CONTENT LESSON PLAN #2

CSL-570
CONTENT LITERACY UNIT LESSON 4
SUMMER 2015
NAME: Natasha Belanich
LESSON TOPIC: Scribes Point of View Guide
RATIONALE: The students have been learning about the ancient civilization of Egypt.
They have been presented with an overview of this ancient civilization. The students have
also been introduced to the hierarchical classification of roles known as the social class
system in ancient times. They have also written about a famous pharaoh, King
Tutankhamun (Tut) in narrative writing. This lesson is being taught to have the
students explore the life of a scribe using a Point of View Guide. They will compare life
in the past as a scribe to that of a present-day author.
COMMON CORE STANDARD(S):
RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated,
and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
OBJECTIVE:
The students will be able to Explore the life of a scribe through close reading assignments
Collaborate with peers to discuss close reading annotations and the texts
Identify the responsibilities of scribes within Ancient Egypts civilization through
a Point of View Guide (interview questions), while juxtaposing it with an author
that has been studied
Debate with classmates: Compare and contrast the life of a scribe in Ancient
Egypt with the life of Kate DiCamillo, a present-day author (previously reviewed
in class)
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE:
Point of View Guide, juxtapose, perspective, 3-2-1 strategy
The Scribe In Ancient Egypt by Dr. Ashraf Ezzat (2012)
Tombs, archaeologists, literate, temples, statues, prestige, occupations, scribes,
clerical tasks, leadership, administrative careers, hieroglyphic, ostraca (flat
stones), tax collector, treasurer, quartermaster, architect, wooden palette, papyrus
Scribes and Writing in Ancient Egypt by Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University
Scribes, royalty, high officials of state, administration, civil service, military,
religious hierarchy, status, manual labor, taxes, temples, apprentice system,
literate, Cleopatra, New Kingdom, papyrus, ostraca, hieroglyphs, pictograms,

Semitic languages (Arabic and Hebrew), Tutankhamun (boy king),

determinatives, First Dynasty, Middle Kingdom, Late Period, Thoth (patron god
of the scribes), Ramessesnakht (scribe), scribal kit, scribal palette, burnishing
stone, shen sign
MOTIVATION OR ANTICIPATORY SET:
The teacher will incorporate the Artifact Hook technique to engage the students prior to
the lesson. The teacher will present a box of teacher-created artifacts representative of the
time in Ancient Egypt. The teacher will place scribal tools, papyrus, a hieroglyphic
symbols chart and a hieroglyph for the word scribe. Then, the teacher will reveal the
other items in the box which will represent materials utilized by a modern-day author.
The class has been working on an author study about Kate DiCamillo and they will use
this information during the lesson. The teacher will arrange paper and a pencil, a book
and an alphabet chart opposite of the ancient artifacts. The teacher will ask the students if
they can think of what it is they will be learning about. After the teacher has given
multiple students the opportunity to share, he/she will say, Today, we will be reviewing
the role of a scribe and comparing it to the author we have been studying.
BRIEF PROCEDURE:
1. The students will have previously read the two texts incorporated in this lesson as
close reading assignments for homework. Prior to this lesson, the students have
completed close reading tasks and have been taught to use annotation
symbols/take notes to track their thinking and critically analyze text.
a. The Scribe In Ancient Egypt by Dr. Ashraf Ezzat (2012)
b. Scribes and Writing in Ancient Egypt by Michael C. Carlos Museum at
Emory University
*Prior to the close reading assignment being given to the students, the teacher pretaught the vocabulary that would be seen throughout both texts. The teacher will
discuss and clarify the meaning of vocabulary words and if applicable associate
and present a picture/image for those words. These words will be reviewed and
referenced continually throughout discussion and debate.
2. The teacher will assemble the students in six groups of four.
3. Next, the students will be instructed to discuss the readings with their group
members, while reviewing their close reading annotations.
a. This review will allow students to understand the content material that
they previously read through verbal recall and summary with various
group members.
4. Once the students have been given adequate time to discuss with their classmates,
the teacher will present the group assignment for this lesson.
5. The teacher will refresh the students understanding of a Point of View Guide
which they have utilized in their Kate DiCamillo readings, such as Because of
Winn Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux.
6. The teacher will display a large Point of View Guide organizer in the shape of a
person that is labeled and divided into two parts in the front of the classroom.
a. Side 1- Scribe (Ancient Egypt)
b. Side 2- Kate DiCamillo (Present-Day Author)

c. The teacher will briefly describe each component of a Point of View

Guide and explain that in this lesson the students will juxtapose the
perspectives of a scribe in Ancient Egypt with Kate DiCamillo.
d. The teacher will utilize the SMART Board to provide the students with
interview-type questions to complete this literacy tool assignment.
i. The interview questions will be general so they can be applied and
answered from both perspectives in this lesson (scribe and author).
*Interview Questions
1. What type of schooling do you need to qualify for your job?
2. Who do you work with?
3. What are your responsibilities?
4. Why did you choose your job?
5. How many years of training/schooling did you need?
6. Where do you work?
7. When did you begin working? How old were you?
8. What tools do you need in order to complete your job?
9. What are the benefits that your job provides, if any?
10. Do you find your job rewarding?
11. Does your work affect others?
12. What are some examples of pieces of your work?
7. The teacher will instruct the students to answer their interview-style questions on
provided post-it notes (each group will have a different colored stack of post-it
notes). All students will have to contribute to the group assignment and
discussion, yet there may only be one writer or scribe per group.
8. Once the students have completed the interview questions on their post-it notes,
they will post their responses on the correct side of the Point of View Guide
organizer.
9. To ensure that each group member is participating, the teacher will walk around
with a checklist to take anecdotal notes while listening to each groups
conversation. He/she will record whether all students are participating and any
insights that need to be addressed from reviewing the readings.
10. Once the students have provided evidence from their readings about the scribes to
answer their interview questions, as well as using their prior knowledge regarding
Kate DiCamillo from their class author study, the teacher will read each post-it
note aloud.
a. If clarification is needed, the group with that particular colored post-it note
will provide further explanation/evidence for their response(s).
11. The teacher will summarize the post-it notes with one brief statement regarding
each occupation: scribe and author.
12. The teacher will then display a debate topic on the SMART Board.
a. Which occupation, scribe or author, do you believe made/makes more of a
significant contribution to their society? Explain why.
13. The teacher will allow the students to turn and talk to their group members to
discuss this question.

14. Then, the teacher will have each group share their opinions. During this time,
other groups will be given the opportunity to either agree or disagree by providing
content-based evidence from their readings and prior knowledge.
15. The teacher will close the lesson by stating, Today we looked closely at the life
and occupation of a scribe. We have learned that they made many contributions to
Ancient Egyptian society, much like authors in our present-day society. I would
like you to complete a 3-2-1 graphic organizer to reflect on what you have
learned, thought was interesting and something you may still have questions
about.
MATERIALS USED:
Close Reading Texts
Ezzat, A. (2012, September 18). The scribe in ancient egypt. Retrieved June 4, 2015,
from WordPress website: https://ashraf62.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/the-scribein-ancient-egypt/
Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. (n.d.). Scribes and writing in ancient
egypt. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from
http://www.carlos.emory.edu/PDF/Classroom%20TUTorial_Scribes.pdf

Artifact Box - scribal tools, papyrus, hieroglyphic symbols chart and a hieroglyph
for the word scribe, paper and a pencil, a book and an alphabet chart
Point of View Guide Teacher-created material
Post-it Notes
Pencils
SMART Board
3-2-1 Graphic Organizer

TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT:
The SMART Board will be utilized for displaying the interview questions to be answered
for the Point of View Guide activity and the debate question at the close of the lesson.
ASSESSMENT OF COMMON CORE STANDARD (S)
Formal
o RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
o W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.

The students will answer interview-style questions on different colored post-it notes
(one color for each group) to complete a Point of View Guide from the perspectives
of a scribe from Ancient Egypt and the present day author, Kate DiCamillo.
o RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced,
illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
Students will utilize the 3-2-1 strategy when completing a graphic organizer. Each
student will write down three things that they have learned from the readings, two
interesting facts and one question that they might still have after the lesson. The
teacher will collect these at the end of the lesson to review before the following days
lesson. This will provide evidence of each students individual understanding of the
material read and discussed.

Informal
o RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
o RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced,
illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
o W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.

The teacher will record student participation during the completion of the Point of
View Guide (post-it note interview responses), as well as during the debate when
providing evidence from the texts at the closure of the lesson.
ADAPTATIONS:
Student with special needs A student with the learning disability, dyslexia
exhibits trouble with decoding, fluency, recall and comprehension when reading.
This student will be paired up with another student in the class who will read the
articles to them as he/she follows along (prior to this lesson). After reading, both
students will discuss the key points of the texts.
English Language Learner In a small group, the teacher will pre-read the
articles before assigning them for homework to the entire class. Since ELL
students benefit from visual information, the teacher will read aloud the articles to
the students as they follow along. They will complete a Venn diagram graphic
organizer to visually represent the two views being addressed in this lesson
(scribe in Ancient Egypt and present-day author). The students will have the
opportunity to bring their graphic organizer to their group meeting when
discussing the texts for answering the interview-questions.
Struggling Reader A student has a difficult time comprehending complex
texts. In order to overcome this weakness, the teacher will instruct the student to
stop and jot at particular points throughout the readings (ex. After each paragraph
[Scribes and Writing in Ancient Egypt] and subheadings [The Scribe In Ancient
Egypt]). The teacher will have the student jot on post-it notes to track his/her
thinking.