Ancient Civilizations, Exploring the Origins Lesson Plan
Learning Objective
Students will explore the origins of ancient civilizations and create animated gifs using Brush Ninja to demonstrate their understanding.
Materials
- Devices with internet access for each student or group
- Brush Ninja website
- Research materials on ancient civilizations (books, websites, etc.)
- Paper and pencils for brainstorming ideas
Procedure
- Begin the lesson by engaging students in a discussion about ancient civilizations. Ask questions such as: What do you know about ancient civilizations? Can you name any ancient civilizations? Why do you think it is important to study ancient civilizations?
- Explain to students that they will be exploring the origins of ancient civilizations and creating animated gifs using Brush Ninja.
- Divide students into small groups or pairs and provide them with research materials on different ancient civilizations (e.g., Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, etc.).
- Instruct students to conduct research on their assigned civilization, focusing on its origin story, key achievements, cultural practices, and notable figures.
- Once students have gathered enough information about their assigned civilization, encourage them to brainstorm ideas for their animated gif using paper and pencils. They should consider how they can visually represent the origin story or major aspects of the civilization in an animated format.
- Introduce students to Brush Ninja and guide them through the basic features and functions of the tool.
- Allow students time to create their animated gifs using Brush Ninja based on their research findings and brainstormed ideas.
Assessment
Assess student understanding through the following criteria:
- Research: Did students gather accurate and relevant information about their assigned ancient civilization?
- Creativity: Did students create an animated gif that effectively represents the origin story or major aspects of the civilization?
- Presentation: Did students clearly explain their animated gif to the class, highlighting key elements?
Extension
To extend this lesson, consider the following activities:
- Ask students to compare and contrast different ancient civilizations by creating a series of animated gifs.
- Have students explore other features of Brush Ninja, such as adding text or sound effects to their animations.
- Encourage students to research and create animated gifs on other historical topics or events, such as famous explorers, important inventions, or significant battles.
← Algebraic EquationsAnimate your Favorite Book Scene with Brush Ninja →
How to animate with Brush Ninja
This video teaches the basics of using Brush Ninja
More World-history Lessons
Examples of Brush Ninja in Education
Made some great animated GIFs with #BrushNinja. REALLY easy to use. Used existing JPGs and PowerPoint to build the background images.
Tweeted by Scott WestburyA big shoutout to M. Andrade for coming in (during his prep!) to show my students how to create GIFs on Brush Ninja! Here’s his sweet little example he created with them. @bltsenior
Tweeted by Amber MoulandFinally got around to trying brush.ninja & the kids LOVED IT. They didn’t want me to share because they weren’t done but I had to. Thanks to @timneedles for sharing at @NYSCATE
The challenge is to animate a word that becomes itself. (car, car, wave, cat) draft#1
Tweeted by Bryan ZevotekI enjoy that with #BrushNinja that when they turn in, it plays the gif on Google classroom. Also appreciate my 4th being so willing to experiment with technology.
Tweeted by Betz Creative ChaosIncredible to see the creativity of Year 3 students @St_Chrysostoms. After learning about what animation is they created their own using Brush Ninja by @BinaryMoon
Tweeted by Hyett Education4th grade students @NISDFields learned the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl. They used Brush Ninja to depict the most impactful image they visualized and brought it to life as a Gif!
Tweeted by Rosío Martínez-Apolinar



