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6th Grade Ancient Civilizations Summer Preview: Ancient India

Ancient India

Uncover the early history, beliefs, and innovations of Ancient India to build background knowledge through reading, art, and immersive cultural experiences.

Watch & Learn

Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus society rose at roughly the same time as Mesopotamia, and came to its height between 2600 and 2500 BC. Today, the Indus River ba
Diwali
Explore some of the Hindu mythology behind Diwali, including the legend of the return of Rama and the worship of deities like Laksmi and Kali.

Museums & Exhibits

AMNH: Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples
The hall explores the continent’s history and cultural diversity, highlighting regions such as India, China, Japan, Korea, Siberia, and Armenia, and exploring topics that include trade and the rise of Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Confucianism.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Asian Art
The galleries in the Asian Wing include paintings, calligraphy, prints, sculptures, metalwork, ceramics, lacquers, works of decorative art, and textiles from East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Himalayan kingdoms, and Southeast Asia.
The Rubin Museum
Dedicated to Himalayan and South Asian art, the Rubin Museum's collection includes early Buddhist sculptures, intricate mandalas, and artifacts that illuminate the region's cultural history.

Fiction books

The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #1) by Sayantani DasGupta
ISBN: 9781338185706

Publication Date: 2018-02-27

Up until her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala considered herself an ordinary sixth-grader in Parsippany, New Jersey, but then her parents disappear and a drooling rakkhosh demon shows up in her kitchen, and soon she is swept into another dimension, full of magic, winged horses, talking birds (very annoying), and cute princes--and somehow Kiranmala needs to sort it all out, find her parents, and basically save the world.
Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna
ISBN: 9780593206973

Publication Date: 2021-07-06

Drawn into the mystical world she created, 11-year-old Kiki Kallira must battle against her fear and anxiety to save two worlds--the real and imagined--from the wrath of an ancient deity bent on total destruction.

Nonfiction Books

National Geographic Investigates: Ancient India by Anita Dalal; National Geographic Kids
ISBN: 9781426300707

Publication Date: 2007-08-14

Describes the work of archaeologists who have uncovered the artifacts of ancient India.
Everyday Life in Ancient India by Kirsten C. Holm
ISBN: 9781448863976

Publication Date: 2012-01-30

Reveals everyday life in ancient India through an account in graphic novel format of an ordinary day for a family of garland makers, members of one of the craftsmen castes, during the reign of Asoka.
Prince of Fire by Jatinder Verma; Nilesh Mistry (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9781782853077

Publication Date: 2016-09-01

Retells the Hindu tale of a heroic prince and his bride who are separated by the demon prince Ravana until the Monkey Army of Hanuman, god of the wind, helps them.