Sample Lesson Materials

9th Grade Social Studies: Geography of Ancient Civilizations

Lesson Basics

Grade Level: 9th (or 10th!) Grade

Content Area: Global History and Geography I

Lesson Title: Geography of Ancient Civilizations

Learning Objective: I can describe how early civilizations adapted to their environment to survive.

New York State Standard: 9.1b Complex societies and civilizations adapted to and modified their environment to meet the needs of their population. Students will explore how the Mesopotamian, Shang and Indus River Valley civilizations adapted to and modified their environments to meet their need for food, clothing and shelter.

Instructional Video

This video is the third instructional video in the first unit of instruction in Global I - following the lesson on the Neolithic Revolution. This means that students have not yet been introduced to the ancient civilizations within this course. Therefore, each civilization has a brief introduction and a description of how the civilization adapted to its environment.

To the left is my instructional video without enhancements. I do add it to Edpuzzle for my learners so I can add embedded questions. Check that out here!

Guided Notes

I’ve used this lesson for several years, and each year, I have engaged students differently during their instructional videos.

While using Google Classroom, I had students complete an Edpuzzle with embedded questions. As I craft my slide deck, I write out my Edpuzzle questions in the notes section of the slide.

When we transitioned to Schoology, we had a lot of issues with syncing Edpuzzle and Schoology - it works wonderfully now, though! Because of this, I had students take guided notes while watching their instructional video embedded into their Schoology page.

Click on my guided notes to the left to see more!

Practice Work

For my practice, students read excerpts about each of the three ancient civilizations and answer questions about each excerpt. This includes opportunities for students to practice with their mastery check question, "How did the civilization adapt to their environment?"

My students always need to build their stamina in reading and writing, so as the year progresses, student practice gets longer and more complex.

To the left is the practice that I print for learners. Here is a digital copy of the same practice that would be done fully online.

Mastery Check

I wanted to make a mastery check that made it easy for revisions. Because of that, I gave students a choice to correctly identify the civilization and adaptation and then explain the adaptation.

If students are unable to do so, they can choose a different civilization and adaptation once they go back and review the lesson materials.

To the left is the digital mastery check that would be done fully on the computer. Here is a printable copy of the same mastery check.

Progress Tracker

I’ve tried out many pacing trackers, but this Google Sheet with checkboxes works best for me and my students. The best student feedback I’ve received about this pacing tracker is that I include each part of the lesson (Notes, Practice, and Mastery Check). Students say it makes it easier for them to pick up where they’ve left off the previous day.

I also provide an individual pacing tracker for students who like to use it.

I’ve taught this lesson using all digital materials and using all paper materials, so I’ve included both sets.

This was actually a lesson I created during the Virtual Summer Institute and still use!

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