The study of historic civilizations took an exciting turn for Hillrise Elementary students in Ms. Krontz’s 5th grade classroom recently as they took to clay pots to showcase the new knowledge they had acquired. During their studies, students focused on the GRAPES of the civilizations they were studying; that is, the government, religion, achievements, politics, economy, and social structure of those groups.
The social studies lessons culminated in a group project where students had the ability to showcase not only their newly acquired knowledge, but also their ability to work together, delegate tasks, and listen to and value the opinions of others. To do so, students worked collaboratively to decorate clay pots with the symbols of things they knew about the GRAPES of civilizations. The end result is a head full of new knowledge, and some beautifully decorated pottery.