Towson University

Department of Secondary Education

Lesson Plan

Name: Corinna Sech Date: October 10, 2018

Brief Class Description:

Social Studies Ancient World History, 7​th​ grade students, 26-30 students/class, 45-50 minute classes.
Classes are divided based on math level.
2nd period - Algebra
4th period - Algebra
6th period - Integrated
7th period - (CC) standard grade level math

Unit: Lesson Topic: Prior Knowledge​​:

Unit 2 Experience 1 Cultural Diffusion Students have begun the unit
and finished a lesson on the
geography of Mesopotamia.

Alignment:
Standard Objective Assessment Activity(ies)
1. Students will Cultural Diffusion: Warm-Up
Expectation classify Yes or No?
S6.1.3.1 - ​Student examples of Cultural Diffusion:
will identify and use cultural Primary source Yes or No?
strategies to monitor diffusion readings, questions,
understanding and through an & discussion Primary source
derive meaning from assortment readings, questions,
text and portions of activity. & discussion
text (during reading). 2. Students will
Indicator compare two Exit Ticket
S6.1.3.4 - primary
Students will sources for
look back similarities
through the and how
text to search those
 for similarities
connections can be
between and connected to
among ideas. cultural
diffusion.

Materials Needed:
-​​Class notes
-Pencils
-​Cultural Diffusion: Yes or No? Worksheet
-Primary source readings & worksheet
-Exit tickets

Technology Integration/Needs:
A computer and screen is needed to project the PowerPoint and class instructions.

Lesson Procedure:

Warm-Up: ​Students will answer this warm-up question on their drill sheets using their prior
knowledge. “​What do you recall from 6th grade about cultural diffusion?​” After students write
down their answers, I will ask students to share some of their responses.

Time allotted:​ ​ 5-10 minutes

Transition: ​“Yesterday we talked about invasions and today we are going to learn
about one of the effects of invading civilizations.”

Activity 1: Cultural Diffusion: Yes or No?

Prior to this activity, I will go over the definition of culture and cultural diffusion. In groups,
students will sort through the sentence strips and determine if they are examples of cultural
diffusion or not. After, I will pass out a worksheet and students will write if the examples are
cultural diffusion. ​I will discuss why cultural diffusion could easily occur in Mesopotamia
(​constant invasions brought in many new cultures; geography of the area made it easy
for cross-cultural communication​​).

Time Allotted: 1​ 0-12 minutes

 Transition:​ “Now we are going to compare two primary sources but I would like you
to keep the concept of cultural diffusion in mind.”

Activity 2: Primary Sources - The Epic of Gilgamesh & the Great Flood
As an illustration of cultural diffusion, students will compare excerpts from the Epic of
Gilgamesh with the story of the Great Flood in the Old Testament. I will introduce the
background of Gilgamesh and the Great Flood. In the epic poem, the Sumerians discuss a great
flood, which is similar to the flood story found in the Old Testament. ​Students will​ first read
Epic of Gilgamesh then discuss with a partner what they read. Then students will read the
Great Flood and discuss with a partner what they read. While reading the documents, students
should look ​for similarities and think about how those similarities can be attributed to cultural
diffusion. After reading both sources,​ students will go back to the readings and highlight
similarities between the two excerpts. ​After students will answer the questions on the back of
the worksheet; then we will have a discussion about the readings and their responses.

Time Allotted: 2​ 0-25 minutes

Transition: ​“To finish today’s lesson, I would like for you to respond to today’s exit
ticket and think about what we have learned and how it connects to our world today.”

Closing: Exit Ticket

Students will respond to the following exit ticket: “How is our world impacted by cultural
diffusion today?” I will collect the exit ticket.

Time Allotted: 5​ -10 minutes

Differentiation:
-I will repeat student answers so the hearing-impaired student can hear other student responses.
-The CC class is not very low but my pacing and instruction will slow down to accomodate
students.
-If any student is not comfortable working with a partner, he or she can work independently.
Name:  Date: 
 
Section: 
Exit Ticket 
 
How is our world impacted by cultural diffusion 
today? 
_____________________________________
_____________________________________ 
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_____________________________________ 
Name:  Date: 
 
Section: 
Class Notes 
 
Culture 
● Consists of the ​beliefs, behaviors, objects​​, and other 
characteristics​​ ​common​​ to the members of a particular 
group or society 
● Through ​culture​​, people and groups​ define​​ themselves, 
uphold​​ society’s ​shared values​​, and ​contribute ​to society 
 
Cultural Diffusion 
● t​he ​spread​​ of ​cultural​​ ​beliefs​​ and ​social activities​​ from 
one group of people to another 
● the ​mixing​​ of world cultures through different ​ethnicities, 
religions, ​and​ nationalities 

The Epic of Gilgamesh 

● An epic poem from ancient ​Mesopotamia 
● Often regarded as the ​earliest surviving​​ great work of 
literature 
● c​onsidered to be a hero by the ancient ​Sumerians​​ who 
told many stories about his great powers 
○ Sumerians - ​the earliest known ​civilization​ in the 
historical region of southern ​Mesopotamia 

The Great Flood 

● Originated from the ​Hebrews​​ in the ​Palestine 
● Found in the ​Book of Genesis​​ in the ​Old Testament