Seven Wonders of the World: Magic Metropolis: Teacher s Guide Grade Level: 6-8 Curriculum Focus: Ancient History Lesson Duration: Two class periods Program Description The prototype of the modern city was Alexandria, Egypt, founded by Alexander the Great. Many components of modern cities were invented here, including a water supply system, gymnasium, court, bath, and schoolroom. Onscreen Questions and Activities What human experiment did the Pharos Lighthouse symbolize and celebrate? (The Pharos Lighthouse symbolized and celebrated the birth of the modern city.) Why was the discovery of pure, controllable gold important? (The discovery of pure, controllable gold allowed ancient Greeks to make standard gold coins that were identical in value. Before this time, coins were inconsistent in value.) How would the world be different today if money had never been invented? Activity: Create a commemorative plaque listing Alexander the Great s achievements from the perspective of one of his soldiers. Then, create a wanted poster from the perspective of someone Alexander conquered and oppressed. Lesson Plan Student Objectives Students will understand: Beginning with Ptolemy I, Alexandria became, and for a long while remained, an intellectual capital of the world. The physical characteristics and distribution of books have changed a great deal over time and may continue to change in the digital age. Materials Seven Wonders of the World: Magic Metropolis video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player
Seven Wonders of the World: Magic Metropolis: Teacher s Guide 2 Procedures 1. Discuss the importance of intellectual life in the ancient city of Alexandria. Read to the class the following excerpt from Fermat s Last Theorem by Simon Singh (London: Fourth Estate, 1977), pp. 47-48: In 332 B.C., having conquered Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt, Alexander the Great decided that he would build a capital city that would be the most magnificent in the world. Alexandria was indeed a spectacular metropolis but not immediately a center of learning. It was only when Alexander died and his half-brother Ptolemy I ascended the throne of Egypt that Alexandria became home to the world s first-ever university. Mathematicians and other intellectuals flocked to Ptolemy s city of culture, and although they were certainly drawn by the reputation of the university, the main attraction was the Alexandrian Library.... [Demetrius Phalaerus] persuaded Ptolemy to gather together all the great books, assuring him that the great minds would follow. Once the tomes of Egypt and Greece had been installed, agents scoured Europe and Asia Minor in search of further volumes of knowledge. Even tourists to Alexandria could not escape the voracious appetite of the Library. Upon entering the city, their books were confiscated and taken to the scribes. The books were copied so that while the original was donated to the Library, a duplicate could graciously be given to the original owner. 2. Ask students to comment on the pains the powers in Alexandria took for the sake of books. 3. Discuss why books had to be copied by hand in ancient Alexandria. Make sure students realize that printing by woodblock did not come about until the second century A.D. in China, and it wasn t until 1450 that printing on paper by movable type was introduced in Europe. Until then, scribes wrote books by hand. 4. Initiate a class discussion about the role of books in your and your students lives: What kinds of books do you and they like? Answers may refer to physical characteristics of books (hardcover books, paperbacks, books with lots of pictures and few words) or content (comic books, biographies, science fiction) What do you and they like and not like about going to a library? To a bookstore? Do you and they have personal libraries? 5. Discuss whether our need for books has changed in this day and age of computers and access to the Internet, a vast source of data and information. Encourage students to share what they know about handheld storage devices and about electronic newspapers, magazines, and books. 6. As a class, design a survey about books today and the future of books. The survey might contain questions and response choices such as the following: a) Where do you buy books now? mostly in a bookstore mostly online b) How often do you go to the library now? about once a year about once a month never
Seven Wonders of the World: Magic Metropolis: Teacher s Guide 3 c) Where do you get most of the day s news now? from a printed newspaper from TV or radio from a Web site d) How do you think you will buy books 10 years from now? mostly in a bookstore mostly online e) How often do you think you ll go to the library 10 years from now? about once a year about once a month never f) Where do you think you ll get the day s news 10 years from now? from a printed newspaper from TV or radio from a Web site 7. Direct students to conduct their survey among family and friends. Set a minimum number for each student to poll. Suggest students keep responses in two categories: responses from people up to the age of 30; responses from people over the age of 30. After students have had a chance to analyze their results, have them share them with you and the rest of the class. 8. Based on the survey findings, ask students to make predictions in writing about the state of books 10 years from now. Suggest they put their predictions away someplace safe and check them when the time comes. You may tell students that writers, publishers, and scientists made many predictions in early 2000 about the future of books, which were quite varied: Some predicted the demise of the printed book as we know it, and some predicted a renaissance for books, albeit books in different forms. Discussion Questions 1. Alexander believed that the true "blood" of a city is trade. Do you agree with this opinion? How is trade similar to blood? If you do not agree, what do you think is the true "blood" of a city? 2. Of all the achievements of Alexander the Great, which three do you think were the most significant? Why? 3. How would the world be different today if money had never been invented? 4. Alexander named many cities after himself. If you were to have a city named after you, what would it be like? Describe some of its chief features. Assessment Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson. 3 points: Students are active in class discussions; poll at least the minimum number of people for their survey; clearly track responses in the two suggested categories; write a complete, thoughtful prediction about the state of books 10 years from now. 2 points: Students participate in class discussions; poll no more than the minimum number of people for their survey; satisfactorily track responses in the two suggested categories; write an adequate prediction about the state of books 10 years from now. 1 point: Students do not participate in class discussions; poll fewer than the minimum number of people for their survey; do not track responses in the two suggested categories; write an incomplete or vague prediction about the state of books 10 years from now.
Seven Wonders of the World: Magic Metropolis: Teacher s Guide 4 Vocabulary archaeologist Definition: A scientist who recovers and studies the material evidence of past cultures or civilizations. Context: The archaeologist believed the recovered pottery piece belonged to a long lost civilization. heiroglyphs Definition: Pictorial symbols used as characters in a writing system, introduced by the ancient Egyptians. Context: The hieroglyphs of a pharaoh provided important clues to the ruler s life and times. oracle Definition: A shrine or a wise, insightful person serving as a conduit for the voice of a deity. Context: One tale tells us that Alexander and some friends traveled from the shore of Egypt into the blank Sahara, searching for a famous oracle. Academic Standards Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp. This lesson plan addresses the following national standards: World History Classical Traditions, Major Religions, and Giant Empires: Understands how Aegean civilization emerged and how interrelations developed among peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia from 600 to 200 BCE. Economics: Understands basic features of market structures and exchanges. The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/. This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards: Time, Continuity, and Change
Seven Wonders of the World: Magic Metropolis: Teacher s Guide 5 Support Materials Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html