Designing an Early Civilization
By Monica Fontova, February 27, 2017
Grade Level
- Elementary School
Category
- Summer Design Institute
Subject Area
- Arts
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Social Studies
Lesson Time
7 Days - 1 hour sessions each
Introduction
Students will design and create a model of an ancient civilization using background knowledge from studying about the earliest civilizations from the continent of Asia. Students will research the necessary things that a group of people require in order to be considered a civilization; such as language, a city center, commerce and jobs. This experience will help students understand that humans have been designing since the beginning of time, even without the technological advancements we have today. Design is an embedded natural instinct. Humans are able to create out of necessity.
National Standards
Common Core English Language Arts – Strand - Verbal and nonverbal communication – LEVEL II (Grade 3-5) Benchmark 5 - Uses strategies to convey a clear main point when speaking (e.g., expresses ideas in a logical manner, uses specific vocabulary to establish tone and present information)
Common Core Mathematics – TOPIC: Measurement and Data - Strand – Measure and estimate lengths in standard units - (Grade 2) Benchmark - Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
World History – Standard 3- Understands the major characteristics of civilization and the development of civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley LEVEL II (5th grade) Understands the characteristics of writing forms in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley and how written records shaped political, legal, religious, and cultural life
Visual Arts – Standard 4 – LEVEL II (Grade K-4) Benchmark 3 – Know how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence each other
Objectives
Students will:
- understand that there are basic human needs in order for humans to survive and there needs to be a collaboration and partnership between humans
- understand the importance of certain characteristics of civilization
- understand the hard work that goes into designing a civilization
- investigate architecture of the early civilizations and gain an understanding of why they were designed that way
- construct a prototype of historical civilization based on research and investigation
Resources
Materials
- cardboard
- glue
- scissors
- clay and carving implements
- acrylic paint and brushes
- multi-colored paper
- Styrofoam
- ipads or laptops
Vocabulary
Civilization – 1. a relatively high level of cultural and technological development; the stage of cultural development at which writing and the keeping of written records is attained. 2. The process of becoming civilized
Architecture – the art or practice of designing and building structures and especially habitable ones
Government – authoritative direction or control
Culture – the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group; the characteristic features of everyday existence
Procedures
Lesson 1 – 30 minutes (Discussion)
Show students visual images from the Core Knowledge Early Asian Civilization flip book. Read lesson 1 aloud to the class and have a classroom discussion about the earliest civilization of Mesopotamia and what it needed to actually be called a civilization. Use guided questions from Core Knowledge to get the discussion going. Some aspects of a civilization to discuss would be that they needed a form of communication, a food source such as agriculture or livestock, community jobs, laws, etc.
Lesson 2 – 45 minutes (Brainstorming)
Today will be dedicated to brainstorming ideas about what we need in order to build our new classroom civilization. Explain to students that they will be creating their own civilization. Each group will be responsible for designing one aspect of our civilization. Each group will be given an ipad to look up information about early civilizations. They will collaborate in a small group setting of about 3-4 students per group.
Group 1 – form of writing/spoken language
Group 2 – community jobs
Group 3 – food source – agriculture – live stock
Group 4 – Architecture of city center
Group 5 – laws/government
Group 6 – Art/culture
Touch up on what we learned yesterday through the Core Knowledge flip book. Before the students start designing, as a whole class it is important to discuss certain characteristics of our environment before we can begin designing for it.
For example:
- In what kind of climate does our civilization live?
- What kind of natural resources are available?
- What do the civilians eat? Do they hunt, gather, or farm?
- Are they peaceful or war-like?
- What kinds of ceremonies or forms of artistic expression are important?
Assessment
Assess students’ ability to collaborate and brainstorm by doing informal assessment and walk-through during the brainstorm process. Collect brainstorm papers and sketches from earlier lessons.
Formal Assessment of Constructed Prototypes
- Were students’ prototypes a reasonable contribution to our civilization?
- Could a civilization function properly with the group’s prototype?
Enrichment Extension Activities
Have students do a comparison of early civilizations and modern civilizations. Discuss and research how technological advances have changed the way humans design and create solutions to community problems.
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