HASS Lesson plan – 50 minute lesson

Class context (numbers/gender/differentiation Date Subject/sub Year level

requirements strand
Week 1 Term 3 2017 7
• 26 Students History
• 13 girls
• 13 boys
• 4 students with dyslexia
• 1 student that is visually impaired
• 3 Asian students
Lesson Context: What has been learnt prior to this lesson?

Year 7’s in Term 1 investigated ‘The Ancient Past’, where students built on and consolidated their understanding of
historical inquiry, using a range of sources for study.

In term 2 students investigated one Mediterranean society, either Egypt, Greece or Rome. They conducted an in-
depth assignment, which required them to analyse physical features of the city, the civilization, key roles in society,
religion, laws, beliefs and values as well as conflict with other nations.

Through these two detailed studies students gained the knowledge and understanding of how to research
information from valid sources. Students have previously had choice in presentation methods, such as a power
point, a poster, an oral and a video. Students have the skills to work collaboratively and individually.
Relevant Content Description from the curriculum

“The Year 7 curriculum provides a study of history from the time of the earliest human communities to the end of
the ancient period, approximately 60 000 BC (BCE) – c.650 AD (CE). It was a period defined by the development of
cultural practices and organised societies. The study of the ancient world includes the discoveries (the remains of the
past and what we know) and the mysteries (what we do not know) about this period of history, in a range of societies
in places including Australia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, India and China.” This is a direct copy from the Year 7 History
Curriculum. After thoroughly analysing the curriculum I have focused purely on the study of ‘The Asian World’ in
the time period of 60 000 BC (BCE) – c.650 AD (CE).
Learning goal/s of lesson

My learning goal for this lesson, is for the students to have a basic knowledge of India and China between 60 000 BC
(BCE) – c.650 AD (CE). Specifically looking at physical features of India and China such as religions and roles of key
groups in society (such as kings, emperors, priests, merchants and peasants), as well as traditional beliefs. The goal is
for students to have a basic but broad understanding of China and India in this time period so that in the next lesson
students will look at warfare, death, customs and the role of a significant individuals in Indian history, such as
Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka also the role of a significant individuals in Chinese history, such as Confucius and
Qin Shi Huang. In doing this, throughout the following weeks students will choose to research deeper into either
China or India based on the shallow amount of research conducted over two lessons.

Essential questions for the lesson

Beginning the lesson with a general question to the class -

• Who knows anything about China or India?
• Who knows the relationship between Asia and Australia?
• Perhaps, has anyone been there and is willing to share their experiences?
The inquiry questions of the class in reference to the time period of 60 000 BC (BCE) – c.650 AD (CE) -
• What are the psychical features of China and India?
• What roles do key groups in society play?
• What are some of the beliefs and values in these countries?
• What are some conflicts and contacts with other countries?
• Who were Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka, Confucius and Qin Shi Huang?
• Why and where did the earliest societies develop?
• What have been the legacies of ancient societies?
Lesson structure rationale

The lesson structure is very specific as it is the beginning of a new topic, therefore I want students to have a clear
idea as to where this new topic will take us and what we hope to achieve out of it.

Lesson Outline
Resource used for section of
Time Activity
lesson

2
 General Capabilities
Assessment
Theories
Cross-Curriculum Priorities
Cross-Curriculum Approach
Historical Skills
5 Student Diversity
https://www
mins • When students enter the classroom I will have a YouTube clip playing discussing India and then following have a clip about China
.youtube.co
• I will not let either clips take up more than 5 minutes of the lesson time
m/watch?v=
• This will intrigue students as to what our next topic is (This is a Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning ‘Mayer’, as I have begun the
wzXOKqE
students’ learning through showing images, videos and music that stimulates learning immediately. Mayer suggests students learn better
WytY -
when they are presented with visual stimulus.)
India
• A class discussion will be stimulated based on the open-ended questions I ask
• Who knows anything about India or China, it could be about the people, Asia’s relationship with Australia, languages, religions, lifestyle, https://w

culture, sustainability, famous sportsman or singer, food (By stimulating these questions students are covering Cross-Curriculum ww.youtube
10
priorities, as they are discussing the relationship between Asia and Australia, beginning to discuss the relationship between the .com/watch?
mins
Chinese/Indian Indigenous people and the connection with the land. Even though it is not directly based on Australian Indigenous v=DZrQ7Y

people it gets students thinking in that direction for future discussions and lastly understanding how these Asian communities were uLvtE -

sustainable.) China

• This hopefully will get students thinking about what they already know about these countries and encourage excitement about knowledge
they have (This is a Cognitivist Theory approach, as it is asking students to scan their memory about previous information they may have,
as well as examining it, to see if it is relevant.)
• Another question I could ask depending on the reaction of the first is -
• Has anyone been to either or these countries, in hope someone has and can share their experiences?
• Here I am going to introduce the terms topic, ‘The Study of the Asian World’ specifically in relation to India and China
• I explain that these are the two counties we will be focusing on and researching in the time span of 60 000 BC (BCE) – c.650 AD (CE) and
10
students will be researching various areas of these societies, firstly a broad understanding of both countries and then more in-depth later
mins
in the topic
• If there is time I will show an interactive world map where students can show me where India and China are in the world
• I will write 7 questions on the board and explain that individually or in groups of 2 or 3 they will research the questions on their laptops https://www
or on school computers. .google.com

• Students will be asked to write their findings on paper individually so they each have a copy, however I will approach the dyslexic .au/maps/pl

students to give them the choice to type if they would prefer to so they also feel comfortable participating ace/China/

• I will write the questions on the board and have a sheet printed of the questions also for the student that are visually impaired and for the @33.400859

students who do not speak English as a first language (These questions are also a Cross-Curriculum Approach, as students are also 2,78.5816259
researching Geography and Social studies) ,4z/data=!4
20 • What are the psychical features of China and India? m5!3m4!1s0
mins • What roles do key groups in society play? x31508e64e5

• What are some beliefs and values in these countries? c642c1:0x951

• What are some conflicts and contacts with other countries? daa7c349f36

• Who were Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka, Confucius and Qin Shi Huang? 6f!8m2!3d35

• Why and where did the earliest societies develop? .86166!4d104

• What have been the legacies of ancient societies? .195397 -

World map
• (These questions are covering the General Capabilities, Critical and Creative Thinking, Intercultural Understanding, Personal and Social
Capability and Ethical Understanding)
• I will ask if anyone needs any clarification or does not understand
• After I have given instructions, I will walk around the classroom and assist students in their research if need be and assess where the
students’ basic skills are at
• After 20 minutes students need to report back to the class answering 3 of these 7 questions in reference to India and China as well as
participating in a general discussion about interesting facts or inquiry questions that students have (This is the historical skill of
explanation and communication) (This is a Blooms Taxonomy, as it is asking students to research, comprehend the information they have
found, apply it to their existing knowledge or write it, analyse the information to see if it is valid, scan their memory about previous

5 information they may have, as well as examining it, to see it if it is relevant, making connections between all the information and then

mins evaluating the information and presenting it to the class.)

• I conclude the lesson with congratulating the students on a good lesson and say that the next lesson will consist of another set of

3 China
questions to research to gain a broad understanding of India and


Achievement Standard aspect explored in lesson
The lesson plan written incorporates 3 of the Australian
Curriculum achievement standards, the following
1) They describe the effects of change on societies,
individuals and groups.
This is done through their research of Indian and Chinese
subjects in the allocated time on a computer.
Assessment of learning – during and/or at the end of lesson
I will assess student’s engagement and general knowledge by
asking open-ended questions at the beginning of the topic and
lesson. By doing this, the students who have knowledge of either
China and India will be identified, as well as those students who
do not contribute because they do not know. This allows me to
asses if some students have prior knowledge of the topic.

When students begin their group work I will be able to assess

2) When researching, students develop questions to frame
a historical inquiry.
Students will develop inquiry questions from the research
they conduct in class. After 20 minutes of research I get all
students attention and allocate 5 minutes for discussion
about interesting facts they have found and inquiry
questions.
their skills in groups, which students do more work than others
as well as identifying students that are not doing work at all.
At the end of the lesson when I ask students to participate in the
discussion I think it will be clear to see which students have
researched well and which students I do not think have either
understood the task or who have been distracted.

3) Students develop texts, particularly descriptions and

explanations. This class was an example of formative assessment. It indicates
whether students work effectively in groups, quality of work,
Students develop texts when they have to hand write or
researching skills and general knowledge about India and China.
type the information they have found during their research.
Students will write the explanations for the history they
have found, in addition, students will have to describe their
findings to the class in the sharing time at the end of the
lesson.

4
 Details of the resources to support learning used in lesson
The resources utilised in this lesson were two YouTube
videos and an interactive world map. I chose to begin the
class with two YouTube videos, as it is an immediate
introduction to India and China, as the clips are a
combination of amazing photos from both countries. The
videos will be playing as the students come into the
classroom which means as they are settling down they are
also engaging with the topic without them even realising.
My third link is the interactive map, so when we begin the
class discussion about general knowledge to do with India
and China we can also look to see globally where the country
is situated. This can be the basis of understanding cultural
influences from surrounding countries, understanding the
weather and the origin of people.
Although only three resources are utilised I believe that they
will be effective and provide the groundwork for a successful
and engaging lesson.
Reflection questions for learning improvement and teacher
quality
Through observing the first 15 minutes of the class I will be able
to assess whether or not my teaching strategies were engaging or
not. If the students volunteer and engage in contributing their
knowledge to the class then I know I have chosen the right
strategy. If students do not participate or seem quiet during the
discussion time I will volunteer my own knowledge and
experiences about India and China. Through doing this, my aim
is to make students feel confident to share their knowledge.
Another strategy would be is to show another YouTube clip.
The questions I will ask myself
• Was this engaging?
• Did the students contribute as much knowledge as I
thought?
• Did the students understand the task I set?
• Did the students research the questions as thoroughly as
I hoped?
• If not, what will I do next lesson to ensure their learning
and research skills have reached a certain point?
When I walk around the class in the 20 minutes of research time
I will be able to decipher if students are on task, if they are
accessing the right sources, and if not direct them to sufficient
ones. This may also highlight that I need to spend more time
with the students on utilising the correct sources.
At the end of the class when students show me how much work
they have completed, that will also be a reflection on my teaching
strategies,
• Have I made myself clear, did they understand the
instructions?
• Did the students know what sites to access for research?
• Do I need to spend more time on clarifying what sites
are appropriate to gain information from and which are
not?
By seeing how much knowledge students contribute to the
discussion at the end of the lesson I can conduct formative
assessments to see the quality of work and whether it needs to be
improved.
By the end of the lesson I will know if the combination of the
YouTube clips, class discussion and group/individual research
was a successful way to engage students in the first lesson of
History in term 3.

Flip classroom opportunities Homework

The Flip classroom opportunities I could have used at the There is no set homework for the first lesson.
beginning of this lesson was to set a task to see what students
could find out about the topic before I begin the class. This is
called pre-learning where students have to engage and find
out some information off their own back before being taught
it. I could also set some pre-topic homework where I ask an
open-ended question such as ‘see what you can find out
about….’, again to engage students in prior topic research.

How does this lesson fit into the Unit of work chosen?
This lesson was designed to be the first lesson of a new unit of work ‘The Asian World’. I
tried to initiate this topic through engaging YouTube clips that highlight the wonders of
both India and China. The lesson was designed for me to assess how much knowledge the
students have come into this topic with and to know what areas need more work. By
generally asking students to research both India and China for lesson 1 and 2, students
hopefully prefer to study one country more broadly than another. The content description
of this area is for students to do an in-depth piece of study on either India or China and by
me focusing two lessons around both it will give students direction to one or the other in
the time period. As well as this, the 7 questions students had to research are based on the
Australian Curriculum learning areas, so when it comes time for their assignment writing
they have basic notes from the first few weeks of class discussion. With the inclusion of
researching the sustainability of Indian and Chinese cultures as well as their relationship
with Australia, Cross-Curriculum approaches are included. This lesson fits into the unit of
work, as it provides students with the foundation questions and knowledge to choose to
study India or China.