Our Lessons for K12 East

Ancient History

Ancient Mesopotamia Unit

Early & Classical Greece UNITS

Ancient Greek Olympics Mini-Unit: A Simulation for the Classroom (4-5 days) with city-state backgrounds, events & tongue twisters  

Can you save the Roman Republic?  Lesson Plan, with handout

Buddhist, Taoist, Confucianist, Legalist - How would each behave when faced with the same problems that face students today? 

Debates on Censorship: (2-3 days) Debate set in modern times. Lesson Plan, Ancient China

Deep in the Tombs of Egypt - Message to the Planet! Two of our people have disappeared - Deep in the Tombs of Egypt! Designed for use in the computer lab.

Ancient History Lesson Ideas (some ours, some e-mailed to us)  

How Money Started - Learning Module

Daily Life in Ancient Civilizations: Index  - Learning Modules

The Life & Times of Early Man - Why did Cro-Magnon man crawl on his belly through dangerous mazes in deep dark caves? How did the "Upright Man" travel from Africa to America without a boat? Who were the Neanderthals? Did man live at the same time as dinosaurs? Find out here! Explore the life and times of Early Man!

Ancient Mesopotamia/Sumer - The ancient Sumerians were great inventors. They invented the wheel, the sailboat, and the first written language. Find out what happened to kids in school who disobeyed their teacher! Read the amazing adventures of Gilgamesh - the first superhero. Enter Hammurabi's Court. Discover how people lived 5000 years ago in the land between two rivers.

Ancient Egypt Daily Life  - Do you know what the ancient Egyptians believed would cure a toothache? Find out here! Read some Egyptian Tall Tales (shared with us by Egyptologist Jacques Kinnaer.) Enjoy an original story about Ancient Egyptian Daily Life. Watch a short movie about mummies! Explore Deep in the Tombs of Egypt

Ancient Greece Daily Life  - How would you have behaved if you had lived in ancient Sparta? (Lie, cheat, steal, because that is the Sparta way!) Or in ancient Athens? Or in Corinth, Argos or Megara? Meet the Greeks! They were a riot! They created some of the best myths in the world like Theseus and the Minotaur  and the story of Little Io.  

Ancient Rome Daily Life  - If you had lived in ancient times, would you have chosen to become a Roman citizen? You might have! The ancient Romans invented more games than any other culture. Find out what the ancient Romans did all day! Don't miss the zany, original story, Thomas, Greatest Lawyer in all...Rome!

Ancient China Daily Life  - Learn about Taoism with Winnie-the-Pooh! Explore daily life in 4 different Chinese dynasties. Meet weird emperors like Hu the Tiger! Read things written in BCE times! For those in a hurry, just click on the Cheat Sheet, for a very quick look at 11,000 years of ancient Chinese history!  

Ancient India Daily Life  - What did the ancient Indians wear? What did they eat? Did kids play with toys? Did they go to school? This site shares daily life in three major time periods of ancient India history; the mysterious and so cool Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic & Epics Periods, and the Age of Empires.

Ancient Africa Daily Life - Explore daily life in four gold coast kingdoms - Ghana, Mali, Songhay, and Benin. Meet famous people like Soniata the Hero, Mansa Musa, Sonni Ali The Great, and the most famous of all - Anansi the Spider!

Ancient Celts Daily Life - The Iron Age Celts were very clean. They are credited with the invention of soap! They loved music, feasting, and fighting. They lived in clans, respected their druids, and created stories about fairies, elves, and leprechauns. Come meet the Ancient Celts who once lived all over Europe, and who settled down in ancient Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Ancient Mongols Daily Life - The ancient Mongols invented the ger - but what is a ger? Learn about whistle arrows, fabulous hats, horse head fiddles, well-wishing, salty tea, and the magical Shamas. Read the story of The Warrior Well. Meet "The Felt Tent People". Welcome to ancient Mongolia!


Ancient Myths, Folktales, Stories retold by us for use in the classroom as handouts
Theseus and the Minotaur (Minoan/Greek)
Little Io (Greek Version) &  Little Io (Roman Version)
Anansi the Spider  (Africa, Ghana)
The Lion's Whisker (Africa, Kush/Nubia)
Loawnu the Wise Woman (Xia Times, Ancient China)
Wang the Peddler (Han Times, Ancient China)
The Warrior Well (Ancient Mongolia)


Tests (no answers)
Ancient Mesopotamia Unit Test
Ancient Egypt Bingo (Test Review Game)
Ancient Egypt Unit Test
Persian War Quiz (Early Greece)
Ancient Greece First Section Test (Early Greece)
Ancient Rome First Section Test (Early Rome)

World Studies (Geography, History, Culture)

Feudal Japan: S.P.A.M. (Samurai, Peasant, Artisan, Merchant) - (1 day) Lesson Plan, Game. See also: Feudal Japan & Haiku Verse

Russia: Start of the Russian Revolution - (3-4 days) Lesson Plan.
See also: Russian Revolution

World Cultures: What is Culture? (90 minutes) Lesson Plan with List of Various Groups handout

Australia's Great Barrier Reef (2-3 days)  Lesson Plan and Personalities Handout.
See also: Australia

India/Pakistan Dispute over Kashmir  (4 days) Mini-Unit with Background and Handouts

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict  (2 days) Simulation for the Classroom with background, role descriptions

Propaganda Techniques  Can YOU find the secret messages hidden in propaganda? It's not as easy as you might think. What is propaganda anyway? As some of you know, before he became a teacher, Mr. Donn spent a career in Military Intelligence as a member of the SSA at NSA (the National Security Agency, or the No-Name Agency, as they like to say in the movies.) This 45-55 minute lesson includes propaganda materials we don't often see as they are typically dropped in massive quantities over enemy territory. Very neat stuff! Feel free to use these materials in your classrooms.

Geography in the News  (8 weeks, a few minutes a day) Ongoing daily activity, 5 Themes of Geography

More Geography Lesson Ideas  The Geography Game (Educated Guess) works well anytime but is especially useful to open a new unit. Plus other lesson ideas. 

Holidays Around the World - Mrs. Donn's Special Section. Ancient Roots, Modern Holidays; mini-learning modules for over 30 different holidays, with holiday games, lesson plans, activities, for the classroom.