1. Ancient Cultures Lessons for Ancient Rome, Greece and Mali
History
3.3 The student will explain how the contributions of ancient Greece and Rome have influenced the present world in terms of architecture, government (direct and representative democracy), and sports.
3.4 The student will describe the oral tradition (storytelling), government (kings), and economic development (trade) of the early West African empire of Mali.
Geography
3.5 The student will develop map skills and an understanding of change over time by locating major ancient world cultures on world maps
a) at the beginning of their culture;
b) during their period of greatest influence; and
c) today.
3.7 The student will describe how people in ancient world cultures adapted to their environment.
Economics
3.8 The student will demonstrate an understanding of different cultures and the natural, human, and capital resources they used in the production of goods and services.
Have a copy of the Ancient Cultures Note Taking Page for each student to use and complete during the study of each culture. Students should keep each note taking page in their Travel Time Capsule.

4. Are you ready to travel back in time?

5. Where are we going?

6. Are you ready to time travel back to Ancient Greece?

7. Welcome to
Ancient Greece!

8. What do you know about the geography of Ancient Greece?
On which continent would you find Greece?
What main waterway is important to the citizens of Greece?

9. Map of Ancient Greece at the beginning of their culture.
The ancient Greece civilization lasted from about 800 BC, when the Greeks began to set up city states, to 146 BC when the Romans invaded Greece.
Map of Ancient Greece at the beginning of their culture.

10. Map of Ancient Greece during the period of its greatest influence
Ancient Greece spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean Region.

11. Map of Modern Day Greece
After looking at the 3 maps of Greece, how would you describe how the land area of this ancient world culture has changed over time?

12. What do you notice on the map?
                                                                                                  
Greece is located on a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea.
What do you notice on the map?
What do you see?

13. Geography of Greece Located on peninsula with many islands
Surrounded by many hills and mountains
Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea
Limited rich soil

18. This mountain was believed to be home to many of the Greek gods.
Mount Olympus
This mountain was believed to be home to many of the Greek gods.

19. Due to the mountains and hills, many Greeks farmed on terraced land
Due to the mountains and hills, many Greeks farmed on terraced land. They also built houses on this land.

20. Farm Land

21. Now that you have seen the land of Greece….
Turn and talk:
What might they be good at or specialize in? Why?

22. What did the Ancient Greeks specialize in?
Human activities developed in response to the physical environments. When the environment did not meet their needs, the Ancient Greeks had to adapt to meet their needs.
What did the Ancient Greeks specialize in?
Farming on the hillsides
Trading across the Mediterranean Sea
Building ships to fish and trade on the
Mediterranean Sea
Making pottery
Turn and talk:
Explain why they had to farm on hillsides.
Why was their location on the Mediterranean Sea so important?

23. Adaptations to their Environment
How did use their environment to survive?
Limited farming due to poor soil
Traded across the Mediterranean Sea
Built ships to fish and trade on the Mediterranean Sea

24. Summary Discuss as a class!
How did the geography and environment of Greece impact the way that the citizens survived and lived?

25. Greece was the birthplace of democracy (government by the people).
Ancient Greece had a direct democracy in which people vote to make their own rules and laws.
The government of the United States is based on the ideas developed in ancient Greece.

26. Architecture
The architects of Greece used columns in the construction of their buildings.
The Parthenon is an example of Greek architecture that used columns. It was built to honor the goddess Athena.

27. The Arts
The artists of Greece displayed mosaics, sculpture, and paintings on buildings .
The Greeks used pottery to decorate their buildings and homes and to tell stories about their culture.

28. Sports
The Olympic Games of today are modeled after the games of ancient Greece.

29. Design the urn to show what you learned about Ancient Greece?

30. It is time to travel back in time to our next destination!
Hold On Tight!

33. Where are we going?
Italy

34. Are you ready to travel back in time to Ancient Rome?

35. Welcome to Ancient Rome!

36. What do you know about the geography of Ancient Rome?
On which continent would you find Rome?
In which country would you find the city of Rome?

37. at the beginning of their culture.
Map of Ancient Rome
at the beginning of their culture.

38. Map of Ancient Rome during the period of its greatest influence
Ancient Rome spread throughout the Mediterranean Region and most of western Europe.

39. Map of Modern Day Rome
Rome is a city located in present day Italy
After looking at the 3 maps of Rome, how would you describe how the land area of this ancient world culture has changed over time?

44. Geography of Rome Ancient Rome was….
Surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea
Roman Empire covered parts of Europe, Asia and Africa
Located on the Italian peninsula
Rocky and mountainous
Located next to a river
Limited rich soil

45. Think about it…. Turn and talk
How is the geography of Rome similar and different to Greece?

46. What did the Ancient Romans specialize in?
Human activities developed in response to the physical environments. When the environment did not meet their needs, the Ancient Romans had to adapt to meet their needs.
What did the Ancient Romans specialize in?
Farming on the hillsides- a variety of trees grew in Ancient Rome
Building ships to use for trading
Trading across the Mediterranean Sea
Building ships to fish and trade on the
Mediterranean Sea
Making pottery
Turn and talk:
What goods did the Romans produce?
What natural resources did they have?
How are the Romans similar to the Greeks?

47. Adaptations to the Environment
How did the Romans use their environment to survive?
Limited farming due to mountains
Built roads to connect to land in western Europe and Africa
Traded across the Mediterranean Sea

48. Road Building
The Romans created a network of paved highways. This joined the empire together and allowed soldiers to move swiftly from one area to another.

49. Why were roads important in the Roman Empire?
Look at the map.
Why were roads important in the Roman Empire?

50. Summary Discuss as a class!
How did the geography and environment of Rome impact the way that the citizens survived and lived?
How are the human activities of Rome and Greece similar and different?

51. Government
Ancient Rome had a representative democracy in which people vote for (elect) a smaller group of citizens to make the rules and laws for everyone.
The government of the United States is based on the ideas developed in ancient Rome. The United States has a Republican (representative) form of government. This is also known as a representative democracy.

52. Architecture
The architects of Rome used arches in the construction of their buildings.
The Colosseum and aqueducts are examples of Roman architecture that used arches.

53. The Arts
The artists of Rome displayed mosaics, sculpture, and paintings on buildings .
Romans used mosaics to decorate the walls and floors of their homes and buildings.

54. Decorate the shield to show what you learned about Ancient Rome?

55. It’s time to hop into our time machine again!

58. Where are we going?
Mali is here!
Equator
What continent will we be visiting? What ocean is west? What do you know about this area of the world?

59. Mali

60. Are you ready to travel back in time to the ancient civilization of Mali?

61. Welcome to Mali!
Africa was home to several great empires. One of the most prosperous was the early West African empire of Mali!

62. The kings of Mali were rich and powerful men who controlled trade in West Africa.
Mali became one of the largest and wealthiest empires in the region and was an important trade center.

63. What do you visualize when you think of the desert?
Can you find Mali?
What do you visualize when you think of the desert?

64. Map of the Western African empire of Mali at the beginning of their culture.
The Western African empire of Mali was located by a river in a grassland region in west Africa.

65. Map of the West African empire of Mali during the period of its greatest influence
The West African empire of Mali spread westward to the Atlantic coast and north into the Sahara Desert.

66. Map of Modern Day Mali Mali is a country located in West Africa
After looking at the 3 maps of the West African empire of Mali, how would you describe how the land area of this ancient world culture has changed over time?

67. Geography of Mali Ancient Mali was….
Located in the western region on the continent of Africa
Located next to a river
Rich with salt from the Sahara Desert
Rich with gold from the mines of West Africa
Timbuktu was an important city in Mali.

68. About half of the country of Mali is located in the Sahara Desert.

69. How would this environment affect the way people lived?

70. Sahara Desert

72. Another important physical feature of Mali is the Niger River (Ny geer).
The Niger River runs through the Empire of Mali, and brings water for drinking.
The Niger River also gave farmers plenty of good soil called, SILT, in which to grow their crops.

73. Niger River

76. Mali Grasslands

78. Geography of Mali
Empire of Mali was located in West Africa near a rivers and in a grassland region.
Northern Mali was in the Sahara Desert.
Salt and gold were important natural resources.
Salt was mined in the Sahara Desert.

79. What did the Malians specialize in?
Human activities developed in response to the physical environments. When the environment did not meet their needs, the people of the West African empire of Mali had to adapt to meet their needs.
What did the Malians specialize in?
Mining gold
Trading gold and salt from the Sahara Desert
Farming and raising animals on the grasslands
Turn and talk:
What goods did the Malians produce?
What natural resources did they have?
Why was salt so important?

80. Trade Routes
Mali lay across the trade routes between the sources of salt in the Sahara Desert and the gold region/mines of West Africa.
The doted lines are trade routes from Mali to other parts of Africa.

81. Gold was an important natural resource for the Malians
Gold was an important natural resource for the Malians. Miners found gold in Western Africa. Salt was traded for gold.

82. The Sahara Desert
Salt was a valuable natural resource that was mined in the deserts of the Sahara. It was used for their health and for preserving food.

84. Miners mining salt

85. Turn and Talk
What two things did the Mali Empire specialize in and trade?
Because they had to cross the hot, Sahara Desert, how do you think the people of this ancient time traveled?

86. The slabs were loaded onto camels and sent to trading centers.

87. Adaptations to the Environment
How did the Malians use their environment to survive?
Mined gold
Traded gold for salt for the Sahara Desert
Farmed and raised animals on the grasslands

88. Did you know?
Many storytellers in Mali passed on stories and traditions from one generation to the next.
The city of Timbuktu had a large library containing Greek and Roman books.
Salt was considered to be more valuable than gold.
Camels were used to transport the salt across the Sahara Desert.

89. Summary Discuss as a class!
How did the geography and environment of Mali impact the way the people survived and lived?
What human activities did the citizens of Mali share with the Greeks and Romans?

90. Complete the mudcloth to show what you learned about Ancient Mali?

91. Leveled Postcard Alternative Assessment
The following slides include the three levels for the postcard assessment.
1= low
2= average
3= high
This activity can be used for each ancient culture.
The writing portion here is used as an assessment grade. You are welcome to combine the two as one assessment grade, or separate for two grades.

92. Print on cardstock. 1 Checklist for Postcard
Directions: Cut out the postcard. On
back draw a picture of what you think
Rome looked liked. Use the checklist
below to help you complete the picture.
Has the name of the
location
Has a picture of 1 geographical
feature.
Has 1 sentence about
the 1 geographical feature.
Picture is neat and clear to see
Picture uses at least 5 different
colors

93. Print on cardstock. 2 Checklist for Postcard
Directions: Cut out the postcard. On
back draw a picture of what you think
Rome looked liked. Use the checklist
below to help you complete the picture.
Has the name of the
location
Has a picture that includes 2
geographical features.
Has 2 sentences about the
2 geographical features.
Picture is neat and clear to see
Picture uses at least 5 different
colors

94. Print on cardstock. 3 Checklist for Postcard
Directions: Cut out the postcard. On
back draw a picture of what you think
Rome looked liked. Use the checklist
below to help you complete the picture.
Has the name of the location
Includes the name of the continent
Includes a name of a body of water
near the location.
Has a picture that includes 2
geographical features.
Has 2 sentences about the 2
Picture is neat and clear to see
Picture uses at least 5 different
colors

95. Rubric for Postcard Postcard 1 Postcard 2 Rubric for Postcard
Name: ________________
Has the name of the location.
Has a picture of 1 geographical
feature.
Has 1 sentence about the 1
geographical feature.
Picture is neat and clear to see.
Picture uses at least 5 different
colors.
1 point per box.
_____/ Grade:
Rubric for Postcard
Name: ________________
Has the name of the location
Picture shows 1 geographical feature.
Picture shows 2nd geographical features.
1st sentence about the geographical feature.
2nd sentence about the geographical feature.
Picture is neat and clear to see.
Picture uses at least 5 different colors.
1 point per box.
_____/ Grade:

96. Postcard 3 Rubric for Postcard Has the name of the location.
Includes the name of the continent.
Includes a name of a body of water near the location.
Picture shows 1 geographical feature.
Picture shows 2nd geographical feature.
1st sentence about geographical feature.
2nd sentence about geographical feature.
Picture is neat and clear to see.
Picture uses at least 5 different colors.
1 point per box.
_____/ Grade:

97. Postcard Writing Alternative Assessment
There are two assignments. They are leveled to best fit your students’ needs. Choose the appropriate activity for your students.
This activity can be used for each ancient culture.

98. Postcard Writing Assessment
Name: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________
Postcard Writing Assessment
After traveling for the last two days in social studies class, it is time to reflect on what you saw and learned about the culture studied.
Using the back of the postcard that you created in class, write a letter home to someone you live with describing the things you saw and learned. Complete the questions below to plan and guide your writing. Then neatly write your letter, and if needed, have a family member help you fill out the address. If you are writing the letter to someone in your house, then the address should be your home! Be sure to include proper capitalization and punctuation in the address.
Where did you go? _______________________________.
What continent did you visit? _________________________________
Tell two things about the land: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What jobs did the people of this land specialize in? (Name 2) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What was the most interesting thing you learned? __________________________________________________________________
Now use the answers to these questions to complete your writing. It should include:
4-6 sentences
Proper capitalization, punctuation and spelling
Proper friendly letter format

99. Post Card Writing Assessment
Name: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________
Post Card Writing Assessment
After traveling for the last two days in social studies class, it is time to reflect on what you saw and learned about the culture studied.
Using the back of the postcard that you created in class, write a letter home to someone you live with describing the things you saw and learned. Complete the letter below and then copy it onto the back of your postcard.
Dear ________________________,
Today I visited ___________________________. It is located on the continent of _______________________________________. The land here is ______________________________ and ________________________________. The people in this land specialize in _____________________________ and _________________________. One interesting I learned about this place was _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Love,
_________________
Address: Fill out the address on the lined part of the postcard. Use your address. The person you are writing is named first.
Here is a sample:
Dr. Shandor
302 Dare Road
Yorktown, Virginia 23692

100. Ancient Cultures Artifact Project
At the conclusion of the study of each ancient culture, each student will be decorating an artifact that represents the civilization studied. Students should decorate their artifact to demonstrate their understanding of the civilization in at least two of the following categories:
Geography of the Land
Human Activities
Government
Architecture
Arts and Sports
In 2 or more sentences, students will state which categories they chose and give a description of how their design applies to the culture.
Artifacts will be collected in the students’ time capsules to use during the Ancient Cultures Culminating Activity.
A checklist and rubric are provided on the next slide. This should be used for each artifact activity.
*Artifacts for each unit are included on a slide at the end of each culture.

101. Name _________________________
Ancient Culture Artifact Project
You will be decorating your artifact to demonstrate an understanding of the following categories for the ancient civilization of ___________________. Design and draw a picture that shows that you understand two of the categories listed below.
Geography of the Land
Human Activities
Government
Architecture
Arts and Sports
In 2 or more sentences, state which categories you chose and give a description of how your design applies to the culture.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ancient Culture Artifact Rubric
Total Number of Points ____________
Grade ________
Comments:

102. Ancient Cultures Culminating Activity
Students will chose their favorite artifact from their time capsule.
Artifacts will be numbered and displayed for all students to view.
Students will chose 5 artifacts (one from each culture) to evaluate. They must provide the name of the civilization from which the artifact originated. Students must also give a brief description of the artifact and tell how the decoration applies to that culture.
Students will record their information on the Artifact Documentation Sheet provided on the next slide.

103. Artifact Documentation Sheet

104. Ancient Artifact Museum Walk Alternative Assessment
See MiRRA for assessment plans, materials and rubric!