TPACK voicethread

Critical Strategies

Content Area: Social Studies (History)
Instructional Strategies that I cannot live without:
1. Visual Discovery
2. Lecture.
3.DBQ

Aztec Empire UbD Lesson Analysis

Aztec Empire UbD Lesson Analysis

Summary of Curricular Context:

In this lesson, students will complete a visual discovery activity to learn about the rise of the Aztecs. After analyzing a series of images that represent key stages in the development of the Aztec Empire, students “step into” selected images, using the information they have learned from their books to bring images to life. This lesson requires students to practice and increase skills including making observations, inferences, and applications of content.

Standard / Objectives for Unit or Lesson:

WH.3.15 Identify the origins and explain the importance of farming in the development of pre-Columbian societies and civilizations in various regions of the Americas. (Geography, Sociology)

WH.3.16 Compare and contrast the Maya, Aztec and Inca civilizations in terms of their arts, religion, sciences, economy, social hierarchy, government, armed forces and imperial expansion.

Lesson Goal:

Students will make observations, inferences, and application through visual discovery of the origins and accomplishments of the Aztec Empire.

Stage 1

Enduring Understandings

1. Conquering empires absorb and adapt resources and advancements of conquered peoples.

2. Continual advancement of resources and technology is necessary to maintain control.

3. Advancements of groups help define their legacy.

Essential Questions

1. How do different cultures and groups influence each other?
2. Is progress a linear advancement over time?

Knowledge & Skills

Knowledge	Skills
Origins of Aztec Empire Advancements of Aztec Empire	Making inferences from primary and secondary sources Combine inferences to apply knowledge into meaningful conclusion

Teacher Identity

I mentally reviewed all of the teacher movies that have come out over the past couple years. Since most of the white teacher/urban students films tend to really annoy me, so I came back to this clip from Dead Poet's Society.

The teacher, Mr Keating, beginning the class with a student reading the dry, uninspiring introduction of the textbook. Most students are shown day dreaming, doodling, or generally not paying attention, until Mr Keating gives his opinion that the introduction is "excrement." He then proceeds to tell the students to go ahead and rip out the introduction from the book. Next, he tries to create connections for them by comparing judging poetry to a popular tv show. Students been to get excited as Mr Keating has them ripping out the pages of the textbook, telling them it is not bearer of all knowledge and that just because the author has a PhD, he is not the ultimate authority.

It is interesting to see the students' initial hesitation since they have been taught to hold this type of academia in reverence and how the different students react. Also, at the end of the clip it is interesting the interplay with the administration of the school. The administrator immediately concludes that a teacher is not present because of the way the students are acting, not that the students are acting that way under the direction of the teacher.

I've also included one of my all time favorite poems about teaching by an amazing poet named joaquin zihuatanejo. Enjoy!