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
I really like the idea of learning about the laws that make up Hammurabi's Code while having the opportunity to compare them to laws of today. Asking students if it's a code that could be used in our society, shows them that it's okay to challenge the norm or things that have always just been. Students should learn to consider that the way current things are is not necessarily the best or most successful situations. Looking back at different forms of government and societies can allow students to think about how we could improve our own, or throughout history trace trends of societal successes and fails as a result of different types of societal organizing, governing, and so on. Bringing the past to the present and asking if this could fit, or whats different challenges students to think about whats at stake and how those things would be affected.
ReplyDelete.I love the idea of asking students if Hammurabi was just! Frequently we view milestone systems like the Magna Carta or Hammurabi's code as inherently good. Good luck with this, I'm really excited to see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great exercise not only because of its content but you are also getting the students to give their own opinion. They are forced to give an answer however their answer cannot be wrong. It gets them to start talking, getting them to open up and get them to feel comfortable talking in front of others. Comparing cultures is always something interesting and insightful. With the students giving their own opinion, students will start to think outside the box, creating a rich dialogue. Maybe as an exercise, have the students create their own code for their own civilization.
ReplyDeleteI really like how all of your comments touch on the "evolving" aspect of cultural norms of right and wrong as well as "justice". I think ta meaty guiding question such as "what is just?" will make for an engaging exploration of ancient civilizations. What does it mean to be "civilized" after all?
ReplyDeleteThis topic is great! It's interesting and rich in content. I think that your presentation of the material is well planned and thought out. I agree with Steffanie, I think that having the students make comparisons of Hammurabi's code and current laws would be beneficial. This way the students would have to have knowledge of current laws and the justice system as well as a grasp on the content showcased in this lesson.
ReplyDelete