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Lesson Plan Template
Name: Bradley Zulliger
Date: 11/23/15
Lesson Title: The Kingdom of Kush
Grade Level: 6th
Length of Lesson (Minutes): 40 mins.
Standards
State Performance Indicators
6.16 Investigate the kinds of evidence used by archaeologists and historians to draw conclusions
about the social and economic characteristics of Ancient Nubia (the Kingdom of Kush) and their
relationship to the social and economic characteristics of Ancient Egypt. (C,E,G,H,P)
6.21 Identify the location of the Kush civilization and describe its political, commercial, and
cultural relations with Egypt.
Central Focus of Unit/Learning Segment
The kingdoms of Nubia and Kush were influenced by Egyptian culture, and they continued many
Egyptian traditions. Students will know how Nubia and Kush were influenced by Egyptian culture.
1. The Kingdom of Kush
2. The Nubians
3. The Rise of Kerma
4. Egyptian Invasion
5. The Kushite Kingdom
6. The Rise of Kush
7. Kush Conquers Egypt
Essential Understandings
1. Kerma was centrally located in Nubia and
had close relations with Egypt.
2. Nubia traded with Egypt and later was
under Egyptian rule.
3. Traders would travel southeast to get from
Napata to Meroe.
4. South of Meroe, the Nile is two rivers
instead of one.
Essential Questions
1. Why did Kerma become an important
center for trade?
2. Why was Egypt an influence on the
Nubians?
3. In what direction would traders travel
to get from Napata to Meroe?
4. How is the Nile different south of
Meroe?
Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to identify how Nubia and Kush were influenced by Egyptian culture.
Language Demands
Language Function & Key Learning Task
Language Function: Identify
Key Learning Task: Students will construct a timeline while reading through the lesson to identify
the main events.
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Content/Academic Vocabulary ​Tier 3 Words
● Savanna- grassy plains, that stretch across Africa south of the Sahara
● Metallurgy- the technology of metals
● Textile- woven cloth
Tier 2 Words
● Rely- to depend on someone or something
● Challenge- to invite the start of a competition
Discourse & Syntax
Discourse
● Students will respond orally to define and give examples of content/ academic vocabulary.
● Students will tell me how the pages in the chapter are organized- big to little, oldest to
newest, or important to unimportant.
● Students will tell me orally why they think Egypt had an influence on the Nubians.
● Students will tell me orally what ways Egypt shaped the Nubian culture.
● Students will tell me orally how southern Africans influenced the Kushites.
● Students will tell me orally why the Kushites continued to admire the ancient Egyptians
even after conquering them.
Syntax
● Students will create a timeline of important events as we read including a short description
of the event as well as the date for each entry.
● The students will draw a line on a page in their interactive notebook for the timeline.
● We will read a section from the chapter and point out the main idea.
● Students will refer to the powerpoint for the information to write on their timeline.
Supports ● I will be modeling the correct use of the content/ academic vocabulary throughout the
lesson while also monitoring for correct student use of the words in their discussions.
● During student discussions, I will ask probing questions to elicit the use of the content/
academic vocabulary.
● We will create a timeline for the student to put in their interactive notebook for them to
remember important events.
Materials/Resources
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Teacher
● Teacher book
● dry-erase marker
● Powerpoint
Students
● Textbook
● Interactive notebook
● pencil
Ref​erences
● http://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-timelines
● McGraw Hill Education- ​Discovering Our Past: A History of the World, Early Ages.
Teacher Edition
Adaptations to Meet Individual Needs
High-Level Learners: When they finish writing the information on their timeline before the rest
of the class, I will ask them higher-level questions. They will be held to a higher standard for
their quality of writing for the individual assessment for their output.
On-Level Learners: This lesson plan is structured for on-level learners.
Struggling Learners: The powerpoint slides will be left up on the board for them to finish while
the high-level learners are answering my questions. Questions will also be tailored to an
appropriate level of Bloom’s taxonomy but still provide them with a challenge. They will not be
held to a high standard of work for the assessment.
English Language Learner: Same as struggling learners.
Management/Safety Issues
● Students should follow all previously established classroom rules.
● When I ask a question or if a student wants to talk they should raise their hand and wait
to be called on.
● If the students are talking and being loud I will stop what I am doing and look at them
and they will know that means to stop talking. (some students will tell others to be quiet)
Rationale/Theoretical Reasoning
Rationale
● Students create timelines of the events discussed to highlight important events
● For critical thinking it is important for students to explore the exchange of both goods
and ideas among Egypt, Assyria, and Kush
● It is important for students to understand the factors that led to the rise and fall of the
ancient Egyptian empire and how they influenced other kingdoms.
● Suggested Instructional Strategy​: Have students to create a timeline of the events
discussed in the lesson to highlight important events.
McGraw Hill Education- ​Discovering Our Past: A History of the World, Early Ages.
Teacher Edition
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Theory
● Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences- ​Visual-Spatial, Interpersonal
● Suggested Instructional Strategy​: Have students to create a timeline of the events
discussed in the lesson to highlight important events.
McGraw Hill Education- ​Discovering Our Past: A History of the World, Early Ages.
Teacher Edition
Common Misconceptions or Difficulties
● Students many not fully grasp the importance of cultural diffusion.
● While they are often used as a way to display information in visual form in textbooks as
●
●
an alternative to written narrative, students can also become more actively engaged in
learning the sequence of events in history by constructing timelines themselves.
Most upper elementary and middle school students can identify historical developments,
especially related to national history, even though they may lack a detailed
understanding of those developments (Barton & Levstik, 1998; Lee, 2004; Yeager &
Terzian, 2007).
Timelines as a teaching strategy can help students construct an understanding of
historical events over time, even the youngest students.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/creating-timelines
Assessment/Evaluation Criteria
Formative Assessment
Assessment Tools:
1. Bellringer- definition of cultural diffusion
2. Unpack the word chronologically
3. Questions & progress checks
I will be using a formative assessment probe at the beginning of the lesson by asking the
students if they know what “cultural diffusion” means. Students will share with me their ideas of
what they think it means. I will then tell them the definition of the word. As we get to the middle
of the lesson there will be a slide on the powerpoint that ask the students how they think this
chapter is organized. They will tell me either big to little, oldest to newest, or important to
unimportant. I will then “unpack” the word chronologically and inform them of the meaning.
Throughout the lesson, I will be asking probing questions as needed to keep the students on
track with the content and for progress checks.
Summative Assessment
I will assign an output assignment in their interactive notebook. The question will be “how did
Nubia and Egypt have an influence on each other?” They will be required to write a paragraph
answering the question with a minimum of five sentences.
The next day I will give them a worksheet ​Economics of History: Lesson 4 ​The Kingdom of
Kush. This one page assessment consists of 4 problems. Each problem is worth 5 points. There
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is an explaining problem, a describing problem, critical thinking analyzing problem, and
identifying cause and effect problem. This assessment is out of 20 points. Mastery- 15/20 (75%).
Academic Feedback
Throughout the lesson I will be asking the students questions about the things we just read. I
will be listening closely to each student’s answer or questions. This information will provide me
with evidence used in determining which questions to ask to specific students during the lesson
to assess and advance their learning. I will also encourage students that are being successful on
answering the questions and retaining the information to help others understand the information
and questions. I will write directly on student interactive notebook outputs the next day and
return to them their interactive notebooks so that we can begin the four short questions on the
worksheet I will give them to complete to make sure that they understand and retained the
information from the lesson on the previous day.
Instruction
Set/Hook/Motivator (Before): 5 mins.
● Tell the class to get out their textbooks and turn
to page 128.
● Distribute the pages that they will glue into their
interactive notebook.
● I will have a student read out loud their target for
the day written on the board.
● I will have them open their interactive notebooks
and draw a timeline on their input page.
Bellringer
● I will share with students the definition of
cultural diffusion​: the process of spreading
ideas, languages, and customs from one culture to
another.
Instructional Procedures (During): 30 mins.
● We will begin by the teacher calling on a student
to start reading the first section “The Nubians”.
● Referring to the powerpoint, I will show them
where Nubia was located on the map.
● I will show them slide 4 on the powerpoint “The
Nubians:2000 B.C.” and tell them to write this as
the first event on their timeline.
● Call on a student to read the second section “The
Rise of Kerma”
Higher-Order Thinking Questions
1. Ask: Do you enjoy music,
food, clothing, or games that
are from other cultures?
2. How many of yall like el
cants (mexican restaurant).
3. How or why do certain
cultures “rub off” on each
other?
● What present-day country is
located here now?
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Lesson Plan Template
● Why was Egypt an influence
on the Nubians? ( Because
Nubia traded with Egypt and
later was under Egyptian
rule.)
● Refer to the powerpoint slide 5 “The Rise of
Kerma” and have them write this as the second
event on their timeline.
● Call on a student to read the third section
“Egyptian Invasion”.
● Refer to powerpoint slide 6 “Egyptian Invasion:
1400 B.C.” and have the students write this as the
third event on their timeline.
● In what ways did Egypt
shape Nubian culture?
(Nubians adopted Egyptian
religious practices as well as
Hieroglyphics and
tool-making skills.)
● Why did Kerma become an
important center for trade?
(Kerma was centrally
located in Nubia along the
Nile and had close relations
with Egypt.)
● Referring to the powerpoint, lead the students to
see that this chapter is organized by oldest to
newest- Chronologically.
● Unpack the word: Chrono- means time and
ology- means study of.
● Inform students that history books are usually
organized chronologically, or from the earliest
event that happened to the most recent.
● Call on a student to read the next section “The
Rise of Kush”.
● Refer to slide 11”The Rise of Kush: 850 B.C.”
and have the students write this as the fourth
event on their timeline.
● Call on a student to read the next section “Kush
Conquers Egypt”
● Refer to powerpoint slide 12 and have students
write this down as their fifth event on their
timeline.
● Refer to powerpoint slide 13 and have students
write this down as their sixth event on their
timeline.
● Look at the map on slide 14
● How are the events in this
chapter organized-- big to
little, oldest to newest, or
important to unimportant?
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● Looking at the map, why do
you think the Kush kingdom
was able to extend farther
away from the Nile river
than the Egyptian Kingdom?
● (The Kush kingdom was in
an area of savanna. Its
southern reaches were not
surrounded by desert, like
the Egyptian kingdom was.)
Closure (After): 5 mins.
● I will give the students their output assignment
and they will have the remainder of class to work
on it, what they don’t finish, they will finish for
homework.
● How did Nubia and Egypt
influence each other?