Fifth graders explore early American civilizations in a four-week ELA unit. Every lesson offers an opportunity to read and discuss a selected passage followed by word work that covers vocabulary, grammar, and morphology. Learners write...

A read-aloud anthology presents texts about the ancient Roman civilization. Lessons introduce readings, followed by a discussion and extension activities—word work, comprehension practice, and more. Writing focuses on opinion pieces, and...

Ninth graders use captions to determine an artifact's function and to list the features of a civilization. They classify artifacts according to the 8 Features of Civilization and for each Feature of Civilization they locate one artifact...

Students identify common misconceptions people have about cultures different than their own. After reading an article, they discover how the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was founded. They research the misconceptions of the...

Students discover details about the rise of civilizations. In this Roman history activity, students watch "Civilizations: Rise to Power," and read primary sources from different periods of the empire's history. Students write essays that...

Here is a fantastic set of graphic organizers to accompany your study of civilizations such as ancient Egypt, Sumer, Assyria, and Persia. 

What role has food played in the rise and changing nature of civilizations? Here you'll find a fantastic set of lessons and materials on such topics as where food is grown in the United States, the food of ancient peoples,...

Sixth graders complete a long-term unit on ancient and early civilizations. They conduct Internet research, define key vocabulary terms, analyze maps, and create a PowerPoint presentation about a selected early civilization.

Students explore the parallel development and increasing complexity of writing and the growth of civilization in the Tigris and Euphrates valleys in ancient Mesopotamia.

Students develop a timeline of events associated with Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus River, and the Huang He. They prepare a clay, wood, or paper model of a representative artifact from one civilization. They write a description of their...

Learners discover how geographical advantages, locational and regional, ultimately led to western Eurasian societies' disproportionate accounting of world power and innovation. They utilize a workbook which can be downloaded within this...

Students explore early attempts at written language. In this early civilizations lesson, students investigate first attempts at written communication. Among the civilizations covered are Mayan, Greek, and Egyptian.

Students investigate the growth of the Ancient River Civilizations. In this world history instructional activity, students compare and contrast ancient and modern maps of the area of river civilizations.

Students compare and contrast the monuments of four ancient cultures and draw conclusions about the origins, construction, and purposes of these structures.

First graders become familiar with Mayan culture, Aztec civilization and the Inca Empire.

Students, in groups, identify items they would want to take with them to a deserted island. They present their ideas to the class and explain how they relate to the eight features of civilization. They consider this exercise in an essay.

Students define civilization as it was in ancient times.  In this world history lesson, students work in small groups to write a recipe that has all the combined ingredients of early civilized societies and share their results with...

Take young scholars on a trip through history with this unit on the mathematics and architecture of the Mayan civilization. Starting with a introduction to their base twenty number system and the symbols they used, this eight-lesson unit...

From medical treatments to cooking, people have been using herbs and spices for thousands of years. Perform a blind smell test of household herbs and spices to engage students in learning about ancient spice trading. Research the history...

Sixth graders investigate ancient civilizations by creating a research project.  In this world history lesson, 6th graders investigate historic civilizations developed close to important rivers of the near East.  Students...

Students investigate the role of government. In this government lesson, students watch "Civilizations: Abuse of Power," and discuss the responsibilities of government. Students then role play situations in history when the government has...

Students determine how the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire acquired so much land. In this ancient civilizations lesson plan, students watch "Civilizations: Expansion and Conquest." Students then discuss when and how the expansions...

Young scholars, working in groups, research different aspects of the Mayan society of the classical period. They study the rise and fall of the civilization and present the information in multimedia presentations.

In order to better understand Muslim civilization, culture, and politics one must first familiarize themselves on the 5 Pillars of Islam, ideas which dominate much of Muslim societal and cultural norms. Provide your learners with a...