Warm Up:• Think of a recent problem or challenge that you, your

family, or your school faced, and what you did to solve it.

• In your passport, create a flowchart like the one below.

• Draw a simple illustration of the challenge in the “Problem” box. Also write a one- or two-sentence summary of the problem in that box.

• In the “Solution” box, draw a simple illustration of how you solved the problem. Also write one or two sentences describing the solution.

Mesopotamia started in 3500BCE and is

called the “land between the rivers”

You will take on the role of an Ancient

Mesopotamian and experience the changes

that occurred in this period. Many of these

changes led to a series of problems that the ancient

Mesopotamians had to face and solve!

• Prayer Statues that represent

a Mesopotamian

male and female

You will be asked to solve major problems to better understand the changes that occurred to make Mesopotamian

one of the most successful civilizations

of its time.

Read section 4.2 (pg # 34) and answers

the first two questions on your

worksheet. •What was the main job of

Mesopotamians?•What is irrigation?

• What was the main job of

Mesopotamians?

• What is irrigation?

• Farming

• A way to supply land with water

• You are a family sitting around the dinner table, your stomach is growling and it has been announced that dinner

has been canceled.

• Now read section 4.3 - pg 35– What did the Ancient

Mesopotamians do to solve this problem?

– They moved from the mountains to the plains where the could be near the rivers and use the fertile land dropped there by the overflowing river

• You are a family who is standing in ankle deep water and staring out at your hard

worked flooded fields.• They are ruined!

• Now read section 4.4 - pg 36– What did the Ancient Mesopotamians do

to solve this problem?• They started to build irrigation

systems , called levees (mud walls built along the banks to prevent flooding) to provide water throughout the dry times and hold it back during floods .

• Later they learned how to make canals and dams to block water and force it into pools/ reservoirs.

• Your family is standing in an irrigation canal, holding

shovels under the hot sun.

• Now read section 4.5 - pg 37– What did the Ancient

Mesopotamians do to solve this problem?• They created large communities

with several thousand people to help handle the work. They also learned how to balance their reservoirs.

• You are standing with your family and are holding a

weapon (a spear or a sword) and looking out the windows

of their homes.

• Now read section 4.6 - pg 38– What did the Ancient

Mesopotamians do to solve this problem?• They built up large walls around

their cities and surrounded them with moats • Everyone lives inside the walls and

during attacks farmers also come rushing in

4.7 From Small Farming Villages to Large City-

States• True or False – The City-States were

dependent on one another .

• Explain your answer.– They did not need anyone but themselves.

They had their own government, food, rules, etc.

Reviewing what you learned

• Talk with your city-state and discuss each problem and solution that city-state faced.

• Are you confident in your knowledge?

Apply what the Sumerians Apply what the Sumerians fixed!fixed!

• You have solved all of your problems and can now live a happy life in your city-state. But you would like to make sure that more people come and live in your amazing city-state.

• On the computer paper, create a real-estate advertisement to encourage people to move to one of the Sumerian city-states. Make sure your advertisement includes these things:

Apply what the Sumerians Apply what the Sumerians fixed!fixed!• Make sure your advertisement includes these

things:– An appropriate and clever title for the

advertisement, to catch the reader’s eye. Be sure it includes your Sumerian city-state’s name.

– At least three illustrations representing the ideas Sumerians came up with to solve to key problems.

– A brief caption for each visual that describes the solution and explains how or why it helps make a Sumerian city-state a desirable place to live.