Students will make inferences:

Students will take on the role of archaeologist and observe images of artifacts in order to make inferences. Students will reference artifacts when answering questions about the ancient culture represented by the artifacts.

Students will make connections between their prior knowledge and the artifacts. They will be asked about currency, art, sport, and culture.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instruction.
• Inference worksheets.
• Answer Key.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teacher.
• Engaging activity.
• Great inference practice.

Explore the traditions of Ancient Egyptian burial chambers:

Students will learn about shabtis and how Ancient Egyptians used them as models of those who would do their chores in the afterlife. Students will read an informational text concerning shabtis and then create their own. This taps into their creativity.

Students can create shabtis for either a week or a month.

Follow up questions increase rigor and help students make connections.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standard 6.H.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Informational Text.
• Student instructions.
• Two versions of activity template.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teacher.
• Informational text.
• Engaging, creative activity.

Engaging Review of Mesopotamia:

Students will be complete engaging activities about Mesopotamia. They can work with a partner, a team, or by themselves to complete activities focused on five Mesopotamian topics: societies written in cuneiform, Hanging Gardens of Babylonia, the Code of Hammurabi, geography, and timeline of events in Mesopotamia. Each activity begins with a short informational text and student instructions.

Students will complete the following types of activities:

• matching
• maze
• puzzle
• code breaking
• map skills
• timeline

Teachers can choose to have students check their work after they finish each challenge in order to earn parts of a puzzle. Completed puzzles could be turned in for prizes. There is also a completed prize card provided.

Students can work at their own pace as teachers have topic labels which can be displayed throughout the classroom to show students where to find their next challenge.

When the challenge is complete, students can complete follow up questions to review the About Mesopotamia Escape Room. The questions review what students have learned as well as having students make connections with prior their knowledge. These could be used as written assignments or to lead class discussion.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Challenge templates.
• Code recording sheet (two sizes).
• Prize card (b&w and color).
• Prize puzzle (b&w and color).
• Topic labels.
• Answer keys.
• Follow up questions.
• Digital activity link.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teacher.
• Easy to assign digital option.
• Engaging for students.
• Good independent activity about Mesopotamia.
• Questions help students make connections.

Understand the importance of the Phoenicians:

Students will complete this engaging activity concerning the Phoenicians. They will read an informational text and then complete the activity. Students will create a poster thanking the Phoenicians for their contributions to the world, specifically the contributions which affect their lives.

Students will be able to use their creativity to display and explain their choices.

Students can then answer follow up questions to make connections between their prior knowledge and what they learn about the Phoenicians. These questions also has students making inferences about the geography of the land in which the Phoenicians lived. Great way to increase rigor.

To make the activity easier for the teacher, student directions and rubric are included.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standards: 6.H.1, 6.E.1, 6.G.4.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Informational text.
• Rubrics.
• Example.
• Follow up questions.

How this product is useful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Engaging for students.
• Students can use their creativity.
• Follow up questions increase rigor.
• Rubric included.

Help students understand how we learn history:

Students will read an informational text concerning the social sciences needed to study history. They will then complete activities which will lead to understanding of the differences between these disciplines.

Social Sciences covered: anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, political scientists, and sociologists.

Activities included: crossword puzzle, Venn diagram, situational maze (students are given a situation and determine which scientists covers it), and follow up questions.

Engaging activities help students understand the importance of these social scientists and their disciplines.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standards: 6.H.2, 6.H.4.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Activity worksheets.
• Follow up questions.
• Answer Keys.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Engaging for students.
• Great introduction to the study of history.
• Follow up questions allow for deeper understanding and making connections.

Hieroglyphs aren't just for ancient civilizations:

Students will make observations of the modern world and record modern hieroglyphics (pictograms) onto a recording sheet. They then can take the pictograms and use them to tell their stories like the Ancient Egyptians did.

Students will enjoy sharing what they observed with their classmates.

Follow up questions add rigor and help students make connections.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standard: 6.H.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Activity worksheet.
• Story worksheet.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product helpful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Great practice of observational skills.
• Students use creativity when telling their story.
• Follow up questions add rigor.

Great introductory exploration for geography:

At the beginning of my geography unit, I have my students explore the reasons there are latitude and longitude measurements on maps. This helps with students understanding of the concept and engages them from the beginning.

Students will use their new found understanding of these measurements to find European countries and capital cities.

To add rigor, students can complete follow up questions which help them make connections with their new experiences with their prior knowledge.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standards: 5.G.1, 6.G.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Exploration worksheet.
• Countries and capitals worksheet.
• Follow up questions.
• Answer Keys.

How is the product useful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Engaging geography introduction.
• Practical activity for locating European capitals.
• Follow up questions increase rigor.

Research and Debate Egyptian Mummies:

As students learn about ancient civilizations it is a good time to tie in a debate activity. A big topic of debate in museums is the displaying of human remains. Students will take a side in this debate and research their side. They will then participate in a debate with the information they have learned.

This is an engaging activity and easy way to practice debate skills with a topic which doesn't generally cause high emotions in early teens. Students can learn to debate without emotions.

Easy prep for teachers as research sites are linked. The product also includes rubrics and follow up questions. Follow up questions increases rigor and helps students make connections.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standard: 6.H.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Research links.
• Research guide.
• Rubric.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Engaging for students.
• "Low stakes" topic, students will generally not get emotionally charged.
• Build research skills.
• Build debate skills.

Practice making inferences while studying Ancient Egypt:

Students will use clues provided on a timeline to determine which Ancient Egyptian Era is being described. Teachers could choose to allow students to use references to help complete the timeline.

This is a great review activity that would be best completed with a partner or small group. Students need to practice how to make inferences and this is a great way to do that.

Students can complete the timeline as a cut and paste activity or a digital Google Slide activity. Follow up questions increase rigor and help students make connections.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standard 6.H.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Era label worksheet.
• Timeline worksheet.
• Follow up questions.
• Links to Google Slide Activity.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Hands on for students.
• Great partner work.
• Practice inference and communication skills.
• Make connections with modern day.

Hands on project exploring your own Egyptian Burial Chamber:

Students will love sharing their story for the generations to come when creating their own version of an Egyptian Burial Chamber. Beginning with an informational text concerning these burial chambers, students will be engaged while creating their own.

There are four versions of this project which teachers can choose from for their students: written, drawing, model, and Google Slides. Instructions are provided for each of these projects. The projects have labels for students to complete which can be attached to the project for display.

Follow up questions will allow for increased rigor and encourages students to make connections to modern day.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standards: 6.H.1, 6.H.2.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Informational text with student instructions for four versions of the project.
• Label worksheet.
• Model template.
• Rubrics.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product helpful:

• Low prep for teacher.
• Engaging for students.
• Allows for making connects.
• Students can use their creativity.

Learn more about the important Egyptian gods:

There are hundreds of Egyptian gods, I've narrowed it down to 15 of the most important. Students will practice their research skills while creating an interesting infographic concerning one of the gods.

This engaging activity allows for students to express the information they learn in a creative way. While follow up questions add rigor and help students make connections.

A rubric is provided requiring less prep for the teacher.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standards: 6.H.1, 6.H.2.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Students instructions.
• Infographic templates for 15 different gods.
• Rubric.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teachers.
• Research site links provided.
• Allows for creativity.
• Interesting topics.
• Great research skill practice.
• Create fun display.

Help students understand the earliest humans:

Students need to understand what breakthroughs needed to made in order for humans to become community builders.

Students will read events and use context clues to infer an order of these events by completing a timeline. This timeline begins with the discovery of fire and ends with prehistoric peoples building farms and communities. Students will determine what dictates the order of the events, which discovery or invention led to the next discovery or invention.

This activity is provided as a printable worksheet and a Google Slide activity. The digital activity is easy to assign in Google Classroom or Google Drive.

Follow up questions increase student rigor. These questions can be used for early finishers, group activity, written assignment, or to begin class discussion.

This is a great summary activity and can be used at the end of a early human lesson.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Printable worksheet activity.
• Google Slide link.
• Answer Key.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for teacher.
• Great inference practice.
• Great timeline practice.
• Useful summary activity.
• Helpful review of early humans.

Language study with the Rosetta Stone:

Students can practice working with a variety of languages in the context of the Rosetta Stone. Students will read about how the Rosetta Stone helped archaeologists translate and understand Egyptian Hieroglyphics. They will then create their own Rosetta Stone.

They can complete one of three activities requiring different amounts of languages: one activity contains Egyptian Hieroglyphics and English, one contains just Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and the final contains no provided text. Provided text is "Mary had a little lamb."

Follow up questions allow for increased rigor. Students will also use these questions to help them make connections.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standards: 6.H.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Links to translator sites.
• Student text and instructions.
• Three versions of Rosetta Stone.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product useful:

• Low prep for students.
• Engaging language practice.
• Great wrap up activity concerning Hieroglyphics.

Hands on Geography:

This activity is a great introduction to geography. Students will design globes on oranges and then peel them to create maps. This will demonstrate how the 3D globe is translated onto the 2D map. Students will explore the distortion that occurs when changing from 3D to 2D.

Follow up questions add rigor to the activity while encouraging students to make connections.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Student instructions.
• Activity worksheet.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product useful:

• Easy prep for teachers.
• Hands on activity for students.
• Follow up questions make connections for students.
• Great introduction to geography.

How to read Egyptian Hieroglyphics:

In this activity students will practice the direction in which Egyptian Hieroglyphics are read. Students will learn that Egyptian Hieroglyphics are read in different directions based on different situations. Students will then work their way through a maze based on the information they learn.

There are two different versions of the same maze, one has just one type of hieroglyphics and the other has five types.

This is a great activity for bell ringers, early finishers, or wrapping up an Egyptian unit.

Follow up questions which allow for students to make connections and increase rigor.

Aligns with Indiana Social Studies Standard: 6.H.1.

What's included:

• Teacher instructions.
• Two versions of the same maze with information about how to read Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
• Answer Key.
• Follow up questions.

How is this product useful:

• Easy prep for teachers.
• Engaging for students.
• Two versions of the same maze.
• Follow up questions add rigor.
• Great for bell ringers, early finishers, or centers.