Social Science Ancient Civilizations/World

Social Science Curriculum Northern Illinois District Ancient Civilizations/World History Grades 6-8 XIV. Political Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard A: Understand and explain basic principles of the United States government.

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Objective 1: Describe different historical forms of government- monarchies, dictatorships, democracies, republic/representative government, etc.

Create a mobile showing the different types of government. Under each type of government have students list who is in charge, the benefits of the type of government, the disadvantages, and examples of where the government did or does exist.

Objective 2: Describe how the governments of the ancient civilizations (Egypt, Rome, China, India, Greece), influenced the development of the United States government.

Obtain a list of some of the laws from the Code of Hammurabi. Have the students read over these in groups or individually. Compare these laws to the laws we have today.

Objective 3: Describe how the development

Discuss the forms of trial, justice and punishment in ancient

Obtain a list of some of the laws from the Code of Hammurabi. Have the students read over these in groups or individually. Compare these laws to 10 commandments and/or moral laws of society today.

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of the United States government was influenced by the prevalent methods of government of the time.

Mesopotamia (or another civilization). Diagram, report, or create a poster analyzing this.

XIV. Political Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard B: Understand the structures and functions of the political systems of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.

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Objective 1: Compare, contrast, and give examples of historical political concepts and structures, with those of the United States.

Objective 2: Compare the democratic system used by the United States with the democratic system used by the ancient Greeks.

XIV. Political Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States.

Learning Standard C: Understand election processes and responsibilities of citizens.

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Objective 1: Give examples of how representative government began (ancient Rome and ancient Greece) and how it has evolved into the system we use today.

Hold an election complete with debates, and propaganda. You may do this using prominent leaders from various civilizations.

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XIV. Political Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard D: Understand the roles and influences of individuals and interest groups in the political systems of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.

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Objective 1: Name and describe the significant accomplishments of major historical figures.

Using the NCAA bracket, pick 64 significant historical figures to put in the bracket. Have students research the figures and campaign for an individual of their choice. Hold elections as the figures “square off” to see who will be your school’s Most Significant Historical Figure of

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the Year. Can be used as a school-wide activity.

XIV. Political Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard E: Understand United States foreign policy as it relates to other nations and international issues.

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Objective 1: Describe the relationships between Western and non-Western nations as they came into contact.

Objective 2: Give examples of cultural legacies and conflicts passed on from earlier civilizations to the present.

Possible Topics to Explore: - Ancient Arabia and Modern Middle East - Piracy - Evolution of the Slave Trade - Renaissance and the Reformation - Colonization

XIV. Political Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand political systems with an emphasis on the United States.

Learning Standard F: Understand the development of United States political ideas and traditions.

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Objective 1: List the main civilizations of the ancient world and briefly describe their influence on political ideas and traditions with regard to the development of world civilization, especially Western civilization.

Christmas Around the World Assign groups of students to different cultures, in order to study the Christmas traditions (or appropriate celebrations) that differ from our own. Groups may want to: - Create a display board - Prepare and perform a skit - Bring in food/costumes - Create a holiday craft - Informative speech/presentation See Museum of Science and Industry website for examples/ideas.

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XV. Economic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand economic systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard A: Understand how different economic systems operate in the exchange, production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

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Objective 1: Compare and contrast several forms of economy (Socialism, Communism, Capitalism, Feudalism, etc.), stating the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Feudalism Simulation Assign roles to students. 1 King/Queen, 2/3 Nobles, 4/5 Lesser Nobles, remainder peasants. (Adjust numbers as necessary, ideally you want around half the class to be peasants). Each lesser noble has 2-3 peasants “loyal” to him/her. Likewise each greater noble has 2 lesser nobles. Give each student 10 tootsie rolls (or other). Peasants keep 4, turn 6 over to their lesser noble. Nobles keep 12, turn rest over to greater noble. Greater nobles keep 20, turn rest over to King. King keeps all. You may need to adjust the numbers kept/passed on based on class size. Demonstrates disparity of wealth under the system. This activity can be expanded by giving students the opportunity to “buy” things: food for the year (3), armed forces (5 per “unit”), castles (15), etc., showing that only the higher-ranking members can afford everything.

Objective 2: Be able to discuss the primary economic system used by each significant

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historic civilizations.

XV. Economic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand economic systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard B: Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by consumers.

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Objective 1: Describe and explain the effect of the law of supply and demand.

Possible topics to explore: - Slavery - Trade – triangular trade - Cotton - Sugar Cane - Spice trade

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XV. Economic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand economic systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard C: Understand that scarcity necessitates choices by producers.

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Objective 1: Describe how the abundance or lack Possible Topics to Explore: of natural resources and the need or desire for goods - Crusades can lead to economic interdependence between o Discovery of production, education, technology in other areas regions and nations, both historic and current. of the world. - Silk Road o Desire for exotic goods leads to trade routes and exchange of ideas

XV. Economic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand economic systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard D: Understand trade as an exchange of goods or services.

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Objective 1: Describe the development of trade over time and its importance to social development and growth.

Greek Agora: Students will create a product that might have been sold in ancient Greece. They then design a sign and slogan for that product, using the Greek alphabet. Students will attempt to sell or trade their goods to their classmates. *Can be adapted to other civilizations (Chinese markets, Bantu trading, etc.)

Objective 2: Recognize the impact of the development of transportation (road systems, shipping, caravans, etc.) and its effect on trade.

Topics to Explore: - Roman roads - Silk Road

Objective 3: Understand the significance of the role Topics to Explore: played by shipping and sea trade. - Phoenicians - Greeks - Persians - Vikings - Egypt

XV. Economic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand economic systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard E: Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production and consumption in the economy.

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Objective 1: Describe how governmental structures have encouraged or discouraged trade and how that effected the development of the nation’s economy.

Topics to Explore: - Japanese isolationism - Colonization - Chinese development (due to Geography)

XVI. Historical Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations. Learning Standard A: Apply the skills of historical analysis and interpretation.

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Objective 1: Evaluate sources of information for their perspective, reliability, strengths, and weaknesses.

One event, multiple perspectives Choose an event of historical significance (eruption of Vesuvius, battle of Thermopylae, assassination of Julius Caesar, etc). Assign each student or group of student a role of various witnesses of given event. Roles should be different to allow for variance of viewpoints. Each student or group researches the event and presents an account of what they would have witnessed. As a class, discuss the different, possibly contradictory, viewpoints that arise.

Objective 2: Interpret the difference between B.C. and A.D. (B.C.E. and C.E.) and its relevance to timelines and history.

Personal timeline; Objective: Understand the difference between A.D. and B.C., using the numbering system. Have students list 10 events in their lifetime that they consider to be important/memorable. Have them plot events on a timeline,

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using their age as the year markers. Add to the timeline important events in their family that took place 5-10 years prior to their birth. This helps students understand why 500 B.C. is more recent than 550 B.C. Added benefit – students are typically required to discuss family history with parents/relatives. Always a good thing.

Objective 3: Use and interpret primary and secondary sources of historical information.

XVI. Historical Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations. Learning Standard B: Understand the development of significant political events.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Outline the main periods and political events in the histories of nonWestern civilizations.

Objective 2: Understand the role of religion

ACTIVITIES/ MATERIALS/ RESOURCES

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in the development and politics of ancient civilizations.

Objective 3: Given an event of historical significance, be able to analyze the positive and negative outcomes of the event on both a local and a global scale.

“Who Killed King Tut?” Webquest: Google “Who Killed King Tut Webquest” – it will tell you what you need to know. Topics to Explore: - Crusades - Muslim expansion (invasion of India, Africa and Spain) - Alexander the Great

XVI. Historical Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations. Learning Standard C: Understand the development of economic systems.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Name and describe ancient economic systems (subsistence, bartering, etc.) and the factors that contributed to their evolution into more complex systems.

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Objective 2: Understand the role of Feudalism as both an economic and governmental system during the Middle Ages.

Objective 3: Identify the major periods in world economic history.

Objective 4: Understand the role that trade between nations/regions plays in the development of economies in those area.

Objective 5: Identify the significant technological contributions that have influenced the development of economic systems over time.

Topics to explore - Metal working (iron, bronze, copper and steel… etc) - Sailing technology (rudder, sexton, astrolabe) - Printing press - Plow - Cotton gin Activities include timelines, charts, diagrams, recreations, dioramas, economics fair, power-points, etc.

XVI. Historical Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations. Learning Standard D: Understand Illinois, United States, and world social history.

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Objective 1: Understand that cultures contain a clearly defined social structure, both historically and today.

Objective 2: Be able to state specific details that are unique to each of the world’s major historic societies, including Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome.

Objective 3: Understand the development of oral and written communication over time and its effect on civilization.

Ancient Egypt Rosetta Stone: Objective: Students will understand the strength/weaknesses of the hieroglyphic system of writing, and the challenges historians were presented with in the task of translating them. Have students develop a list (20 or so) of their own glyphs and meanings. Then, using those terms, they are to write a short (1-2 paragraph) story. Considering their story, add glyphs as needed. From there, using construction paper/poster board, they are to create a “Rosetta Stone” – the same story written once in English, again in “glyphs”. I typically devote a third section to a translation key, but it’s valid either way.

Objective 4: Describe the role and impact of

Topics include

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slavery in various historic eras and societies, including Egypt, Greece, Rome, and early United States.

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Moses and the Israelites -Exodus The movie “Roots” (we recommend videos 1 and 2) Spartacus Helots and Sparta Various simulation activities can be found on the internet Spanish expansion, the conquistadors , and natives of the Americas

XVI. Historical Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations. Learning Standard E: Understand Illinois, United States, and world environmental history.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Understand how the geography and environment dictated the economic priorities of ancient and modern civilizations.

Objective 2: Describe how the people of ancient civilizations prioritized the control over rivers or other physical features as a means for growth and development.

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Objective 3: Understand how the presence and consistent flooding of the world’s major rivers influenced the growth of ancient civilizations (e.g. Nile River and ancient Egypt, the Huang He and Chang Jiang Rivers and ancient China).

Objective 4: Understand and explain how the economy and society of a culture can be affected by the dependence of a region on a single crop or mode of production.

Topics include - Gold in Africa - Silk and rice in China - Cotton, ink and dye in India - Sugarcane in the Caribbean - Spice trade - Gold and the Aztecs - Oil in Middle East

XVII. Geographic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand world geography and the effects of geography on society with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard A: Locate, describe, and explain places, regions, and features on the Earth.

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Objective 1: Locate places, regions, and features on a map and a globe.

Objective 2: Locate places, regions, and features using lines of latitude and longitude.

Objective 3: Explain the difference between natural and artificial boundaries.

Objective 4: Interpret different types of Clay Map: maps (resource, climate, population, etc.) and decipher their relevance to a given Assign a country or continent to each group of students. Using clay civilization. (non-cook recipes can be found on-line), students create a model of assigned area. After clay has set/hardened, the clay is painted to create a specific map type. Students can be assigned to create: political, physical, population, climate, or resource maps. Students are then expected to be able to point out specific features on

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their map without the aid of books or notes. Suggested websites for outline maps: www.ilike2learn.com – quizzes, outline maps, games www.nationalgeographic.com – outline maps, Geospy (game) www.studystack.com – quizzes, games, practice activities

XVII. Geographic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand world geography and the effects of geography on society with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard B: Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems.

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Objective 1: Describe how weather patterns and climate affect where civilizations were located and what they were able to produce.

Natural Disaster Newscast: Students will create a cardboard TV, on which the “screen” displays pictures of a chosen natural disaster. (1906 San Francisco earthquake, eruption of Vesuvius, the Plague, significant tsunamis and hurricanes) Students will assume the role of a reporter to discuss the pictures as they are displayed. *Can be adapted to use PowerPoint. *Can be adapted to historical events other than disasters (elections, elections, etc.)

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XVII. Geographic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand world geography and the effects of geography on society with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard C: Understand relationships between geographic factors and society.

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Objective 1: Explain the way physical features are both beneficial and harmful to civilizations.

Objective 2: Explain how physical features acted as both a detriment and a benefit to the relations between societies.

XVII. Geographic Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand world geography and the effects of geography on society with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard D: Understand the historical significance of geography.

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Objective 1: Understand how geography affected the growth, culture, and interactions of the ancient and medieval civilizations.

XVIII. Social-Cultural Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand social systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard A: Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts, traditions, and institutions.

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Objective 1: Name and describe the cultural contributions of historic figures within a given civilization (e.g. Hammurabi, Cleopatra, Genghis Kahn, Siddhartha Gautama, Aristotle, Julius Caesar).

Visit from a Historical Figure: Teacher (or willing former student/parent/coworker) comes into class dressed as a historical figure and “visits” the class, talking about his/her life, world, etc. Costumes are available at costume shops or local high school theater departments. (Can usually be rented for low cost.)

Character Sketch: Have students draw a picture of assigned or chosen historical figure in an appropriate setting. Students will add two speech bubbles containing quotes (may be paraphrased), and two thought bubbles. Students will add ten culturally significant drawings to the background, surrounding their character in the setting.

Objective 2: List customs and traditions from a variety of cultures and civilizations and describe their importance to those

Activity: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians -- Pyramid Construction and Mummification mini-games. Great for establishing the complexity and difficulty of both processes.

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cultures (Pyramids and mummies of Egypt, gladiatorial circuses of Rome, etc.).

Objective 3: Describe how a culture is reflected in its art, music, architecture, and learning institutions.

Topics to Explore: - Dreamcatchers (Native Americans) - Create-your-own Chinese Dragons - Chinese lanterns/fans (can be found at www.orientaltrading.com) - Japanese/Chinese kites (see: Drachen Foundation) - Coat-of-Arms (Medieval Europe) - Sarcophagus (Egypt) - Hoplite Shields (Greece) - Theater masks and mosaics (Rome) Ancient Egypt – Board Game “Senet” Display a picture of the ancient Egyptian board game, Senet (can be found using a google search.) Explain that it is known that this was a board game, but that the rules for how to play it remain a mystery. We know only the appearance of the playing area, and the tokens used for play. Students are to devise a set of rules for the game that makes use of known game pieces, and is consistent with what the know about the culture of the ancient Egyptians. This requires students to go through the same discovery process used by archeologists and historians attempting to describe the behaviors and lifestyle of ancient peoples. *Can be adapted to: Chinese Chess, Knuckebones (Greece), Mancala (Africa)

XVIII. Social-Cultural Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand social systems with an emphasis on the United States.

Learning Standard B: Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society.

OBJECTIVES

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Objective 1: Describe the role and impact of religion within each ancient society.

Topics to explore: - Hinduism/Caste System - Greek mythology - Roman mythology - Spread of major world religions

Objective 2: Describe the role and impact of the individual within each ancient society.

Roman Soldier Stick Figures: On a bulletin board, create a large “naked” stick figure. Each student or pair of students is assigned a part of the Roman armor. Students research and create that piece of armor or equipment for the stick figure to “wear.” A typed title and short description accompanies each piece of armor/equipment. Early finishers can add a chariot. *Can be adapted for other cultures/civilizations.

Objective 3: Compare the family groups and traditions of each ancient society.

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Objective 4: Describe the role of the Catholic Church in ancient and modern history, and it achievements and failures.

Objective 5: Describe how interaction among peoples brings about social change (e.g., natives and colonizers, invading armies, Peace Corp volunteer forces).

Objective 6: Compare and contrast the basic Activity: Five Pillars of Islam Poster teachings of Christianity to other nonChristian religions (i.e. Buddhism, Hinduism, Each group is assigned one of the five pillars of Islam. Judaism, and Islam) and philosophies. Each group must include: o The name of the pillar in English o The name of the pillar in Arabic o The “official definition” of the pillar o An explanation of who, what, when, where, why and how of the pillar o Five or more pictures to illustrate what happens for the pillar

o Explanations of those pictures

XVIII. Social-Cultural Perspective State Goal: As a result of their schooling, students will be able to understand social systems with an emphasis on the United States. Learning Standard C: Understand how social systems form and develop over time.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1: Give examples of the ways ancient social systems have influenced modern times.

Objective 2: Understand and describe the predominant social structures of ancient civilizations (e.g. tiered classes of Egypt, caste system of ancient India, Patrician and Plebian of Rome, the rise of the middle class in medieval and modern times).

Objective 3: Explain how inventions have been instrumental in the development of societies.

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General Activities appropriate for Social Studies -

PowerPoint presentations Brochures Posters Skits/Reenactments Simulations Presentations Scrapbooks Collages Dioramas Student-Created crafts Create-your-own myth Create-your-own song Timelines Venn Diagrams

Primary Source Activities -

Famous speeches Analysis of Photographs Letters/Diaries Hieroglyphics

Field Trip Ideas Field Museum - Traveling Exhibits - Ancient Egypt - Americas - Polynesia and Asia - Africa They also have groups that will come to your school

Art Institute - Ancient Egypt - Asia - Renaissance - Middle Ages Medieval Times Local Historical Society Museum of Science and Industry - Christmas around the World