Lesson Plan Template: Civics Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to identify the basic beliefs of the Israelites.
• Students will be able to identify the importance of Abraham and Moses in Judaism.
• Students will be able to compare the rule of law in Mesopotamia, Israel, and Egypt.

Prior Knowledge

Students should be familiar with, or have an understanding of:

• Where Israel is located (i.e. the Middle East, near Mesopotamia, near the Mediterranean Sea, etc.).
• Where Egypt is located as well as the geography of Egypt (i.e. on the Nile River, near the Mediterranean and Red Seas, the red land vs the black land on the Nile, etc.).
• What the leader of Egypt was called (“the pharaoh”).
• What the Code of Hammurabi is (i.e. code of laws by Hammurabi, established rule of law in Mesopotamia/Babylon, etc.)
• How the rule of law was practiced in ancient Egypt (i.e. Maat, the pharaoh’s and ancient Mesopotamia.
• The definitions or difference between monotheism and polytheism.

Guiding Questions

• What is the rule of law?
• What did the Israelites believe?
• How did the Israelites practice the rule of law?
• How was the rule of law similar in Israel, Mesopotamia, and Egypt?

Procedure

1. To introduce the lesson, the teacher will introduce the main focus of the lesson by having students complete a class-wide discussion. The teacher will need to open the slideshow (attachment titled “IsraelitesRuleofLawSlideshow”). The teacher will ask students the following questions (both on slide 2 of the slideshow):
   • What is the rule of law?
     1. The answer should be similar to “the rule of law is the idea of equality under the law where everyone is equal and must follow the same laws and rules.”
   • How was the rule of law practiced in Mesopotamia OR Egypt?
     1. For Mesopotamia, students could say that they followed Hammurabi’s Code, everyone had to follow the same rules, etc.
     2. For Egypt, students could say that men and women were both equal under the law in Egypt, everyone had to follow the same rules, everyone had to follow the pharaoh, etc.

2. The teacher will discuss students answers, and distribute copies of the notes (attachment titled “IsraeliteNotes”). The teacher will then go to slide 3 and begin the notes.
3. On slides 3 to 6, the teacher will read through the paragraphs provided on the slides. The teacher must provide students with time to fill in the blanks on their note-taking documents, then answer the questions provided in the slides and in students’ notes.
   • Sample answers for all questions are provided in the teacher’s copy of the notetaking document.
   • When the teacher reaches question 9 on slide 6, the teacher should ask students to turn to a partner and discuss the question “what is the rule of law?”.
4. After slide 6, there are instructions for the comparison and analysis activity on slide 7. Students will need to be broken into groups of 2 to 3. Each group will need a copy of the comparison and analysis activity sheet (attachment titled “IsraelitesRuleofLawAnalysis”). The teacher will read through the instructions for the activity, then instruct students to start reading through the excerpts provided on the sheet.
   • The teacher will monitor groups while they complete the activity. The teacher will answer questions students may have, facilitate discussions for groups that are not working together, etc. Answers are provided in the teacher’s copy of the analysis sheet (attachment titled “TeacherCopyIsraelitesRuleofLawAnalysis”).
   • Once students are finished, they should review their answers, take out a piece of paper, and prepare for the exit slip activity.
5. To bring the lesson to a close, the teacher will introduce the exit slip (instructions in slide 8) which will be used to assess what students have learned about the learning objectives. The teacher will instruct students that they independently need to answer each question provided on the slide, which are also listed below.
   • What did the Israelites believe?
   • How did the Israelites practice the rule of law?
   • How does Jewish rule of law connect to Mesopotamian and Egyptian rule of law?

Teacher Notes

• The introductory discussion should be less than 5 minutes. The notes should be completed in 20-25 minutes, the worksheet in 10-15 minutes, and the exit slip in 5-10 minutes.

• Some misconceptions may include:

  • The rule of law only describes “the law of the land.”
  • The rule of law has nothing to do with equality.
  • Ancient Egypt did not influence the United States’ view of the rule of law.
  • Ancient Egyptians or the Israelites did not make an impact on today’s understanding of the rule of law.
  • The Israelites did not have a concept similar to the rule of law.
  • The Israelites did not have similar beliefs to other peoples near them.
  • The Israelites did not emphasize law within their society or culture.

Optional

• It is recommended that this lesson is completed following the lessons “The Rule of Law in Mesopotamia” and “The Rule of Law in Egypt” as these lessons will provide sufficient background knowledge on how the rule of law was practiced in both civilizations.

Special Materials Needed:

• Handouts as specified in the lesson.
• Internet access, whiteboard or smartboard
• Timer
• Access to printer (to print student note-taking guides and activity sheets for all students) or individual student computers (to provide notes and activity sheets digitally)
• Paper, notecards, or sticky notes for exit slip (unless using a digital tool)