1. Ancient Civilization Project
Due date: November 4, 2013
Step one: Research an early civilization with your group members.
Step two: Create a Power Point document to use during your presentation.
Step three: Give a 5-10 presentation about your civilization to the class.
Step Four: Provide to your peers the listening sheet to take notes from the presentations.
Step Five: Use the notes from your listening sheet to write a comparative essay.
Step One: The Research
The researcher along with the group members will present to the class all the information found about the
civilization. It is important that the research comes from books, journals and reliable websites. The information needs to be
brought to each class, so it can be shared with the other members.
Step Two: The Connection
The connector will get all the information provided by the researcher and start to put it together in an essay format.
Make sure you paraphrase the information because if you don´t do it, it can be a plagiarized document.
Step Three: Power Point
The designer will get the essay and start to prepare the power point and put everything together and prepare the
presentation. You should tell the other members what they are going to say during the presentation and you should make
sure they know their information.
Step Four: Presentation
*Everyone in the group must speak during the presentation.
*Stand up and speak loudly.
*Present your final product (the product that your company would trade)
*Listen to one another and help each other during the presentation.
*Be respectful when other groups are presenting.

2. Step Five: The Listening Sheet
The audience will fill out a listening sheet with the notes of each presentation. This is where you will get your information
for writing your comparative essay. Each group will hand in this sheet.
Step Six: The Essay
You will write a five paragraph essay and choose two civilizations to compare.
Researcher Notes:
Geography: Where were they located? What is the pace called today? What effect did the geographic setting have on the
civilization that grew there? Were they geographically isolated from other civilizations? Were they exposed to large bodies
of water?
Time Period: When did they emerge as civilization? When were they at their peak? How long were they around? When did
they fall?
Government: What type of ruler ship did they have? How were they organized? What type of laws did they have? What
were their courts like?
Economy: What role did trade and commerce have in this civilization? What were their major products for trade? How did
their geography affect their trade? Was their economy based on a division of social classes?
Belief: What kind of religion or worship did they practice? Were they Polytheistic? Monotheistic? Was their religion and
their government combined? Did they believe in life after death?
Technology: What innovations were made in this civilization? Did they have a calendar? Did thay have irrigation systems?
How did they build buildings? Roads?
Writing: What forms of communication did they use? What type of writing did they have? Was it pictographic? Can we read
it today? Why did it develop? Was it used by other civilization as well?
Art/Architecture: What role did the arts have in this civilization? What were their main forms of art? What was their
architecture like? What can we learn about them from their art?
Slavery: How was slavery a part of this civilization? Were the cities built by forced labor? Was slavery based on race? Was it
permanent?
Rise and fall: What caused this civilization to rise and fall? Did they conquer anoter civilization? Were they conquered? How
many times were they conquered? Could they have stayed in power of their geographic location had been different?
Contributions: What were the major contributions of this civilization to the world at their time? Are there any lastin
contributions still seen today? What did they leave us?
Golden Age: Did this civilization have a golden age? Was their period in their history when they had a lot of money, power,
art, trade, and food? How long did it last? Why did it end? What caused it?

3. GROUP ACTIVITY RUBRIC
Point Scale
GUIDELINES
8-7
Completes all the activity according to guidelines
and instructions. Actively attempts to complete all
portions to best of ability. Work is extremely neat
and shows a great deal of thought and effort
Point Scale
Criterion A: Knowledge and
Understanding
Criterion B: Investigation
Criterion C: Thinking
Critically
Criterion D: Communicating
5-6
Completes all the activity
according to guidelines and
instructions. Actively attempts
to complete all portions to best
of ability. Work is extremely
neat and shows a great deal
of thought and effort
8-7
Demonstrates detailed knowledge
and understanding of content and
concepts through thorough
descriptions, explanations and
examples.
Uses methods accurately to
collect and record appropriate
and
varied information in line with
the research question
5-6
Demonstrates good
knowledge and understanding
of content and concepts
through descriptions,
explanations and examples.
Uses methods to collect and
record appropriate
information in line
with the research question
Satisfactorily addresses the
research question.
Makes connections between
information to make valid and
well supported story.
• communicates information and
ideas in a style that is completely
appropriate to the audience and
purpose
• structures information and ideas
completely according to the task
instructions
Makes connections between
information in order to make
an interesting story.
• structures information often
according to the task
instructions
• creates a list of sources of
information often according
to the task instructions.
3-4
Completes most of the activity
according to guidelines, but
struggles to follow all instructions.
Work may be sloppy or poorly
thought out
3-4
Demonstrates knowledge and
understanding of content and
concepts through simple
descriptions, explanations
and examples.
Uses a method or methods to
collect and record some
information in
line with the research
question
Partially addresses the
research question.
Makes connections between
information to make simple
story.
• structures information
sometimes according to the
task instructions
• creates a list of sources of
information sometimes
according to the task
instructions.
1-2
Only completes some of
the activity according to
guidelines, and also
struggles to follow all
instructions. Work may be
incomplete. Work may be
messy
0
Does not complete
classwork, does not follow
instructions or guidelines at all.
Work is very messy, and it affects
u n d e rs t a nd i n g o f t h e
work
1-2
0
Demonstrates basic
The student does not reach a
knowledge and understanding
standard described by any of
of content and concepts
the descriptors below.
through some descriptions
and/or examples
Collects and records limited
The student does not reach a
information, not always in
standard described by any of the
line with the
descriptors below.
research question
Makes a limited attempt to
address the research
question.
Makes connections between
The student does not reach a
information in a limited
standard described by any of
attempt to make the story.
the descriptors below.
• tries in a limited way to
The student does not reach a
structure information
standard described by any of
according to the task
the descriptors below.
instructions
• tries in a limited way to
create a list of sources of
information.