If you teach World Civilizations, you most likely cover Ancient Phoenicia. If you are scrambling to revamp your lessons into a more digital friendly format, or are looking for some fresh ideas, save some of the time and headache with this low prep and digital friendly virtual field trip!
Interactive and Structured Digital Learning
Have you heard of virtual field trips? If structured well, they are an interactive and meaningful way for students to experience history up close and personal! In this virtual field trip to Ancient Phoenicia, your students have an opportunity to explore ancient Phoenician ruins up close! This lesson incorporates Google Earth which allows students time to explore and take ownership of their learning, while also providing a means of structure with response questions, informational text, and map skills. Everything is done! Just assign in Google Classroom, or if you'd rather, conduct as a teacher-led activity. The response questions are editable, so you can tailor this to meet your class needs.
Ancient Phoenician Ruins Up Close
This digital activity was especially fun for me to put together, as I have personally visited the different ancient ruins and have incorporated some of my own photos from these travels. Ancient Phoenicia spanned across present-day Syria, Lebanon, and Northern Israel. In this trip, your students will stop in 3 major Phoenician cities: Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos. All of the cities are located in present-day Lebanon. Students will pinpoint each of the locations on a map prior to visiting.
Low Prep & Editable
This virtual field trip is guided and includes student instructions and all the links needed within the activity. It also incorporates informational text so that your students have some context and background information before they explore the different ruins. After students have learned about and explored each stop, response questions are provided. I recognize that having the ability to edit is really helpful in being able to meet the different needs of our students, so all of the response questions, which are set up as short answer, can be modified as needed.
I do want to point out, that while students are visiting ancient Phoenician ruins, as the cities were conquered, new construction occurred on top of the Phoenician construction. This means that some of the ruins they visit may also feature ancient Roman construction or ruins from the Ottoman Empire as well. I have made sure to point this out within the field trip, and this is an important aspect in understanding ancient history.
I love using Google Earth because students have an opportunity to "walk around" and explore. Within this digital activity, I have included clickable links that take your students directly to different viewing sites. There are lots of great 360-degree views on Google Earth, that it can be overwhelming, so I went through and found some of the best 360-degree views to give students the best viewing experience. This will also help keep students on track as they move through the field trip.
Simple but also Interactive
I don't know about you, but simple is key when it comes to digital learning, and I have done my best to make sure this activity is simple and easy to use, while still providing students with a fun, interactive, and meaningful learning experience.
Not sure about virtual field trips? You can check out this free virtual field trip to Ancient Egypt where students learn about and explore the Valley of the Kings--the burial site of King Tutankhamen! Learn more here.
You can check out my entire collection of Virtual Field Trips HERE.
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