Create a Civilization Whole Class Simulation Project

Create a Civilization: A 5-Week Simulation for 6th Grade Social Studies

Looking for a powerful 6th grade social studies project to bring your ancient civilizations unit to life? This Create a Civilization simulation is a 5-week, collaborative experience where students build their own society from the ground up: designing governments, economies, religions, and more.

Perfect as an end-of-year ancient civilizations project, it blends hands-on learning with creativity and teamwork. With over 150 pages of ready-to-use materials, you’ll have everything you need to run an engaging, standards-aligned classroom simulation, everything is planned for you.

What’s Included – and Why It Matters

• 40-Page Teacher Instructional Guide → Step-by-step guidance with pacing tips and student samples to make planning easy.
• 100+ Printable Student Sheets → Includes instructions, templates, checklists, and job materials to support every phase of the project.
• Editable PowerPoint Materials (10 slides) → Customize details like names, dates, and places to fit your class needs and curriculum.
• Introductory PowerPoint Presentation (15 slides) → Kick off the project with an engaging visual overview and clear expectations.
• Citizen Jobs PowerPoint (13 slides) → Introduces student roles like architect, artisan, and journalist to spark buy-in and excitement.

How It Works – Real Collaboration, Real Learning

• Whole-Class Collaboration → Students work together to shape their civilization’s government, religion, economy, and more.
• Meaningful Student Roles → Assign real-world jobs and responsibilities to promote engagement and ownership.
• Showcase Day → End with a celebration where students present their civilizations and explore their peers’ work through a scavenger hunt.
• Marketplace or Auction → Use earned job income to trade or purchase items in a fun, interactive marketplace simulation.
• Final Exam + Rubric → Evaluate understanding of the 7 civilization components with a summative assessment.

Built for Real Learning

This simulation isn’t just fun, it’s designed to build deep understanding and essential skills:

• Aligned with the 7-Part Structure of Ancient Civilizations (Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economics, Social Structure, Culture)
• Develops the 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning—Creativity, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Collaboration
• Supports STEM/STEAM integration through jobs like architects, economic planners, and cartographers

When to Use

• Perfect as an end-of-year project or final civilizations wrap-up
• Works well in project-based learning classrooms
• Maximize the benefits when used by multiple classes at the same time

Why It’s Worth the Price

This isn’t a one-off activity, it’s a complete, five-week learning experience with academic depth, real-world connections, and authentic assessment built in.

What Teachers Are Saying:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “The most engaging project I’ve ever done in my classroom. My students were begging to keep working on it!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Everything is clearly laid out and easy to implement. My class was totally invested!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “It brought our social studies content to life—and gave every student a voice.”

Still Not Sure?

• Easy to follow guide - even if you've never done simulations before
• Built for collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity
• A perfect fit for your ancient civilizations project goals
• Classroom-tested and loved by teachers just like you

Ready to Build a Civilization in Your Classroom?

Don’t settle for passive review or one-day activities. This Create a Civilization simulation gives you the tools to bring history alive and foster powerful student engagement.

__________________________

Copyright © Teach Like Midgley

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.