Ancient World S.S. - Share your favorite lesson!

[SS Rocks!]

I teach sixth grade ancient world social studies (archaeology, Stone Age, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, & Rome). I'm always looking for new lessons that are fun and interesting for kids. If your curriculum includes a different ancient culture, feel free to share. I'd love to read about what everyone does.

Have a lesson you're proud of? Do you have an activity the kids absolutely love? Does your school have any school-wide activities relating to ancient world history? Feel free to share!

Once I get a reply and know I have other interested ancient world teachers out there, I'll spend the time typing out some of the stuff I like to do with my kids.

[serenity]

I once mummified a chicken (from the market) in class. We took out all the insides and stuck them in the jar (cannot remember the name) and filled the empty inside with potporri and oils. Then we wrapped the thing just like the Egyptians.; Held a ceremony and everything! It was still in my shed like five years later when we moved and it was perfectly petrified!

What clever ideas do you have?

[Boxcar]

Ewww. But cool too. I never would have thought of doing that - very clever.

You could build ancient dwellings out of gingerbread type stuff. I like icing and sugar cubes as building materials.

[SS Rocks!]

In lieu of a chicken I have used an orange and potato held together with floral wire. You remove the insides from the orange and stuff it with baking soda and salt. It's very similar to what serenity has done. The kids love it!

Two of my favorite lessons come later in the year when we get to Greece.

I have an article from Time magazine that I have adapted to a 6th grade reading level. The article discusses the debate over who owns historical artifacts; the country of origin or the country that discovered them.

I have the students read the article and debate. Some of the kids get incredibly passionate over the debate!

Another activity which I will be attempting this year deals with Alexander the Great. My school uses History Alive! which has some reading selections about the good and bad things that ATG did. We're going to hold a mock trial to decide if ATG deserved to be called "great".