At a Glance:
| Grades: | 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Social Studies |
| Topic: | Cultural Comparisons in Ancient Civilizations |
| Lesson Length: | 35 - 45 mins |
Standards / Framework:
What will students learn in this activity?
Students will be able to compare and contrast cultural aspects of different ancient civilizations that developed around the same time.
What should students know before this activity?
Students should have a basic understanding of where ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, China, Egypt, and Greece were located and why they developed there.
How can teachers introduce this lesson?
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Show pictures of popular food items, slang, current clothing trends, and other items that are representative of current culture. Why do these represent our culture?
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Discuss what people will think 1,000 years from now when they see images of these items or watch videos from our time.
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Read and discuss the sample comic.
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How were these ancient cultures the same?
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How were they different?
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How were they like our present day culture?
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What will students do?
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Have students select two ancient civilizations to compare and one cultural aspect to showcase. For example, recreation, communication, trade, etc.
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Using the sample comic as a guide, have students create a three-panel comic describing a cultural aspect of two civilizations and similarities to our present-day lives.
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Panel 1: Civilization 1 and Cultural Aspect.
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Panel 2: Civilization 2 and Cultural Aspect.
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Panel 3: Similarities to our present day lives.
How can teachers wrap up the lesson?
- Have students share their comics with the class and compare and contrast the similarities and differences among the ancient civilizations and their own.
How can teachers differentiate this activity?
- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
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Use Think-Pair-Share strategy during whole group discussion.
Ancient China
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
Aztec Empire
Ancient Rome
Feudal Japan
Suggested Story Starters:
