AWH RP1 Unit Plan

Essential Question: How do civilizations form and why are they important
to humans?
Essential Understandings:

Compare and contrast the characteristics of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages to determine their impact on the
modern world.
Analyze the impact geography had on the formation of Mesopotamia, Sumer and Egypt.
Describe the significance of the seven characteristics of civilizations in regards to Mesopotamia, Sumer and Egypt.
Compare and contrast the achievements and the impact of the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms on Egypt.
Synthesize how and why people began to settle down and form civilizations.
Evaluate the formation of the first civilizations to determine why they are important to humans.

When planning

Implement the 7th-9th grade History Diagnostic in the first few days of school (suggested date: Aug. 28 st) to assess
students skill level
o Gather data from the diagnostic to determine which foundational skills need to be solidified alongside the
content in MU#1
o Skills that should considered are:
Navigating a textbook, reading a map/timeline, pulling essential details from a historical text,
formatting/structuring notes
Mini Unit #1 has been extended to provide additional time to solidify classroom systems and routines as well as
building the necessary skillset for historical learning
Each Mini Unit has 2 recommended Performance Tasks with accompanying resources only ONE should be chosen
o Spend time in the first Mini Unit clarifying/reviewing/solidifying skills (e.g. notes processing, artifact analysis,
group work/talk) that will accompany Performance Tasks

Suggested Historical Writing Skills

Suggested Historical Thinking Skills

Provide students with informal writing tasks to assess

their ability to:
o Summarize and paraphrase the most essential
details of a historical text

Solidify the following Historical Thinking Skills:

Pulling essential details from texts How do we decide
which information is the most essential?
Note-taking - How do we BEST organize the information

Provide a main idea statement that highlights

their purpose of writing
o Support their main idea with specific, relevant
details from a historical text
Use the Historical Writing Next Steps guide in the
History Teacher Guidebook as a reference to help
plan for students next steps in their writing.

into a structured note-taking format?

Compare/contrast: Why is it important to know how to
compare/contrast within history?
Cause/effect: Why is it important to understand the
causes & effects of events?

RP1 at a Glance
MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

AUGUST

Tuesday02

26
31

SEPTEMBER
1

Student
Orientation

FRIDAY
27

28

Establish Classroom Systems &

Routines/implement 3
diagnostic

Mini Unit #1 Begins

7

10

14

15

16

17

11
MU #1 Ends
Implement Written
Assessment
18

24

25

NO SCHOOL
NO SCHOOL

NO SCHOOL

21

Mini Unit #2 Begins

22

23

NO SCHOOL
28

5
Mini Unit #3 Begins

29

NO SCHOOL

30

NO SCHOOL

OCTOBER
1

2
MU #2 Ends
Implement Written
Assessment
9

12

13

14

15

16

20

21

22

23

NO SCHOOL
19
MU #3 Ends
Implement Written
Assessment
26

Response Day

BENCHMARK
#1
27

END OF RP PD DAYS

MU#1 Earliest Humans: How and why did the lifestyles of the earliest humans change
over time?
Content Concepts (Phase 2: Knowledge Gathering)
Level 1 - Recall
Level 2 Basic Reasoning
Geography Basics

Geography
Handbook (Journey
Across Time) Parts
of a Map, p GH8
Tools of the
Historian
Measuring
Time/Organizing
Time, pp. TOOLS 1-3

Lifestyles of
Paleolithic Age

Identify and label the 7

continents and five oceans.
Identify the 4 parts of a map
(title, compass, scale and key)
Define B.C./B.C.E. and C.E./A.D.
Read a timeline using
B.C./B.C.E. and C.E./A.D. dates.

Describe the lifestyle of huntergatherers

Ch.1.1 Neolithic
Times, pp. 13-15)

Ch.1.1 Early
Humans, pp. 9-11

Lifestyles of
Neolithic Age

Level 3 Complex
Reasoning

Recall the key lifestyle

characteristics of the Neolithic
Age (e.g. they farmed and
domesticated animals)

Describe how the people in the

Paleolithic Age/Ice Age were
impact by their environment
Describe how the people in the
Paleolithic Age/Ice Age
adapted (and survived) to their
environment
Explain the historical
significance of domestication
to the Neolithic Age.
Describe how and why

Compare and contrast the

characteristics and lifestyles of
the Paleolithic and Neolithic
Ages to determine their impact

lifestyles changed during the

Neolithic Age.

Performance Task (Phase 3)

on the modern world.

Exemplar: (to be completed by teachers)

(Click HERE for link to description, resources and written assessment)

Introduction: Over the past few weeks you have spent time
learning about the development of the earliest humans and how
they changed over time from one era to the next. Their habits
and lifestyles, while they differ from today, set the foundation for
how modern day humans live.
Task#1: Students will form groups of 2-3 and analyze 2-3
different pictures of artifacts. They will then write a report
about their findings and what conclusions they drew about the
society, time period, people the artifacts belonged to (see further
details in the link above).
Task#2: Students will form groups of 2-3 to create a 3-4 page
diary that highlights how their lives changed from the Paleolithic
Age to the Neolithic Age. (see further details in the link above).

Written Assessment (Phase 4)

Assessment Prompt:
Using your knowledge from the past week and our discussion
from yesterday, respond to the MU Focus Questions: How and
why did the lifestyles of the earliest humans change over

Exemplar: (to be completed by teachers)

time? Provide historical support/evidence.

MU#2 1st Civilizations: How did the 1st civilizations of Mesopotamia & Sumer form and
why are they important?
Content Concepts (Phase 2: Knowledge Gathering)
Level 1 - Recall
Level 2 Basic Reasoning

Level 3 Complex

Reasoning
Geography and
Its Impact

Ch.1.2
Mesopotamian
Civilization, pp. 1718

Rise of
Mesopotamia &
Sumer

Ch.1.3 The First

Empires, pp. 23, 2730

Ch.1.2
Mesopotamian
Civilizations, pp. 1821

Mesopotamian
Empires

Identify the key physical

features of Mesopotamia &
Sumer on a map.

Identify the location of

Mesopotamia and Sumer on a
map.
Identify the seven
characteristics of civilizations
(art/culture, technology,
writing, government, social
structure, stable food supply,
religion)
Identify the key Mesopotamian
empires (Akkadian,
Babylonian, Assyrian,
Chaldean)
Identify Hammurabi and the
purpose of his code

Describe the impact of

geography on Mesopotamia
and Sumer and its
development.
Explain the significance of the
Euphrates and Tigris Rivers to
Mesopotamia
Explain the relationship
between Mesopotamia and
Sumer.
Describe the development of
Sumer and the relationship
between the seven
characteristics.

Analyze the impact of

geography on Mesopotamia
and Sumer to determine the
advantages/disadvantages of
living in this region.

Analyze the seven

characteristics for their
historical significance to the
past and present.

Summarize how and why

Mesopotamia become an
empire
Describe the rise and fall of the
key Mesopotamian empires
and their impact on the
Mesopotamian region.
Explain the importance of
Hammurabi to Babylonian
history

Performance Task (Phase 3)

(Click HERE for link to description, resources and written assessments)

Introduction: Throughout this mini-unit, you have learned about

the development of major civilizations. These civilizations
exhibited characteristics that made them not only memorable,
but successful as well.
Task#1: Students will create a travel brochure with the goal of
persuading visitors to visit their specific empire (Assyrian,
Akkadian, Babylonian, etc).

Exemplar: (to be completed by teachers)

Task#2: In groups of 2-3, students will create their own

civilization using the 7 characteristics of civilizations. Each group
must create a drawing and a 1 page description of the
civilization.

Written Assessment (Phase 4)

Assessment Prompt:
Using your knowledge from the past week and our discussion
from yesterday, respond to the MU Focus Questions: How did
the 1st civilizations of Mesopotamia and Sumer form and why
are they important? Provide historical and text based
evidence.

Exemplar: (to be completed by teachers)

MU#3 Ancient Egypt: How did the Ancient Egyptian civilization form, expand and
prosper?
Content Concepts (Phase 2: Knowledge Gathering)
Level 1 - Recall
Level 2 Basic Reasoning

Geography & Its

Impact

Identify and locate the key

physical features of Egypt on a
map.

Ch.2.1 The Nile

Valley, pp. 39-42

Achievements of
the Old, Middle &
New Kingdoms

Describe the impact of Egypts

geography on its development.
Explain the significance of the
Nile River to Ancient Egypt.

Level 3 Complex
Reasoning

Describe how Egypt developed

into a civilization and then
became united.
Describe the achievements

Analyze the impact of

geography on Ancient Egypt to
determine the
advantages/disadvantages of
living in this region.
Compare and contrast the
geographic impact on the
development of Mesopotamia,
Sumer & Egypt.
Compare and contrast the time
periods of Ancient Egypt to
determine which had the most

Egyptian Culture
& Society

and impact of the Old, Middle

and New Kingdoms on Ancient
Egypt.

Ch.2.1 The Nile

Valley, pp. 43-44
Ch.2.2 Egypts Old
Kingdom, pp. 47-48,
50-52
Ch.2.3 The
Egyptian Empire,
pp. 59-67

Ch.2.1 The Nile

Valley, pp. 42
(hieroglyphics), 4546
Ch.2.2 Egypts Old
Kingdom, pp. 49-50
(top)

Identify the levels and jobs of

Ancient Egypts social
structure.

Performance Task (Phase 3)

(Click HERE for link to description, resources and written assessment)

Introduction: Over the past few weeks you have been learning
about Ancient Egypt. As you have studied, Egyptian culture was
not only detailed and intricate, but also advanced for its time.
Aspects of their creations and innovations have influenced many
things in our society that we take for granted.
Task#1: In groups of 3, students will create a
diagram/chart/poster (teacher discretion of what the exact
task/outcome should look like) that depicts the achievements
and legacy of each time period in Ancient Egypt Old, Middle
and New.
Task: In small groups, students research and determine the
influence/impact of Egypt on the modern world. Students create
mini-presentations of this influence to share with their class
members.

significant impact on the

empire.
Analyze the historical
significance of Ancient Egypt
to present day.

Describe the seven

characteristics as it pertains to
Egypt, with a focus on religion,
writing and social structure
and how they impacted its
development

Exemplar: (to be completed by teachers)

Written Assessment (Phase 4)

Assessment Prompt:
Using your knowledge from the past week and our discussion
from yesterday, respond to the MU Focus Questions: How did
the Egyptian civilization form, expand and prosper? Provide
historical and text based evidence.

Exemplar: (to be completed by teachers)

Performance Task #1
Analyzing Artifacts
Introduction: Over the past few weeks you have spent time learning about the
development of the earliest humans and how they changed over time from one era to the
next. Their habits and lifestyles, while they differ from today, set the foundation for how
modern day humans live.
Task: Students will form groups of 2-3 and analyze 2-3 different pictures of artifacts. They
will then complete a RAFT (role, audience, format, and topic) a writing task that
encourages students to look at and write about an incident from a different perspective.
Role: Imagine that you are an archaeologist that has discovered artifacts of humans living
in the Paleolithic or Neolithic ages
Audience: other archaeologists
Format: 2-3 page report or a presentation
Topic: Write a report/presentation that details what youve found. Be sure to answer the
following questions:
a. What are the artifacts? (must include at least 2)
b. What time period Paleolithic or Neolithic do you believe the artifacts are from?
Why do you believe this?
c. What do you think the artifacts were used for?
d. What do the artifacts possibly tell us about peoples lives during this age?
e. What conclusions can be drawn about the Paleolithic or Neolithic Age from your
artifacts?
f. In what ways do you see versions of these artifacts still present today?
**Teachers pictures in the document packet below can serve as the artifacts.
Resources: Documents Packet and Student Notes

* Teacher must create a template rubric, exemplar, due date, and timeline

Performance Task #1
A Day in the Life
Introduction: Over the past few weeks you have spent time learning about the
development of the earliest humans and how they changed over time from one era to the
next. Their habits and lifestyles, while they differ from today, set the foundation for how
modern day humans live.
Task: Students will form groups of 2-3 to create a 3-4 page diary that highlights how their
lives changed from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age.
Description: The diary entries must meet the following criteria:
Written in first person
Details that clearly show their lifestyle characteristics in the Paleolithic Age
Description of WHY their lives began to change as they entered the Neolithic Age
(e.g. we discovered seeds today and decided to see what would happen when we
planted them)
Details that clearly show their lifestyle characteristics in the Neolithic Age
Pictures (2-3) that highlight their lives in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Age
A final entry that evaluates whether their lives are better (and why) in the Neolithic
Age compared to the Paleolithic Age.
Resources: Documents Packet and Student Notes
* Teacher must create a template rubric, exemplar, due date, and timeline

Mini-Unit 1: Earliest Humans

Paleolithic vs. Neolithic Ages Document Packet
Paleolithic Ages
Image #1

Cave Painting of
Stag and Reindeer

Image #2

Image of a Horse
found in a Cave

Image #3

Cave Painting

Image #4

Drawing of a
probable
shelter for
people

Image #5

Paleolithic Age
Tools

Image #6

A modern day
created picture
representing
the Paleolithic
Age

Neolithic Ages
Image #1

Reconstructed
houses used
during the
Neolithic Ages

Image #2

Pots and bowls

used during the
Neolithic Ages

Image #3

Neolithic
tools and
weapons
made out of
flint and

Image #4

Modern day
image that
depicts life
during the
Neolithic
Ages

Image #5

Image #7

Examples of
pottery that
were made in
the late
Neolithic
Ages

Images #6

Miniature
statues,
called
statuettes,
began to be
created
during the

Ancient World History

_______________________________________
Mini Unit #1 Written Assessment
_____________________________________

Name
Cohort
Date

________________________________________

the
have
Unit
the
In
sure

Written
Assessment
#1: Early
Humans
Directions: Using
knowledge you
gained in Mini
#1, respond to
following prompt.
your essay, be
to include the
following:
A

strong, clear main idea statement (thesis statement)

Historical context
Relevant, accurate supporting details
A connection to the Report Periods Essential Question: How do
civilizations form and why are they important to humans?
How and why did the lifestyles of the earliest humans change
over time?
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Performance Task 1
Visit Mesopotamia!
Introduction: Throughout this mini-unit, you have learned about the development of major
civilizations. These civilizations exhibited characteristics that made them not only
memorable, but successful as well.
Task: Students will create a travel brochure with the goal of persuading visitors to their
assigned civilization (Assyrian, Sumer, Babylonian, etc).
Your Brochure must include the following:
1. A detailed map of your empires boundaries and geographical features
2. Structure of you government/Laws
3. Religion(s)
4. Social structure
5. Technology (e.g. irrigation systems)
6. Written language
7. Arts/culture (e.g. pottery)
8. Food supply
9. Advantages of living there
10. The historical significance of your empire (e.g. achievements)
Resources: Documents A-D, Textbook, and Student Notes
* Teacher must create a rubric, exemplar, due date, and timeline

Performance Task 2
Create Your Own Civilization
Introduction: Throughout this mini-unit, you have learned about the development of major
civilizations. These civilizations exhibited characteristics that made them not only
memorable, but successful as well.
Task: In groups of 2-3, you and your classmates will create your own civilization using the 7
characteristics of civilizations. Each group must create a drawing and a 1 page description
of the civilization.
Your drawing and 1 page description must address the following:
1. Your civilizations name
2. A detailed map of your civilization: location, boundaries and physical features
3. How your civilization meets the 7 characteristics of civilizations:
a. Government structure
b. Stable food supply
c. Written language

d. Arts/culture
e. Religion
f. Social Structure
g. Technology
4. Advantages/disadvantages of living there.
5. Why your civilization is important to history (e.g. our civilization was the first to
create the plow to help with our farming needs)
Resources: Documents A-D, Textbook, and Student Notes
* Teacher must create a rubric, exemplar, due date, and timeline

Mini-Unit #2: 1st Civilizations (Mesopotamia and Sumer)

Document A:

The Seven Characteristics of Civilizations

Over thousands of years, some of the early farming villages developed into civilizations.
Civilizations are complex societies that have distinct characteristics. But what does that
mean? What are the characteristics that make a society a civilization?
Historians have named 7 characteristics that create a civilization. They include:
1) a stable food supply, to ensure that the people of a society have the food they
need to survive
2) a social structure with different social levels and jobs
3) a system of government, to ensure that life in the society is orderly
4) a religious system, which involves both a set of beliefs and forms of worship
5) a highly developed way of life that includes the arts, such as painting,
architecture, music, and literature
6) advances in technology
7) a highly developed written language
But what do these mean in relation to the ancient kingdoms we are studying? Lets find
out
Stable Food Supply
Civilizations need a stable food supply. A complex society can thrive only if its members
have the food they need to survive.
For example, one of the earliest civilizations, Sumer, created several inventions to help make
sure the Sumerians would have enough food. One of them was a complex irrigation system.
These were networks of canals, dams, and reservoirs that provided their crops with a
regular supply of water.
Another invention was the plow. A plow is a tool used for tilling, or turning, the soil to
prepare it for planting. Before the plow was invented, farmers used animal horns or pointed
sticks to poke holes in the earth. Then they would plant seeds in the holes. This was a very
slow way to farm. Farmers needed a faster way to prepare the land for planting.

The first plow was made out of wood. One end of the plow was bent for cutting into the
ground to turn the soil. Farmers themselves pushed and pulled the plow along the ground, or
they used animals such as oxen to pull it.
Social Structure
Civilizations have a complex organization, or social structure. A social structure includes
different jobs and social levels. People at higher levels have greater status than others.
Almost all civilizations throughout history have some form of social structure. Archaeologists
have found evidence that several different classes of people lived in the ancient kingdoms.
At the top level were usually priests, landowners, and government officials. These people
had the largest and most luxurious homes, near the center of the city. Their houses were two
stories high. In fact, evidence suggests that many of these mud houses throughout ancient
times had whitewashed walls.
At the middle level were merchants and artisans. Among the artisans were skilled
metalworkers. They worked with such metals as gold, silver, tin, lead, copper, and bronze.
Out of these materials, they made swords and arrowheads for the army. They made tools,
like plows and hoes, for farmers. They also made luxury items, such as mirrors and jewelry,
for the upper class.
The middle class also included farmers and fishers. They lived in small, mud-brick houses at
the edge of the city. Farmers oft en worked to build or repair the irrigation systems. In times
of war, they were forced to serve in the army.
At the bottom level of the social structure were slaves. They lived in their owners homes
and had no property of their own.
Government
All civilizations have a system of government to direct peoples behavior and make life
orderly. For example, historians have determined that Sumer (a place we will be studying
about soon!) was made up of city-states which were ruled by kings. The Sumerians believed
that their gods chose these kings. This belief made kings very powerful. It also helped to
reinforce the social order, because obeying the will of the gods was one of the Sumerians
strongest beliefs.
Sumerian kings enforced the laws and collected taxes. They built temples and made sure
irrigation systems were maintained.
A king also led his city-states army. All the city-states needed armies because of constant
fighting over land boundaries and the use of water. Leading the army was one of the kings
most important jobs.
A Sumerian army included both professional soldiers and temporary citizen-soldiers. Some
were foot soldiers. Others drove chariots, which were wheeled vehicles pulled by horses.
Kings appointed officials to help with certain duties. Governors ruled the outlying towns.
Scribes helped record laws. The Sumerians were the first people to develop a system of
written laws.

One special group of officials patrolled the canals. They looked for damage and made sure
that farmers did not take water illegally.

Religion
All civilizations have some kind of religious system. A religious system includes both a set of
beliefs, usually in a god or gods, and forms of worship.
In many of the ancient civilizations, religious beliefs influenced every part of daily life. People
tried to please their gods in all things, from growing crops to settling disputes. Religion
bound the people together in a common way of life.
For some ancient places, they expressed their beliefs by constructing religious temples,
pyramids or towers. Usually, it was the kings duty to oversee the construction of these
buildings, since the belief was that the kings power was given to him by the gods. The
construction of these temples are still, at times, a mystery because they ranged anywhere
between 8 to 15 stories high.
People also created statues to express their religious beliefs. Many of these statues were
detailed and lifelike. They showed people worshipping the gods, often with eyes gazing
upward.
The Arts
All civilizations have a highly developed culture, including the arts. Arts include creative
forms of expression such as painting, architecture, and music.
There were many kinds of artists and artisans in ancient civilizations. Metalworkers made
objects, like weapons and cups. They made decorative items, such as mirrors and jewelry,
too. Architects designed temples and other important buildings.
Music was also another important part of ancient life. For example, the Sumerians believed
that music brought joy to gods and people alike. Musicians sang and played instruments
during temple ceremonies. They wrote love songs and entertained guests at feasts.
Technology
All civilizations create new forms of technology that were, for their time, considered
significant technological advancements.
One of the most important inventions was the wheel. The earliest examples of the wheel
date back to 3500 B.C.E. During this time, Sumerian potters, or pottery makers, first used
wheels as a surface for shaping clay into pots. Potters wheels spun, flat side up, on an axle.
The Sumerians then discovered that a wheel that was flipped onto its edge could be rolled
forward. They used this discovery to create wheeled carts for farmers, and chariots for the
army. They built the wheels by clamping pieces of wood together.
It would be hard to discover a more powerful invention than the wheel. Before the wheel,
people had to drag their goods on flat-bottomed carts called sledges. The sledges often got
stuck in mud, and they couldnt support heavy loads. Wheeled carts made it much easier to

move goods over long distances. Oxen could pull three times more weight on wheeled carts
than on sledges.
Writing
A final characteristic of civilizations is a highly developed written language. One of the first
written languages to be discovered was from Sumer, a language called cuneiform. This
name comes from the Latin word for wedge. The Sumerians used a wedge-shaped stylus
(a sharp, pointed tool) to etch their writing in clay tablets.
Historians believe that Sumerians developed cuneiform around 2400 B.C.E. The earliest
examples of cuneiform show that it was used to record information about the goods people
exchanged with one another. At first, cuneiform writing may have contained as many as
2,000 symbols to stand for ideas and sounds. Over time, this number was reduced to about
700.
Cuneiform was based on an earlier, simpler form of writing that used pictographs.
Pictographs are symbols that stand for real objects, such as a snake or water. Scribes used a
sharpened reed to draw the symbols on wet clay. When the clay dried, the marks became a
permanent record.
In later readings, you will learn how Egyptians had a similar writing style, called
hieroglyphics. Their writing also used symbols.

Document B

Mesopotamia

Document C

Standard of Ur

Document D

Babylon: In Pictures
Image #1

Replica of Babylons Ishtar Gate with images of dragons and

aurochs (a type of wild cattle that are now extinct)
Image
#2
A 19th
century
picture that
depicts the
fabled
Hanging
Gardens of
Babylon,
with the
Tower of

Image #3

A 19th century
engraving of
ancient
Babylon on the
Euphrates
River.

Image #4
An 1800s
illustration of the
Hanging Gardens
of Babylon.
Though these
gardens are
considered one
of the Seven
Wonders of the
World, there is
little evidence to
support their
location and
even their
existence.

Ancient World History

_______________________________________
Mini Unit #2 Written Assessment
_____________________________________

Name
Cohort

Date
Written Assessment #2: 1st Civilizations

________________________________________
Directions: Using the knowledge you have gained in Mini Unit #2, respond to the
following prompt. In your essay, be sure to include the following:
A strong, clear main idea statement (thesis statement)
Historical context
Relevant, accurate supporting details
A connection to the Report Periods Essential Question: How do
civilizations form and why are they important to humans?
How did the 1st civilizations of Mesopotamia & Sumer form and why are
they important?
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Mini-Unit 3: Ancient Egypt

Performance Task 1
The Egyptian Time Periods

Introduction: Over the past few weeks you have been learning about Ancient Egypt. As
you have studied, Egyptian culture was not only detailed and intricate, but also advanced for
its time. Aspects of their creations and innovations have influenced many things in our
society that we take for granted.
Task: In groups of 3, students will create a diagram/chart/poster (teacher discretion of
what the exact task/outcome should look lik) that depicts the achievements and legacy of
each time period in Ancient Egypt Old, Middle and New.
Your diagram/poster must address the following:
1. Time period name and dates
2. Major accomplishments/achievements of the time period (e.g. architecture,
mummification, etc.)
3. 1-2 key pharaohs during the time period and what they are important
4. Last impact of time period on Egypt (think of expansion and prosperity)
5. A brief written task that includes:
a. A group consensus on which time period impacted Egypt the most
b. Supporting evidence for their opinion
c. How Egypt might have been different if this time period hadnt existed
d. At least 1 way this time period influenced/impacted the modern world (e.g.
the creation of the pyramids during the Old Kingdom this structure can
be seen the world over)
Resources: Documents A-D, Textbook, and Student Notes
* Teacher must create a template rubric, exemplar, due date, and timeline

Performance Task 2
The Influence of Egypt
Introduction: Over the past few weeks you have been learning about Ancient Egypt. As
you have studied, Egyptian culture was not only detailed and intricate, but also advanced for
its time. Aspects of their creations and innovations have influenced many things in our
society that we take for granted.
Task: In small groups, students research and determine the influence/impact of Egypt on
the modern world. Students create mini-presentations of this influence to share with their
class members.
Description: Using their notes, resources in the packet and the link (see below), students
create a presentation (something can be displayed) on how Egypt has influenced the
modern world. In whatever platform you, the teacher, decides, students must address the
following:
1. Name at least 3 ways Egypt has influenced modern society (e.g. sports,
architecture)
2. Describe the 3 influences/impacts as they existed in Egypt
3. Describe how these things helped Egypt expand and prosper
4. Describe how these influences can be seen/used today
5. Describe how these things have impacted our society (how they have helped us)
6. Infer how the world today would be different if these things hadnt existed

Resources: Documents A-D, Textbook, and Student Notes

Link: https://prezi.com/gglsmzysou6x/how-did-the-ancient-egyptians-influence-modern-daylife/

Document A:
Ancient Egyptian Culture
Government:
Several million people lived in ancient Egypt which was located on the
continent of Africa. But they didn't own anything - not their house, not their
jewelry or pets or crops or anything. The only person who owned in ancient
Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh owned everything. The pharaoh was in
charge of everything. To help him do a good job, the pharaoh had helpers lots and lots of helpers. Some helpers were members of the royal family.
Others were people who had worked their way up the government ladder.
Each pharaoh had an organized army, a police force, and a huge number of
ministers and government officials to assist him. The ancient Egyptians loved
titles. So it's not surprising that government officials gave themselves all
kinds of titles, some quite elaborate.
Mummies
Mummies are bodies of people who died thousands of years ago in
Egypt. They fascinate people because they tell us a lot about ancient Egypt.
Mummies were first found in 1798. Many of them were taken out of Egypt,
but now the government forbids people to do this. These bodies were
preserved by removing the fluids from them. The Egyptians did this because
they wanted to preserve a dead persons identity after death.
At first, mummies were made naturally. About 5,000 years ago,
Egyptians buried their dead in sand. This warm sand dried the bodies, and
natural mummies were the result. Later on, Egyptians feared grave robbers
so they buried the bodies in closed tombs. They had learned how to make
their own mummies. It was a long process that took about 70 days. The last
step was wrapping the body in linen. Then the dead persons family and
friend had a great feast. They believed that after the feast the body would go
on a long trip. They thought it would go through the underworld to the
Judgment Hall. If the person had been good, he would go to a heaven that
looked much like Egypt.

Document B:
Hieroglyphics
Image 1

Image 2

Source:
http://www.historyforkids.net/egyptian-writing.html

Document C
An image from an Egyptian tomb of a man named Nebamun who lived in the
city of Thebes around 1325 B.C.

Document D
Map of Ancient Egypt

Ancient World History

_______________________________________
Mini Unit #3 Written Assessment
_____________________________________

Name
Cohort

Written Assessment #3: Ancient

Egypt
Date

________________________________________
Directions: Using the knowledge you have gained in Mini Unit #3, respond to the
following prompt. In your essay, be sure to include the following:
A strong, clear main idea statement (thesis statement)
Historical context
Relevant, accurate supporting details
A connection to the Report Periods Essential Question: How do
civilizations form and why are they important to humans?
How did the Egyptian civilization form, expand and prosper?
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