Ancient+History+(Pre-history+to+1+A.D.)

=Ancient History to 1 AD for Middle and Older Students=

This was a year that I was laying foundations for understanding history. As such we focused on using a lot of tools that historians use and practicing a few of the skills that historians use. We had twelve kids, all of whom had been in the co-op before (4 of which had been in the co-op since the beginning 4 years earlier)

Because this was world history, I split the material into five different regions (Mesopotamia, Africa/Egypt, Far East [India/China], Europe [Europe, Greece, Rome], and Americas/Oceania. We covered all five regions in three rounds. The first round covered 3000 BC-1500 BC, the second was 1500 BC-500 BC and the third was 500 BC-1 AD. There were several reasons for doing this. I wanted to emphasize that during this period of history, similar things were happening around the world at about the same time but that they were isolated from each other for the most part. I wanted to emphasize the changes that occurred over time, whereas before we had focused on unique characteristics in a culture (jumbling all the time periods together really). I wanted to keep the kids from being bored with any region and by keeping the pace fast and furious I hoped to do that. Different families took on the five different areas to be “experts” and to provide extra stuff for people to learn about (this didn’t work out all that well, but it was worth a try).

Additionally, we started the year with a general overview of the “Stone Age” and the “Bronze Age” to give a sense of how man went from being hunters and gatherers to being farmers and herders.

The big ideas I wanted to target for the year:
 * What makes for a healthy culture (assuming a healthy culture is one that provides for a satisfying life for its members)
 * What is the role of geography in the development of cultures?
 * How do strong and/or weak leaders affect the development of a culture?
 * What are the legacies the ancient cultures have left to us?
 * History is written based on the judgments of the people who are writing it—it is not objective.
 * Borrowing traits between cultures is a way that cultures keep from becoming stagnant.

Research and some student activity sites can be found on [] (sort by tags ‘ancient’ and then the name of the culture).

Our sessions were once a week for about 2 hours. Sometimes the kids had a little work to do outside of class, but generally we covered everything in those 2 hours. Because there was so much information that they needed, I provided a lot of pre-written information that they could refer to before or after our sessions. These included:
 * Informational booklets (small booklets with information about each culture being studied—I had to do the research anyway) I’ve attached the text of these booklets in case you want to make your own (It is easy to find pictures, and many with Creative Commons licenses are probably now available, so you can make your own booklets as you wish). However, I've also attached the PDFs of these booklets. The pictures downloaded from the Internet may be copyrighted (these were done several years ago and I'd have a tough time tracking down copyright at this point), so please do not spread them beyond their use with a small group of kids. If you know a particular picture that is copyright, please contact me and I'll remove it. Also note that I often created these late at night and I've noticed a few typographical errors--feel free to edit!
 * Timelines (a comparative timeline for the five regions) These were printed out on different colors for the five different regions (Far East, Europe, Africa, Near East, and Americas/Oceania), then cut into strips and glued on fan-fold paper throughout the year, as we came to the appropriate time period. At the end of the year, the kids had a comparative timeline to look at. [|timelinefirstall.pdf] (note that there are no strips for Americas/Oceania til the last section)
 * Maps (a blackline map of each region which was added onto throughout the year, noting where different cultures were found)

Before the fall sessions began, we had a summer “camp” which focused on learning about archaeology. We actually did a “dig” and learned the methods involved, plus some good information about interpreting finds. This laid a lot of the groundwork for the idea that history is interpretation.

Here are the sessions, generally (I may not remember exactly but this is fairly close):

Session 1-Prehistory: Booklet text for Stone Age H&G [|Stone Age H&G.doc] [|stoneagehunters.pdf] Tell the kids know what the “big ideas” would be for the year. (handprintpaintings.pdf [|handprintpaintings.pdf]) After showing photos of various types of cave paintings of hands from all over the world, let the kids speculate on how they think the paintings were done. Give out paint and straws, sticks and cloth to recreate the hand paintings using the method they guess was the way used. Ask the kids to brainstorm for 10 words that would describe hunters and gatherers (asking them to remember back to some of the native Americans we’ve studied in previous years and the booklet on Stone Age Hunters & Gatherers they had read before class). Then have them make up an oral progressive story about the “typical” day in the life of a hunter/gatherer child (feel free to let this be funny and exaggerated).



Session 2-Prehistory: Booklet text for Stone Age F&H [|stone age F&H.doc] [|stoneagefarmers.pdf] Brainstorm 10 words for farmers and herders, as done with hunters and gatherers the week before (again they have their booklets to read beforehand). Use a Venn diagram to compare the two lists (if some of the kids have never used a Venn diagram take your time with this). Provide a quick overview of the various “ages” and the general characteristics of these (“stone,” “bronze,” “iron”).

Session 3-Prehistory: Booklet text for Early Villages, Towns and Cities [|early villages towns cities.doc] [|earlyciv.pdf] Split into three groups and give each group a set amount of Legos. The group is to make a protective fence for their “farm.” After they have shown off their handiwork, have all the groups come together and create a fence for a “town.” This demonstrates that by pooling their resources they end up with a bigger and better defense than when they were separate. This activity led into the development of villages and towns. Using printed photos of Jericho and Catal Huyuk, explain that these are the sites of the very first cities to be found so far (Catal Huyuk had been part of our archaeology camp in the summer so the kids were already familiar with it). Discuss the archaeological finds and what the speculations are as to what they mean. Brainstorm the possibilities and problems that would arise as groups came together to form villages and towns. It was easier to see potential problems (crowding, food supply, disagreements, sanitation, etc.) than the possibilities, so prompt them as needed (defense, specialization, trading, socialization, etc.).

Session 4-3500-1500 BC-Near East: Booklet text for Sumerians [|sumerians.doc] [|sumer.pdf] Give out timelines for Near East for this time period and have kids glue them on their fan-fold paper. Tell the story of Sumer, and go over the blackline map of the area. Hand out the Healthy Cultures trait worksheet ([|HEALTHY TRAITS worksheet.doc]) for the kids to fill out later. Explain about how historians have tried to understand the cuneiform language of the Sumerian civilizations but have not been able to do so. Use the code worksheet ([|codeworksheet.doc]) to explain how we usually figure out languages. Use the cuneiform creator at [] to create a cuneiform pattern for each student, then let them inscribe their name in bakeable clay formed into a flat tablet. While these are baking, tell the epic story of Gilgamesh (good summary at: [|http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/GILG.HTM])

Session 5-3500-1500 BC-Near East: Booklet text for Old Babylonian Empire [|Old Babylonian Empire book.doc] [|oldbabylon.pdf] Tell the story of the old (or first) Babylonian Empire and focus on the leadership of Hammurabi. Have the students act out the play at [] Read excerpts from the laws ( Hammurabi’s Laws [|Hammurabis laws.doc]) and compare them with current laws. Update maps.

Session 6-3500-1500 BC-Near East: Tell the story of Abraham and his journeys to Canaan and Egypt, in the style of a travelogue. Talk about some of the groups of people he would have met (other tribes like the Hittites and the Assyrians living in the area). Trace this on a map if you have one. Let the kids work in groups of two on the interactive Web site //Mesopotamia// by the British Museum ([|http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/menu.html)] and try all the activities.

Session 7-3500-1500 BC-Africa Booklet text for African Cultures [|Ancient Africa book.doc] [|africanrockart.pdf] Booklet text for Nubia & Egypt (Old and Middle Kingdom) [|Old Kingdom Egypt book.doc] [|egyptoldkingdom.pdf] Gave out Africa timelines for this time period and blackline map for Africa. Review the various cultures of Africa and examine the art that has been found throughout the continent from this time. Watch parts of episodes of “Pyramid” (PBS) and “Expedition Egypt I” (History Channel) (I had taped these). These video clips give an introduction to the kids about daily life in Egypt and place the history of Egypt in a timeline. We then played the Egyptian Barter Game ([|barter game.doc]).

Session 8-3500-1500 BC-Africa Have the kids work in groups of two at the British Museum’s web site on //Ancient Egypt//: [] Then have groups of three compete to see who can wrap up a mummy the fastest and most secure, using toilet paper. One person in the group volunteers to be the “mummy” and then tries to break out of the wraps at the end. Have the kids also made mummy masks from cardboard for either themselves or for a pet (Give them several pictures to go by: [|masks.pdf]) and decorate these with jewels.



Session 9-3500-1500 BC-Africa Guide the kids through the creation of sobriquets for themselves ala the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and then have them write them in hieroglyphs (there are several interactive sites to help with this). They then inscribe their names on a pyramid made out of flat pieces of cardboard, using mathematics skills to draw the plan (using directions from [|http://www.dia.org/education/egypt-teachers/langarts/moore/activity.htm).] Decorated the pyramids before closing them up with stickers and/or other hieroglyphs. Then, create scarabs working from pictures downloaded from the Internet: [|scarabs.pdf] and bakeable clay (in a science co-op they were also creating chicken mummies and would use these for their mummies).

Session 10-3500-1500 BC-Europe: Booklet text for Megalith Mysteries [|megaliths.doc] [|megaliths.pdf] Begin the study of ancient Europe. Using the megaliths that can be found around the world to demonstrate that no one knows how these were really used, or why it was so important to have them, discuss the speculative nature of history especially before written records. Sudents examine several pictures of “standing stones” that are found all over the world, and learn a little about the different types (dolmens, menhirs, aligned patterns). Have the students study the development of Stonehenge ([|Stonehenge.doc]) and how it developed over time. Talk about the different theories that people had put forth about Stonehenge. For homework, they are to decide which theory they think was most likely to be correct and/or come up with their own theory.

Session 11-3500-1500 BC-Europe: Booklet text for Minoan [|minoan.doc] [|minoans.pdf] Go over their theories on Stonehenge and emphasize that their ideas were just as valid as anyone else's! Give out the timelines for Europe for this time period and blackline map. Tell the story of the Minoan civilization. Have the kids fill in Healthy Culture traits worksheet, then update maps.

Session 12: 3500-1500 BC-Far East: Booklet text for Indus Valley [|indus valley.doc] [|indusvalley.pdf] Put the students in groups of three and hand out different pre-made artifact cards to each group (these are large index cards with pictures of artifacts from the various digs on the Indus Valley civilization on one side and a description of what the artifact is on the other—it is very easy to find this on the Internet). Ask them to try to figure out the artifacts are without looking at the descriptions (it is good to throw in at least one artifact which is completely unknown even by the archaeologists). After they have worked together on their guesses and then taken a look to see if they are correct, ask them to speculate on what the artifacts might tell us about the people (knowing how an artifact might be used is quite different from what it meant to the people using it). This they share with the whole group. Then tell the story as it is known and speculated about by archaeologists. Update maps.

Session 13: 3500-1500 BC-Far East: Booklet text for Pre-dynastic China [|pre-dynastic china.doc] [|chinaprehist.pdf] Use the opportunity to talk about how new archaeological discoveries are changing what we know about China’s history (China is a great example of how archaeological discoveries make a big difference in what we know, because only recently has China begun archaeological digs and provided information to the rest of the world). Show how oral traditions like legends can actually reflect a real history sometimes (for instance, the "dragon king" was thought to be just a legend at one time). Tell the stories. Update maps.

Session 14: Ancient History games: Play some games that the ancients had--Go, Mehen, Senet, Knucklebones (look under the sites listed on [] and sort by the tag 'games' to get directions, gameboards to print, etc.)

Session 15: 1500-500 BC-Near East: Booklet text for Mesopotamia-the Original Melting Pot [|Mesopotamia meltingpot.doc] [|meltingpot.pdf] Tell the stories of the many different cultures during this time by tracing them on the map while talking. It gives the kids a very good idea of how cultures started, grew, contracted, maybe grew again, contracted and eventually died out to be taken over by someone else. Tell about the mysterious "sea people" who seemed to come from nowhere and take over at one point but about whom archaeologists still don't really know much. Introduce the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Explain that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Wonders even though no one really knows what they looked like (show them several artist's interpretations--some are included in the booklet). Explain that they have already seen another one of the Seven Wonders--the Giza pyramid. For an end of the year project,each student will choose their own list of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World so they should be looking at the cultures we are studying for ideas (they will also need to justify why they chose what they did).

Session 16: 1500-500 BC-Africa and Egypt: Booklet text for Nubia & Egypt, New Kingdom [|The New Kingdom.doc] [|egyptnewking.pdf] Tell the story of Egypt's New Kingdom and the changes that happened within Egypt during this time. Focus on the various pharoahs and how each impacted the culture. Give each of the kids a part of the 12 Hours of the Night story (see [] for good descriptions). Over the next week they are to create a dance movement that would reflect that piece of the journey.

Session 17: 1500-500 BC-Africa and Egypt: Each student taught the others their dance movement and then the students put them all together for adults to watch. (I didn't think they'd enjoy this much but they actually did--well, somewhat--the boys weren't thrilled but they tolerated it). Fill out our Healthy Cultures worksheet for this time during Egypt's history. Because so much video is available on this culture we were able to watch a couple more clips from Instructional TV series and History channel shows.

Session 18: 1500-500 BC-Europe: Booklet text for Early Celts [|Early Celts.doc] [|earlycelts.pdf] Again, use artifact cards, with pictures of artifacts on one side of large index cards and descriptions on the back (many photos of Celtic history in Europe are available online--see especially the British Museum). This time, sit in a circle and have each student pick a card out of a stack in the center (going around in the circle until all cards have been chosen). Ask them to speculate about what the object was used for. Have fun with this--let imaginations loose! After they have tried to figure it out, let them read the back with the description. Afterwards, the students each had a large baked cookie in the shape of Europe. Using different colored icings, the students trace the movements of the different proto-Celtic tribes, so that they end up with blended colors showing how the different groups had blended also.

Session 19: 1500-500 BC-Europe: Booklet text for Mycenaeans, Dark Ages, and Archaic Period [|earlygreece.doc] [|earlygreece.pdf] Tell the story of the Mycenaeans and their takeover of all of Greece. This time period is called the Homeric Age because the tales of Homer are based on this time period (or so historians believe). Read a summary of the story of //The// //Odyssey// ([|odyssey.pdf]). Compare the traits that are recognized as heroic today to the traits the Mycenaeans and later Greeks felt were heroic. Finished off by learning how to dance the Miserlu (a folk dance--probably not from ancient Greece but lots of fun anyway!). []

Session 20: 1500-500 BC-Europe: Start off with Aesop's Fables. Tell two different versions of the Lion and the Mouse (you can find several online), and use a Venn diagram to compare them. Watch a couple of video clips of ITV shows about ancient Greece (again, these are fairly plentiful). Have the students work in small groups to explore Web sites about Sparta and Athens, [] and [] Discuss with the students as a whole group about which one they would rather live in, and about the nature of city-states.

Session 21: 1500-500 BC-Far East Booklet text for Shang and Zhou Dynasties [|Shang and Zhou Dynasties.doc] [|shangzhou.pdf] Booklet text for Early Chinese Philosophies [|chinese philosophy.doc]; [|chinese philosophy.pdf] Tell the story about the Shang and Zhou Dynasties of China; make comparisons with the Egyptian civilization studied earlier. Explain the idea of feudalism, since China was already a feudal civilization (explain they will be finding out more about feudalism in the future). Discuss the philosophies that began in China, showing how there were alike and different (explain what the term "philosophy" means).

Session 22: 1500-500 BC-Far East Booklet text for Aryan India [|aryan india.doc] [|aryanindia.pdf] Begin by telling the story of the Aryan invasion of India and how that changed the whole culture (and how the geography of the area changed them, in turn). Touch very briefly on the development of the caste system and Hinduism. Provide a list of a few words that were important to Aryan culture and have the kids create an oral progressive story where their part has to somehow use their assigned word. Read the story of the Ramayana ([] or [|http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=48&era=&grade=&geo=).] Discuss moral choices that people make and how these are part of their own culture (following a lesson plan at [|http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/programs/sac/Outreach/ramayana/dillemas.asp)]

Session 23: 1500-500 BC-Americas and Oceania Booklet text for Australian Aborigines [|aborigines.doc] [|aborigines.pdf] Since this is the first exposure to these parts of the world, start with telling about the Aborigines. Explain how no one really knows how long they've been in Australia and provide the various theories on how they got there. Read a couple of the legends of the Aborigines to explain their own creation ([|http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/).]

Session 24: 1500-500 BC-Americas and Oceania Booklet text for Americas and Oceania [|The Americas and Oceana.doc] [|earlyamoceania.pdf] Tell about the Lapita culture and how the Lapita people had been able to navigate the wide oceans long before any other peoples. Once again, however, point out that there is no written history to confirm the theories. Note, also, that there are very few artifacts since the Oceania areas are tropical and things tend to not last in that climate. Then tell about the early Americas, providing information about the Olmec civilization in South America and the Adena and Inuit cultures in North America.

Session 25: Comparative Religions To give an overview of the religions that were started before 1 A.D., set up stations with information. Have them move from station to station gathering information for their own information sheets ([|religionfactsheets.pdf]-this document also has Christianity and Islam, which we did not do until the next year). Provide little stickers with religious symbols that will help them quickly find the information for each of the religions: [|labelsforreligions.pdf]. Because it is a lot of information, have groups of 6 work together, with one person assigned to get information about their assigned topic, and exchange it with all the others in their group. The six stations include: Holy Places [|Holy Places.doc], Major Beliefs [|Major Beliefs.doc], Religious Origins [|Religious Origins.doc], Festivals and Ceremonies [|Festivals.doc], Scriptures and Writings [|scriptures.doc], and Symbols/Golden Rule [|Symbols.doc] [|Golden Rule.doc].

Session 26: 500 BC-1 AD-Near East Booklet text for The Persian Empire and Judah [|persia and judah.doc] [|persianempire.pdf] Since Persia was a very successful empire, focus on the definition of an "empire" and then tell about the Persian Empire specifically. Elaborate on Zoroastrianism. Compare how the Hebrew faith fared under Persian rule, Greek rule, and Roman rule. Dscuss how the different empires took over other empires and cultures, and absorbed them or subjugated them (this is an ongoing theme). Introduce Alexander the Great and his career. Tell about another of the Seven Wonders, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus ([|mauseleum.pdf]).

Session 27: 500 BC-1 AD-Near East Start the first of "Spring Celebrations" from the different areas of the world. For the Near East, discuss the Passover Seder and then re-create one for the kids, providing the typical food of a Seder meal. Find helpful information from []

Session 28: 500 BC-1 AD-Africa and Egypt Booklet text for Ptolemaic Egypt, Carthage and Africa [|africa3.doc] [|africa3.pdf] Tell how Africa was changing during this time, with migrations and changes in ways of government throughout the continent. Provide information about Carthage, its culture and its biggest hero-Hannibal. Lastly, tell the stories of Alexander's conquest of Egypt (which had already been conquered by the Persians at that point), the building of Ptolemaic Egypt, the legend of Cleopatra, Caesar and Marc Anthony. Talk about the famous Library of Alexandria and one more of the Seven Wonders, the Pharos Lighthouse (artists' drawings in the booklet).

Session 29: 500 BC-1 AD-Africa and Egypt For the Spring Celebration of Africa, focus on the Persian New Year (Noruz), since the Persians had been in control over Egypt at the beginning of this time period. Eat the special foods of this festival and jump over a pretend fire. Dyed eggs different bright colors. Information about Noruz came from [] among other sites.

Session 30: 500 BC-1 AD-Europe Booklet text for Classical Greece [|The Classic Age.doc] [|classicalgreece.pdf] Booklet text for Legacies of Greece [|Legacies of Greece.doc] [|legacies.pdf] Ask students to bring a "did you know?," which is a fact that they have read or seen and wish to share with others, about a legacy from ancient Greece (they all had been exposed to this part of ancient history before, so it gave them a chance to share their favorite fact). Discuss the legacies, both positive and negative. Fill out the Healthy Traits form. Show artists' drawings of three more of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Colossus of Rhodes ([|rhodes.pdf]). Update maps.

Session 31: 500 BC-1 AD-Europe Booklet text for Roman Republic [|romanrep.doc] [|romerepublic.pdf] Tell the story of the Roman Republic, how it appropriated a lot of ideas from the Greeks and yet became a new sort of culture as well. End the story as the Roman Republic becomes the Roman Empire. Udpate maps. Remind the kids that they will need to present their choices for the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in a few weeks (using a PowerPoint slide show, or some other graphic presentation). Provide a link to a Web site that will let them see some of the other potential wonders that we may not have covered: [] and also give them these sites to review the first list of the Seven Wonders: [] and []

Session 32: 500 BC-1 AD-Europe For the Europe Spring Celebration, create a mini-Olympics feast. Eat foods from the Mediterranean and conduct a few athletic contests. Have the students put on a ancient Greek play (we found one adapted for middle schoolers called 'Alcestis'). The students made their own masks for this play (just straightforward paper plates on a stick type masks), and use old sheets and/or large pieces of cheap material for togas.



Session 33: 500 BC-1 AD-Far East Booklet text for Mauryan India [|mauryanindia.doc] [|mauryanindia.pdf] Booklet text for Qin and Han Dynasties [|qinhan.doc] [|qinhan.pdf] In this session, tell the stories of both Mauryan India and China's Qin and Han Dynasties. Discuss the rule of Asoka in India, how he was a strong leader but also a good one (seems to be pretty rare!). Also, tell about how the peasant-led revolts in China started a long line of such bloody uprisings in that country (to this day, the kids know that when we talk about China's history, there's going to be a peasant revolt in there somewhere!).

Session 33: 500 BC-1 AD-Far East The Spring Celebration for the Far East is a Dragon Boat Festival. Eat foods from various far eastern countries. Have the kids make and race their own dragon boats (in a pool). Also make herbal pouches to ward off "evil spirits," write Chinese characters with quill and ink, and try to balance an egg on end at noon for good luck.

Session 34: 500 BC-1 AD-Americas and Oceania Booklet text for the Nazca [|Nazca Lines.doc] [|nazca.pdf] Tell of the Nazca of South America and the mysterious lines they created. This brings the class full circle back to the beginning and the mysterious origins of Stonehenge. Discuss the various island cultures, and the animistic religions often found there. Explain about "iconography" and why people believed that the image could incorporate the spirit of the gods. Many of the cultures have images of people turning into animals (you can find examples on the Internet to share). The kids use clay and create a statue of themselves turning into an animal that they admire.

Session 35: Final Project The kids present their own choices for the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They have to show pictures of their choices and tell us what criteria they used to choose. This is a great exercise to sum up the study of the year, as the students need to review all of the cultures.

Session 36: 500 BC-1 AD-Americas and Oceania For the Spring Celebration for the Americas/Oceania create a Polynesian Luau. Eat typical Luau food, and learn to dance the hula (I have a kids instructional tape for the hula, which is easy to follow).



A review game: [|review game ancient1.pdf] This is a card game, played with peanuts! Print out the cards front and back (page 1 is one page, page 2 is its back; page 3 is another page with page 4 being its back, etc.) Each card has a number on it--numbers on the questions correspond with numbers on answers, so if there is a dispute it can be quickly decided. Cut the cards out. Set a pile of peanuts in the middle of the group and let each person take five peanuts. Deal the cards. Everyone should put their cards answer side up (the blue ink).

Pick one person to start--they pick one of their cards, turn it over and ask the question (which is in black ink). They shouldn't let anyone see the question side (because of the number on it) but should then put their card back down answer side up (because it will be an answer to someone else's question later on). If someone thinks one of the cards they have is the answer to the question they raise their hand and give their answer.

If it is correct (and the numbers can determine this in case NO ONE remembers the answer), then they get to take a peanut from the pile and they ask the question on the back of their answer card for the next person to answer (after the first question is asked you can have the kids put their cards in a pile next to the peanuts as they are asked and answered--it keeps things a little less confused).

If the answer is incorrect, they have to put one peanut in their pile back into the middle. Another person can try to answer. If no one volunteers with the correct answer, the asker then calls out the number of the question. The person with that number on one of their answer cards must then forfeit two peanuts. However, they do then ask the next question, on the back of their answer card. Of course, in the end, the kid with the most peanuts wins--but all the kids get to eat their peanuts!