Lesson 8

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • Excerpt from The Prince, Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, Gutenberg.org, 1532

Materials

Tools

• Vocabulary Journal

• Who Changes the World?: Vocabulary List

• Vocabulary in Context Tool

• Word Map

• Word Sort - Closed

• Word Sort - Open

Reference Guides

• Academic Discussion Reference Guide

Question Sets

• Who Changes the World?: Section 1 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Who Changes the World?: Section 1 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

• Vocabulary in Context Tool

• Word Map

• Word Sort - Closed

• Word Sort - Open

Activity 1: Write

We will use our Learning Logs and text evidence to craft our own definitions of a change agent.

Recall the basic definition of a change agent that you have previously discussed. Using this definition, the information collected in your Learning Log, and the texts you have studied thus far as inspiration, write your own definition of a change agent. Share your definition with a partner or group. Write down your new definition in your Learning Log.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

To prepare for reading this excerpt from Machiavelli’s The Prince, we will learn the definition of the word machiavellian.

Some individuals are so influential and important that their very names become adjectives. For example, something that is similar to the novels of Charles Dickens, especially when describing poor social conditions, is described as Dickensian. Likewise, ideas that relate to the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato are described as Platonic.

Find a definition of the word Machiavellian in your dictionary (online or print), and with a partner, discuss what this tells you about the author and his most famous work, The Prince.

Share a summary of your discussion with the class.

Add the definition your teacher gives you to your Vocabulary Journal and respond to the following question:

1. Was your definition close to the one your teacher provided?

Activity 3: Read – Discuss

We will learn about the author and the impact of the text.

Now that you know the word Machiavellian, you can learn about the author and his most famous text. Read the About Machiavelli’s The Prince section in the unit reader. Then, in groups, discuss the following questions:

1. What does it mean to say, "The ends justify the means when it comes to acquiring and maintaining power"?

2. Since Machiavelli wrote about power and politics, how might politics and power relate to change and your working definition of a change agent?

Then, summarize your answers in your Learning Logs to be shared with your entire group.

Activity 4: Read

We will determine the meanings of unfamiliar words that can be defined using contextual information (context clues).

Step 1

In any text, there will be some words that can be defined using context and some that cannot. The word context refers to other words or phrases that give an idea of what an unfamiliar word means.

Step 2

Follow along while your teacher or one of your peers reads the excerpt aloud. You will use context to determine the meaning of the bolded words in the excerpt: initiate, adversaries, incredulity, partisans, innovators, and entreat.

Highlight any additional words that you do not know the meaning of.

Working with a partner, use the Vocabulary in Context Tool to help you use context clues to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Activity 5: Read – Write

We will determine the meanings of unfamiliar words that can be defined using contextual information.

Work with a partner using context clues to determine the meanings of the unfamiliar words in your Vocabulary Journal.

Identify the context clues that helped you determine the meanings of the unfamiliar words. Highlight or underline the context clues on your handout, or write them down in your Vocabulary Journal.

Using the clues, define the unfamiliar words. Write your definitions in your Vocabulary Journal.

Finally, use a dictionary to confirm your definitions. Look up each word and write the best dictionary definition in your Learning Log.

Respond to the following questions:

1. Were your definitions accurate?

2. Were you correct? Why or why not?

Activity 6: Read – Write – Discuss

We will interact with the words we defined to cement our understanding of their meaning.

Work with a partner or group to respond to the vocabulary exercises, as directed by your teacher.

Activity 7: Read – Write

We will summarize the text.

Using your definitions, reread the text and work with your team to write a summary of the text in your Learning Log.