Lesson Plan Form - LBS 400

Revised 08/05/14

Candidate: Janeth Espindola

Subject: Social

Grade level(s):

Studies

6th grade

Date: 04/14/15

Standard:
6.4.3 State the key differences between Athenian, or direct, democracy and representative democracy.
I. DESCRIPTION OF CONTENT & CONTENT TYPE (Fact, Procedure, Concept, or Principle):
Students will learn the facts about the Athenian democracy and American democracy.
II. LEARNING OUTCOME (Objective):
Given the class textbook, students will be able to compare and contrast the Athenian direct democracy and
the American representative democracy by writing a short response.
DOK/Cognitive Rigor Level: Skills and Concepts (Level 2)
Language Demands: Students must be able to read at their grade level to understand the text and
remember the previous lesson about American democracy.
III. CURRICULUM CONNECTION (How lesson fits into larger unit sequence): The students
previously learned about American representative democracy and what democracy is. They should be
able to recall that information in order to apply it to this lesson. After analyzing both democracies,
students will move on to Pericles.
IV. INSTRUCTION
A. ENGAGEMENT (Motivational Activity):
Anticipatory Set: Do you remember what democracy means?
Think-Pair-Share and tell your partner what democracy means.
Use equity sticks and allow them to answer.
Equity
Do you guys agree? (Thumbs up if you agree and thumbs down if you dont) Why? Is there anything
else you would like to add? Select some of the students that agree and disagree and allow them to
explain their reasoning.
Student friendly objective: By the end of our lesson you should be able to compare Athenian
direct democracy and American representative democracy by writing a short response.
Purpose: We are learning about the history of Greece and their government system and will need to
know this as we learn about Pericles and what he did.
B. INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE (Teaching Methodology With Student Activities):
Step #1: Students will read the graph Democracy in Athens (p. 360) in their textbooks on their
own.
a. Open the book and display the page in the projector for students to know where to read.
a. What can you tell me about the Democracy in Athens from what you read in the graph?

b. Student response: Pick out equity sticks and allow them to share one thing they learned about
the Democracy in Athens.
Step #2: Teacher Reads and Explains the Graph
a. Read graph (pg. 360) and explain in simpler terms for understanding.
Athenian Democracy
American Democracy
Type of Democracy
Direct
Representative
Right to Vote
Only adult males born in
All citizens, male and female
Athens
age 18 or older
Laws
Proposed by the council and
Approved by both houses of
approved by a majority in the Congress and signed by the
assembly
president
Citizen Involvement
Citizens with voting rights can Citizens with voting rights can
vote for or against any law
vote for or against the officials
who make the laws
a. What is this section about?
b. Student response: Think-Pair-Share: Tell students the following questions for them to discuss
amongst themselves.
-How do you know? Can you add on? (i.e. I have something to add to what ______________ said.)
Step #3: Teacher writes down shared ideas in a paper and displays it.
a. Ask: What are the similarities and differences between Athenian direct democracy and
American representative democracy?
a. Write down the responses in a T chart on the board as students observe only
b. Student response: Active participation, students call out answers of the differences and similarities.
Allow students to share one at a time as the teacher writes down the given responses in the T chart.
Step #4: Students construct a Thinking Map
a. Now, we will Compare and Contrast the two types of democracies.
b. Ask students: What kind of Thinking Map can we use to compare and contrast?
c. Student response: Choral response (Double Bubble Map)
d. Students take out a piece of paper and draw a Double Bubble Map (Samples of TMs are
displayed in the front of the room for them to refer to)
Step #5: Teacher models how to fill in Double Bubble Map
a. Show the drawn map and make the bubbles they are required to fill in
b. Teacher models where to write down the similarities and differences on the TM displayed in
the projector. (Fill in one of each from the responses given earlier in the T chart)
c. Where do we write the similarities? Choral response: In the middle.
d. Where do we write the differences? Choral response: On the sides
Step #6: Students work independently on their TMs.
a. On your own, fill out two similarities and two differences for each type of democracy.
b. Student response: Walk around the room to check for understanding. (correct map, filling it in with
correct information, etc)
Step #7: Students will check their TM with teacher and students

a. Turn to your neighbor and compare your maps

a. Teachers TM will be displayed with the information filled in
b. Student response: TPS: Check your thinking map with your partners TM and with the one
displayed in the board.
C. APPLICATION ACTIVITY (Practice and/or Reflection): Students write a short response to
essential question.
a. In 2-3 sentences write in a separate sheet of paper, What are the similarities and differences
between Athenian direct democracy and American representative democracy?
This will be your exit slip
a. Model sentence starter. One similarity is ______________.
Athenian democracy ________________ but American democracy _________________________.
b. Student response: Walk around the room to check answers, collect as they walk out of class
D. MATERIALS & RESOURCES:
- Textbook, paper, pencils.
V. ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES (Methods For Obtaining Evidence Of Learning):
Formative: Check for Understanding by asking questions, TPS, Call out. Teacher observation by walking
around the room.
Summative: Written short response as an Exit Slip
VI. ACCOMMODATIONS and/or MODIFICATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS (Content,
Instruction, Practice): Help students who are having trouble filling out the TM or writing the short
response. Provide the sentence starters to help those students who are having trouble getting started.
Advanced students can write 5 sentences stating at least two differences and
similarities about the democracies.

VII. HOMEWORK (if appropriate): Read page 340 in the class textbook about Pericles and be
prepared to discuss it in class.