01 - Civilizations
“Customize Your Civilization” Gallery Walk
Welcome to the Gallery Walk: Customize Your Civilization! You and your classmates have worked as expert teams consisting of historians, lawgivers, architects, and astronomer-priests, to design your own civilizations. These civilizations are inspired by the real innovations of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. You’ve explored how geography shaped society, how laws brought order, how writing preserved culture, and how people tracked time using the stars. Now, it’s time to showcase your work!
Just like museums and historical exhibitions, a gallery walk is a way for us to learn from one another by viewing each group’s creations. Each station will represent a different aspect of civilization. As you walk through the room, observe each display, read the descriptions, and reflect on the historical thinking behind each group’s choices. You’ll not only see creativity and collaboration on display, you’ll also gain a deeper understanding of how civilizations were built and what made them thrive.
MASTERY OF LESSONS 5-12 EARNS YOU THE FOLLOWING BADGE:
-
-
Primary Source: A record or object made during the time of the event, like a letter or photo.
Secondary Source: A source made after an event, like a textbook or documentary.
Civilization: A group of people living together with rules, jobs, buildings, and culture.
Irrigation: Moving water to dry areas using ditches or canals to help crops grow.
Silt: Rich soil left by flooding rivers that helps plants grow.
Loess: A soft, yellow soil found in China that is great for farming.
Pharaoh: A king of Ancient Egypt who was also seen as a god.
Dynasty: A family of rulers where power is passed down from one generation to the next.
Oracle Bones: Animal bones used in Ancient China to ask questions to ancestors.
Cuneiform: One of the earliest systems of writing, used in Mesopotamia.
Specialization: When people in a civilization do different jobs, like farming, building, or trading.
Artisan: A skilled worker who makes things by hand, like pottery or jewelry.
Trade: The exchange of goods or ideas between people or places.
River Valley: A low area near a river where many early civilizations began.
Fertile: Land that is good for growing crops.
Canal: A man-made water path used to move water for farming or travel.
Temple: A place where people worship gods or goddesses.
Scribe: A person trained to write and keep records in early civilizations.
Government: A system of rules and leaders that keeps order in a civilization.
Blueprint: A detailed plan for building something; in this case, a civilization’s structure.
-
Cuneiform: One of the first writing systems, made of wedge-shaped marks pressed into clay tablets in Mesopotamia.
Hieroglyphics: A writing system from Egypt that used pictures and symbols to show words and ideas.
Stylus: A pointed tool used to write in clay or wax tablets.
Papyrus: A plant used by Egyptians to make a kind of early paper for writing.
Pharaoh: A ruler of Ancient Egypt who was seen as both a king and a god.
Code of Hammurabi: A set of written laws from Mesopotamia that explained rules and punishments.
“Eye for an eye”: A law idea that says the punishment should match the crime.
Justice: Fair treatment under the law or rules.
Laws: Rules that people in a civilization follow to keep order.
Pyramid: A large triangle-shaped stone building in Egypt used as a tomb for pharaohs.
Ziggurat: A step-shaped temple in Mesopotamia used for worshiping gods.
Temple: A place where people pray or perform religious ceremonies.
Afterlife: A belief in life after death.
City-state: A city that controls the land around it and acts like its own country.
Calendar: A system for organizing days and months, often used to plan farming or religious events.
Astronomy: The study of stars, planets, and space.
Sirius: A bright star Egyptians watched to know when the Nile River would flood.
Eclipse: When the sun or moon is covered by another object in space, like during a solar or lunar eclipse.
Observation: Carefully watching or studying something to learn more about it.
Maya Civilization: An ancient culture in Mesoamerica known for its writing, calendars, and astronomy.