Life and Times of Napoleon (Interactive)
Goals & Objectives
Students will be able to evaluate history from a different perspective and make an argument with supporting historical evidence through completing a webquest and creating a character diary.
Students will learn about Napoleon, how he came to power, and his impact on history.
Students will learn about Napoleon, how he came to power, and his impact on history.
California State Content Standards
10.2 Students compare and contrast the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution and their enduring effects worldwide on the political expectations for self-government and individual liberty.
4. Explain how the ideology of the French Revolution led France to develop from constitutional monarchy to democratic despotism to the Napoleonic empire.
4. Explain how the ideology of the French Revolution led France to develop from constitutional monarchy to democratic despotism to the Napoleonic empire.
Common Core Literacy Standards
C.C. W. S. 1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
C.C.W.S. 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
C.C.W.S. 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Driving Historical Question
Does who you are change history?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary will be printed in their webquest packet handout. The vocabulary will be with each corresponding question section so the association is clearer. There will also be a picture with each vocabulary term.
- Directory
- Coup d’ état
- Lycées
- Concordat
- Napoleonic Code
- Emperor
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will show a video from history.com that depicts a brief animated history of Napoleon’s life, including his accomplishments and downfalls. The teacher will then reference the video and ask the students, “Did Napoleon do both good and bad things for France?” Then, the teacher will ask, “Would the people living at the time look at what he did as good or bad?” and “Would it depend on who they were?”
Content Delivery
The teacher will go over the events leading up to Napoleon’s takeover with the students and ask them to help them put the events into a timeline and write the timeline on the board. The teacher will hand out the Napoleon webquest worksheet and go over the introduction with the students. The teacher will then go over the directions for the webquest with the students and put them into groups of two. Teacher will then ask if there are any questions.
Student Engagement
In groups of two, the students will begin their online webquest Napoleon WebQuest (found online, author unknown, slightly modified). The webquest is meant to show students the life and major impact of Napoleon, but it is also meant to have students look at the life of a controversial figure in history from a different perspective than their own and to look at history in context, not as a person in the present. It asks students a series of questions and gives specific websites where the information can be found. It then asks if Napoleon is a hero or a villain to that character.
Lesson Closure
After the students have completed the webquest, they will complete the character diary entry. The diary will require students to explain who they are with specifics describing their character. They will also make an argument for why they believe Napoleon is a hero or a villain, giving historical evidence they have found from their webquest information. This must be at least two, five sentence paragraphs long. They must also draw a picture of themselves as the character for the diary entry. This will be their exit slip.
Assessments
Formative: The teacher will watch the progress on the webquest answers to see if students are answering the questions with the correct information from the websites.
Summative: The teacher will assess the diary entries to see if the students not only grasped the historical information and were able to back up an argument using that information, but also to see if they have learned how to look at history through different perspectives and with a historical viewpoint, not a presentist viewpoint.
Summative: The teacher will assess the diary entries to see if the students not only grasped the historical information and were able to back up an argument using that information, but also to see if they have learned how to look at history through different perspectives and with a historical viewpoint, not a presentist viewpoint.
Accommodations
The timeline will be helpful for English learners to be able to see the the events in a visual way as well as going over it with the class will help with language.
Giving the definitions alongside the place where it is used is helpful for English learners and striving readers to have association as a way to identify and learn the terms.
The websites have pictures and clear explanations to help all students, this gives them a visual as well as simple language to help with comprehension.
Giving the definitions alongside the place where it is used is helpful for English learners and striving readers to have association as a way to identify and learn the terms.
The websites have pictures and clear explanations to help all students, this gives them a visual as well as simple language to help with comprehension.
Resources
Napoleon Animated Summary Video
http://www.history.com/topics/napoleon/videos/napoleon
Webquest Activity
http://blogs.jefftwp.org/wordpress/rzegas/files/2014/02/Napoleon-WebQuest.pdf
Definitions:
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Napoleonic+Code
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com
http://www.history.com/topics/napoleon/videos/napoleon
Webquest Activity
http://blogs.jefftwp.org/wordpress/rzegas/files/2014/02/Napoleon-WebQuest.pdf
Definitions:
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Napoleonic+Code
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com