ADST PROJECTS - Ancient Civ Artifact Remix

Ancient Civ Artifact Remix

Grade 7 | Social Studies, ELA, ADST

Students become experts on one ancient civilization, then partner with a classmate who studied a different civilization to design a historically plausible artifact the two cultures could have created together. Every design choice must be backed by research.

The goal is to see geography, culture, and technology as connected systems, not in isolation, while practising comparison, negotiation, and clear communication.

Students move through Research → Compare → Design → Make → Reflect, ending with a gallery walk and oral defence.

Read our newsletter post: Vol. 115 🏺 Ancient Civilization Remix

How it supports the curriculum

Big Ideas

Social Studies: Geographic conditions shaped the emergence of civilizations.
English Language Arts: Exploring and sharing multiple perspectives extends our thinking.

Content Connections

Social Studies: human responses to particular geographic challenges and opportunities, including climates, landforms, and natural resources.

Curricular Competencies

Social Studies: Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions.
ELA (Create and Communicate): Exchange ideas and viewpoints to build shared understanding and extend thinking.
ADST: Apply a design process (research, comparing, designing, making) to create a product, and refine it in response to feedback.

Classroom Things Needed

Technology: Chromebooks

Services: Google Classroom, Google Docs

Materials: Building Materials

Teacher Skills needed

👉 Note: We can help build your confidence with all of these skills before and during the project!

Google Classroom: Creating assignments and collecting projects.

Google Docs: Facilitate feedback via comments and collaboration with students.

Student Skills needed

👉 Note: Just like the teacher skills, we can help build students' confidence with all of these skills before and during the project!

Google Classroom: Navigate Classroom confidently, find assignment, hand in work.

Google Docs: Confidently exchange feedback in Docs.

General: Online researching skills.

Project Outline
Duration: 6 weeks

Phase 1: Research

Launch Activity: Students are introduced to the design challenge and driving question for the unit. What would two ancient cultures build together if they met? Students are organized into balanced groups and pick (or are assigned) a civilization.
Working Blocks for research (2-3 sessions): Zoom In / Zoom Out routine Zoom in: Groups look at traditions, tools, materials, foods, symbols, artwork, and spiritual beliefs of the civilization and document each. Zoom out: Groups examine how natural resources and environment shaped those cultural traditions.
Reflection

Phase 2: Compare

Launch Activity: Students reshuffle into pairs of experts of different civilizations.
Working Block for connecting ideas (2-3 sessions): Students look for connections and debate their strongest ideas through a hexagonal thinking grid. Students write about 3-4 connections in their own words and pick their strongest to design an artifact for.
Reflection

Phase 3: Design

Launch Activity: Groups revisit their research and hexagon map to identify a historically plausible shared context: how, where, and why the civilizations might have met.
Working Block for defining problem and purpose of artifact (1-2 sessions): Groups define a problem or purpose the artifact will address, grounded in both civilizations' geography and culture. Groups sketch initial design ideas, ensuring every decision is supported by evidence from their research.
Verbal Pitch to the class (small groups) to gather feedback: Before creating their artifact, groups pitch their idea to a small number of groups to ensure they can communicate its plausible shared context and the problem it addresses, then seek feedback.
Reflection

Phase 4: Make

Working Blocks for constructing the artifact (3-4 sessions): Groups plan and gather materials needed for their artifact. They construct their artifact over several work sessions, updating the milestone tracker as they go. Groups revisit their research periodically to confirm their artifact still accurately represents both civilizations.
Seek Feedback during working blocks: Groups seek and incorporate feedback from peers or the teacher, adjusting their design as needed.
Reflection