River Valley Civilization Assignment
Objective: To create a digital presentation narrating the rise, role, importance and decline of the
River Valley civilizations as defined by the course framework from College Board.
Instructions: In groups of 4-5 students you will be given one civilization to research and present
over. Within each group you will be given one or two themes to research and create a portion of
the presentation on. You will have 2 days of class to work on this and one day to present. The
presentations must be 5-8 minutes no more and no less! They must be pre-recorded so you can
hit play and go. They must be visually stimulating and not simply text. They must correctly
address the 5 themes and provide specific information that is addressed in our course
framework. Finally, this presentation must be presented as a narrative and not simply a data
dump as it must flow and be entertaining.
Civilizations being researched and page numbers…Wood: Mesopotamia (39-44), Indus Valley
(51-55), Egypt (44-51), China (55-62) Chavin and Olmec (63-66). Stearns: Mesopotamia (2836), Indus Valley (50-56), Egypt (36-41), China (56-65), Olmec and Chavin (171-172/180-181).
Presentations must be done using a digital tool such as Screencast, Storybird, Windows Movie
Maker, Animoto, Podcast w/Visual Montage, Digital Story, Infograph (ex: Piktochart,
Infogr.am), iMovie, Youtube post, etc. This is not an exclusive list. I encourage you to reach out
and grasp ingenuity by choosing a new and different tool or resource to present your
Civilization. **Powerpoints and Prezi will not be accepted. You cannot “stand and
deliver” your information. It must be pre-recorded/pre-configured.**
*By the end of class on Tuesday, September 1, inform me of you digital delivery choice so I can
make sure the classroom equipment can accommodate it. Thanks!
Grades will be based on the following criteria:
1. Content + 7-10 visuals…are they relevant? Correct time frame? Correct civilization? (must cite
location from where you sourced your pictures…website, news publication, etc.)
Points: 1-15 ________
2. Presentation Length: Too long? Too short? Universal participation?
Points: 1-5 ________
3. Overall production of presentation: Engaging and appealing?
Points: 1-5 ________
Theme Information that needs to be covered (all of this comes directly from the AP Course
Framework (posted on Moodle) which means it is testable in May):
1. Human and Environment Interaction (KC 1.2 I: A-E)
- specific location/map with boundaries of civilization beginning height and decline, specific
examples of crops grown, animals domesticated, irrigation projects constructed, 2 major
consequences of human environmental impacts.
Points: 1-15 ________
2. Interaction of Culture and Technology (KC 1.3 III: A,B,C,E,H)
- specific types of monumental architecture and functional examples of urban planning, specific
artwork created (meaning), example of written communication, religious beliefs or structures in
place, literature examples, technology created that improved civilization, warfare, trade…
Points: 1-15 ________
3. State Building, Expansion and Conflict (KC 1.3 I&II A-D)
- make up of your civilizations: political system…did it change over time? Centralized or
decentralized …why? What caused the expansion and decline of your civilization…
Points: 1-15 ________
4. Transformation of Economic System (should be closely related to Theme 1) ( KC 1.2 II
C&D, KC 1.3 III F)
- what did your civilization look like as agriculture grew? What did trade look like? Goods
traded/produced/distributed? Any luxury goods?
Points: 1-15 ________
5. Social Structures (KC 1.2 II A,B,D & KC 1.3 G)
- impact of agriculture on civilization, social structure, gender structures, specialization of labor,
how did social and gender structures expand/change as societies enlarged and came into contact
with others?
Points: 1-15 ________