Ancient Civilizations Unit – Free Resource Roundup
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 04, 2024
Looking for some FREE activities to help spice up your Ancient Civilization Unit? I wanted to be sure you had access to all of the free Ancient History resources in one place, so I decided to put together an Ancient Civilizations Unit freebie roundup post!
Click on the images below to download these fun resources to use for your next Ancient Civilizations unit. I hope you are able to find something to engage your students and make your planning a little easier.
Vocabulary Word Wall Cards
Do your students struggle with content specific vocabulary as much as mine do? To help solve this problem, and make our vocabulary activities a lot more fun, I created a set of word wall cards to go along with the civilizations taught in our Ancient Civilizations unit.
Simply cut out the cards, laminate them, and hang them up in your classroom. I like to use them as a warm up review at the start of class, or as a quick review to fill up the last few minutes before the bell. After students have practiced the words for a few classes, I cover up the definitions with sticky notes and have the kids raise their hands to guess the answers.
You can download a complete set of each of the word wall cards by clicking on the images below.
Unit Introduction Activities
Are you looking for some engaging ways to introduce your Ancient Civilizations curriculum? Look no further! You can download a COMPLETE introduction unit for Ancient Greece and Mesopotamia by clicking on the images below. Each unit contains detailed reading passages, comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and activities!
Research Posters
These Ancient Egypt Research posters make a great independent research project for upper elementary and middle school learners. A variety of different fun templates to use are included – you can pick the ones that you think will work best, or allow your students to choose. I love using the templates because they help to guide and structure the research
Download a complete set of these Ancient Egypt research posters by clicking on the image below.
The Odyssey – Character Analysis Activities
Looking for a fun way to integrate literacy into your social studies curriculum? I absolutely LOVE using Robin Lister’s version of The Odyssey when teaching about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. This version is super student-friendly and accessible, while still maintaining the excitement and allure of Homer’s original epic tale.
You can download a FREE activity to use alongside your study of The Odyssey by clicking here or on the image below. This activity asks students to closely examine character perspective, and is a fun way to integrate art and literacy.
Looking for more information on teaching this novel? Check out my blog post all about teaching The Odyssey here!
For more information on teaching about The Odyssey, check out this post!
For detailed information on teaching specific history topics, check out our posts on teaching Prehistory, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece!
Interested in learning more about teaching an ancient civilizations Unit?
Check out my previous posts below!
7 Essential Topics for teaching about Ancient Egypt
9 Essential Topics for your next Ancient Greece Unit
Trojan War Activities for Middle School
Interactive Notebook Activities for Greek Mythology
Interactive Notebook Activities for Ancient Egypt
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