Exploring Civilizations

Human History is the description of humanity’s past. With civilizations flourishing, ancient history saw the rise & fall of empires. Civilization is a topic that helps learners have a better understanding of our past. It is with that aim our learners of grade 7 & 8 were transported in the historic & prehistoric era. They explored ancient civilization, providing them insights into why & how history has unfolded & flourished in different parts of the world at different times.

The Launch stage focused on relating ancient civilizations to humanities & social sciences. It helped learners understand the economic and political commonalities & differences among cultures, people & the environment. Learners were also introduced to the concept of Archaeology, its purpose & its process.

In the Deep Dive stage, learners made a comparison matrix to show the differences between civilizations in the past and in the present. The beginnings of civilizations as well as basic elements that make up civilizations are essential to learn. For example, some elements of the current world, such as class divisions, government, economics, religion & geography, all relate back in some way to ancient civilizations. So, starting from the past & working their way forward in history is a great way to understand how past & present are tied together.

One of the most difficult things in learning ancient civilizations is creating a program that makes historical study interesting. However, the topic was concluded with a very interesting learning experience. The tool used to assist learners to visually see the progression of the world was visual art. The exploration of ancient civilizations started with the individual & gradually moved outward; self, family, their community, their state, the country & finally the world, which ultimately helped them understand the interconnectedness of our past and present.