SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY

Loretto, PA 15940

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

LESSON PLAN Format

Student Teacher: Dakota Graham Grade: 7th

Subject: World History
Time Needed for Lesson: 45min Lesson Concept:

PA STANDARD(S) (Write out standards):

Standard - 7.3.7.A
Describe the human characteristics of places and regions using the following criteria:
 Population
 Culture
 Settlement
 Economic activities
 Political activities

Standard - 7.1.7.B
- Explain and locate places and regions as defined by physical and human features.

Standard - 7.2.7.A

- Explain the characteristics of places and regions.

BIG IDEAS:
- Locating places is essential for understanding geography.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
- Why is knowing where places and regions are located on a map important?
- Why are characteristics or places important?
ELIGIBLE CONTENT:
- none

OBJECTIVE(S) (Be sure to include all four parts):

- After the lesson, the students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of Italy's important
geographical features and their impacts by writing a song or poem.

MATERIALS:
- pen/pencil
- papers
- instructions
- whiteboard

ACTIVITIES (There are three sections here):

OPENING (Introduction, purpose, hook):
- Not every class is on the same page, so some classes are behind or ahead of others.
- Some classes will be finishing their charts from last week about Italy’s features and the impact they had
on Italy.
- Others will be starting/finishing their song/poem assignment.

BODY (Bulleted step by step/differentiation must be included):

- Some of the other classes will be working on our song/poem assignment.
❖ the students will be creating their own song/poem about the geographical features we learned
about
❖ (the directions are below)
- Once they are finishing up, we will present the assignment.
❖ (rubric below)
- Since some classes are ahead like I mentioned earlier, some classes will start a Pompeii assignment.
- This assignment is a reading and video activity where the students are to fill out a chart based on what
they read and watch.
❖ (most likely we will not get to the video portion)

CLOSURE (Wrap up and brief summary): How will you plan to restate the lesson objective?:
- The wrap up for this lesson is really the poem/song activity because that is what we ended with last
week for the 90min periods.
- The next class will have a wrap up for the Pompeii assignment because we are playing catch-up.

ACCOMMODATIONS/MODIFICATIONS:
- one on one time
- extra time
ASSESSMENT: (How you will determine that student has mastered objectives?): Consider formative and
summative assessment measures for all levels of differentiation.
- By having the students create their own song or poem about the geographical features of Italy and the
impact they had on Italy, I will be able to see how much the students took away from the lesson.

SELF-ASSESSMENT/REFLECTION: (Complete this section if you have taught this lesson to peers or in
clinical placement):

****MATERIALS****

Poem & Song Activity:

For this activity, I would like you to create a poem or write a song. Your poem or song should be about the features of Italy.
You must include the following

1. A minimum of 5 of the features we read about (Tiber River, Mt. Vesuvius, Med Sea, etc.).

2. You must mention if the feature was a positive or negative for Italy.

3. Describe the impact the feature had on Italy.

4. Must be 45sec long.

Pompeii Reading & Link to Video:

The Lost City of Pompeii

Overview:
A deafening boom roars through Pompeii’s crowded marketplace. The ground shakes violently, throwing midday
shoppers off balance and toppling stands of fish and meat. People scream and point toward Mount Vesuvius, a
massive volcano that rises above them.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Pompeii was a bustling city located in what is now southern Italy. But in the summer of A.D.
79, the nearby Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted. It spewed smoke and toxic gas 20 miles into the air, which soon
spread to the town. Almost overnight, Pompeii—and many of its 10,000 residents—vanished under a blanket of ash.

Pompeii was basically lost and forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1748. Thanks to excavations, which are still
going on today, scientists have been able to figure out almost exactly what happened on that terrible day.

The Sky is Falling:

After the volcano first erupted shortly after noon, the thick ash turned everything black—people couldn’t even see
the sun. Some residents escaped the city, while others took shelter in their homes. But the ash kept falling. Piles
grew as deep as nine feet in some places, blocking doorways and caving in roofs.

Around midnight, the first of four searing-hot clouds of ash, rock, and toxic gas (also called surges) rushed down
the volcano. Traveling toward Pompeii at about 180 miles an hour, the surge scorched everything in its path. Around
7 a.m., nearly 19 hours after the initial eruption, the city was completely covered in a deadly mix of ash and rock.

Lost & Found:

Visiting the ruins of Pompeii is like going back in time. The layers of ash actually helped preserve buildings, artwork,
and even the forms of bodies as they decomposed and left holes in the ash. All that allowed experts to fill in the
details that might not have survived at many other Roman sites.

Based on what they uncovered, scientists believe that Pompeii was a prosperous town popular with wealthy
vacationing Romans. Well-paved streets had high sidewalks and stepping-stones to keep pedestrians out of the mud.
To relax, people soaked in public baths, watched gladiators or chariot races at an amphitheater, and enjoyed plays
in two theaters. Pompeii may be ancient history, but scientists are pretty sure Mount Vesuvius is overdue for
another major explosion. Luckily the people living near the volcano today will likely receive evacuation warnings
before it blows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY_3ggKg0Bc

Chart for reading & video: