Dinosaurs, Pyramids and Artifacts, Oh My!
This summer, if you're unable to experience
dinosaur fossils, the Egyptian pyramids or Greek sculptures in person, you
can study them in the classroom and online. MarcoPolo has selected
several dynamic lessons and resources relating to ancient history,
including fossils and cave writings; the development of drama and theatre;
the abacus and magic squares; and, Egyptian art and customs. Use the
warm-up activities below to introduce your students to the study of
ancient history; then, scroll down for more links to lessons and resources
you can incorporate in your classroom.
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Image of a
Stenomylus fossil, courtesy of National Archives and Records
Administration. |
1. By studying the fossil bone structure of the
Tyrannosaurs Rex, paleontologists can see what the different parts
of the body looked like. The T-Rex had short arms, powerful legs and
a slim, stiff, pointed tail.
How do you
think the T-Rex used his short arms? Were there benefits to having a
stiff tail? What other things can you learn by looking at a dinosaur
fossil? Can you determine the dinosaur's terrain? What did it eat?
What things must be inferred, or guessed at?
Select one
dinosaur fossil for the class and have each student gather facts
including size, approximate age and its geographic region. What can
be inferred about the dinosaur's way of life? What might have been
its food source? How fast could it run? Who were its enemies? Have
students privately chart their findings and guesses on a graphic
organizer and compare results with classmates. How many different
versions of the same dinosaur were created?
Dig into dinosaur history with "Fossils
2: Uncovering the Facts" (Grades 3-5), Science NetLinks,
American Association for the Advancement of Science, and "Physical
Characteristics of Places: The Fossil Record" (Grades 9-12),
Xpeditions, National Geographic
Society. |
Image of the
Great Pyramid of Cheops courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints and
Photographs Division. |
2. Many scientists believe that the ancient Egyptians
used fulcrums and levers to move and lift large slabs of stone. The
Egyptians probably built huge dirt ramps so they could reach the
highest parts of the pyramids.
How do you
think the Egyptians used a fulcrum to build the pyramids? What other
tools and mathematical concepts could they have used to create their
buildings and statues?
Using blocks of
wood of varying sizes and weights, ask students to build a miniature
pyramid. How high can they get before they need additional tools, or
have to build a ramp? Introduce additional physics or geometric
concepts to help complete the structure.
Discover the concept of balance by
using a fulcrum in "Exploration
of a Balance" (Grades 1-8), Illuminations, National Council
of Teachers of Mathematics. |
 |
3.
Many of today's movies, books and plays generally follow three main
themes developed in ancient Greek drama -- comedy, tragedy or
satire.
What are the
essential components of a tragedy, comedy and satire? What Greek
playwrights are considered the "founding fathers" of these themes?
How were the plays received by the Greek public? Do you think
today's theatre contains enough elements to captivate an audience in
ancient Greece times?
Select several
contemporary plays and movies and ask students to relate them to
ancient Greek plays. Ask groups of students to write a review of a
contemporary play or movie as if it premiered in ancient Greece.
Each group should read their review to the class and see if their
classmates can identify the play or movie. The group should be
prepared to reenact a scene in ancient theatrical style to provide
more clues.
Explore Greek drama in "Live
from Antiquity" (Grades 9-12), EDSITEment, National
Endowment for the Humanities. |
4. The ancient game of
magic squares provides entertainment and helps improve knowledge of
mathematical concepts. The magic lies in the fact that the numbers in each
row, column, and diagonal always sum to the same number, called the magic
constant. In China, magic squares have been used in the interpretation of
philosophy, natural phenomena, and human behavior.
Ask students to
conduct some independent research on magic squares. How many different
cultures use magic squares? What variations exist? What is the lowest
magic constant that can be used to create a magic square? Test
comprehension by asking students to create a magic square with a magic
constant of 65. (Solution is provided in the Illuminations lesson,
"Magic Squares.")
Recreate ancient magic
squares in "Magic
Squares: Discovering Their History and Their Magic" (Grades 6-8),
Illuminations, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
5. A relief is a type of
sculptural art that is raised, but contained on a flat plane. This style
of art is usually evident on buildings, cemetery headstones and
medallions. A frieze is a decorative, horizontal band that is usually seen
around the tops of classical buildings, and on Greek and Roman vases. The
frieze is generally made of hundreds of relief sculptures, and often
depicts a significant event.
Can you think of any
buildings that have a frieze? Look at pictures of old public buildings,
such as libraries, courthouses, museums and capitol buildings. What story
or event does the frieze depict?
Using art supplies or
everyday items, have each student design and create a relief sculpture
that depicts an event from his or her life. Then, combine each child's
relief sculpture into a frieze that can be hung along the ceiling of the
classroom. Ask students to compose a silly story as depicted by the
frieze.
Combine history and art in "Sculpture:
Relief Sculpture Frieze" (Grades 5-8), ARTSEDGE, Kennedy Center for Performing
Arts, "Egyptian
Symbols and Figures: Scroll Paintings" (Grades K-2), and "Cave Art:
Discovering Prehistoric Humans through Pictures" (Grades K-2),
EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities.
"The Abacus" (Grades
PreK-2)
ARTSEDGE, Kennedy Center for Performing
Arts
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ae_abacus.cfm
Students explore the history and use of the
abacus, an ancient mathematical counting tool. This lesson is part of the
NSO's Virtual Tour of Asia mini-site.
"Sculpture: Relief
Sculpture Frieze" (Grades 5-8)
ARTSEDGE,
Kennedy Center for Performing Arts
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ae_sculpture.cfm
Students study Greek and Roman sculptures
and create their own version.
"Cave Art:
Discovering Prehistoric Humans Through Pictures" (Grades
K-2)
EDSITEment, National
Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ed_cave.cfm
Students explore how people in earlier
times used art as a way to record stories and communicate ideas.
"Egyptian Symbols and
Figures: Scroll Paintings" (Grades K-2)
EDSITEment, National Endowment for the
Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ed_scroll.cfm
Students identify and represent in their
own drawings figures from the Book of the Dead, a funereal text written on
papyrus and carved on the walls of tombs to help guide the deceased
through the afterlife.
"In Old Pompeii"
(Grades 9-12)
EDSITEment,
National Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ed_pompeii.cfm
Students take a virtual field trip to the
ruins of Pompeii to learn about everyday life in Roman times.
"Live from Antiquity"
(Grades 9-12)
EDSITEment,
National Endowment for the Humanities
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ed_antiquity.cfm
Students explore the cultural and
historical context of Greek drama.
"Exploration of a
Balance" (Grades 1-8)
Illuminations, National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ill_balance.cfm
Students practice the concept of balance by
using paperclips, cups, rulers and a crayon to make a fulcrum.
"Magic Squares:
Discovering Their History and Their Magic" (Grades 6-8)
Illuminations, National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26ill_squares.cfm
Students explore magic squares from both a
historical and a mathematical perspective.
"Fossils 2:
Uncovering the Facts" (Grades 3-5)
Science NetLinks, American Association for the
Advancement of Science
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26sci_fossils.cfm
Students take what they've learned about
dinosaur fossils and do their own extrapolating.
"Computerized
Civilization" (Grades 5-12)
Science NetLinks, American Association for the
Advancement of Science
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26sci_civilization.cfm
In this Weekly Science Update, students
learn how scientists use computer simulation to test hypotheses about
ancient civilizations.
"Building a Greek
Subway Museum" (Grades 3-5)
Xpeditions, National Geographic Society
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26xp_greek.cfm
Students investigate ancient Greek
artifacts and artworks and design museum exhibits to be placed in an
Athens subway station.
"Xpeditions Atlas"
(All Grades)
Xpeditions,
National Geographic Society
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26xp_atlas.cfm
The Xpeditions Atlas contains more than
1,800 maps that users can explore and print.
"Recording the
Changing Seasons in Ancient Times" (Grades 6-8)
Xpeditions, National Geographic
Society
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26xp_seasons.cfm
Students present reports and posters
showing how ancient cultures kept track of the changing seasons.
"Physical
Characteristics of Places: The Fossil Record" (Grades
9-12)
Xpeditions,
National Geographic Society
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/partner/26xp_record.cfm
By studying the movement of tectonic
plates, students learn how the climate has changed since the time of the
dinosaurs.
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