Classical Civilizations: Greece, Rome, China, India & Persia
Culture & Golden Ages
Directions: Collect information with a team then work individually to create a Padlet
describing the culture of a classical civilization.
Grade Breakdown:
 25% of your grade will be earned as a group.
o based on the introduction paragraph
 75% of your grade will be earned as an individual.
o based on a Padlet panel for 1 of the 4 aspects of culture (doc, slides, or
Coggle)
o based on your answers to your first Big Idea question
o based on your answer to your second Big Idea question
Your Padlet must include:
I. TEAM: An introduction paragraph of your civilization’s culture
II. INDIVIDUAL (coordinated with team): An individual Padlet tile describing a specific
feature of the culture of your civilization. The team will share tiles so that each Padlet
contains 3-5 of these.
III and IV. INDIVIDUAL: Two 8-sentence mini-essays answering two of the Big Idea
questions.
Sharing:
 Share the padlet with your team and Mr. Skea.
 Share all the things embedded into the padlet with your team and Mr. Skea, so that
they can open them.
 Essays may be written directly into a Padlet tile or into a separate Google Doc that
is linked into a tile. If it is written as a separate Google Doc, make sure to share it
with Mr. Skea and your team.
A few short notes about the Padlet where you will put all of this:
The visual format should
look like this:
I. TEAM: An introduction paragraph of your civilization’s culture
 Must be at least 8 sentences.
o Introduction sentence, 3 examples, 3 partner sentences, and a conclusion
sentence.
Format
Examples
Explanations
2
2 or more required
parts are missing,
incomplete, or difficult
to understand.
4
1 or more required
parts are missing,
incomplete, or difficult
to understand.
Missing an example,
OR two or more
examples are unclear
or do not support the
thesis statement.
1 or more missing
partner sentences.
All examples present,
1 or more examples
are unclear, or do not
support the thesis
statement.
1 or more partner
sentences do not fully
describe or explain
the importance of the
example.
5
Includes clear
examples of ALL
required parts:
introduction, 3
examples, 3 partners,
conclusion
All examples directly
support the thesis
statement.
Each example is
followed by at least
one partner sentence
that clearly describes
and explains the
importance of the
example.
II. INDIVIDUAL (coordinated with team): An individual Padlet tile describing a specific
feature of the culture of your civilization. The team will share tiles so that each Padlet
contains 3-5 of these.
 Your tile may include an 8-sentence mini-esssay, a set of 5 Google Slides formatted
as a mini-essay, or a Coggle formatted as a mini-essay.
 Share any files embedded into your Padlet with both your teacher and teammates.
Otherwise, your information will not be available to them.
English usage
3 clear examples
Explanation or
illustration
2
Use of English is so
poor that the work is
difficult to understand.
Missing an example
OR two or more
examples are unclear
or do not support the
thesis statement.
1 or more missing
components.
4
4 or more English
usage errors OR 1
missing citation.
All examples present,
1 or more does not
support the thesis
statement.
5
Complete sentences,
clear explanations,
citation (if needed)
All examples directly
support the thesis
statement.
1 or more does not
fully describe or
explain the
importance of the
example.
Each example or
illustration is followed
by either a partner
sentence or a caption
that clearly describes
and explains the
importance of the
example.
III and IV. INDIVIDUAL: Two 8-sentence mini-essays answering two of the Big Idea
questions below
1. How did religion control or influence their lives?
2. How does religion impact lives in the modern world [Wyckoffian Civilization]?
3. How does our modern world reflect the innovations of classical civilizations?
4. What innovations had the largest impact on the classical societies and what were
the impacts?
Format
Examples
Explanations
2
2 or more required
parts are missing,
incomplete, or difficult
to understand.
4
1 or more required
parts are missing,
incomplete, or difficult
to understand.
Missing an example,
OR two or more
examples are unclear
or do not support the
thesis statement.
1 or more missing
partner sentences.
All examples present,
1 or more examples
are unclear, or do not
support the thesis
statement.
1 or more partner
sentences do not fully
describe or explain
the importance of the
example.
5
Includes clear
examples of ALL
required parts:
introduction, 3
examples, 3 partners,
conclusion
All examples directly
support the thesis
statement.
Each example is
followed by at least
one partner sentence
that clearly describes
and explains the
importance of the
example.
Aspects of culture for the individuallycreated and shared-to-the-group Padlet tile:









Religion
 Type of religion
 Rituals/Ceremonies
 Buildings
 Leaders
Different belief systems of philosophies
 Leaders
 Development story
 Practices
Stories or Literature
 Creation stories
 Fables or myths
Artists, sculptors, musicians, writers
 Names of works
 Images of
 Interesting stories about their lives
 Any still around? Where?
Thinkers, philosophers, inventors, scientists
 Beliefs or revelations
 First to discover something?
 Interesting stories about their lives
Buildings or architectural techniques
 Names of places or types
 How is was used, why
 Are they still standing
Festivals or ceremonies
 Where, Why, What
 Still today?
Major battles or wars or military techniques
 Who, What, Where, Why
 Winners? Results of?
Great leaders or government officials
 Who
 What did they do
 Why were they important
If there’s something you don’t see on this list that you
would like to focus on, just ask!
Monday
Split period of two shifts, 4 tables split by “Big Question”
Students complete graphic organizers then start writing essays for Big Question responses
HW: finish at least one essay, checked at start of class Tuesday
Tuesday
Students complete graphic organizers then start creating their individual Padlet tiles
Up to 10 mini-groups split by topic of individual Padlet tile
HW: Outline of individual Padlet tile complete
Wednesday
Civilization teams re-connect
1) share links to individual padlet tiles
2) complete graphic organizer to prepare for introductory mini-essay
3) team writes introductory mini-essay
HW: finish individual Padlet tiles, finish second Big Question essay, assemble individual
Padlet
Thursday
Field Trip to Sandy Hook Environmental Center
Friday
Can the challenge be modified to do in just one day?
Can the challenge be modified into an essay outline task?
Need to wrap it up today to catch up to Caputo?