W1:D2 - Lesson Plans for Ancient American History: Introduction

Introduction Letter to Teachers (with a classroom of 5+ students)
(Middle and High School)

Dear Educators,

We are excited to introduce you to our comprehensive Ancient American History curriculum, designed for students in grades 4 through 12. This curriculum provides an engaging and in-depth exploration of key topics around ancient indigenous cultures across North America, Mesoamerica, South America, and the Caribbean. Our goal is to make history come alive for your students, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures that have shaped our world.

To help you navigate this curriculum over the next month, we have broken it down into four manageable weeks. Here’s a suggested approach to ensure a thorough and enjoyable learning experience:

Week 1: Introduction to Ancient American History

• Monday - Friday: Begin by familiarizing yourself and your students with the curriculum by reading through the first 26 pages of the Ancient American history overview. This section provides a broad understanding of the historical context and significance of the content they will be studying.
• Activity: Choose one activity, from each lesson plan, that aligns with the weekly topics to reinforce learning. These lesson plans are found at the very end of each lesson plan, starting one to two pages before the next chapter. Some materials will be found in the Adventure Box, where this book came from.

Week 2: North American Native History

• Monday: Students will read about the Paleo-Indian Culture, which serves as the foundation of North American Native history, including the crossing of the Bering Straits, connecting today’s Russia and Alaska, yet at the end of the last ice age.
• Tuesday - Wednesday: Assign each student a different culture or individual tribe from each area to research. They should focus on the tribe's origin story, culture, and one interesting aspect about them. Additionally, students should compile a list of 10 vocabulary words that will aid in their study. Students should provide a trifold cardboard display board. On one of the folds, the student should create a display discussing the tribe or culture of their choice.
• Friday: Students will present their research findings to the class, leading a 5-10 minute discussion, followed by participating in the planned activity for the week.

Week 3: Mesoamerican History

• Monday: Students will read the overview of Mesoamerican history to gain a broad understanding of the region's civilizations.
• Tuesday - Thursday: Students will either choose a Mesoamerican civilization to study individually or team up with classmates to delve deeper into a particular civilization. Students should choose another fold, on the display board, and present the tribe/civilization/culture of the tribe they studied, to present to the class.
• Friday: Presentations will be made by students, sharing their insights and research. The week will culminate with the planned activity.

Week 4: South American and Caribbean Civilizations

• Monday - Tuesday: Students will read about the Incan Civilization, focusing on its history, culture, and achievements.
• Wednesday - Thursday: Students will shift their focus to the Caribbean tribes, exploring their unique histories and cultures.
• Friday: During the week, each student should use the final fold of the display to present one of the tribes they studied and what they found out about their origin story, culture, and one aspect of their history that is interesting to the student. Hold a class discussion where students can share their thoughts and findings. The week will conclude with an engaging activity planned to wrap up the month.

By allowing students to take an active role in researching, creating a display, and presenting different cultures and tribes, they will develop a deeper understanding and retain the information more effectively. Engaging in discussions and activities helps solidify their learning experience, making history enjoyable and memorable.

Use this curriculum while playing Historical Conquest with the cards that focus on ancient American cultures and the engagement and retention of students will increase dramatically, of course, depending on the student.

Additionally, our curriculum also includes coloring pages and cross-curricular activities for Math, Science, and English, providing a well-rounded educational experience.

We hope this curriculum brings history to life for your students and ignites a passion for learning about the rich and diverse cultures of Ancient America.

Sincerely,

Zack Edwards

CEO of Historical Conquest

P.S. Please send us any questions you may come up with while reading this curriculum, and we might even read it on the podcast and answer your questions there as well.