Heian Japan Lesson Plan 

 
Title of lesson:​  
Heian Japan  
 
Your Name​:  
Alyssa Stehlin 
 
Length of lesson:  
90 minutes or one class period 
 
Context of Lesson:  
● This lesson is part of a unit on medieval Asia. Previous to this lesson, students have 
just finished learning about the Ming dynasty. Students will now transition from 
learning Chinese to Japanese society. This lesson will cover the similarities and 
differences between Chinese and Japanese society, and Japan during the Heian 
Period. This lesson is part of a World History course and will be taught in a high 
school for 10th grade students.  
 
Overview: 
● This lesson will consist of a formative assessment on the Ming dynasty, a reading 
about China and Japan, followed by a discussion during 3rd hour about how 
America would have looked different if the Chinese had landed their before other 
explorers, next we will do a compare and contrast activity using white boards to 
show students analysis of the text, and finally students will work on completing a 
note guide on Japan and the Heian Period using their textbooks. ​I will focus on 
HLTP2 (TTLG) and HLTP5 (LGD) during this lesson. 
 
Central problem/ Essential question:  
● How does Chinese society differ from Japanese society, and how do these 
differences affect how Heian Japan is run comparatively to other Chinese Dynasties 
at the time? 
 
State Standard:  
● Afro-Eurasian Empires- compare and contrast the different ways governments 
expanded or centralized control across various parts of Afro-Eurasia, and analyze 
the consequences of these changes (MI.HSCE.SS.WHG.5.2.3). 
● Reading and Communication - Read and Communicate Effectively . Use appropriate 
strategies to read and analyze social science tables, graphs, graphics, maps, and texts 
(MI.HSCE.SS.P1.1). 
● Apply methods of inquiry, including asking and answering compelling and 
supporting questions, to investigate social science problems (MI.HSCE.SS.P2.1). 
 
Objectives: 
 ● Students will compare and contrast China and Japan. (Students will complete this 
through reading excerpts about different parts of these civilizations and analyze the 
information they have found by creating graphic organizers) (MI.HSCE.SS.P1.1). 
● Students will be able to analyze the political and cultural structure in Heian Japan 
(MI.HSCE.SS.WHG.5.2.3). 
● Students will be able to ask and answer compelling and supporting questions to 
investigate how American society would be different if the Chinese had sailed 
to/landed in the America’s (MI.HSCE.SS.P2.1). 
 
Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:  
● I anticipate that students will have preconceptions that Japanese and Chinese 
societies are very similar. I anticipate that students will have an easier transition 
from Chinese to Japanese history after we complete the compare and contrast 
activity. I anticipate that students may have a hard time envisioning America under 
Chinese influence.   
 
Materials/Evidence/Sources:​   
 
Similarities and Differences Between China and Japan (Student Copy) 
 
Similarities and Differences Between China and Japan (Teacher Copy) 
 
Japan and the Heian Period Note Guide (Student Copy) 
 
Japan and the Heian Period Note Guide (Teacher Copy) 
 
Discussion Launch 
 
Zheng He Discussion Arc of Questioning  
 
Class Discussion Norms/Guidelines 
 
 
Instructional Sequence:  
1. I will start the class by introducing our learning objectives for the day and the 
agenda of what we will complete during the class period. I will spend a few minutes 
also working to create connections between me and the students (3 minute). 
2. Next, Students will complete a formative quiz on Ming China. I will give students a 
couple of minutes to complete the formative quiz. Once all students are done, we 
will go over the answers together as a class. I will have students open their learning 
progress monitoring chart to fill in the pats of the chart they have not done, on the 
past three parts that we have done prior (15 minutes). 
3. (HIT5/HLTP5/LGD) For 3rd hour only, have a class discussion surrounding around 
the Big Idea: If the America’s had been sailed to/discovered by Zheng He and his 
treasure fleet, American society would look radicaticaly different, taking on aspects 
of Chinese society. I will discuss with students how the discussion will work and 
what the norms for the discussion are. We will begin the discussion by myself 
 stating the initial question. I will ask follow up questions to students responses as 
necessary and follow the arc of questioning to ask students the additional four 
questions when appropriate. I will monitor the discussion to make sure students 
have appropriate behavior, comments, and the progression of the discussion as a 
whole, making sure that the discussion is leading towards the achievement of the 
learning goal. At the end of the discussion, I will state the closing question(s) which 
will wrap up the discussion and bring all of what we have discussed to its relation to 
the learning goal (15 minutes).  
4. (HLTP2/HIT2/TTLG) I will have students read the read the differences and 
similarities between China and Japan excerpts. I will have students read 
independently the small passages provided. I will ask them to highlight the 
evidence they find in the passages, noting in the comments whether what was 
highlighted is a similarity or difference. After 10 minutes I will have students work 
with their groups for an additional 5 minutes to fill in the charts provided in their 
documents. After 5 minutes are up, I will ask each group to have one person grabs a 
white board and one person to grab a container with eraser and markers. I will 
assign each group once all students have returned to their seats in different rows to 
project to the class (such as: language, names, religion, etc.). I will give students 3 
minutes to fill in on their white board their groups response. Once all the groups 
have finished, I will have one member of each group project to the class their 
findings and explain what they have written on their white boards (25 minutes). 
5. We will next complete the textbook note guide: Japan and the Heian Period. I will 
give students complete each section of the note guide with their groups. I will allow 
5 minutes to answer the questions in each section. I will then project the document 
on the board, then I will pick students from each group to write out the answers on 
the board. We will go over the answers as a class, I will correct students' answers as 
we go. I will pause after each section to go over answers (47 minutes). 
Assessment:  
● Students will take via Schoology a formative assessment on Ming China. Students 
will be tested on their knowledge and comprehension of content discussed during 
the prior class period.   
 
Adaptations for Special Populations: 
● I will provide to students with IEP/504s that require it teacher copies of the 
assignments, with the answers already filled in. Also, depending on the population 
of students I am teaching, I will modify the instruction of the activity students are 
completing.