Tori Klier

Mrs. Hickman’s Second Grade class at Clymore Elementary

Approved: 22 February 2017
Taught: 13 March 2017

C. Social Studies Content and learning objectives.

There are many essential understandings and ideas presented in this lesson as it was a
lesson that integrated many subject most prominently math and social studies. During the
lesson, the students were encouraged to identify characteristics of ancient Greek culture and
compare them to our current American culture, such as their money system, their market places,
and their religious practices. Students were also asked to think about how the ancient Greeks
lived based off of examples of art and important products sold in their marketplaces. As a
teacher, I had to have a deep understanding of Greek market places. Typical activities that were
held at the market places were the buying and selling of good, auctions, bartering and trading,
schooling, commissioning of art, and the speaking of philosophers. While students used
traditional American coins when purchasing items from their Greek market, they learned that in
an ancient Greek market place, like Agora, typically bartering and trading practices were
implemented and copper and silver coins called drachmas were sometimes used (Money in
Ancient Greece). I had to understand how certain items were used in Greece and help explain to
students why these items and uses were important, such as honey and oil being used in cooking,
but also preservatives, fish displaying that Greece is surrounded by water. The definitions of
culture, “the beliefs, social practices, and characteristics of a racial, religious, or social group, the
characteristic features of everyday life shared by people in a particular place or time” (Definition
of Culture), and peninsula, “a body of land surrounded on three sides by water” (Peninsula), had
to be explained to the students along with modern day examples that the students are familiar
with and could use to build connections to Greece. One of the connections the students has a
great time discussing was how the philosophers such as those pictured in Raphael’s painting
“The School of Athens” , Aristotle, Archimedes, Euclid, Plato, Socrates, and Pythagoras, spoke,
debated, and taught in the market places; they came up with a lot of examples of what places
today would be similar to Greek markets where the spread of ideas and purchasing of goods
took place. I did not get to go into detail about the philosophers that would speak and teach in
the market places as I wanted to, but I was somewhat worried that this information would go
over the students’ heads a little too much. The main reason I did not go into detail on the
philosophers was due to time restraints, but I did talk about how some philosophers, or lovers of
knowledge, taught about math, the stars or astronomy, and many about what they believed life
to be and the purpose of existence. Students also after having seen the Greek vases and learning
their role as containers, commemorative items, and story-telling devices, got to make their own
vases using black and red the traditional colors of Greek vases.
The students were exposed to these significant ideas by watching videos, discussion, and
investigation using their five senses.

Definition of culture - Merriam-Webster's Student Dictionary. (2007). Retrieved March 29, 2017,
from http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=culture

Gardner, H., Tansey, R. G., & Kleiner, F. S. (1996). Gardner's art through the ages

Money in Ancient Greece. (2016). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from

http://historylink101.com/2/greece3/money.htm
Tori Klier
Mrs. Hickman’s Second Grade class at Clymore Elementary
Approved: 22 February 2017
Taught: 13 March 2017

Peninsula. (n.d.). The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition.
Retrieved March 29, 2017 from Dictionary.com
website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/peninsula

D. Assessing Learning: What did your assessment tell you about students’ progress related to your
objectives? How would you use this information to plan future lessons?

The students really seemed to enjoy the lesson based on the questions they asked and
their level of curiosity in Greek culture. The students also filled out the math worksheet correctly
with little help, but also enjoyed discussing what a cobbler does, what honey and oil were used
for, and how the honey tasted in contrast to the Greek yogurt and cheese. I heard many students
explaining to others about their understanding of Greek culture, or their inspiration for their
design on their vases. One boy made an inverse pattern on his vase with his own self portrait, so
on one side, he had a picture of himself with a red outline and black details and on the other
side he had a picture of himself with a black outline and red details. I was amazed at his art and
found an example of a portrait vase for him. I believe all the students learned a little bit about
Greek culture and the market place as compared the Ancient Greek market place to places today
where one may go to purchase items and services and hear the spread of ideas. The students
suggested many ideas including the mall, school, college, speaking events, concerts, and, to my
surprise, bars. When students came up to by certain items, not only would I ask them to tell me
the correct change they should receive, but also what they thought each item could be used for
in ancient Greek times. The students were truthful and correct with their answers. After teaching
the lesson, I saw how the students really responded to the flow of the lesson and how having a
common theme for multiple lessons and subjects really helped the students not only transition,
but also develop better questions for every subject and see how many topics and subjects can be
applied and connect together.

The lesson was about the Greek Market Place in which the students learned about Ancient
Greek culture and also worked with money to by specific Greek products such as feta cheese, olive
oil, honey, and Greek yogurt. The lesson included social studies, math, art, writing, and reading
lessons together. While the lesson was very long, the students were engaged the entire time and
really seemed to learn and see the connections between the multiple subjects. When I returned to
class the next day, the students greeted me by asking: “Are we going to have fun lessons today?” and
I asked them what they meant by this and they responded that the day was themed. The students
were enthusiastic about their work and really engaged in the class discussions as they were having
fun seeing practical applications for their new knowledge.

In the future, I hope to create more integrated lesson plans so that I may fully engage
students and show them how the knowledge they are learning can be applied in many aspects of
life. These themed lessons were very entertaining for the students and helped them to really absorb
the information presented. Some ideas I have for if I were to teach this lesson in the future are that I
Tori Klier
Mrs. Hickman’s Second Grade class at Clymore Elementary
Approved: 22 February 2017
Taught: 13 March 2017

would like to allow more time for the lesson, so the students could ask more questions and I could
answer more for them. I would like to make the lesson span the whole day if possible and
incorporate science lessons and reading/ word study lessons into the Ancient Greek market place as
well. I would like to read to the students about Greek gods and have them split into groups and do a
compare and contrast Venn diagram of two gods to test their comprehension and introduce them to
more of the Ancient Greek belief system. I would also make the students finish making their vases
before they purchase any items, so they do not get distracted by participating in the market place.

E. Standards of Learning: What content knowledge (facts, concepts, and generalizations) did the
VSoL emphasize? How did you interpret this as a teacher? Was there information that was not
included in the VSoL that you felt was important for students to explore? If so, how did you
respond? Why did you respond that way? How did you interpretation help you align to the larger
aims of social studies education (civic efficacy, social understand, and/or social transformation?)
The VSoLs for this lesson in the social studies and history topic were 2.1 The student will
explain how the contributions of ancient China and Egypt have influenced the present world in
terms of architecture, inventions, the calendar, and written language., 2.3 The student will
identify and compare changes in community life over time in terms of buildings, jobs,
transportation, and population., and 3.1 The student will explain how the contributions of
ancient Greece and Rome have influenced the present world in terms of architecture,
government (direct and representative democracy), and sports. They tended to emphasize how
various ancient civilizations have affected America and our lives today. As a teacher, I thought
this was a really interesting emphasis because it allowed for students to make connections to
various cultures and to their own which made learning the material associated with the ancient
foreign cultures easier to grasp, understand, and retain. I thought it was really important for the
students to see how ancient Greek citizens lived compared to the students and how certain
aspects of their lives such as telling stories, food, and market places have influenced America
and we can directly see their influence still today. A few of the students were amazed that I
could find Greek cheese, Feta cheese, in the grocery store. I made sure that the students could
identify specific features of ancient Greek culture and then that they could come up with similar
features in American culture that we see. I also allowed them to taste food that is sold in grocery
stores today that was made in ancient Greece and are still considered food staples in present day
Greece. By helping the students experience aspects of Greek culture for themselves through
watching videos, tasting food, and participating in a Greek market place, the students were able
to understand the lives of ancient Greek civilians, understand their influence on us still today,
and feel connected to Greek culture. Later in the day when the students were beginning to learn
about Egyptian culture, the students were able to see direct connections to ancient Greek
culture, such as the colors they used for their vases, their religion and belief systems, and their
dependence on water. I believe this lesson really helped the students understand Greek culture
and also to make connections and begin to better understand the familiar social culture and
community that the students are a part of every day.
Tori Klier
Mrs. Hickman’s Second Grade class at Clymore Elementary
Approved: 22 February 2017
Taught: 13 March 2017

G. Procedures: Why did you choose the methods you chose for this lesson? Where they powerful
(active, meaningful, challenging, value-based, and/or integrative?) In hindsight, what would you
change about the lesson to make it more “powerful” for future students? Did your procedures
align with your objectives and assessments?

The methods I chose for this lesson were the use of dramatic play as students engaged in
a Greek Market place as they purchased items and good that were typically sold in ancient Greek
market places, and were artists designing their own Greek vases, personal investigation, and
discussion. Through these activities, students learned about the purposes of Greek vases, what a
typical Greek market place looked like, and they made connections between ancient Greek
culture and present day American culture. The lesson was integrative as the students completed
math activities when participating in the market place, and also by working to form connections
throughout the day to their reading activities and learning about Egyptian culture. The students
made a lot of connections also to present day American culture and society which helped them
develop a deeper sense of social understanding. The lesson was challenging and active as the
students had to investigate multiple examples of Greek culture and to determine what each of
those aspects of culture told us about Greece at the time pertaining to social habits, traditions,
and geography, and students engaged in problem based learning with their math sheets and
determining what they could purchase at that market place with the play money they had.
I felt that my procedures did align with the learning objectives and assignments as I was
able to hear what the students thought and how they were forming connections as well as see
their artwork and how they interpreted and were influenced by the lesson on Greek culture. The
students also completed their math worksheets with little help and really discussed their
thinking with each other and presented their work to me and their peers. I was really able to see
how the students absorbed the material and learned all they needed to.
Next time, to make this lesson more powerful, I think I would make the lesson a whole
day. I would like to make the lesson span the whole day if possible and incorporate science
lessons and reading/ word study lessons into the Ancient Greek market place as well. I would
like to read to the students about Greek gods and have them split into groups and do a compare
and contrast Venn diagram of two gods to test their comprehension and introduce them to more
of the Ancient Greek belief system. I believe taking the students to a ancient Greek exhibit such
as that at the North Carolina Museum of Art (http://ncartmuseum.org/art/collection/ ) or the
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (https://vmfa.museum/collections/) (or maybe a virtual tour if
budgets are tight) would help the students as they see in person the products of ancient Greek
culture as well as give them the ability to compare art across many cultures side by side. I think I
would also have students go outside into the community to perhaps a farmers market or open
air shopping center and ask the students to write down similarities they see when compared to
Greek culture. I believe these activities would make the ancient Greek social studies lesson much
more powerful and help the students really be engaged with the subject.

I think one way I could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice better

when teaching this lesson again would be to have the students make their vase first and
then let them participate in the market place because a lot of students became
distracted when they were allowed to purchase materials that they were unable to finish
Tori Klier
Mrs. Hickman’s Second Grade class at Clymore Elementary
Approved: 22 February 2017
Taught: 13 March 2017

their vases in the allotted time. I think the students would also benefit from extending
the lesson a little bit longer and giving the students the ability to ask more questions and
engage in student led inquiry because they were really open to the information during
that part of the lesson. The student were very keen on observing details in the video clip
which I was pleased about, so I did not have to show the video again, but students were
a little unsure about how to complete the math worksheet. Some students struggled
slightly to understand the instructions despite the fact that I provided additional
instructions and we completed the first problem together as a class. I think to make this
lesson more developmentally appropriate I would include more explicit and easy to
follow instructions as well as an already completed example math problem above the
problem we did together as a class.

H. How did this teaching experience make you think about yourself as a teacher?

I have realized that a teacher must be flexible and listen to the students. In the
end students will be more engaged if they feel they are in control of their learning, and if
they are learning what they want to learn or know. A teacher can take questions that the
students has, answer them, and then direct their attention or connect the new found
information to information that the teacher was originally trying to teach the students. I
also saw that students learn best through experiences. The need to engage as many of
their senses as possible including sight, hearing, taste, feeling, and smell, so they get an
accurate picture of what they are learning. I also learned that as a teacher that
connections are vital to students as it helps them to build upon their funds of
knowledge, fully absorb, and remember the information presented to them. Through
planning this lesson, I also learned the importance of engaging the students early on in
the lesson, and making sure the students have ample opportunities to move thus
engaging the body and the mind in learning.

From planning and teaching this lesson, I have learned that I really enjoy
teaching inclusive and integrated lessons that span on a variety of topics and allow
students to dive deep into various topics and make connections. I also learned that I am
really good at reading my students and understanding what will get their attention and
help them be interested in the lesson and have fun learning. One of my weaknesses
which was displayed during this lesson was the fact that I enjoy students talking about
the subject at hand with their neighbors and want them to discuss and work on their
verbal communication skills, but sometimes it hinders my ability to express directions to
the students. I need to work on balancing the chit chat with meaningful discussion and
directions. I had the opportunity to talk with my CT about it after the lesson, and she
assured me it is a weakness that every teacher encounters every time with a group of
new students and it takes time for the students to acknowledge the teacher as an
authority figure and to understand when they need to listen and how the teacher can
get them to listen or capture their attention.