Hi teacher friends,
Ancient Civilizations has to be my favorite curriculum to teach. I find the ancient world fascinating, with all the different traditions, inventions, rituals, building structures, gods and goddesses. I could probably spend the whole year just focusing on Egypt alone, with its pyramids, their social hierarchy with pharaohs, and interesting process of mummification. I get excited knowing that the information about these civilizations that existed in 3000-1000 BC are still being uncovered by archaeologists today. I love sharing my excitement and enthusiasm about Ancient Civs!
What I also love about ancient civilizations is that their unconventional and extravagant traditions and ideas allow for some AMAZING classroom projects! Here is my list of activities and projects I'd love to cover while studying ancient civilizations.
Tutankhamun Masks
Anne from UseYourColouredPencils designed these magnificent masks with her students using cardboard, gold paint, and felt markers! They were showcased in a class assembly and were inspired by King Tutankhamun's famous gold death mask. Discover the full project here.
Ancient Civilizations Lapbook
Lapbooks allow the student to have a broad overview of each Ancient Civilization studied. It is a fun, interactive way to review before an assessment and to always have as a study tool on hand. This specific resource is editable, so you can change the text in order to review what students are learning in the classroom. It can also be used as an extended learning activity for early finishers. Read more about this learning tool here.
Build a Colosseum Project
Rob from Lorwynd's Thoughts assisted his third grade daughter in this school project. They used Styrofoam blocks that were pre-cut into rectangular blocks. They used toothpicks and glue to hold the shape and adhere the blocks together. This would make for a great collaborative group project! A great add on to this activity would be a short summary of gladiatorial events that took place inside the Colosseum. You can read more about the class project here
Cuneiform Tablets
Cuneiform was the very first writing system used by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia. Using clay or model magic, students can learn some of the ancient script while carving symbols into their clay tablets. The earlier script used pictures and symbols to represent words or phrases. Over time, the pictures became shortened vertical and horizontal strokes. As a project, students can create a story and then design a type of Rosetta Stone to translate their message.
Interactive Notebooks
Interactive notebooks are a great way to keep students organize and engaged throughout the ENTIRE school year! The Ancient Civilization series has a combination of written activities, coloring, drawing, and creating. It allows for students' own ideas and interpretations rather than just filling in the blanks. They can be used alongside your school's current curriculum as supplemental material or they can be stand alone resources as well!
If you are convinced your students would love creating an Ancient Civilizations interactive notebook throughout the year, check out this complete curriculum series. It contains over 704 pages of interactive learning material on Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, India, China, Greece, and Rome. Materials include interactive notebook covers for each of the seven units, reading passages, answer keys, critical thinking and analysis questions, foldables, flaps, timelines, graphic organizers, and more.
Reviews & Testimonials of the Ancient Civilizations Interactive Notebook Series:
Rose Meyers: "Thanks for such a wonderful product. This is my first year of using interactive notebooks in my classroom. My students absolutely love their grammar notebooks, so I am planning on using your notebook in Social Studies next year. I have been looking for a year long project for Social Studies that my students can take with them at the end of the year that will sum up their learning of ancient cultures. I think I just found it!"
Wendy G: "I am very excited about this product! Social Studies is my favorite subject to teach, but it can be hard to get the students engaged because it can be dry. I think that these interactive activities will help with that! I love that these activities are intended to be used alongside the school's curriculum instead of as a total replacement. I also really appreciate that it has been created to allow the students to think, respond, and interact with the text rather than to just copy down the correct answers or fill in the blanks. I think this will revolutionize Social Studies in my 6th grade classroom this year! I can't wait to try it out!"
Patty C: "This is a terrific resource with engaging activities. I am new to 6th grade Social Studies and was looking for something that could help me get started. This bundle was perfect!"
Nancy V: "I wish I had purchased this at the beginning of the year! I can't wait to start my year off with this. I did two units with my students and even with 6th graders at the end of the year, they were engaged and on task. Thank you for a great product!"
Buyer: "Wonderful! I looked at several ancient history notebooking items and this was my favorite. It has a good mix of activities, some coloring, some writing in text. I especially like that it isn't simply "copy the one correct answer in this space", but allows for the students own ideas and interpretations. I am a homeschooler, teaching multiple grades, and I will be able to pick and choose activities based on each child's interest and ability. :)"
Van T: "Wish I had bought this sooner! Looking forward to using it as an addition to the curriculum."
Ancient Civilization STEM Challenges!
Cross-curricular challenges for students who are studying Ancient Civilizations!
These resource has science, technology, engineering, and measurement activities to do with your upper elementary kids that will really enhance their learning! Discover these resources here!
Interactive PowerPoints
This is a fast-motion screen capture of the Ancient Civilizations Interactive PowerPoint Series! Discover the complete curriculum resource here!
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