CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

Lesson Title: China Builds An Empire Date: 10/23

Unit Central How did philosophy, religion, and 7.3 Students analyze the
Historical technology mold Chinese society geographic, political, economic,
Question(s): and government? religious, and social structures of
the civilizations of China in the
Middle Ages.

Subject / Course: History - Social Science

Grade: 7th Grade

Lesson Duration: 65 min.

Content Learning Objective (content and product):

e.g., students will be able to [content analysis] by [product and activity].

Students will be able to explain how disorder and reunification affected belief systems in China by
describing how Buddhism and Confucianism influenced Chinese society by using the educational
platform Padlet.

Historical Thinking Learning Objective (thinking skill and product):

e.g., students will be able to weigh [historical thinking learning objective] by [activity].

Historical Thinking Skill: Cause and Consequence

Literacy Strategy: ​“ Think- Pair- Share” for Comprehension and “Chunk and Chew” for reading.

Padlet: Educational Collaborative Real Time Platform

Narrative Summary of Tasks / Actions:

1. Warm Up
2. Interactive Read-Out-Loud “Reunifying China”
3. Padlet Question and Answer
3. Summary + Self Reflection
4. Closure
 Materials / Equipment:

● Chromebook
● Padlet
● Projector - With visual of all questions students must respond to on Padlet.

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CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

Inquiry-Based Lesson Plan for History-Social Science

1. Anticipatory Set Time: 10 min

Students will complete their Warm Up in their notebooks. The Warm Up is located in
Google Classroom as well as projected onto the board.

Students will be asked to evaluate a photograph of a model Han watchtower from the
Musee Cernuschi in Paris.

Students will be asked to respond to questions such as “What details do you notice in the
pottery watchtower?”

“The Han often placed models and figurines of houses and people into tombs along with
the dead. Why do you think the Han did this?”

Students must respond using complete sentences and text based evidence to support
their responses.

Students will be given 7 minutes to respond to the questions.

After 7 minutes the teacher will use the “think-pair-share” strategy and have student’s
pair-share with their elbow partner.

The teacher will bring the class back together calling on students through equity cards.
Students will give their constructed responses out loud as the teacher deepens
understanding by seeking higher-order thinking and asking inquiry based questions.
 2. Central Historical Question for Lesson Time: N/A

Objective:​Today my learning target is to be able to identify how disorder and reunification

affected belief systems in China.

I will know I have met my learning target when I have answered all questions on Padlet
and I am able to construct a summary response identifying one cause and consequence
of how Buddhism and Confucianism influenced Chinese society.

This is important to learn because we are able to explore the influences using the
historical thinking skill of cause and consequence that religion had on Chinese society
and be able to explain how major events are related to one another in time.

3. Teacher Input (delivery of historical context) Time: 15 min

The lesson will focus primarily on establishing how disorder and reunification affected
belief systems in China. China went through major changes in its belief systems and we
will be able to look at the cause and consequences of those changes.

Students will use prior knowledge to build on what they already know about China.
Students will be able to look at religion, settlements, agricultural, technological and
commercial developments during the Tang and Song periods.

Students will learn about the influence of Confucianism and changes in Confucian thought
during the Song and Mongol periods.

The teacher will begin the lesson by having students work on their Warm Up. Students will
be introduced to a photograph of a Han Watchtower students and will be encouraged to
read the caption, look at the details and be asked a series of questions. The teacher will
be looking for students to be able to analyze the picture by asking probing questions such
as, “Why do you think they built these watchtowers?” students must formulate an opinion
and be able to support it with evidence.

Through the use of secondary sources such as the classroom textbook World History
Medieval and Early Modern Times​students will learn about how the Han Dynasty fell and
how a period of conflict followed. Students will also learn how China went through major
changes in its belief systems that affected its societies.

As a class there will be an interactive read-out-loud for “Reunifying China” students will
be required to follow along silently reading the slides as a peer reads a paragraph out
loud. Teacher will use an interactive reading strategy after every two paragraphs there will
be a purposeful pause to allow for students to process the information. In order to have
students engage with the text the teacher will pose questions, ask students to identify the
causes and consequences.

4. Student Activity and Investigation Time: 15 min

(w/ differentiation)

Students will begin the activity by participating in an interactive read-Aloud. The

interactive read-Aloud consists of students being chosen to read out-loud through equity
cards.
Students will be given the Google Slides ahead of time to be able to practice their slide if
need be before reading out-loud. The teacher will model fluent reading by using a
reader's voice to help students make sense of written text. The reader will stop after
every paragraph as part of the “Chunk - and - Chew” strategy. The teacher will ask
students questions that they will respond to on Padlet. Students will use their
Chromebooks to create their first post on Padlet. Students are able to use voice to text
applications if they need help with spelling or writing their sentences. Additional time will
be provided after “Thumbs-Up” “Thumbs-Down” strategy is used to survey the room.
The teacher will model how to use Padlet on the projector in whole class instruction
students can follow along visually as they receive verbal instructions.

5. Lesson Assessment (w/ differentiation) Time: 15min

Students will complete all responses using the educational platform of Padlet. Students
will be able to collaborate with their peers in real-time by adding or asking clarifications
from their peers' responses. Students will be using Padlet as their “Exit Slip” to survey
whether students met the learning objective. Students will be writing a one paragraph
summary response in which will serve as their self-reflection to the content. Students will
be able to demonstrate knowledge of the influence that religions had on Chinese society.
I will be providing feedback to all summary responses promptly and it will inform my
teaching for the next day.

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CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

6. Closure Time:10 min

For the last 10 minutes of class, the class will come back together to debrief.
The teacher will be asking an “Exit Slip” question that will quickly determine if students
met the learning objective for the day. Students will have time to write their summary
paragraph response with one cause and consequence of religion in China.

7. Student Reflection (metacognition) Time: N/A

Students will be able to reflect on the lesson from the day by answering an exit slip
question and reflection on the learning objective through a one-paragraph summary.
Developing metacognitive skills is important for students in order to become
problem-solvers and critical thinkers and synthesizing the information in a summary
response will give students the opportunity to self-assess their learning. The summary
gives students the opportunity to read the question and reflect on key ideas learned
throughout the lesson. Students will be required to answer the summary in complete
sentences, using specific details, no pronouns and citing when it’s appropriate.