Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Ohio Standards
Connection:
History
Benchmark B
Describe the political and
social characteristics of
early civilizations and their
enduring impact on later
civilizations.
Indicator 4
Compare the geographic,
political, economic and
social characteristics of the
river civilizations in the
Tigris and Euphrates
(Mesopotamia), Nile
(Egypt), Huang Ho and
Indus valleys before 1000
B.C. including:
a. Location;
b. Government;
c. Religion;
d. Agriculture;
e. Cultural and scientific
contributions.
Lesson Summary:
All aboard for a trip to ancient India! During this lesson,
students will create a travel brochure highlighting the
accomplishments of the Indus Valley civilization. Group
work will allow students to create brochures illustrating the
location, government, religion, agriculture, cultural and
scientific contributions of this ancient civilization. Students
will use the information in the brochures to complete
graphic organizers identifying similarities and differences
between the Indus Valley and other river civilizations.
Estimated Duration: Five hours
Commentary:
Because of its comparative nature, this lesson is best taught
after one of the ancient river civilizations has already been
studied. Students are challenged to research the Indus River
Valley and then compare it to one they have already
investigated. This lesson incorporates a research project, a
graphic organizer and an extended response assessment.
Also included are two pages of instructional commentary to
help teachers implement this indicator.
Pre-Assessment:
Have students complete Attachment A, Pre-Assessment.
Instruct students to choose a civilization already studied to
describe in response to the listed questions.
Scoring Guidelines:
See Attachment B, Pre-Assessment Key, for suggested
answers.
Post-Assessment:
Have students complete comparative narratives on the
similarities and differences of the two river civilizations they
used in the graphic organizer. Student directions are on
Attachment C, Post-Assessment.
Scoring Guidelines:
See rubric on Attachment C, Post-Assessment.
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Instructional Procedures:
Day One
1. Conduct the pre-assessment using Attachment A.
2. Engage students by asking, “Where do spices come from?” and by showing pictures of
the region.
3. Introduce the Indus Valley region and provide background.
4. Divide students into groups of three. Distribute and explain Attachment F, Directions for
Travel Brochure.
5. Instruct each group to research the location, government, religion, agriculture, cultural
and scientific contributions of the Indus Valley.
6. Provide a variety of materials for research purposes, including textbooks, history books,
books about Indian culture and Internet access. Allow two to three class periods to
complete the research and travel brochure.
Day Two
7. Allow time for students to complete research.
Day Three
8. Have students get back into their groups and briefly review their research.
9. Instruct students to create travel brochures for traveling back in time and visiting the
Indus Valley civilization. Explain that the brochure should be trifold with colorful
illustrations and information about the ancient civilization that developed along the Indus
River.
10. Provide time in class for students to work on travel brochures.
Day Four
11. Provide time in class for students to complete travel brochures.
12. Allow groups to share their completed brochures.
13. Conduct a debriefing session focusing on the geographic, political, economic and social
characteristics of the Indus Valley civilization. Ask the following questions:
a. Why was the Indus River so important to this civilization?
b. What characteristics of this society lead historians to believe it was highly
centralized?
c. What kinds of goods were produced and traded?
d. What geographic and political factors led to the downfall of this civilization?
Day Five
14. Divide students into pairs or small heterogeneous groups. Distribute Attachment D,
Graphic Organizer. Have students compare the Indus Valley civilization with another
river valley civilization they have studied: Mesopotamia (the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers), the Nile civilization of ancient Egypt or the Chinese civilization of the Huang
Ho. Instruct students to describe the similarities between the two in location, government,
religion, agriculture, cultural and scientific contributions.
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
15. Allow students to use research materials, class notes and the Internet to complete the
graphic organizer.
16. Conduct a debriefing session focusing on the geographic, political, economic and social
similarities among all the different civilizations studied.
Day Six
17. Conduct the post-assessment using Attachment C, Post-Assessment.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).
· Allow students to work individually, in pairs or heterogeneous groups.
· Challenge students to compare the common characteristics of the ancient civilizations
with characteristics of modern civilizations. Explain how these characteristics affected
ancient societies and the development of the modern world.
Extension:
Have students produce a television show illustrating the differences and similarities of the
two civilizations. Allow students to script the show, develop props and dress in costume.
Homework Options and Home Connections:
Have students share their completed travel brochures with parents and family members. Have
students discuss if their families would consider a trip to this place and time based on the
information provided. What would the family members enjoy, and what would they not be
interested in seeing?
Interdisciplinary Connections:
English Language Arts
· Writing Processes
Benchmark H: Prepare writing for publication that is legible, follows an appropriate
format and uses techniques such as electronic resources and graphics.
Indicator 17: Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others) writing
that follows a format appropriate to the purpose, using such techniques as electronic
resources, principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing and columns) and graphics
(e.g., drawings, charts and graphs) to enhance the final product.
· Research
Benchmark B: Evaluate the usefulness and credibility of data and sources.
Indicator 2: Identify appropriate sources, and gather relevant information from multiple
sources (e.g., school library catalogs, online databases, electronic resources and Internetbased resources).
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of
its contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does
not endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main
page, therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time, therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related
to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher: Art materials, resource books, textbooks, Internet access.
For the students: Drawing paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, pens or pencils,
reference resources, textbooks, Internet access.
Vocabulary:
· Indus River
· Mesopotamia
· Huang Ho Valley
· Ancient Egypt
· Hinduism
· yoga
· polytheism
· location
· government
· religion
· caste system
· agriculture
· cultural contribution
· scientific contribution
· legacies
· livestock
· brochure
Technology Connections:
· Have students create graphics on the computer for their travel brochures.
· Have students use various Web sites dealing with ancient India, science, religion and
world governments to gather information.
· Have students use publishing software to create travel brochures.
· Have students use time line software to create time lines of history in the Indus Valley.
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Research Connections:
Marzano, Robert J., et al. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for
Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA.: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 2001.
Use of non-linguistic representations such as graphic organizers for comparison helps
students think about and recall knowledge.
Cooperative-learning grouping has a powerful effect on student learning, including
individual and group accountability, interpersonal and small-group skills, and group
processing.
General Tips:
· This lesson has been developed to study the Indus Valley civilization. The instructional
procedures can be modified to teach the other ancient river valley civilizations. Using this
format with all four river valley civilizations would provide a solid basis for comparison.
· The Instructional Commentary, Attachment E, can be shared with students or used for
teacher background information only, depending upon classroom needs and teacher
discretion.
· Help students make connections between ancient India and current events/issues that
affect India and the world today such as overpopulation, religious differences, dietary
practices and continuing caste and class distinctions. Use discussion to connect ancient
issues and modern day problems.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Pre-Assessment
Attachment B, Pre-Assessment Key
Attachment C, Post-Assessment
Attachment D, Graphic Organizer
Attachment E, Instructional Commentary
Attachment F, Directions for Travel Brochure
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment A
Pre-Assessment
Directions: Use knowledge gained from your previous study of ancient river valley
civilizations to answer the following questions in complete sentences. Circle the civilization
you would like to describe.
The ancient civilization I will be writing about is: Mesopotamia, Egypt or Huang Ho.
1.
Describe the location of the civilization.
2. Describe the government of the civilization.
3. Describe the religion the people of this civilization followed. Explain how it was
important to their lives.
4. Discuss the use of agriculture in the civilization.
5. Describe the cultural contributions this civilization made to the world.
6. Describe several scientific legacies from this civilization.
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment B
Pre-Assessment Key
1. Describe the location of an ancient river civilization.
Nile – Egypt, northeastern Africa
Mesopotamia – Middle East, present-day Iraq
Huang Ho – eastern China
2. Describe the government of the civilization.
Nile – monarchy
Mesopotamia – monarchy
Huang Ho - monarchy
3. Describe the religion the people of this civilization followed. Explain how it was
important to their lives.
Nile – polytheism (Osiris, Isis, Horus, Anubis, Thoth, Maat, Ra) and
monotheism (reign of Akhenaton, worship of Aten, the sun god)
Mesopotamia – polytheism
Huang Ho – ancestor worship, worship of rulers
4. Discuss the use of agriculture in the civilization.
Nile – irrigation using the Nile, yearly flooding of the Nile
Mesopotamia – irrigation using the Tigris and Euphrates
Huang Ho – yearly flooding of the Hung Ho (Yellow River)
5. Describe the cultural contributions this civilization made to the world.
Nile – calendar, religious ideas, irrigation, hieroglyphics
Mesopotamia – irrigation techniques, legends and myths, cuneiform writing
Huang Ho – ancestor worship, zodiac, calligraphy, fortune telling
6. Describe some scientific legacies from this civilization.
Nile – astronomy, astrology, mathematics, calendar, architecture
Mesopotamia – numbers, irrigation techniques
Huang Ho – architecture, compass, gunpowder, paper
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment C
Post-Assessment
Extended Response
1. Write an extended response describing and comparing the characteristics of two
civilizations: the Indus Valley and a civilization of your choice. You may use your
completed graphic organizer to help you with your response.
2. Describe the characteristics of both civilizations: location, government, religion,
agriculture, cultural contributions and scientific contributions.
3. Describe the similarities and/or differences between these two cultures.
4. Use full sentences, proper grammar, spelling and punctuation in your writing.
Extended Response Rubric
4
Indus River Valley Well-explained,
accurate
Characteristics
description of all
six characteristics
Other Civilization
Characteristics
Well-explained,
accurate
description of all
six characteristics
Similarities/
Differences
Correctly
describes all
characteristics as
similarities or
differences
Writing
Mechanics
Well-written
sentences, few
spelling or
grammar errors
3
2
1
Well-explained,
accurate
description of
five
characteristics
Well-explained,
accurate
description of
five
characteristics
Correctly
describes five
characteristics as
similarities or
differences
Accurate
description of
four
characteristics
Accurate
description of at
least two
characteristics
Accurate
description of
four
characteristics
Accurate
description of at
least two
characteristics
Correctly
describes four
characteristics as
similarities or
differences
Not more than
one sentence
fragment, few
spelling or
grammar errors
Partial sentences,
significant
spelling or
grammar errors
At least two of
the characteristics
are correctly
described as
similarities or
differences
Many errors
which impede
understanding of
content
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment D
Graphic Organizer
Directions: Select a civilization to compare to the Indus Valley and write the name of that
civilization at the top of the third column. In the appropriate boxes, describe the location,
government, religion, agriculture, cultural and scientific contributions of each civilization. In
the last column, describe how the characteristics of the two civilizations are similar.
Indus River Valley
_________________
Similarities
Location
Government
Religion
Agriculture
Cultural
Contributions
Scientific
Contributions
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment E
Instructional Commentary
Indus Valley Background:
Location:
This civilization was located in the valley of the Indus River and its tributaries in the
northwestern section of the Indian subcontinent (present-day Pakistan). At its height, its
geographical spread was greater than that of Egypt or Mesopotamia. Focus on the Indus plain
and the path of the Indo-Aryan invaders through the Khyber Pass of the Hindu Kush
Mountains.
Government:
Historians believe that the Indus Valley civilization probably had a strong central
government because the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, which are about four hundred
miles apart, have the same city-planning layout, with sewer systems, same-size bricks for
street paving and construction, and similar water and well systems.
Religion:
The arts flourished in the Indus Valley, most notably the steatite seals engraved with animal
figures and bearing a line of pictographic script. On some seals, are depicted a bo tree or a
Babylonian tree of life, and others have as their central figure the god, Shiva, who later
became dominant in the Hindu pantheon. Bath houses, which were probably used for sacred
ablutions, found next to city government buildings have led historians to believe that ritual
bathing may have played an important part in daily life.
The Aryans brought a new belief system, which became the basis of the Hindu religion.
Throughout the next 2,000 years, the Indo-Aryans developed a Brahmanic civilization, from
which Hinduism evolved. Provide students with informational materials about this
polytheistic religion.
Agriculture:
Stone seals showing livestock and storage areas for grain point to a lively agricultural
community. Because people could rely on farmers to produce a surplus of food,
specialization took place, evidenced by the remains of workshops lining city streets. The
economy of the Indus civilization was based on a highly organized agriculture, supplemented
by an active commerce, probably connected to that of the ancient civilizations of
Mesopotamia. For example, Harappan seals have been found in Iran. Examples of
contributions from this area include production of crystallized sugar, cotton spun into thread
and woven into cloth, the cultivation of spices such as pepper, ginger, cloves and cinnamon,
the use of teakwood for building purposes, and the blue dye, indigo.
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment E (continued)
Instructional Commentary
Cultural Contributions:
Examples of the cultural contributions of the Indus Valley civilization include yoga, ancient
forms of dance, pottery making, the basic tenants of the Hindu religion, many objects of
copper, bronze and pottery including terra-cotta toys and an ancient pictographic writing that
has yet to be deciphered. The social system called “castes” developed during this era.
Scientific Contributions:
Indian doctors today are practicing healing arts that are 5,000 years old. The forging of
metals such as iron, tin and copper appeared in early Indian history. The concept of zero and
some algebraic concepts were derived in ancient India.
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Next Stop: Ancient India – Grade Six
Attachment F
Directions for Travel Brochure
Directions: Imagine you work for a travel agency that offers time-travel packages to great
ancient civilizations. Work with your team members to create a travel brochure advertising a
visit to the ancient civilization that developed in the Indus Valley. The brochure should
provide travelers with information on the location, government, religion, agriculture, cultural
and scientific contributions that they would see in ancient India. Create a colorful,
informative brochure to entice your customers to travel back in time and visit the Indus
Valley.
Include the following information:
a. Location: An explanation of the location of the Indus Valley. How would a
traveler get to this place? What is the climate like?
b. Government: An overview of the region’s governmental system. Who ruled?
How did he/she come to power? Were the citizens involved? Who made laws
and who enforced them?
c. Religion: An overview of the religion and the religious practices of the area.
What would a visitor need to know about religious customs?
d. Agriculture: What crops and livestock were raised in this area? Were these
items used solely for survival or were they traded for other goods?
e. Culture: Describe cultural contributions that came from the Indus Valley.
What are the legacies they have passed down through history?
f. Science: Describe scientific contributions that developed in the Indus Valley.
How have these gifts aided future civilizations?
Requirements:
· Create a trifold brochure by folding a piece of white 8 1/2” x 11” paper into
thirds.
· On each of the six sides, present information on a different aspect of the Indus
Valley civilization.
· On the front, include a title and description of the location.
· Title the remaining five sections as: Government, Religion, Agriculture,
Cultural Contributions and Scientific Contributions.
· Include colorful illustrations in each section.
· Use your own words. Be clear, and edit your work for proper spelling and
grammar.
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