Translated Museum Guides

World Cultures

Broaden your students’ horizons by learning about world cultures.

Close-up view of a diorama featuring a man riding an elephant and two goats pulling a wagon.

Follow cultures across time

Bring the world to your classroom with resources that introduce students to the diversity of ancient and modern cultures. Using lesson plans, videos, and other resources, your students can learn to think like an archaeologist and investigate ancient cultures or gain an appreciation for the many communities that live around the world today.

Resource Spotlight: Explore Ancient Cultures

See what life was like thousands of years ago, and learn how people who lived in the past continue to influence our lives.

  • Neolithic Village Flyover

    Explore a reconstruction of the Neolithic village of Szeghalom, which was located in eastern Hungary. Archaeological findings there signaled a shift from foraging to farming.

    Video | Grades 6–12

  • Societies in the Ancient Americas | Exploring the Field Guide

    Observe six types of societies that developed in the Americas in response to specific environmental conditions.

    Activity | Grades 9–12

  • Exploring Language | China Toolkit

    Explore the history of writing in China by drawing conclusions about the impact of the written word on human civilizations and how language changes over time.

    Lesson Plan | Grades 6–12
  • Two women sit on a bench in a circular space, surrounded by glass cases filled with pottery in a gallery in Robert R. McCormick Halls of the Ancient Americas.
    exhibit

    • Exhibition Spotlight: Cyrus Tang Hall of China

    Delve into Chinese history and culture while honing critical thinking skills.

    • Maps | China Toolkit

      Analyze maps to draw conclusions about their purpose, audience, and potential bias.

      Lesson Plan | Grades 6–12

    • Testing the Scholars | China Toolkit

      Explore the classical Chinese civil service exam system, compare it to current exam systems, and develop a sense of what it means to be qualified for a role.

      Lesson Plan | Grades 6–12

    • Investigating the Qingming Scroll | China Toolkit

      Learn about the contradictions depicted in the Qingming Scroll and compare it with present-day representations of idealized societies.

      Lesson Plan | Grades 6–12
  • The first gallery of the Cyrus Tang Hall of China, with map table in the foreground and a large circle of video screens above the exhibition display cases.
    exhibit

    • N. W. Harris Learning Collection

    Bring artifacts into the classroom Browse Dioramas