teacher-created PowerPoint presentation. Next, they created a Venn Diagram of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons as a group on the Smartboard (using the Smart Notebook 10 software). I gave the students a group grade on the Venn Diagram because they created it as a class. I saved the document and printed it out for them to keep in their folders, to hopefully be used as a study aid later (also attached). Next, I posted signs around the room with different types of early men written on them that they have studied over the last week and a half. I explained that I would read a statement, either from their Venn Diagram or from the Power Point presentations from the last two weeks concerning one of the early men posted on the walls. Students were then asked to move to the corners that fit the statement given. When called on, they had to defend their choice/state why they picked that particular type of man.
Independent Living Skills-Assessing Your Transition Needs Hook Activity: Obstacles Activity.docx
In this activity, a student volunteer was asked to choose between two treats-a candy bar and an apple. When the student stated his preference, he was blindfolded. The other students silently instructed the teacher to hide the candy bar somewhere in the classroom. The volunteer then had to look for the candy bar while the other students helped by saying "hot" or "cold" as the student got closer or farther away. After about one minute, the teacher added another challenge by having the student carry a stack of heavy books, relating each book on the stack to real life challenges (e.g. grades needed for graduation, money needed for a car, and training needed for a career). After several minutes, his peers can help the volunteer by telling him the area of the room the candy bar is in and offering to give him more details. One of the students volunteered to help him hold his "obstacles" while he searched. Once the student found the candy bar, the class discussed how difficult the task was and how it was easier when other students gave him directions and help with accomplishing his goal. They also were asked to discuss the following questions:
o Why is it important to know exactly what you want when setting a goal?
o Why is it important to know exactly what you want when setting a goal?
o Why is it important to have a plan before going for your goal?
o Why is it helpful to visualize your steps toward a goal?
World History All Write/Draw and Ancient Egypt Natural Resources Activity: Kagan Board and Web Activity
Each student was given a Kagan board and a dry erase marker. They were asked to write or draw reasons why they believe civilizations often develop along rivers. After a 3 minute time limit, they were asked to do a Stand and Share with their lists. Then they were told they would be learning about why the Egyptian people developed their civilization along the Nile River. The students were asked to do a web activity (see link below) where they used the Jigsaw strategy (Each student was assigned a set number of questions to answer and then they reconvened with their classmates and taught each other about what they discovered). Egypt Geography Activity1.pdf
Hot Seat:
Hot Seat Description
Hot Seat Activity Picture
In this activity, the student had real world problems taped to the bottom of their desks. Each of the situations were related to issues regarding resources that the class had already discussed in previous lessons. The teacher announced, "Hot Seat!" at the opening of class, and each student searched under their desk for a question/situation. They took turns reading their situation and answering the critical thinking question related to the situation. Once they gave their answers, the teacher and their peers gave additional feedback regarding their "Hot Seat" situation. Above you will find a link to the description of the strategy and a picture of Group C completing the activity.
Indian Caste System
Caste System Activity
In this activity, the students each played a role in the Indian Caste system. They role- played what it would be like to do a simple task (completing a group assignment) as if they were members of their assigned caste. The students completed the assignment, and then completed a debriefing session. They discussed how it felt to be treated differently than everyone else and made comparisons between the class system in the United States and the caste system in ancient India.
Population Project (see student work samples in the student presentation section)
The students created a multi-part project, comparing the population of China and India. The project is explained below:
Part 1: Define
The students defined and discussed population vocabulary words :
1. population density
2. birth rate
3. death rate
4. life expectancy
5. per capita income (GNP)
6. literacy rate
The class discussed the meanings and why the indicators would be important to know about the countries.
Part 2: Infer
The students discussed and answered the following question: What does it mean when each of these factors is high or low for a particular country?
Part 3: Research
The students researched the indicators using their netbooks. They went to the web site www.nationmaster.com. Once they found the information, they recorded the statistics on a table and compared the two countries. Next, they converted the ratios to numbers.
|
Indicators
|
China
|
India
|
|
Population
|
|
|
|
Population Growth
|
|
|
|
Birth Rate
|
|
|
|
Death Rate
|
|
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
|
|
|
Infant Mortality Rate
|
|
|
Part 4: Summarize
The students answered the question: What do these numbers reveal about China and India? They summarized their thoughts in paragraph form.
Part 5: Display
The students were asked to make a visual representation of their findings. They had a choice between two projects (see below). The students continued to practice their math skills by integrating place value and rounding into completing their projects.
· Select one indicator (population, birth rate, death rate, literacy rate, or infant mortality) to display. Use one type of pasta to represent 100 million people. Use the other type to represent ten million people. Round digits off to the nearest whole number. Tie a big knot at the end of two pieces of yarn. Slide each country's pasta onto a different string. Then attach the strings to the stick. Don't forget to label each strand of the mobile using a piece of construction paper.
OR
· Select one indicator (population, birth rate, death rate, literacy rate, or infant mortality) to display. Use one type of pasta to represent 100 million people. Use the other type to represent ten million people. Round digits off to the nearest whole number. Make a graph. Draw two horizontal lines on a piece of poster board. At the far left of each line, write the countries’ names. Next to each name glue the pasta for that country.
