Course/Grade Level: 5
Lesson Title: Ancient American Civilizations
Teacher: Rich Muniz
1. Set Induction:
The Teacher will show the PowerPoint, Ancient American Civilizations, discussing the contents
of each slide.
2. Aims/Objectives and Standards:
District 205 Grade 5 Social Studies Standards
HISTORY

Analyze and interpret historical stories and events using primary source documents, timelines, images, maps,
media, literary works, and non-literary works. SS5-04
GEOGRAPHY

Explain how geographical factors and location influence the development of the United States through analysis of maps,
charts, globes, graphs, diagrams, models, etc. SS5-08
SOCIAL SYSTEMS

Identify historically significant individuals, groups, or cultures who affected social life or institutions of the United
States through literature, language, arts, traditions, events, media, etc. SS5-09
3. Procedures, Assessments and Materials Required:
Procedures:
 Place PowerPoint, Ancient American Civilizations, on the shared drive and make it
accessible to the class.
 Show and discuss the PowerPoint, Ancient American Civilizations, to the class.
 Hand out the worksheet, Ancient American Civilizations.
 Give students time to work through the PowerPoint on their own and fill out the
worksheet. (Suggested time: 1 week)
 Review the worksheet
 Administer the assessment
Assessment
 Test (See materials required)
Materials Required:
 Ancient American Civilizations PowerPoint
 Ancient American Civilizations worksheet
 Ancient American Civilizations worksheet key
 Ancient American Civilizations Test
 Ancient American Civilizations Test Key
4. Resources and Scholarship:
Adena Culture:
Cowan, C. Wesley (1987). First Farmers of the Middle Ohio ValleyFort Ancient
Societies, AD100-1670. Cincinnati Museum of Natural History. Cincinnati,
Ohio.
http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=237
http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/adena.html
http://clio.missouristate.edu/lburt/Resources121/AdenaMounds_1.htm
http://www.indiana.edu/~arch/saa/matrix/naa/naa_web/mod12B.html
Hopewell Tradition:
Silverberg, Robert. (1986). The Moundbuilders. Ohio University Press. Athens,
Ohio.
http://www.uwlax.edu/mvac/preeuropeanpeople/earlycultures/wood_hopewell.html
http://clio.missouristate.edu/lburt/Resources121/HopewellIndians_1.htm
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/hopewell_culture_park99.pdf
Mississippian Culture:
Silverberg, Robert. (1986). The Moundbuilders. Ohio University Press. Athens,
Ohio.
http://iweb.tntech.edu/kosburn/history-499/Mississippian-Culture.htm
http://www.uwlax.edu/mvac/preeuropeanpeople/earlycultures/mississippi_tradition.
html
http://bama.ua.edu/~alaarch/prehistoricalabama/mississippian.htm
http://www.beloit.edu/logan_online/exhibitions/virtual_exhibitions/north_america/w
oodland/culture.php
Cahokia:
Mink, Claudia G. (1992). Cahokia: City of the Sun. Cahokia Mounds Museum
Society. Collinsville, Illinois.
http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/cahokia.html
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/1492/1492_cahokia.cfm
http://www.meredith.edu/nativeam/cahokia.htm
http://cahokiamounds.org/
Hohokam:
http://www.tempe.gov/museum/Tempe_history/basics/hohokam.htm
http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/onlinebks/HOHOKAM/TITLHOHO.HTM
http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/ftlowell/hohokam.html
http://www.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/los_hornos/tucson/chap2.htm
Ancestral Pueblo People (Anasazi):
Childs, Craig. (2008). House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization through the
American Southwest. Back Bay Books. New York.
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ahc/who_were_the_anasazi.html
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/anasazi.html
http://cpluhna.nau.edu/People/anasazi.htm
http://pages.towson.edu/brenda/newmexico/anasazi.htm
5. Conclusion/Lesson Wrap-up:
Assessment: Ancient American Civilizations
Ancient American Civilizations
Name______________________ Date____________
Adena Culture
1. When did the Adena Culture exist? _____________________________
2. Where did the Adena people live? ______________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. List five things that the Adena people were the first to do in North
America.
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________
4. Why did the Adena people likely move frequently? __________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
5. Describe Adena pottery. ____________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Hopewell Tradition
1. When did the Hopewell Tradition exist? _________________________
2. Where did the Hopewell people live? ____________________________
3. How were the Hopewell people connected? _______________________
_______________________________________________________
4. What are the Hopewell trade routes called? _______________________
_______________________________________________________
5. Where were the Hopewell trade routes centered? ___________________
_______________________________________________________
6. How did the Hopewell mounds and burial grounds compare to the Adena
people’s mounds? __________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
7. How did the Hopewell people’s system of leadership compare to the Adena
people’s system? ___________________________________________
Mississippian Culture
1. Where did the Mississippian Culture flourish? _____________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. When did the Mississippian Culture exist? ________________________
3. What shapes were the Mississippian mounds?______________________
4. What kinds of structures were often constructed atop of Mississippian
mounds? ________________________________________________
5. On what crop was the Mississippians’ agriculture based? _____________
6. What did Mississippian potters learn to temper their pottery with? _______
7. How far did the Mississippian trade system extend? _________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
8. How was the Mississippian society different from Hopewell and Adena
societies? ________________________________________________
9. How was political and religious power combined in Mississippian culture?
_______________________________________________________
Cahokia
1. When was Cahokia inhabited? _________________________________
2. About how many people lived in Cahokia at its peak? ________________
3. About how many mounds were constructed at Cahokia? ______________
4. Describe how the city of Cahokia was laid out. _____________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
5. What is the largest mound at Cahokia called? Why is it called this? ______
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
6. How high was Monks Mound? _________________________________
7. How long did it take to complete Monks Mound? ___________________
8. What structure sat atop Monks Mound? _________________________
9. What is the large, open space in front of Monks Mound called?
_______________________________________________________
10. What was this space used for? ________________________________
11. What structure enclosed the area around Monks Mound?
_______________________________________________________
Hohokam
1. When did the Hohokam culture exist?____________________________
2. What crops did the Hohokam people grow? _______________________
_______________________________________________________
3. What does the word “irrigate” mean?_____________________________
_______________________________________________________
4. What did the Hohokam build to irrigate their crops? _________________
5. What game did the Hohokam hunt? _____________________________
_______________________________________________________
6. What food did the Hohokam harvest from their canals? _______________
_______________________________________________________
Ancestral Pueblo People (Anasazi)
1. When did the Ancestral Pueblo People live? _______________________
2. Where was the Anasazi culture located? __________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. What were the Anasazi houses called? ___________________________
4. Where were the Anasazi houses often built? _______________________
5. Why were their homes built there? ______________________________
6. Describe Anasazi pottery. ___________________________________
_______________________________________________________
7. What crops did the Anasazi grow? ______________________________
8. What tools were used by the Anasazi to grind corn into flour?
_______________________________________________________
9. What two kinds of rock art did the Anasazi create?
_______________________________________________________
10. What are pictographs? _____________________________________
11. What are petroglyphs? _____________________________________
12. Why might the Anasazi have created rock art? ____________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
13. What are some of the images depicted in Anasazi rock art? ___________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Match the terms on the left with their descriptions on the right.
1. Mounds____
A. Made from the digging of soil used to make mounds.
2. Temper____
B. A building construction material made of sun-dried
mud, clay, sand, and straw.
3. Stratified ____
C. A large fence made from logs.
4. Plaza____
D. These were built for burials and as platforms for
buildings.
5. Borrow pit____
E. Tools used for grinding corn.
6. Stockade____
F. Cloth or woven fabrics.
7. Canal____
G. Large buildings built of stone and adobe and used
for homes, grain storage, and religious purposes.
8. Irrigate____
H. A large open area in a city.
9. Pueblos____
I. To water crops.
10. Mano & metate____
J. Paintings on rocks or rock walls.
11. Pictographs____
K. Man-made waterway used for travel or to transport
water to agricultural fields.
12. Petroglyphs____
L. To add bits of broken shell to pottery to make it
stronger.
13. Adobe____
M. A society in which not everyone is of equal rank.
14. Textiles____
N. Carvings on rocks or rock walls.
Match the civilization on the left with its description on the right.
1. Adena____
A. These people built larger, more elaborate burial grounds
and mounds; made beautifully crafted objects of art; and
had a complex system of leadership. Their trade routes
centered around rivers, such as the Ohio and Illinois Rivers.
2. Hopewell____
B. These people built large pueblos, often under the
overhangs of cliffs. They were known for their beautiful,
black and white pottery, and rock art.
3. Mississippian____
C. These people were farmers who built canals to irrigate their
agricultural fields. They grew beans, , squash and cotton
for textiles.
4. Hohokam____
D. The first people in the Ohio region to settle down in small
villages, cultivate crops, use pottery vessels, acquire exotic
raw materials, as copper and marine shell, to make
ornaments and jewelry, and bury their honored dead in
conical burial mounds.
5. Anasazi____
E. These people built large earthen mounds. Some were used
for burials and some were platforms used to support
buildings. A complex leadership system combined political
and religious power in the form of a priest/king.
Place the following civilizations on the timeline below.
Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian, Hohokam, Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi)
2000 CE
1500 CE
1000 CE
500 CE
0
500 BCE
1000 BCE
Adena
Hopewell
Mississippian
Hohokam
Anasazi
Essay: In what ways were the ancient American civilizations similar?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Ancient American Civilizations
Key
Adena Culture
1. When did the Adena Culture exist? 800 BCE – 200 CE
2. Where did the Adena people live? Southern Ohio and neighboring regions
of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana
3. List five things that the Adena people were the first to do in North
America.
1. They settled down in small villages
2. They cultivated crops
3. They used pottery vessels
4. They used exotic raw materials to make ornaments and jewelry
5. They buried their honored dead in conical burial mounds
4. Why did the Adena people likely move frequently? Because they
continued to follow a hunting and gathering way of life
5. Describe Adena pottery. They were large, thick-walled vessels most likely
used to cook the ground-up seeds they gathered into a gruel something like
oatmeal
Hopewell Tradition
1. When did the Hopewell Tradition exist? 300 BCE – 600 CE
2. Where did the Hopewell people live? Northeastern and Midwestern US
3. How were the Hopewell people connected? By a common system of trade
routes
4. What are the Hopewell trade routes called? The Hopewell Exchange
System
5. Where were the Hopewell trade routes centered? Around rivers, such as
the Ohio and Illinois Rivers
6. How did the Hopewell mounds and burial grounds compare to the Adena
people’s mounds? They were larger and more elaborate
7. How did the Hopewell people’s system of leadership compare to the Adena
people’s system? It was more complex
Mississippian Culture
1. Where did the Mississippian Culture flourish? In the Eastern, Midwestern
and Southeastern United States
2. When did the Mississippian Culture exist? 700 CE – 1700 BCE
3. What shapes were the Mississippian mounds? Square, rectangular, circular
4. What kinds of structures were often constructed atop of Mississippian
mounds? Domestic houses, temples, and burial buildings
5. On what crop was the Mississippians’ agriculture based? Maize (corn)
6. What did Mississippian potters learn to temper their pottery with? Shell
7. How far did the Mississippian trade system extend? From the Rocky
Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of
Mexico
8. How was the Mississippian society different from Hopewell and Adena
societies? The society was highly stratified
9. How was political and religious power combined in Mississippian culture?
In the form of a priest/king
Cahokia
1. When was Cahokia inhabited? 600 CE – 1400 CE
2. About how many people lived in Cahokia at its peak? 20,000 – 30,000
3. About how many mounds were constructed at Cahokia? Over 120
4. Describe how the city of Cahokia was laid out. Houses were arranged in
rows and around open plazas, and vast agricultural fields lay outside the city.
A stockade fence enclosed a large central plaza and large ceremonial
Buildings.
5. What is the largest mound at Cahokia called? Why is it called this? Monks
Mound. It is named for the French Monks that built a monastery there.
6. How high was Monks Mound? 100 feet
7. How long did it take to complete Monks Mound? Over 300 years
8. What structure sat atop Monks Mound? A large temple or palace
9. What is the large, open space in front of Monks Mound called?
The Grand Plaza
10. What was this space used for? Rituals, public gatherings, games, markets
11. What structure enclosed the area around Monks Mound?
A stockade fence
Hohokam
1. When did the Hohokam culture exist? 1 CE – 1450 CE
2. What crops did the Hohokam people grow? Corn, beans, squash and
cotton for textiles
3. What does the word “irrigate” mean? To water crops
4. What did the Hohokam build to irrigate their crops? Canals
5. What game did the Hohokam hunt? Deer, rabbit, and quail
6. What food did the Hohokam harvest from their canals? Shellfish and fish
Ancestral Pueblo People (Anasazi)
1. When did the Ancestral Pueblo People live? 300 CE – 1300 CE
2. Where was the Anasazi culture located? Southern Utah, northern
Arizona, northwest New Mexico, and southern Colorado
3. What were the Anasazi houses called? Pueblos
4. Where were the Anasazi houses often built? Under cliff overhangs
5. Why were their homes built there? For protection from enemy attack
6. Describe Anasazi pottery. It was usually black on white and depicted bold
geometric designs.
7. What crops did the Anasazi grow? Corn, beans, squash
8. What tools were used by the Anasazi to grind corn into flour?
Mano and metate
9. What two kinds of rock art did the Anasazi create?
Pictographs and petroglyphs
10. What are pictographs? Paintings on rock
11. What are petroglyphs? Carvings on rock
12. Why might the Anasazi have created rock art? Archaeologists believe that
some may be clan symbols marking locations where families lived or traveled ,
while some researchers think the images may have been created by religious
leaders or village shamans
13. What are some of the images depicted in Anasazi rock art? Animals,
people, hunting scenes, shapes and lines.
Match the terms on the left with their descriptions on the right.
8. Mounds D
A. Made from the digging of soil used to make mounds.
9. Temper L
B. A building construction material made of sun-dried
mud, clay, sand, and straw.
10. Stratified M
C. A large fence made from logs.
11. Plaza H
D. These were built for burials and as platforms for
buildings.
12. Borrow pit A
E. Tools used for grinding corn.
13. Stockade C
F. Cloth or woven fabrics.
14. Canal K
G. Large buildings built of stone and adobe and used
for homes, grain storage, and religious purposes.
8. Irrigate I
H. A large open area in a city.
9. Pueblos G
I. To water crops.
10. Mano & metate E
J. Paintings on rocks or rock walls.
11. Pictographs J
K. Man-made waterway used for travel or to transport
water to agricultural fields.
12. Petroglyphs N
L. To add bits of broken shell to pottery to make it
stronger.
13. Adobe B
M. A society in which not everyone is of equal rank.
14. Textiles F
N. Carvings on rocks or rock walls.
Match the civilization on the left with its description on the right.
1. Adena D
A. These people built larger, more elaborate burial grounds
and mounds; made beautifully crafted objects of art; and
had a complex system of leadership. Their trade routes
centered around rivers, such as the Ohio and Illinois Rivers.
2. Hopewell A
B. These people built large pueblos, often under the
overhangs of cliffs. They were known for their beautiful,
black and white pottery, and rock art.
3. Mississippian E
C. These people were farmers who built canals to irrigate their
agricultural fields. They grew beans, , squash and cotton
for textiles.
4. Hohokam C
D. The first people in the Ohio region to settle down in small
villages, cultivate crops, use pottery vessels, acquire exotic
raw materials, as copper and marine shell, to make
ornaments and jewelry, and bury their honored dead in
conical burial mounds.
5. Anasazi B
E. These people built large earthen mounds. Some were used
for burials and some were platforms used to support
buildings. A complex leadership system combined political
and religious power in the form of a priest/king.
Place the following civilizations on the timeline below.
Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian, Hohokam, Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi)
2000 CE
1500 CE
1000 CE
500 CE
0
500 BCE
1000 BCE
Adena
Hopewell
Mississippian
Hohokam
Anasazi
Essay: In what ways were the ancient American civilizations similar?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Ancient American Civilizations Test
Name___________________________ Date____________
Match the civilization on the left with its description on the right.
1. Adena____
A. These people were farmers who built canals to irrigate their
agricultural fields. They grew beans, , squash and cotton
for textiles.
2. Hopewell____
B. The first people in the Ohio region to settle down in small
villages, cultivate crops, use pottery vessels, acquire exotic
raw materials, as copper and marine shell, to make
ornaments and jewelry, and bury their honored dead in
conical burial mounds.
3. Mississippian____
C. These people built large pueblos, often under the
overhangs of cliffs. They were known for their beautiful,
black and white pottery, and rock art.
4. Hohokam____
D. These people built large earthen mounds. Some were used
for burials and some were platforms used to support
buildings. A complex leadership system combined political
and religious power in the form of a priest/king.
5. Anasazi____
E. These people built larger, more elaborate burial grounds
and mounds; made beautifully crafted objects of art; and
had a complex system of leadership. Their trade routes
centered around rivers, such as the Ohio and Illinois Rivers.
Match the terms on the left with their descriptions on the right.
15. Mounds____
A. Cloth or woven fabrics.
16. Temper____
B. A building construction material made of sun-dried
mud, clay, sand, and straw.
17. Stratified ____
C. A large fence made from logs.
4. Plaza____
D. Man-made waterway used for travel or to transport
water to agricultural fields.
5. Borrow pit____
E. Carvings on rocks or rock walls.
6. Stockade____
F. Paintings on rocks or rock walls.
7. Canal____
G. Large buildings built of stone and adobe and used
for homes, grain storage, and religious purposes.
8. Irrigate____
H. A society in which not everyone is of equal rank.
9. Pueblos____
I. These were built for burials and as platforms for
buildings.
10. Mano & metate____
J. To water crops.
11. Pictographs____
K. To add bits of broken shell to pottery to make it
stronger.
12. Petroglyphs____
L. A large open area in a city.
13. Adobe____
M. Tools used for grinding corn.
14. Textiles____
N. Made from the digging of soil used to make mounds.
Essay (10 points):
In what ways were the ancient American civilizations similar? In what ways were
they different?
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Ancient American Civilizations Test
Key
Match the civilization on the left with its description on the right.
1. Adena B
A. These people were farmers who built canals to irrigate their
agricultural fields. They grew beans, , squash and cotton
for textiles.
2. Hopewell D
B. The first people in the Ohio region to settle down in small
villages, cultivate crops, use pottery vessels, acquire exotic
raw materials, as copper and marine shell, to make
ornaments and jewelry, and bury their honored dead in
conical burial mounds.
3. Mississippian E
C. These people built large pueblos, often under the
overhangs of cliffs. They were known for their beautiful,
black and white pottery, and rock art.
4. Hohokam A
D. These people built large earthen mounds. Some were used
for burials and some were platforms used to support
buildings. A complex leadership system combined political
and religious power in the form of a priest/king.
5. Anasazi C
E. These people built larger, more elaborate burial grounds
and mounds; made beautifully crafted objects of art; and
had a complex system of leadership. Their trade routes
centered around rivers, such as the Ohio and Illinois Rivers.
Match the terms on the left with their descriptions on the right.
18. Mounds I
A. Cloth or woven fabrics.
19. Temper K
B. A building construction material made of sun-dried
mud, clay, sand, and straw.
20. Stratified H
C. A large fence made from logs.
4. Plaza L
D. Man-made waterway used for travel or to transport
water to agricultural fields.
6. Borrow pit N
E. Carvings on rocks or rock walls.
6. Stockade C
F. Paintings on rocks or rock walls.
8. Canal D
G. Large buildings built of stone and adobe and used
for homes, grain storage, and religious purposes.
8. Irrigate J
H. A society in which not everyone is of equal rank.
9. Pueblos G
I. These were built for burials and as platforms for
buildings.
10. Mano & metate M
J. To water crops.
11. Pictographs F
K. To add bits of broken shell to pottery to make it
stronger.
12. Petroglyphs E
L. A large open area in a city.
13. Adobe B
M. Tools used for grinding corn.
14. Textiles A
N. Made from the digging of soil used to make mounds.
Essay (10 points):
In what ways were the ancient American civilizations similar? In what ways were
they different?
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