Humans cannot survive without water, and neither can civilizations. A brief history of ancient civilizations and their dependence on—and management of—water demonstrates how states either flourish or flail based on the availability of water, and how they react to the world around them.

Concepts

water, natural resources, irrigation, ancient civilizations, the aztecs, the mayans, the indus valley civilization, reservoirs, el nino

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Design a cross-curricular lesson between social studies and physical science when discussing the importance of water and water systems
• Encourage learners to recreate the water channels of Angkor or the reservoirs of Yucatan with clay or other materials

Classroom Considerations

• Closed captioning doesn't work for the Open Letter section, but it picks up where it left off after the section is over
• Best used with some prior knowledge of ancient civilizations, including the Khmer and the Mayans
• Part of a larger video unit on world history

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Animation demonstrates the geography and geology of the Yucatan peninsula
• Discusses modern water issues and technological solutions

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2 RH.9-10.2 RH.9-10.3 RH.9-10.4 RH.9-10.9 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.3 RH.11-12.4 RH.11-12.9