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NAME    DATE    CLASS 

Mesopotamia

What Do You Know?

Anticipation Guide

Directions Read each statement. If you believe that a statement is true, mark a √ on the A. If you believe that a statement is false, mark a √ on the D. Be ready to explain your choices.

Before You Read

Agree/DisagreeStatement

After You Read

Agree/Disagree

A   D 1. The plain between the Tigris and 

Euphrates Rivers was called Mesopotamia.

A   D

A   D 2. In Sumer, city-states were self-governing. A   D

A   D 3. Sumer had only two social classes: the upper class and the middle class. A   D

A   D 4. The Sumerians invented a form of writing called cuneiform. A   D

A   D 5. The Sumerians created an epic poem called The Iliad. A   D

A   D 6. Sargon formed a code of laws that 

later influenced the laws of the Greeks and Romans.

A   D

A   D 7. The Assyrians were often cruel to the people they conquered. A   D

A   D 8. The Assyrians used the writing and religion of Egypt. A   D

A   D 9. Hammurabi built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. A   D

A   D 10. Babylon became a major trade route,  

and caravans often passed through the city.

A   D

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NAME    DATE    CLASS 

Mesopotamia

Guided Reading

Lesson 1 The Sumerians

The First Civilizations in Mesopotamia

Determining Causes and Effects After people settled in the Mesopotamian region, certain developments led to the formation of the Sumerian Civilization. These developments had a cause and effect relationship. In the flow chart below, name three of these developments. The first development has been provided.

1. People settled in Mesopotamia.

3.

2.

4.

5. Describing Write three sentences that describe the terrain of Mesopotamia.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONHow does geography influence the way people live?What are the characteristics that make up a culture?

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NAME    DATE    CLASS 

Mesopotamia

Guided Reading Cont.

Sumer’s Civilization

Listing The first column below identifies five elements of Sumerian city-states. In the second column, write one fact about each element.

Elements of Sumerian City-States Facts

Location 1.

Economy 2.

Population 3.

Politics 4.

Religion 5.

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NAME    DATE    CLASS 

Mesopotamia

Guided Reading Cont.

Categorizing Sumerian society had three classes. Each class consisted of people who held certain positions. For example, a person who was a priest was part of the upper class. 

Below is a list of positions in Sumerian society and a table divided into classes. Fill in the table with the appropriate words from the list.

artisanwarriordebtor

merchantslavegovernment official

criminalkingfarmer

Sumerian Society

Upper Class

6.                                                                     

                                                                       

                                                                       

Middle Class

7.                                                                     

                                                                       

                                                                       

Lower Class

8.                                                                     

                                                                       

                                                                       

9. Identifying Identify four goods that Sumerians received from other regions in exchange for Sumerian goods.

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NAME    DATE    CLASS 

Mesopotamia

Guided Reading Cont.

Sumerian Contributions

Describing You are a historian recording the various contributions Sumerians made in writing, technology, and mathematics. Describe some of those contributions on the scrolls below.

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1. Writing

2. Technology

3. Mathematics

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NAME DATE CLASS

Mesopotamia

Hands-On Chapter Project

Step 1: Introduce Project Tell students that they will be creating a poster of a person performing one of the occupations of Sumerian society. They will include visual details as well as written annotations to describe this occupation. They will also include reasons this occupation is important. Finally, they will provide a bibliography documenting their research.

Activate Background Knowledge Have a class discussion reviewing Sumerian occupations to help students choose an occupation to depict. Discuss visual images they might include to illustrate that occupation.

Possible occupations:

King—ruled the city-state; power was thought to be granted by the city’s god

Priest—performed religious ceremonies; ran temples or ziggurats; in early Sumer, may have ruled city-states

Warrior—defended city-state; conquered new territory; captured and enslaved workers

Government official—advised kings; aided in administering laws and collecting taxes; helped form alliances with other city-states

Merchant—traded goods; traveled to different regions to acquire needed resources

Farmer—raised crops and livestock; irrigated and maintained farmland; stored surplus food

Fisher—caught fish; may have helped to develop sailboats for river travel

Artisan—created goods such as tools, weapons, cloth, pottery, and jewelry

Scribe—used cuneiform system of writing to record events, business transactions, and stories; sometimes held government positions

Homemaker/caretaker—ran households; cared for children and family members

Scientist/mathematician—studied astronomy; cataloged stars; developed calendar and system of timekeeping

Enslaved person—performed manual labor for members of the upper classes

Project Steps

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NAME DATE CLASS

Hands-On Chapter ProjectWorksheet 1: Mesopotamia

Project Plan

Group Members:

Directions Think about the steps you will need to take in order to complete the project. Create a task list for your group.

Our group's Sumerian occupation is:

Group Task List

Review the information about Sumerian occupations in your Student Edition.

Do personal research on the occupation and take notes. (Use the Important Jobs in Sumer worksheet to guide your research, but do not complete it yet.) Cite at least three sources used in your research.

Meet with your team to share information from your research. Work together to complete the Important Jobs in Sumer worksheet.

Talk with your team about how you will work together to create the poster. Remember, your poster should include written information as well as numerous visual details.

Create your poster.

Present your poster to the class. Discuss why this occupation was important to a Sumerian village.

My Task List

Due Date

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Hands-On Chapter Project

Important Jobs in Sumer

Group Members:

Sumerian Occupation:

Directions Use the graphic organizer to answer each question. Then, cut out the different sections. Add them to your poster.

What activities do you do as part of your job?

What tools or resources do you need to do your job?

Where do you work? Who works with you?

Name another interesting fact about your job.

This job is the most important job in our village because . . .

Worksheet 2: Mesopotamia

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Hands-On Chapter ProjectWorksheet 3: Mesopotamia

Creating a Bibliography

Group Members:

Region:

Directions List all sources, including your text, magazines, newspapers, books, Internet sites, movies, and audio recordings.

For books, include: Author. Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Copyright year.

For Internet sites, include: Author or Organization. Title of site. Date accessed. URL

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Creating a Bibliography: MLA StyleCreating a Bibliography: MLA Style The Modern Language Association established styles for how to present sources. Center the title Works Cited at the top of your bibliography page.

Writing Process Strategies

Source Style

Book with one author DuPrau, Jeanne. The City of Ember. New York: Yearling, 2008.

Book with two or three authors Roberts, Gene and Hank Klibanoff. The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation. New York: Vintage, 2007. [If a book has more than three authors, name only the first author and then write “et al.” (Latin abbreviation for “and others”).]

Book with an editor Pierce, Tamora and Josepha Sherman, eds. Young Warriors: Stories of Strength. New York: Random House, 2005.

Book with an organization or group as author or editor

The Smithsonian Institute. The Civil War: A Visual History. New York: DK Publishing, 2011.

Work from an anthology Mancall, Peter C, ed. Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery: An Anthology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006: 138-145

Introduction in a published book

Knepper, Cathy D. Introduction. Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters to Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Carroll & Graf 2004. xiii-xxiv.

Encyclopedia article “Singapore.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2010.

Weekly magazine article Stengel, Richard. “The New Patriotism.” Time Magazine 26 June 2008: [For print: use page number range with no end punctuation, for example, 70-77; for online: delete colon and use a period after date.]

Monthly magazine article Ambinder, Mark. “Inside the Secret Service.” The Atlantic March 2011: [For print: use page number range with no end punctuation, for example, 70-77; for online: delete colon and use a period after date.]

Online magazine article Romm, Tony. “Senate Tussles Over Online Privacy” Politico 19 May 2011 (May 2011) <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55227.html >. [The date in parentheses is the date the article was accessed online.]

Newspaper article Bernstein, Richard. “Sport or Not? A Question for the Courts” The New York Times 14 July 2010. [For print, use a colon after the date, instead of a period, and add the section letter and page number refer-ence, for example, D12. Be sure to include a period at the end. For online, use example as shown.]

Unsigned article “Coping With Expensive Gasoline.” Washington Post 7 May 2011.

Internet “What Is Money?” Explore: Money. 2011. The British Museum. 2011 <http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/themes/money/what_is_money.aspx >.

Radio or TV program “Freedom Riders.” The American Experience. PBS. 16 May 2011.

Videotape or DVD The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. DVD. PBS, 2009

Interview Zadi, Shirelle. E-mail interview. 23-24 Nov. 2010. [If an interview takes place in person, replace “E-mail” with “Personal”; if it takes place on the telephone, use “Telephone.”]

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Hands-On Chapter ProjectWorksheet 4: Mesopotamia

Assessment Rubric

Points Research and Content Presentation

Collaboration and Time

Management

5

Research is extremely thorough and accurate; poster describes occupation in great depth and makes a strong case for its importance; sources are relevant and consistently reliable; bibliography lists more than 3 sources and is formatted correctly

All required elements are included; poster includes numerous visual and written details; students convincingly explain why this occupation is important; poster is extremely well organized and visually appealing

Project tasks were effectively divided and used the strengths of each group member well; the final project showed obvious group collaboration; the team was organized and demonstrated skillful time management

4

Research is thorough and accurate; poster describes occupation in depth and makes a strong case for its importance; sources are relevant and generally reliable; at least 3 sources are cited and all are formatted correctly

All required elements are included; poster includes visual and written details; students convincingly explain why this occupation is important; poster is well organized and visually appealing

Task responsibility was shared equally; all members contributed items to the poster; all members contributed to the oral presentation; in-class research time was used effectively

3

Research was conducted but is somewhat lacking in depth or accuracy; poster describes occupation in some detail and makes a case for its importance; some sources are irrelevant or unreliable; 3 sources are cited but formatting is inaccurate

All required elements are included; poster includes visual and written details but could be more thorough; students explain why this occupation is important; poster shows evidence of organization and effort

Responsibility for task was balanced among group members; most members fulfilled their responsibilities in creating and presenting the poster; in-class research time was generally productive

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Hands-On Chapter ProjectWorksheet 4: Mesopotamia

2

Research was minimal, lacks depth, and includes inaccurate facts; poster describes occupation, but needs to include more detail and argue for that occupation’s importance; source material is often irrelevant or unreliable; fewer than 3 sources are cited; documentation for some sources is missing or incomplete

One or two required elements are missing; poster includes some visual and written details but does not address all questions asked; students make minimal attempt to explain why this occupation is important; poster is somewhat lacking in organization and effort

Responsibility for task was unbalanced among group members; in-class research time was productive at times

1

Little to no research was conducted; most facts are inaccurate or irrelevant; poster includes little detail or fails to make a case for this occupation’s importance; source material is unreliable; fewer than 3 sources are cited or citations are incomplete

Three or more required elements are missing; poster has few visual and/or written details; students do not attempt to explain why this occupation is important; poster shows little evidence of organization and effort

Responsibility was placed primarily on one or two group members; group members did not use in-class research time effectively or disrupted other groups

Self AssessmentTeacher Assessment

Assessment Rubric Cont.