Laura O’Shea: 2133897

8 HASS (Simpson) Mon. L4 & L5

LESSON PLAN WEEK 4 (Lesson 1 & 2)

Learning area: Humanities and Social Science (History) Year level: 8

Strand/Unit Title: Medieval Europe Time: 2 x 45 minutes

Lesson topic: The Beginning of The Crusades

LESSON AIMS:

This lesson will be the first lesson focusing on the events of The Crusades. Students will have
some prior knowledge on the tensions between the East and West Christian Church, as well as,
the differences in lifestyles between Christianity and Islam in the Middle Ages. This lesson will
allow students to further extend their knowledge through exposure to the fight over ‘The Holy
Land.’ By the end of this lesson, students will gain an understanding of Pope Urban II’s
influence over Crusaders at the beginning of The Crusades. Students will be challenged to
consider the historical significance of this speech by analysing the source closer in pairs. The
historical concept of ‘significance’ is integral to this lesson, and students will focus on this further
in an independent task.

ASSESSMENT:

Student learning will be assessed in both a pair-based task and independent task. This will
allow students to talk to each other about the source and consider different view-points.
Additionally, students will demonstrate their own understanding by producing a creative
evaluation of the significance of an individual in history. Throughout this lesson, discussed, and
question/answer, will be promoted. This will allow me to check for understanding across the
class, while allowing students to learn from their peers. The exit card form of post-assessment,
will be used at the end of the lesson to inform my decisions for our next double lesson. I will
assess my own teaching based on the level of engagement throughout the explicit teaching and
learning activities. In addition, I will reflect upon my own teaching in response to the overall flow
and structure of the lesson when delivered.

Learning Sequence
(2 x 45 minute lesson)

TIME STEPS COMMENTS

All students have the

10 mins Introductory task: opportunity to engage
● Characterise ‘war’ and ‘battles’ - Build two mindmaps with this task. Students
together as a class can choose any words
● What do we know about wars? they wish - brief or
● What do we want to know more about? complex - different entry
points.
Pre-assessment.

Connect past learning

5 - 10 Explicit teaching: to present learning.
mins ● Recap on student learning from last week – rising
tensions in the east and the west church
● Recap on the differences in lifestyles from Christianity
to Islam
● State the lesson objective to students
● Students to add key words to their vocabulary

Introduce the pair task

10 mins Explicit teaching: by establishing group
norms. You may split up
 The start of The Crusades questions or work on
them together. Decide
 Briefly analyse Pope Urban II’s speech together as a how you want to
class approach this.
Be explicit in how a
 Watch ‘The First Crusade’ video
source analysis works!

Group activity:
20 mins
 In pairs, students are to complete a source analysis of
Pope Urban II’s speech

5 mins Re-group:

 Q&A how did we find the source analysis and run

through the responses

 Would you go on The Crusades as a result of hearing

this speech? Class vote
30 mins Individual task:
 Students to use the information on Seqta to research 2
significant individuals from the Crusades and complete
a personality profile on them
 Provide resources to get students started
 Once finished, to submit the 2 profiles and the profile
on Charlemagne they finished last week to Miss
O’Shea

10 mins Summary & Exit Card: Re-state lesson

 All students: know why Crusaders signed up for the objective to students
Crusades. Understand the historical significance of
individuals in influencing this battle for The Holy Land.
 Some students have the opportunity to extend their
learning through a close analysis of Pope Urban II’s
speech, and investigation into two significant
individuals throughout the Crusades
 Exit Card:
(1) thing you found interesting from today’s lesson. (2)
things you know about the Crusades. (1) thing you
would like to learn more about.