In this posting specifically I will be including sources and my KWL on Babylon and Egypt. My future posts will include Greece and Rome. My goal in this blog is to incorporate multiple forms of media as resources to convey greater meaning to my students and better respect the variety of learners that make up my classroom. Respecting the variety of learners that make up my classroom means I must respect their literacy needs. Providing multiple forms of media is one way in which I can better the experience my students have.
I have a confident understanding of the content I will be covering in class, my understanding stems from retained knowledge I have obtained during classes taken throughout my career as a student, and from my nerdy obsession with ancient empires. However, I do not rely solely on my previous knowledge of content material. I expand the depth of my understanding through the time I put into preparation before teaching my students. I have an understanding of the dependency ancient civilizations had on their locations and surrounding geographic features/resources. As ancient societies grew in population, codes of law and governing bodies needed to be created in order to manage the rising number of people living in close proximity to one another. As civilizations advanced, their codes of law also had to evolve to meet the needs of their leaders, nations and/or people. I hope to further my knowledge on what daily life was like for ancient peoples and how I can relate our lives today to theirs. I would also like to learn more about specific laws, codes and social norms in ancient societies.
The specific themes and topics I plan to educate my students on in regards to the ancient societies of Babylon and Egypt are as follows:
1) Ancient Babylon and Hammurabi's Code:
Our essential question states, "Hammurabi's Code, was it just?" Using multiple primary and secondary sources, students will have the opportunity to build an opinion and provide rationale to support their opinions in regards to a handful of laws that made up Hammurabi's code. We will explore the justifications Hammurabi had for his laws by looking at images and translations of his cuneiform stone steles. Students will compare and contrast the laws of Babylon to laws today, and explain their opinions as to why or why not Hammurabi's Code could be used in our society.
Sources include:
Video: Crash Course World History: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohXPx_XZ6Y
Video: Law Today/Ham's Code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDALXORbtR4
DBQ (Document Based Question): Hammurabi.pdf
Secondary Source: DBQ background essay.
Primary Sources: DBQ documents A-E
A: Image/Background: Stone stele
B: Text/Translation: Epilogue of Code
C, D, E: Text/Laws: Building/supporting opinions
*DBQ project 2011, Volume 1 Unit 1
2) Ancient Egypt and the Nile River:
Our essential question states, "How did the Nile River help shape the development of Ancient Egypt?" Students will analyze primary and secondary sources including maps, essays, videos, text materials, charts and timelines to build and support their responses to the essential question. We will examine the geographic isolation Egypt had, and their society's ability to harness as well as understand the Nile River. Students will expand and build their understanding of the Egyptians ability to track the Nile's seasonal flooding patterns in order to farm and produce surpluses of food for their people. We will also examine Egyptian leaders' abilities to govern, control and organize the population to build their great monuments.
Sources include:
Video: Crash Course World History: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Wvw6BivVI
Video: Nile River's Importance/Significance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6juyIxRvGcA
Video: Monuments/Leaders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8945K4dH0
DBQ: Nile/Egypt.pdf
Secondary Source: DBQ background essay.
Primary Sources: DBQ documents A-E
A: Map: Ancient Egypt, significance of Nile River
B: Chart: Seasonal Flooding/ Seasons
C: Image: Boats/transportation
D: Image: Hieroglyphics/life after death
E: Song Lyrics: Respect/love for Nile River
*DBQ project 2011, Volume 1 Unit 2
