Grade 5 Alberta Social Studies Time and Place Unit | Paper and Digital

Get your unit about the rise and fall of ancient civilizations planned in minutes. Learn about Ancient China, Greece, Rome, China, India and Arab civilizations through concept-based learning activities, investigations, and complete lessons. Don't be overwhelmed this year! Everything you need to teach the whole unit is included!

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This unit designed for Alberta teachers includes:

• concept-based learning activities that focus on the concepts rather than memorizing specific details about ancient civilizations
• lesson plans with step-by-step instructions and options for modifications.
• instructions for how to use our activities with and without technology so you can be flexible for your students and classroom environment.
• instructions for printing student workbooks while still offering differentiated options.
• detailed outlines of each activity with a list of materials along with a centralized list and reminders in each section of the lesson plan.
• optional Teacher Slides to support instruction and content delivery. You can choose to teach with or without them.
• vocabulary list with phonetic pronunciations and definitions to help support your students.
• “I can” statements written in student-friendly language so students can self-assess their learning.
• student pages and templates.
• answer keys and suggested answers.
• photos of student examples.
• activities to support learning content specific vocabulary.
• background information for teachers so you don't need to be an expert.
• simple assessments like quizzes. Rubrics are included for teachers to use for marking projects.
• ideas for how to use this resource in the classroom, online, or a mix.
• digital versions of all the student reading and writing pages that use Google Slides. You must download the PDF files and use the access links in the files to get your digital copies.
• an alignment guide for Alberta Outcomes in each resource broken down by lesson and activity.
  

The unit includes additional bonus materials:

• a unit plan to assist with sequencing.
• a list of Alberta Social Studies outcomes to help with planning.
• a list of materials outlined for each activity.
• vocabulary support materials: word wall words, glossary pages, definition worksheets, digital flashcards, word with with phonetic pronunciations and definitions.
• extra assessments to assess student learning of the whole unit.

These resources are included in this unit:

• Social Scientists Drama Circle: understanding the role of social scientists and they help us learn about the past to make decisions in the future; the jobs and unique skills of historians, archeologists, anthropologists and geographers; primary and secondary sources; how historical data and information is gathered and shared
• The Development of Ancient Civilizations: the role and jobs of social scientists: historians, geographers, anthropologists and archaeologists; primary and secondary sources; factors that influenced ancient civilizations to settle in specific areas: geographical locations, geographical features (rivers, elevation, soil conditions, coastlines, climate), changes to the environment that cause people to move or adapt (deforestation, flooding, desertification), changes to infrastructure such as building structures to move water (aqueducts), protect citizens (walls), improve travel (roads and bridges) or increase trade (shipbuilding); mapping the civilizations: map skills like elevation, longitude, latitude, hemispheres, using a legend; specific details about the locations, features, infrastructure and environment of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Ancient India and Ancient Arab civilizations used in a concept-based format so you can choose which civilizations you will study while students learn enduring outcomes; comparing the influences of settlement between civilizations
• The Rise of Ancient Civilizations: how timelines work for BCE and CE; internal and external factors for the rise and fall of ancient civilizations; factors that led to the rise of ancient civilizations; innovations (inventions, technology, creations) that helped solved daily problems for food, water, travel, trade, buildings and knowledge and communication; organized structures like government, cities, laws, education and administration; strong leadership and leadership skills; military power to protect, expand, defend and control people in civilizations; wealth and opportunity: how farming, trade, transportation, skilled workers, natural resources and markets built wealth and opportunities for ancient civilizations to rise to power; specific details about the factors for Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Ancient India and Ancient Arab Civilizations so you can choose the civilization to focus on or study several and compare
• Innovations of Ancient Civilizations Collaborative Poster: inventions like theatre, democracy, papyrus, fabric, concrete, calendar, the compass and so much more and how they have left a lasting legacy
• The Fall of Ancient Civilizations: internal and external factors for the rise and fall of ancient civilizations; primary and secondary sources; factors that led to the fall of ancient civilizations; environmental changes (floods, drought, deforestation); rebellions (internal problems within civilizations); expenses (cost of war, infrastructure, defence); power and leadership (bad leadership, end of leadership without clear heirs or authoritarian leadership); values and beliefs (religions, opinions, uniting people, changes in belief systems); wars and conquests (protection, expansion, control and invasions); specific details about the factors for Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, Ancient India and Ancient Arab Civilizations

Ninja Note: If you teach in Alberta, this resource has been written for the new social studies curriculum. Learn more about how we're writing and adjusting resources for the new curriculum. https://brainninjas.ca/social-studies-in-alberta/

This activity aligns with:

• the Alberta Social Studies Curriculum Grade 6 ©2025

This activity supports learning about:

• reasons ancient civilizations grew where they did
• factors that lead to the rise or decline of ancient civiliations
• ancient civilizations
  

Looking for more social studies for Alberta teachers? Our unit plans include extra vocabulary supports and assessments.

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COMING SOON! Save $$$ with a whole year of Alberta Grade 6 Social Studies!

Ninja Note: This file is a ZIP file. It requires downloading and extracting before opening the individual PDF files. Each resource contains the digital links and instructions for using the file. 

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