This was an introductory lesson that I taught about the religion of the Aztecs.  This lesson served as the foundation of understanding about their religion, its connection to their natural world and the importance of honoring their gods.  It was accompanied with a guided note sheet.  

This lesson contained lots of visuals, breakdown of important vocabulary, a stimulating activity midway though, a list and images of important dieties as well as critical thinking opportunies.

This presentation was part of a larger lesson about the religion of the Inca and was taught after the Aztecs, which allowed students to use their background knowledge as a comparison.  

I deliberately made this part of the lesson a slideshow so students could interract and have fun looking up their own birth months as well as those of their friends and family, all while learning about the connection between the Inca calendar and agricultural practices. I created this lesson activity during the time of the pandemic when I was teaching virtually to generate more student participation.

This was a segment of a lesson on Medieval Manor design, and the rationale behind each element of a medieval manor.  After establishing the location of a Castle, preferably near the edge of a rocky cliff, students must work together to place the other 8 elements on their own slide, while other groups are working on their designated slides.  Afterwards, I was able to present everyone's work to the class.  This was an activity which required critical thinking, reasoning skills, and teamwork.

Sometimes a slideshow is a better than a worksheet!  I felt that the use of slides would provide more clarity and focus.  Because I was using maps, the slideshow allowed them to see the maps better and maintain focus.   Instead of handing them a paper atlas, I was able to focus on the the maps I wanted them to use, which also provided clarity.

Once again, a slideshow is a better than a worksheet.  For the same reasons listed in the Axum lesson, the use of slides provides interractivity and focus.  Each slide provides a visual of the explorer and a link to gather the necessary information to answer the questions.   The slides help students maintain attention by using chunking techniques and through its aesthetics.