Time to create the best museum in history, right in your own classroom! You'll develop an exhibit that illustrates one of the civilizations you read about earlier in this lesson. Register to explore the whole course here: https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive?WT.mc_id=Slideshare12202017

1. TEACHER MATERIALS
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MUSEUM PROJECT
Purpose
The research students complete for this activity will enable them to broaden and reinforce their understanding of the characteristics of agrarian civilizations.
Process
Divide the class into 10 groups. Students will work together in their groups to create a walk-through museum exhibit to illustrate the history and culture of one of
the following ancient agrarian civilizations: Babylon, Egypt, Indus River Valley (including Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro), China (Shang Dynasty), Maya, Aztec, Inca,
Israel, Greece, or Rome (the Roman Republic). Assign each group one of the civilizations. Your students’ goal is to convince visitors to the museum that their
civilization made the greatest contribution to the world above and beyond that of the other civilizations. Members of each group need to collaborate to research
their civilization and create a “walk-through” museum exhibit illustrating their civilization’s “greatness.” Have students use the Research Worksheet to ensure
they’re using good research practices.
The exhibit can be set up in the classroom, the library, or any other open space you can reserve for a few days. Once all exhibits are set up, each group will
present their projects to the class and the class will evaluate each group’s presentation using the Early Civilizations Museum Project Checklist. Remind students
that the goal of each group should be to convince visitors to the museum that their civilization made the biggest contribution to history.
Each group will need to create four pieces for their exhibit:
1. Visual artifacts: They will have poster board, but encourage them to think creatively!
2. Written information: This can be printed out or displayed digitally. Remind students that everything must be in their own words.
3. Video: This could be in any creative format including but not limited to a documentary-type video, a music video that changes the lyrics to a popular song, or
a news report. It should present some basic information about their civilization, including why this particular civilization has had the greatest impact on the
world.
4. Interactive components: This could take a variety of forms, including games from the civilization or a “living member” of the civilization, for example. Each of
the components listed above should include information about the civilization’s government, religion, environment, arts and culture, science and technology,
economics, and society. The following chart lists the topics and questions students should explore in their research.
Government • The kind of government used in your civilization (including kind of ruler, what system of government was used, and any notable
rulers), the timeline of your civilization (when did the civilization begin and end)
Religion • The religion of your civilization, including gods and rituals, for example
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 7.1 ACTIVITY

2. TEACHER MATERIALS
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MUSEUM PROJECT
Environment • A map of the extent of your civilization, including important cities, rivers, mountain ranges, and borders of your civilization
• Explanation of the role the environment played in your civilization (natural defenses, economics)
Arts and
Culture
• Lasting pieces of art created by your civilization (and where can we see them today)
• Kinds of art and architecture produced by your civilization
• Cultural rituals (ceremonies, holidays)
• How you can see the culture of your ancient civilization reflected in the culture of modern day countries in that region today
• Images or models of monumental architecture
Science and
Technology
• Inventions created by your civilization
• How your civilization used science to advance knowledge through collective learning
• A sample of the written language used in your civilization
Economics • Natural resources of your civilization
• Trade partners
• Sources of income
Society • A breakdown of the societal hierarchy found in your society
• A summary of the activities of one member of your civilization
Students will be graded based on:
• the quality and creativity of their four pieces
• the extent to which they make clear the characteristics of their city or civilization
• the degree to which they create a compelling and convincing argument about the importance of their city or civilization’s contribution to the world
• their classmates’ assessment of their projects using the Early Civilizations Museum Project Rubric
• their fellow group members’ assessments using the Collaboration Rubric
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 7.1 ACTIVITY

3. STUDENT MATERIALS
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MUSEUM PROJECT
Purpose
The research you complete for this activity will enable you to broaden and reinforce your understanding of the characteristics of agrarian civilizations.
Process
Your teacher will divide the class into 10 groups. Working in your group, you’ll create a walk-through museum exhibit to illustrate the history and culture of one of
the following ancient agrarian civilizations: Babylon, Egypt, Indus River Valley (including Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro), China (Shang Dynasty), Maya, Aztec, Inca,
Israel, Greece, and Rome (the Roman Republic). Each group will be assigned a civilization by your teacher. Your goal is to convince visitors to the museum that your
group’s civilization made the greatest contribution to the world above and beyond that of the other civilizations. All members of your group need to collaborate to
research your civilization and create a “walk-through” museum exhibit illustrating your civilization’s “greatness.” Use the Research Worksheet to keep you on track.
Your teacher will let you know where you will be setting up your exhibit. Once all exhibits are set up, each group will present their projects to the class and the class
will evaluate each group’s presentation using the Early Civilizations Museum Project Checklist. Remember that the goal of each group should be to convince visitors
to the museum that their civilization made the biggest contribution to history.
For the museum exhibit, your group will need to create four pieces that illustrate and emphasize the greatness of your civilization:
1. Visual artifacts: You will have poster board but think creatively!
2. Written information: Printed out or displayed digitally. Remember: in your own words!
3. Video: This could be in any creative format including but not limited to a documentary-type video, a music video that changes the lyrics to a popular song, or a
news report. It should present some basic information about your civilization, including why your civilization has had the greatest impact on the world.
4. Interactive components: This could take a variety of forms, including games from the civilization or a “living member” of the civilization, for example.
Government • The kind of government used in your civilization (including kind of ruler, what system of government was used, and any notable
rulers), the timeline of your civilization (when did the civilization begin and end)
Religion • The religion of your civilization, including gods and rituals, for example
Environment • A map of the extent of your civilization, including important cities, rivers, mountain ranges, and borders of your civilization
• Explanation of the role the environment played in your civilization (natural defenses, economics)
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 7.1 ACTIVITY

4. STUDENT MATERIALS
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MUSEUM PROJECT
Arts and
Culture
• Lasting pieces of art created by your civilization (and where can we see them today)
• Kinds of art and architecture produced by your civilization
• Cultural rituals (ceremonies, holidays)
• How you can see the culture of your ancient civilization reflected in the culture of modern day countries in that region today
• Images or models of monumental architecture
Science and
Technology
• Inventions created by your civilization
• How your civilization used science to advance knowledge through collective learning
• A sample of the written language used in your civilization
Economics • Natural resources of your civilization
• Trade partners
• Sources of income
Society • A breakdown of the societal hierarchy found in your society
• A summary of the activities of one member of your civilization
Each of the components listed above should include information about your civilization’s government, religion, environment, arts and culture, science and
technology, economics, and society. The following chart lists the topics and the questions you should explore in your research:
Your group will be graded on:
• the quality and creativity of the four pieces you create
• the extent to which you are able to make clear the characteristics of your city or civilization
• the degree to which your group creates a compelling and convincing argument about the importance of your city or civilization’s contribution to the world
• your classmates’ assessment of your project using the Early Civilizations Museum Project Checklist
• your fellow group members’ assessments using the Collaboration Rubric
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 7.1 ACTIVITY

5. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MUSEUM PROJECT CHECKLIST
Directions: Use the following table to grade the presenting group’s museum presentation to ensure that they included all of the required elements for the
presentation.
GroupMembers:
Presentation
Component
Description Notes Score Possible
Score
Artifacts and/or
Visuals
Written
Information
Video
Interactive
Components
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 7.1 ACTIVITY

6. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS MUSEUM PROJECT CHECKLIST
Presentation
Component
Description Notes Score Possible
Score
Inclusion of
Information
About the Seven
Required Topics
Strength of
the Argument
Made for This
Civilization
Creativity
General
Requirements
Total Score
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 7.1 ACTIVITY

7. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
RESEARCH WORKSHEET
Research Worksheet
Throughout the Big History course, you will need to do research to find information about a topic or an idea. This research worksheet will help you keep track of
the sources you find on the Internet, in your school, or public library. Be careful as you wade through information on the Internet and make sure to assess that
information using claim testers. Read the tips for searching and then fill out the worksheet for each source you find.
Tips for Searching
1. Start with a trustworthy source. For example, online you can start with Newsela (www.newsela.com), NASA (www.nasa.gov), or the New York Times (www.
nytimes.com). If you need more academic or scholarly resources, use a search engine such as Google scholar (scholar.google.com), Google books (books.
google.com), or Microsoft Academic Search (http://academic.research.microsoft.com/).
2. In a search, every word matters and the order of the words matter. Be thoughtful when choosing your search terms. Do multiple searches and refine your
terms over time.
3. Check the website domain to help determine validity. Universities (.edu), government agencies (.gov), and museums (.org) usually have valid information. But
just because something is called an organization or an institute does not mean it has unbiased information. Ask yourself: Who wrote this? What is the purpose
of this source? What is the audience? What is the perspective of the author?
4. Use claim testers (authority, evidence, intuition, logic) to decide if the source and the claims presented by that source are trustworthy. Below are some
questions you can ask yourself for each claim tester. Summarize your answers to these questions for each resource. You can also use the claim testers
worksheet to test specific claims from your sources.
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
a. Authority
Do the authors have experience in the field?
Has this source or the authors made trustworthy claims in the
past?
b. Evidence
Are there facts that you can “see” that support the claims in
the source?
Can you verify that those claims are supported by evidence?
c. Intuition
Does the source agree with your everyday knowledge?
Does your gut reaction tell you the claim is reliable?
Do you feel that the source is trustworthy and presenting true
claims?
d. Logic
Does the collection of information in the source make sense?
Do the claims in the source make sense?

8. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALS
RESEARCH WORKSHEET - SOURCES
BIG HISTORY PROJECT
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?
Name of Source:
Website:
Date published:
Author(s):
Publisher:
How do you know this source is trustworthy? Which claim testers (authority,
evidence, intuition, logic) did you use?

9. Name: Date:
STUDENT MATERIALSBIG HISTORY PROJECT
Directions: Give yourself and each member of your group a score from the collaboration rubric. Your teacher will use these scores as part of each group member’s individual score
for the project.
Below Standard (1) Approaching Standard (2) At Standard (3) Above Standard (4)
This group member does not complete
project tasks or does not complete tasks
on time. He/she does not help the group
solve problems, give useful feedback, or
use feedback from others. This group
member does not show respect for
teammates (interrupts, ignores ideas, is
unkind).
This group member is sometimes pre-
pared to work with the group. This group
member does project tasks when re-
minded and sometimes completes tasks
on time. He/she sometimes offers to help
others, sometimes shares ideas, and is
usually polite and kind to teammates.
This group member completes tasks
without being reminded and uses feedback
from others. He/she helps the group solve
problems and stay organized, and listens
carefully to teammates. This person is
polite and kind.
This group member meets all the crite-
ria of an At Standard performance. In
addition, group member does more than is
required and asks for feedback to improve
his/her work. He/she steps in to help
other group members when they are ab-
sent or need help, and he/she encourages
teammates to share ideas by recognizing
and promoting their strengths.
Group Member’s Name Score Why did you choose this score?
Your Name:
BIG HISTORY COLLABORATION RUBRIC