Instruction and Management Plan

The Ancient Greece unit was basically split up into two main pieces. The first piece of the unit
focused on getting students familiar with what was going on in Greece at the time. I wanted the unit to
basically flow with a beginning middle and end. To do this I had students gaining a majority of the
information in the first few days of the lesson. We watched a short documentary on the times of Greece
during the Peloponnesian Wars, and then also looked at the Greek Gods creation story. The second
piece of this unit relied on students to do the work. Their task was to research 30 of the Greek Gods and
to hand draw a family tree of the gods/goddesses, and be able to explain the creation myth through it as
well. After their projects there was a final exam on the gods/goddesses that should have been
researched by different group members. Overall I wanted the unit to feel like they did something rather
than sit and take notes and then take a test.
The first part of the unit was pretty straight forward. On the first day students watched a short
documentary on the wars between Sparta and Athens. By looking at the war students gained an insight
for the time period we were to be studying. This also gained student interest because they love to
watch documentaries rather than take notes. I used the teaching strategy of presenting through
technology such as video because it was a nice way to ease into the unit. But to assure that students at
least paid attention to the documentary they were to fill out a question sheet that they could use to
study from later in the unit. Also as a pre assessment I gave a partial KWL. This way I got an idea of
what students knew already about Greek gods and what they dont know. The second lesson I did in
class was more informational. We looked at the creation story of the Greek Gods and all the different
gods and goddesses that came to be. The point of looking at this myth was for students to think back to
the 4 Great Questions, and that humanity has been trying to answer these questions since the beginning
of written word. In class we discussed how this myth answered the 4 Great Questions, and a lot of
students started to have the light bulb go off in their head, and realized that people actually did believe
in these gods, just as a lot of us today believe in a single god.
The second part of the unit was heavy research and drawing. Students were assigned the task
of creating a family tree of the Gods/Goddesses and be able to retell the creation myth while using their
family tree as an aid. To do this students were grouped up with 5 people to a group and were given 3
days of class time to research and put together their projects. I used the strategy of I do, we do to
model what I wanted students to create. I showed examples of family trees as well as lines of lineage in
the tree. They were given a list of 30 Gods or Goddesses to research and have on their family tree. For
each God or Goddess they had to have at least 3 characteristics to go along with a drawing. To address
literacy in the classroom students had to read their own research, and to find this research they used
their laptops given to them by the school. To address numeracy students were able to divide the work
up amongst their group. This meant that most students ended up with 5 gods or goddesses to research
and put on their groups family tree. I wanted the class to see what other groups had created, so we did
a gallery walk on the day the projects were due. Half the groups stood at their posters, and the other
half walked around and looked and asked questions about the projects. Another instructional strategy I
used was check for understanding. As students worked on their projects I circled from group to group
checking in and seeing if anyone had any questions or problems. This turned to be really helpful

because some students were not doing any work so I had to redirect them. Once the gallery walk was
finished we took the unit final, which was 30 questions long and over the gods and goddesses
mentioned in the creation myth.
Management of the class was pretty straightforward. Taking over on the second unit of the
semester, I had the same expectations as Mr. Wright. Students got two redirects during class. If the
disruption continues I ask the student to step into the hall for a moment, and that is where I go ask what
is going on and why they are disrupting or being rude. If students still were uncooperative they would
be sent to the deans office, but I never ended up having to send anyone down there. I had a really good
relationship with my class, and usually after the first redirect they realized they were not giving me their
full attention and came back to focus. I never had any bad encounters with students during the
semester and I attribute that to my great relationship with my class.
Below are a handful of the lessons from the unit. I didnt provide all considering some were
student research days so there isnt much to include, but I still have a few just to show what I had.
There were no accommodations or adaptations needed for this class.

Lesson Plan for Unit 2: Greek Gods

DAY OF UNIT & NAME OF
LESSON/ACTIVITY
FEATURED STANDARD

Day 1-Intro to Greek Society

PURPOSE OF ACTIVITY

-Having just ended a 2 week Unit on Ancient Mesopotamia, students are now moving on to the
Greek Gods. Students will be watching a documentary on the Greek Civilization. The video
covers the topic of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta, something which the
students will have an idea about due to the movie 300 released several years ago. This video
will help students get a brief idea of what the big deal was about the Wars and also gives them a
bit of insight into what role the Gods played in the wars. The Connected Learning Principle being
emphasized is Student Interest. Students have all referenced the movie 300 in class, and the
video explains in detail how the Peloponnesian Wars began and ended, and this will draw student
interest even from students who may have not seen the movie. One student in the class has a hard
time reading for information, so this video will aid that students needs for better understanding
the Greek Society and also the role of the Gods in the Wars.

CDE Standard 1 for Social Studies: History

Prepared Graduates: Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time within and
across nations and cultures.
Skills students master: 2. The key concepts of continuity and change, cause and effect,
complexity, unity and diversity over time.
Evidence Outcomes:
a. Evaluate continuity and change over the course of world history
b. Investigate causes and effects of significant events in world history
c. Analyze the complexity of events in world history
d. Examine and evaluate issues of unity and diversity in world history

Learning Target: Students will gain an understanding for the Peloponeasian Wars between Sparta
and Athens, and how the Gods played a role in Greek society.
Success Criteria: I will show this by completing the documentary question sheet with complete

sentences.

MATERIALS
PROCEDURES

Internet access for YouTube, Question Sheet for Documentary

-As students take seats, explain that we are starting a new Unit, a unit on the Greek Gods, but
before we can get into the details of the Gods we must first get an understanding for what life was
like during these times. Explain that since today is a shorter day, we will be watching a
documentary that highlights the Peloponnesian Wars, the wars between Sparta and Athens that so
many of them are familiar with. Explain they will answer the questions on the worksheet while
watching and will turn it in at the end of class. (5 min)
-Start documentary, allow them to watch for 40-45 min. If they film doesnt get to the last
question, just give it to them. (45 min)
-Collect students answers to the questions before they leave. (2 min)

ONGOING ASSESSMENT

As film is playing, watching for student action in answering questions, and no side talk with
friends. Ticket out the door is their answers from the film, this will show if they were paying
attention.

REFERENCES

n/a

Ancient Greeks: Golden Age of Civilization Documentary Questions

1. Every male citizen was forced to go fight for Athens. Poor men fought with sticks,
bows and arrows, spears, and any other weapons they could find. The Hoplites
however were different. Who were the hoplites?

2. Who was Pheidippides and what did he do that was so important?

3. What was Themistocles plan to fight the Persians? What was his trick to fight
them?

4. What was the Athenians method to protect the government?

5. Who was Pericles? What historical building did he have built and who was that
building built for?

Lesson 1 Reflection
For my first lesson as the teacher of the class, it was a nice way to ease students into the
topic. Students are aware that I am taking over class until the end of semester and seemed to
respect me very well. Of course as soon as I put on the video students left for the bathroom. Our
policy is they can go whenever they need to but they must write their name and time they left on
the board so I can see who is gone and how long they have been gone. Most students came back
within 5 minutes but a few students took way longer. I had a talk with them after class about
how they need to take care of their business and come straight back to class. They seemed to
understand and give me the approving head nods. This was interesting because it was my first
interaction with students involving behavior at this school. I didnt want to come off too harsh
but I wanted to make it clear that I dont accept people leaving class for longer than 10 minutes.
It was a short class period today, a Monday, so there wasnt much student and teacher
interaction. Mainly I am excited to get into the details and have students start creating their
drawings of the gods. Maybe next time instead of a movie I was thinking I could have come up
with a fun introduction game, but it was hard to do considering I havent been studying social
studies at CSU, but English.

Lesson Plan for Unit 2: Greek Gods, Classical Humanities, Mr. Carnahan
DAY OF UNIT & NAME OF
LESSON/ACTIVITY
FEATURED STANDARD

PURPOSE OF ACTIVITY

MATERIALS
PROCEDURES

Day 2-Introduction to the Greek Gods

CDE Standards Content Area: Social Studies
Standard 1: History
Concepts and Skills students master: The significance of ideas as powerful forces throughout
history.
Prepared Graduates: Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time within and
across nations and cultures.
Evidence Outcomes:
a. Discuss the historical development and impact of major world religions and
philosophers.
After watching the History Channel Documentary on Monday, students now have a brief
understanding for Greek culture surrounding the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta,
as well as their allies. Todays activity will assess what students think they know about Greek
Gods, and also give them insight to who they Gods were and what their role was in Greek
Culture. This unit falls right after the class has finished up learning about Mesopotamia and The
Epic of Gilgamesh. We discussed as a class how a man such as Gilgamesh could be 2/3 God and
1/3 Man, and went over what made him God-like. This Unit starts to look at more Gods,
specifically the Greek Gods and why they were such an important role in the Greek society. This
activity emphasizes the Connected Learning Principle of Everyone Can Participate because we
have students discussing in small groups the 4 Great Questions. Then we will look into the
family tree of the Greek Gods and see just how many there are, and what they did. By looking at
the family tree and discussing the roles of the Gods, students will start to understand who the
Gods were and why they were a part of Greek Culture.
Pre-Assessment Questions Slide on PPT, Greek Gods family tree PPT, Research Assignment
Sheet
-R.O.C.K. Oral Check of Knowledge, go over the questions from the documentary shown on
Monday about the Peloponnesian Wars(6 min)
-Belief Questions- Have students individually respond to the questions provided on the
powerpoint. This part of the lesson allows students to start sharing some simple beliefs with the
class, and gets students comfortable with opening up their ideas. (10 min)
-Before we can really get into the Gods, lets think back to the 4 Great Questions- Where did the
Earth come from? How did Humans get here? Why are we here? What happens Next? Number
students off 1 through 5, and allow them to get into groups. In their groups have them discuss the
4 Great Questions, and Why Gods were created? Be sure to have one group member write down
what they talk about. As students discuss, be sure you are traveling around the room to hear what
groups are discussing, and also to see if they are having meaningful discussion. (15 min)
-Pre-Assessment Questions- On the PPT- Students will individually answer questions from ppt
slide on a piece of paper. Once finished we will discuss some of the student responses. This
allows me to gain an understanding for where students are as far as knowledge of the Gods. (10
min)
-Come back as a class, students can stay in groups, and begin discussion on what they discovered
in their groups. Ask students to share what they believe the answers to the Great Questions are,
and why they think Gods were created. Be sure to try and get at least one person from each group
to talk and share. Why were they created? Social Order? Justice? Boredom? (30 min)
-After discussion has ended, bring up the Greek Gods Family Tree PowerPoint. Walk students
through the family tree examples. After looking at the trees, continue onto the slides explaining
the Greek Gods Creation story. (20 min)
-Once finished with the PowerPoint, hand out the Greek Gods Research Assignment and briefly
explain. Allow time for questions, and remind them to look it over at home and come back next
class with any questions. (14 min)
Learning Target: Students will gain an understanding for the Greek creation myth, the gods and

ONGOING ASSESSMENT
REFERENCES

goddesses mentioned as well as how the myth answers the 4 Great Questions.
Success Criteria: I will show I know this by researching the creation myth as well as the gods
mentioned and explain how they came to be on a hand drawn family tree.
Circling groups to hear discussion of 4 Great Questions, Pre-Assessment question sheet
n/a

Greek Gods Group Research Project

In your groups you will do the following:
Research the Greek Creation Myth
Once you have gathered information on the Creation Myth,
you will create a family tree of the Greek Gods, Starting
with Gaia and Uranus, The Titans, The Olympians and
ending with their offspring.
For each God/Goddess give his/her characteristics and
responsibilities in the cosmology of the Greeks.
Draw a picture representation of each Character
We will be presenting these to the class, so you will also
need to be explaining the creation myth as you show your
tree. Specifically explain how each God/Goddess was born
DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS THURSDAY 9/25, FRIDAY 9/26

Lesson 2 Reflection
Todays lesson went fairly well I would say. It was a bit awkward because it had a lot of
discussion involved, but in the end I think it turned out ok. We started off with a R.O.C.K. which stands
for review: oral check of knowledge. I used this strategy to get students to recall the video we watched
the day before. It worked really well considering students had to answer questions on the video, so it
seems some of the information stuck. I really thought the activity of having students get in small groups
and discuss their beliefs would go well. Its not that it didnt go well; it just didnt go as planned. I was
expecting a lot more conversation, and we just didnt have any. Also my point of the beliefs activity was
to get students to see that we all have different beliefs, and so did the Greeks during the time period we
were looking at. In the end I just had to state that to the class, and everyone seemed to understand
after I shared with them why we did the activity. Its weird how it seems like time goes by so slow when
you let the class discuss, but then it flies by when you are lecturing or talking with the class. I think next
time I teach this lesson I will change the questions a bit for the beliefs activity. I need to sit down and
see if I can think of some better questions to get students thinking about beliefs they hold and how
everyone shares different beliefs. When we discussed the 4 Great Questions students had a lot to
share. I was worried that some students would be rude to others about their beliefs, but it turned out
that everyone was very respectful. The students really enjoyed having me explain the creation story. I
personally love the Greek creation myth, so I had a lot of energy in explaining the different gods and
how they came to be. Maybe next time instead of a straight power point going over the myth, we could
break it into chunks and have different groups report on it. Overall I would say the lesson went well. I
ran out of time at the end to explain the assignment so I had to move that to the next class period.

Lesson Plan for Unit 2: Greek Gods, Classical Humanities, Mr. Carnahan
DAY OF UNIT & NAME OF
LESSON/ACTIVITY
FEATURED STANDARD

PURPOSE OF ACTIVITY

MATERIALS
PROCEDURES

ONGOING ASSESSMENT

Day 3-Family Tree Project and Research Day

CDE Standards Content Area: Social Studies
Standard 1: History
Concepts and Skills students master: The significance of ideas as powerful forces throughout
history.
Prepared Graduates: Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time within and
across nations and cultures.
Evidence Outcomes:
a.
Discuss the historical development and impact of major world religions and
philosophers.
The purpose of the Family tree project is to get students to understand who the Gods were and
what role they played in Greek life. We spent the previous class period getting familiar with the
Gods and the creation myth. Todays activity is getting them to start researching on their own the
different gods and goddesses created from the story. By being able to retell the creation myth
with their trees as visual aids, students will gain an understanding for the creation story, as well as
an understanding for why people of Greece believed in these gods during their lives. This activity
utilizes the connected learning principle of Everyone can participate because all students should
be either researching a group of gods or should be drawing them on their posters.
Family Tree assignment sheet (for those who didnt receive one prior)
As students come in to class, greet them as usual. Once bell rings make sure students are in seats
and you allow time for announcements. Then go over the schedule for the day. Notify the
students that today we will be starting our group projects. (10 min)
After announcements hand out the family tree assignment sheet to the class. Go through the
objectives on the sheet, and make sure to see if students have questions. Be sure to explain that
students may break up the 30 gods into smaller groups for each member to research and
contribute to the poster. This way ensures that no one will be just sitting doing nothing. (10 min)
Explain that you have reserved the flex lab down the hall for our class to use for the period. They
are allowed to work on the big tables out there or in the classroom as well. Let them know the
rest of the class time is theirs to do research and start working. As students work be sure to visit
the groups and see how they are coming with research. Ask if they have any questions when you
go around. (65 min)
In the last 5 minutes of class have students come back to class and check in on where they got on
their family trees. Remind them they will only have the class time given to make this project, so
another 2 days of research and working then it is time to present. (5 min)
Circling the lab to see what information students are finding on the internet, checking their
research notes, and asking them questions about how they will find the information they need.

Lesson 3 Reflection
Todays lesson went well. Considering we barely had enough time to talk about the assignment
before class ended last time, we started class with any questions they had on the assignment. There
were a few but they were just clarification questions about what kind of style to do or if they needed to
add color. Of course I said to add color because I want it to look nice! They rolled their eyes a bit but
most of them really enjoyed the coloring part. Hardly anyone wanted to stay in the classroom and work,
so we went to the flex lab where students started doing their research on the creation myth. I reminded
them before we went to the lab to be mindful of the sources they are using. Most are seniors and know
how to evaluate a source online, but some I could tell were immediately going to go to Wikipedia.
Everyone seemed to be on task; however some students were trying to come up with excuses not to do
anything. I quickly squashed that fire by telling them to get to work and start researching because their
group will be mad if they dont do their share. The students eventually got to their laptops and started
researching. It was a challenge though, because a lot of laptops were either not with students or they
had them taken away, so some students needed to use the flex lab computers, while others were able
to sit in the room and research. I see now why the teachers say the laptops are such a hassle. Most
students got through their research today and some even started drawing on the butcher paper they are
using as poster paper. The only thing I wish I could have done differently was have students have their
laptops and work in the classroom, because I felt like some groups didnt accomplish much, but I felt
that was their lack of responsibility. They are seniors and should know to act accordingly and use their
time properly when given the chance.

Lesson Plan for Unit 2: Greek Gods, Classical Humanities, Mr. Carnahan
DAY OF UNIT & NAME OF
LESSON/ACTIVITY
FEATURED STANDARD

PURPOSE OF ACTIVITY

MATERIALS
PROCEDURES

ONGOING ASSESSMENT

Day 6- presentations and exam day

CDE Standard 1 for Social Studies: History
Prepared Graduates: Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time within and
across nations and cultures.
Skills students master: 2. The key concepts of continuity and change, cause and effect,
complexity, unity and diversity over time.
Evidence Outcomes:
a.
Evaluate continuity and change over the course of world history
b.
Investigate causes and effects of significant events in world history
c.
Analyze the complexity of events in world history
d.
Examine and evaluate issues of unity and diversity in world history
CDE Standards Content Area: Social Studies
Standard 1: History
Concepts and Skills students master: The significance of ideas as powerful forces throughout
history.
Prepared Graduates: Analyze key historical periods and patterns of change over time within and
across nations and cultures.
Evidence Outcomes:
a.
Discuss the historical development and impact of major world religions and
philosophers.
The purpose of todays activity is to assess students on their work and see if they retained any
information on the Greek creation story and the gods and goddesses. It is important for them to
understand where the early beliefs came from and why the people of the time believed in so many
gods. It all goes back to the 4 Great Questions, and do the students understand why the gods were
created whether real or fake. They were created to answer the 4 Great Questions, and students
should have gotten that idea by seeing all the different gods and goddesses and the actions people
took to please them. There were consequences for not paying your respects to the gods, and
sometimes that meant going to hell with Hades. During the group gallery walks we will utilize
the connected learning principle of peer supported by having students vote for their top favorite
3 posters. The class will take a final test over the unit and it will be over the 30 gods/goddesses
given to them. This will assess whether they kept the information given to them on the creation
myth.
Greek Gods Test
As students come into class, have them get into their seats. Quickly go over the schedule for the
day. We will do the gallery walk first, so after announcements ask the students to have one
person from their group go up and post their family trees somewhere around the room for display.
(5 min)
Once all the trees are up, have half of the groups stand at their poster, while the other half will be
walking around looking at their peers projects. They will need to make sure they note their top 3
favorite ones. Once each group has gone through the gallery walk, switch groups and have the
ones who just walked around go stand at their posters. Have the new groups walk and take note
of their top 3. (30 min)
Have the students return to their seats. Be sure to comment on how awesome their projects look,
and ask the class which ones they really enjoyed. (5 min)
Test time. Have students put all notes and binders away as well as cell phones. Head phones can
be plugged in but only one ear bud in. Give students the test and explain that it is a fill in the
blank, and to try and answer all of them. Once finished they may hand it in, otherwise they have
the rest of class to finish 30 questions. (50 min)
Greek Gods unit test, family tree

Lesson 6 Reflection
Today was a very interesting day. It was my first day giving a test as well as my first day trying a
gallery walk presentation style in class. I felt like the students were way too nervous about the test.
What they didnt know is that I had talked with Mr. Wright about what he did with his class in 1st period
was allowed them to get up and double check their answers by leaving their tests at their desks but
going and looking at one poster around the room. I figured that was a fair advantage, considering I
know some people didnt have the correct information on their map, so it wasnt going to be all easy
answers for them. When I let the classes know this they were very happy, even though I was confident
they wouldnt need to go look for answers. The gallery walk was kind of a letdown. I didnt get as many
interesting responses as I had thought. I figured a lot of students would be excited to see what their
friends had done, but they didnt seem too stoked. I got a little nervous because there wasnt that much
excitement about the posters, but then again it was early in the day so students could have been just
tired. It was weird giving my first test. I have been use to the class being up and about doing things, and
now they were all quiet and focused. One student finished the test in 20 minutes, and I had several that
finished 5 minutes after class had ended. I allowed them to finish because I didnt mind if they wanted
to try and finish in between classes. I think some things I would change would definitely be the gallery
walk. I think instead of doing the gallery walk, I would maybe have students tell the creation myth as
they explained a section of their map, and then have another group explain the next section and so on. I
do think the test went well, I guess I will know once I get the scores back.