Ancient China Review

Today was a jumble of emotions.  First, I have to give props to my homebase for being very observant.  My grandmother is on her final journey to her heavenly home.  I went to be with her last night and got home at mid-night (well past my bedtime) and my emotions are a mess.  Before instruction began one of my homebase students noticed that I was off and asked.  I shared my story (without crying).  They were so sweet and understanding.  

According to my lesson, I was going to review using the CPS clickers and award candy for those questions that had 100% correct answers.  However, I was still crying when I got to school this morning.  I knew that my plans had to change.

Here is most of fourth period.  Notice the Fu Manchu moustache.  They were reviewing Taoism.

 I went to my teacher across the hall for a suggestion.  She suggested that I break the chapter into topics and then have them break into that many groups.  Within the group they could create one of many review activities: a skit, riddles, jokes, advertisement, or an interview.  I gave them about 20 minutes and butcher paper, markers, scissors, and tape.  I was so impressed with their output!  I had songs about China's geography, a wrap about Taoism, an interview about Taoism and Confucianism, riddles about the Silk Road and China's geography, maps, advertisements for the Great Wall and a few others.  I was so proud of them!

Here is another group.  Notice the Great Wall behind them?  The Mongols breached the wall and destroyed it.  

This is the Silk Road group decorating their "silk".

I hung the output in the hallway.  

Here are some output from first and second.  By the end of the day I had fourteen or fifteen posters hanging in the hall.

Happy Teaching!

C

Egyptian Society

We have been wrapping up our ancient river valley civilization unit and we discussed Egyptian society.  On Wednesday I had the students use an iPad (my pilot group used their chromebook) to research 9 different groups in society: pharaoh, vizier, scribes, doctors, priests, craftpeople, farmers, nobles and soldiers.  I told them to try to think about questions like: Who do they work for? Do they have people that work for them?  What is their diet?  What is their day like?  I told them think about what their groups social status would be: low, middle or high.
The students then shared their ideas and each student was to write down what we discussed.  At the end we discussed the Egyptian slave who is the lowest in Egyptian society.

At the end of their notes I asked them to draw a triangle and have them divide the triangle in three parts.  I gave them 30 seconds to write down where they thought the members of society.  I then cold called students to come to the board and put the society member in the appropriate spot.

This is what the end result was in one of our classes:

I really enjoyed how the students worked in small groups, shared their information with the other students and then put together their social pyramid.

Happy teaching!
C