Ancient World Advertisement Videos

This lesson is designed to be a summative evaluation for the end of a quarter or semester in which students learn about the ancient world. It could be easily adapted for different times and/or locations as it fits into the social studies curriculum.

Instructions to the students are as follow:
Imagine that you have been hired as the Minister of Public Relations for the government of one of the ancient civilizations we have learned about this semester. Select a civilization and create a 1-2 minute advertisement for that civilization. Your goal is to make your civilization look as desirable as possible and to attract new immigrants to your land. Consider famous leaders, inventions, lifestyle, entertainment, construction projects, and basic geography. The first step of this assignment is to select a civilization and begin your research. Next class, you will begin to assemble the video.

Civilizations:
-Ancient Greece
-Ancient China (through the Han Dynasty)
-Ancient India/Mughal Empire
-Roman Republic
-Ancient Egypt (before the conquest of Alexander)
-Hellenistic Egypt (under the Ptolemy dynasty)
-Roman Empire

Collect relevant pictures in a folder on Google Drive. Create a separate document with links to each website you use; this will serve as your citations page.
*Note: This list of civilizations could be adapted to fit different areas of the curriculum. Just replace the nations listed here with those studied in the course.

Provide time for students to research and gather their media for the video. One 90 minute class or two 45 minute classes is sufficient for this. At the completion of this stage, allow students time to assemble the video using any video editing software. One 90 minute class or two 45 minute classes is sufficient for this.

To create the video:
-Go to WeVideo.com and create an account selecting "Sign up with Google"
-Set WeVideo to Storyboard mode.
-Import your images/media into WeVideo from Google Drive or upload it from your computer
-Select a theme for your video. This will automatically add transitions and effects that you can choose to change later.
-Arrange the media on the storyboard, adjusting the duration and effects as needed.
-When done, click the "Finish" button and export the video to Drive and WeVideo (and YouTube if desired)
-Submit the link to the video or the video file on Google Classroom

*Note: You can adapt the lesson to any chosen video editing program. WeVideo is convenient because of its cross-platform compatibility and online availability. Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, and several others provide the same final product.