Name: Robert Pluta School Name: FDA

Mariusz W. Szczepaniak
Grade Level: 11th

Subject Area(s): World History

Time Needed for Lesson: 55 mins.

Lesson Title: African societies pre 1500

1. LEARNERS & LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

a) Engaging and Supporting Diverse Learners: (InTASC 1,2,3)

Information here should include demographic make-up of student population, student

strengths relevant to the lesson, connecting content to real-world experiences your
students may have, indicators of individual student needs (reading at grade level or need
support, proficiency in English, basic math competent?)

• There are 13 students total in 3rd hour. 9 are in 11th grade, 3 are in 12th. All are
African-American young men who live within the city of Detroit.
• A portion of the students (5 of them) are in gym the previous hour of the day,
these students have typically all arrived to class 5-10 minutes after the official start of the
hour, meaning that the Do Now and instruction has been delayed in the past. They trickle
in sporadically, making it hard to evaluate when we will have a quorum and should begin
to move forward with the lesson. They are also in the process of putting on their uniform,
which if they are not in results in a detention. To address this, we have transitioned to
allow students to complete a Do Now as long as it is in their notebook by the end of the
hour, and for this lesson in particular, will instruct the half of the class that is present to
be able to share the directions with their classmates when they arrive. This allows us to
move forward, and puts the responsibility on the whole class of making sure that they all
succeed.
● Every student, when asked, had mentioned that they had recently seen Black
Panther, and were excited to see the title character appear in the next Marvel
movie Infinity War. The Do Now is designed to bring in their existing conceptions
of African cultures, and then extend further upon them to connect them to what
they have seen in the movie.
● Students had noted prior to this week, that they were interested in learning about
African cultures (to quote one student when teaching about Versailles “So where
are all the Black people?”) This lesson, along with the others this week, is
designed to create a more diverse curriculum that explores areas outside of
Western Europe, and engages perspectives typically not seen in mainstream
 world history classes. Using culturally relevant content will enhance the
effectiveness of the lesson. Allowing students to see themselves in the content
they are exploring will fuel their curiosity and their investment into the lesson.

The students within this class period generally demonstrate an adequate and favorable
reading level for the material presented. Similarly, many demonstrate comprehension of
said material. As said above, they have also indicated an interest in the content as well.

There is a student, Frank, who has an IEP and will be provided with necessary resources
and help to ensure his success. He is typically able to answer direct questions where the
language of the question points him to the answer in the text (For example: Question
-“Which river is Mali located near?” Text -“The empire of Mali was based around the
Niger river” etc.) He will receive a modified version of the organizer in which direct
questions such as the above are asked instead fo the more open-ended ones the rest of
the class receives. He will have the help of available teachers and students to check on
his progress, ensure completion of tasks, and aid in clarification of any materials that
may be difficult for him. He typically will be hesitant to ask for help, so teachers will
directly prompt him instead.

For the rest of the class, students who exhibit difficulties in understanding or completing
the assignment will be given further clarification by one of three teachers, and if need be,
by other students.

b) Universal Design for Learning (InTASC 1,2)

How will you ensure the layout of the classroom is conducive to meeting the needs of all
student learners? (wheel chair accessible, ensuring all students can see the presentation
space clearly, ensuring all students in group work have the opportunity to participate)
You may write and/or draw to indicate the learning space.

The classroom will be arranged in such a manner to be conducive to learning. Students

will be able to clearly view any material the teachers may wish to show upon the
projector. For the group graphic organizer, students will rearrange their desks in order to
be in small groups, ad work collaboratively. Furthermore, space shall be left to allow
students free and easy access to the board for which they will write their assigned
material.

This entire lesson is designed to be student-driven. In class on Monday and Tuesday,

up and either delegate or take on tasks.

The assignment will be worth 50 points (above average for assignments in this class).30
Points will be for filling in the “box” that they are delegated by their group, and answering
the discussion question we pose the group at the end of class. 20 will be for their
participation during class that day, points will only be deducted for failing to contribute to
their team, or actions that disrupt the work of their team or others.

Overall, this day is for building knowledge of the content and comparing it to experiences
they have had in the real world (Black Panther). The chart they create on the board we
will transcribe and place into their notes, which they will use for more activities which
engage higher levels of bloom’s taxonomy (comparing with other world regions and
analyzing how the environment can impact the development of a civilization). These
activities will be done on Friday.

3. INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE
a) Introduction – Engaging Students, Activating Prior Knowledge, and Setting Lesson
Goals (InTASC 7,8)

Describe how you will begin the lesson in a way that interests and engages the students
and gets them excited about the lesson. List any questions you might ask. (Formerly the
Anticipatory Set or the “hook”) How will you activate prior knowledge and make
connections to the world beyond the classroom?
(Intro should be 10 minutes overall).

On the projector, when students enter, will be images of several characters from the
recent film Black Panther, along with a map of Africa (T’challa, Ramonda, Killmonger’s
skin bumps, and River tribe Councilor). The Do Now will ask the students from which
area of Africa the culture of the fictional nation of Wakanda originated. Students are
asked to take their best guess, and are not expected to have the answer already.

The ‘correct’ answer to the Do Now, as the instructors will reveal, is that Wakandan
dress/culture is an amalgamation of many different real-life African cultures. We will
briefly show the real-world inspiration for the images of the Film.
Students will be asked what they have learned in previous classes and grades regarding
the early African Kingdoms.

b) Instructional Procedure: Engaging Students in Actively Constructing Deep

Understanding (InTASC 7,8)