Micro Teach Lesson Plan

Luke Johnson & Kyl Rucker

February 9, 2016
Comparing the Development of Empires: Social Studies/High School Grade 10
Objective: The students will analyze the civilizations of the Roman Empire and Han China by
comparing the development of the empires.
Standard: SSHS S2C3 03
Social Studies High School, Strand 2, Concept 3, Performance Objective 3
World History: World in Transition: Compare the development of empires (e.g., Roman, Han,
Mali, Incan, and Ottoman) throughout World History.
Anticipatory Set: Think back to a time when you went to McDonalds, now think of a time when
you went to Burger King. Compare these two experiences, think of the similarities and
differences between these two related restaurants. Then we will call on students to explain their
experiences, food, service, etc. Now we are going to do a similar exercise with two civilizations,
Han China and the Roman Empire.
Lesson: Begin the PowerPoint that is prepared to give instructor his talking points about the
lesson. The PowerPoint will compare and contrast the two civilizations, at the end of the
PowerPoint the instructors will ask questions to check for understanding of the lesson. The
students will write their answers on the personal whiteboards that have been provided and then
turn them facedown. When prompted by the instructor they will flash their answer and the
instructors will affirm their answers with aligned responses.
Check for understanding activity:
On a white board, answer the following questions about the two civilizations:
1. Where were the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire located? (Mediterranean and East
Asia)
2. How big was each empire? (about 4 million sq. km)
3. When where the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire established? (R 27 BC) (HC 206 BC)
4. What religion did the Romans practice? (polytheism)
Incorporate the closure questions worded a little differently into this check for understanding
Closure: As a ticket out the door and without using notes, students will answer the following
questions regarding the similarities and differences between the two civilizations:
1. Did the two civilizations differ much in the size of their populations? (No)
2. What gave Han Chinas emperor the right to rule? (Mandate of Heaven)
3. What tribe sacked Rome in 410 ending their empire (Visigoths)
Assessment:
Answer the following questions in complete sentences:
1) What religion did the Romans practice? (Polytheism, Emperors became gods)
2) What were the 3 major religions in Han China? (Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism)

3) About how many people were controlled by each empire at their height? (about 60
million)
4) How many government officials (bureaucrats) did Han China have? (130,000)
5) Roughly how many square kilometers did each empire control? ( about 4 million square
kilometers)
6) How were government positions distributed in Han China as compared to the Roman
Empire? (Election vs civil tests/merit based)
7) What was the name of the tribe of that sacked Rome in 410 ending their empire?
(Visigoths)
8) How many tons of wheat per year was consumed in Rome? (100,000 tons)
9) For extra credit name the King that led the barbarian tribe during the sack of Rome in
410? (King Alaric)
Materials: Students will need pencil and paper to take notes, teacher will provide white boards,
markers and erasers