Lesson Plans
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Nomadic Life grade 6-8This inquiry leads students through an investigation of prehistoric nomadic life. By investigating the compelling question “How do we know the past without written evidence?” students evaluate how nomads communicated, where they lived, and how they defined their needs based on the places they lived. The formative performance tasks build on knowledge and skills through the course of the inquiry and help students develop understanding of nomadic life to compare with agrarian life. Students create an evidence-based argument about how non-written artifacts support understanding of nomadic life during prehistoric times.
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Was there a Great Goddess?Some people believe in a divine feminine, worship goddesses, and some believe that before the father God, there was a great, mother Goddess. Was there? To answer this question, student will read conflicting accounts from two women historians: Rosalind Miles and Cynthia Eller and decide for themselves based on the evidence provided.
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Egyptian floodingThis inquiry focuses on the impact of the flooding of the Nile River on ancient Egypt, specifically the costs and benefits of the flooding. Through examination and analysis of various photographs, videos, and article excerpts, students will consider how these sources can be used to convey the impact of flooding on multiple groups of people in ancient Egypt.
The first supporting question asks why ancient Egypt developed along the Nile River. It was no accident. As one of the earliest civilizations in the world, the Nile River played a central role in providing the water and nutrients needed for agriculture.
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What do origin stories say about the role of women?To answer this question students will read origin stories from cultures around the world. Students will consider the ways that gender is represented and the long term impacts the messages contained within these myths can have on a culture.
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Are Hindu Goddesses feminist icons or stereotypical tropes?In this inquiry, students will examine diverse sources related to ancient Hindu goddesses and determine how these goddesses are portrayed and if that portrayal is empowering to women and how different genders may perceive this portrayal.
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Other useful resources
Body Ritual Among the Nacirema
Examining our own culture as an outsider.
By Horace Miner
By Horace Miner
The Case Against Civilization
Did our hunter-gatherer ancestors have it better?
By John Lanche
By John Lanche
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