Save Planning Time Without Sacrificing Instructional Quality

Need a complete lesson on Justinian that goes beyond simple note-taking?

This ready-to-use lesson introduces students to Emperor Justinian, his accomplishments, and the lasting impact of the Justinian Code through engaging guided notes and a primary source analysis activity. Instead of simply learning about the code, students analyze authentic excerpts from Justinian's laws and evaluate what they reveal about life in the Byzantine Empire.

Everything students need is included so no textbook or outside resources required. Whether you're teaching through direct instruction, assigning independent work, running a digital classroom, or preparing emergency sub plans, this lesson is classroom ready.

What Students Will Learn

Students will:

• Explain who Justinian was and why he is considered one of the Byzantine Empire's greatest emperors.
• Describe Justinian's political achievements and reforms.
• Explain the purpose and significance of the Justinian Code.
• Analyze how the Justinian Code influenced later legal systems.
• Evaluate primary source excerpts from the Justinian Code.
• Draw conclusions about Byzantine society using historical evidence.
• Support historical claims through written responses.

What's Included

✔ 8-slide instructional presentation (Google Slides)

✔ Guided Student Notes (Printable PDF)

✔ Digital Guided Notes (Google Slides)

✔ Primary Source Analysis Activity featuring excerpts from the Justinian Code

✔ Digital Primary Source Activity

✔ Answer Keys

✔ Teacher Guide with lesson outline and implementation tips

How This Lesson Works in the Classroom

Students begin with a brief bell-ringer reviewing prior knowledge before working through an engaging slide presentation introducing Justinian, his accomplishments, and the creation of the Justinian Code. As students follow along, they complete guided notes that reinforce the key concepts from the lesson.

After the notes portion, students transition into a primary source analysis activity where they examine modified excerpts from the Justinian Code. They answer scaffolded questions, analyze what the laws reveal about Byzantine society, and finish by evaluating whether Justinian's legal code was fair using historical evidence to support their opinion.

Because every resource is included within the lesson, it works equally well for teacher-led instruction, independent work, self-paced learning, digital classrooms, or emergency sub plans. The lesson is designed for approximately one 45-minute class period but can easily be extended through class discussion or writing.

Perfect For

• World History
• Middle School Social Studies
• Byzantine Empire Unit
• Justinian
• Justinian Code
• Primary Source Analysis
• Historical Thinking Skills
• Interactive Notebooks
• Independent Practice
• Sub Plans
• Digital Learning

Why Teachers Love This Resource

✔ Teacher Created and Classroom Tested

✔ No textbook required

✔ No prep - just print or assign digitally

✔ Includes both print and digital versions

✔ Students analyze authentic historical sources

✔ Encourages evidence-based historical thinking

✔ Guided notes reduce cognitive overload

✔ Easy to implement in interactive notebooks

✔ Teacher guide and answer keys included