Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher : George Ahiome

Date

Subject/ Topic/ Theme World History: The rise of agriculture

Grade 9&10

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
This Unit is covering Threshold 7 of Big Era 3 Agriculture and Civilization. This lesson is the introductory lesson in which we will
learn about the factors that led early humans to transition from foragers to farmers and eventually to establish complex agrarian
civilizations.
cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

Learners will be able to:

physical
development

socioemotional

R, U
Define agriculture and describe where it first emerged
R, U
Understand the factors/ingredients that led humans to transition from foragers to farmers
R, U, An
Understand the similarities between the lifestyles of hunter-gatherers and farmers
U, An, E
x
Analyze and evaluate current news articles and connect them to Threshold 7
E
x
Evaluate the impact that agriculture has had on our world
Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
Michigan Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of
the information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas
develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include
and emphasize in their respective accounts.

(Note: Write as many as needed. Indicate taxonomy levels and connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to particular learners
write the name(s) of the learner(s) to whom it applies.)
*remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create

II. Before you start

Identify prerequisite
knowledge and skills.

Students will need to know the ingredients that led to the development of collective learning and how
that led to the development of hunter-gatherer communities. They will also need to know about early
human migrations out of Africa. Prerequisite skills include, good note taking and the ability to analyze
articles and videos.
Pre-assessment (for learning): The teacher will use the warm up thought exercise to assess what students know
about agriculture/farming and identify possible gaps in learning and tailor instruction based on student responses

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

Formative (for learning): students will complete the video worksheet as a group and the This Threshold Today
activity individually either as classwork or homework. As they work through these activities they will be able to
self-assess.
Formative (as learning): I will observe and assess students as they participate in class discussions and work on
their activities by asking follow up questions and offering feedback when necessary. Through this process the
teacher will be able to encourage participation and assess comprehension.
Summative (of learning): N/A

What barriers might this

lesson present?
What will it take
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
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Provide Multiple Means of

Representation
Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible
This lesson will involve lecture,
group discussions, a video and
articles

Provide Multiple Means of Action

and Expression
Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction
Students will share ideas
individually and through group
discussions

Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement
Provide options for recruiting
interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats
Students will have several
opportunities to discuss/ answer
questions in their pods and share
their ideas with the class.

emotionally, etc., for your

students to do this lesson?

Provide options for language,

mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language
Students will communicate verbally
during group discussions and
through written activity

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression
Students will have the opportunity
to use multiple methods to
complete the warm up activity.
(Skits, lists, drawings etc.)

Provide options for comprehensionactivate, apply & highlight

Students will display
comprehension through the warm
up activity and classwork

Provide options for executive

functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies

Provide options for sustaining effort

and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback
Working in teams to complete
activities and also individual work
will foster sustaining effort and
collaboration.
Provide options for self-regulationexpectations, personal skills and
strategies, self-assessment &
reflection
The This Threshold Today
activity will encourage students to
practice good time management in
class. (reward: no homework)

Video: Threshold 7- Agriculture

Projector
Video worksheet
This Threshold Today Research Cards

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and are they ready to
use?

The classroom will be divided into 8 pods with 4 students in each pod.
How will your classroom
be set up for this lesson?
III. The Plan
Time
15
mins

Components
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

30
mins

Development
(the largest
component or
main body of
the lesson)

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Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
The teacher will engage the students in this
Students will work in groups to complete the
thought exercise. The teacher will ask each pod
warm up activity.
to imagine it was an early foraging community
They will use different methods to convey their
and what steps it would you need to take to start
ideas.
a farm to feed the community.
The teacher will ask the students to be specific in
their answers. Students will be encouraged to
used different methods of communicating their
ideas. For example: students could act out a skit
of the decision to start a farm or they could make
a list of the tools, supplies and preparation
necessary to start a farm.
The teacher will ask for volunteer pods to share
their work
The teacher will play a 2-minute video
The students will watch the video and respond to
introducing Threshold 7.
the questions in the worksheet.
After the video the teacher will give the pods a
Students will read and analyze the posted articles
couple of minutes to complete/discuss the
answers to the video worksheet.
or ones of their own choosing about the origins
of agriculture and summarize their discoveries
The teacher will go over the answers to the
on the note card.
worksheet expanding on important ideas like
population pressures, climate change and
domestication.
The teacher will assign This Threshold Today
activity to be worked on individually. Students
will be required to read and summarize at least 2
articles.

5
mins

Closure
(conclusion,
culmination,
wrap-up)

The teacher will collect completed research

cards.

Students will complete and submit their note

cards. If they are not finished it will be
considered as homework and turned in the
following day.

Your reflection about the lesson, including evidence(s) of student learning and engagement, as well as ideas for improvement
for next time. (Write this after teaching the lesson, if you had a chance to teach it. If you did not teach this lesson, focus on the
process of preparing the lesson.)
Students take for granted the huge impact agriculture has on their lives. With our huge grocery stores and year round access to a wide
variety of fruits and vegetables we tend to forget the huge feat it is to put food on our tables. In preparing for this lesson I wanted to
highlight the complexity of feeding a large population and spark curiosity and interest in how amazing and life-changing agriculture
is. Through the opening discussion, I wanted to give the students the chance to walk in the shoes of early foragers and get them to
think about the needs and pressures that arise from a growing population and how humans reacted to the new challenges with the
help of collective learning. It is my hope that the group discussion will elicit interest and engagement that will carry into the
individual activity as students learn about the origin of agriculture.

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