Goals and Objectives
Goals:
Objectives:
- Students will understand the political, social and religious beliefs and practices of the Sumerians.
- Students will learn the variety of inventions and contributions made by the civilizations of Mesopotamia.
- Students will learn about the political and physical geography of ancient Mesopotamia.
Objectives:
- Students will be able to list and describe seven innovations of the ancient Sumerians.
- Students will be able to illustrate the political, economic and technological environment of a typical Sumerian city-state.
Common Core & Content Standards
6.2.1 Locate and describe the major river systems and discuss the physical settings that supported permanent settlement and early civilizations.
6.2.3 Understand the relationship between religion and the social and political order in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
RL61: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI62: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
6.2.3 Understand the relationship between religion and the social and political order in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
RL61: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI62: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will ask students to complete a quick-write, describing their day without specific items at their disposal. The teacher will list each item on the board. The items include; the wheel, writing, calendars, geometry and sailboats. The teacher will ask students to think deeply about the items importance or lack of importance in their lives. The teacher will remind students that, “Without the wheel, there are no cars and without writing, there is no texting or email”. Students will also be asked to consider how some items that they don’t think are important could be used indirectly by them. After the quick-write the teacher will explain that these items and many more were invented by the world’s first civilization, called the Sumerians. Their achievements and way of life is the subject of the next lesson.
Vocabulary Key Terms
The teacher then walks over to the word wall and introduces the key terms and definitions. The definitions may be a word, picture or symbol that help the students remember the definition.
City-state
Ziggurat
Artisans
Cuneiform
Scribes
Epic of Gilgamesh
Geometry
Moon cycles
City-state
Ziggurat
Artisans
Cuneiform
Scribes
Epic of Gilgamesh
Geometry
Moon cycles
Content Delivery
The teacher will then introduce the lesson for the day and instruct students to open their textbook to the appropriate pages. The teacher will then lead a pre-reading class discussion about the headings and subheadings in the reading selection. The teacher will write each heading and subheading on the board and ask student what they think is covered in each section. The teacher will also ask students what they think a good question would be for the end of each section. Students will be called on at random.
Once the pre-reading discussion is completed, the teacher will hand out a graphic organizer with a topical web that will be filled out during reading. The teacher will instruct students to write down Achievements of the Sumerians, in the center of the topical web. Then the teacher will instruct students to fill in as many important achievements of the Sumerians as they can get from the assigned reading. Each achievement will include a short description. Reading will be done individually in a quiet setting.
Once the pre-reading discussion is completed, the teacher will hand out a graphic organizer with a topical web that will be filled out during reading. The teacher will instruct students to write down Achievements of the Sumerians, in the center of the topical web. Then the teacher will instruct students to fill in as many important achievements of the Sumerians as they can get from the assigned reading. Each achievement will include a short description. Reading will be done individually in a quiet setting.
Student Engagement
The post-reading activity will be a poster project completed in groups of three or four. The teacher will instruct students to congregate into their pre-assigned groups and instruct students to make a poster of a typical Sumerian city-state. This city-state should include appropriate religious symbols (ziggurats) and military protection (moats and city walls). The poster should also include at least seven contributions of the Sumerians as well as elements of the Sumerian lifestyle, including farms with crops, wheeled wagons carrying goods and plows. The poster should also include Sumerian people in their traditional social roles discussed in the chapter.
Lesson Closure
After each group completes their poster, they will be instructed to hang their posters on the wall. Then, each group will stand by their poster and quickly describe what elements of Sumerian life they included on their poster. The teacher will be looking for at least seven different items on their poster that illustrate life in ancient Sumer.
Assessments
Formative Assessment: The teacher will walk around the room during the reading portion of the lesson and observe the progress each student is making on the graphic organizer. The teacher will also assist any student who is having trouble with the reading.
Summative Assessment: The teacher will observe the students making the posters and reminding each group that all students must participate in the poster project. The teacher will then listen to each group present their poster and keep track of how many elements of Sumerian life each group included in their poster. The more elements included, the better their grade will be for the assignment. The minimum expectation is seven illustrated items of ancient Sumerian living.
Summative Assessment: The teacher will observe the students making the posters and reminding each group that all students must participate in the poster project. The teacher will then listen to each group present their poster and keep track of how many elements of Sumerian life each group included in their poster. The more elements included, the better their grade will be for the assignment. The minimum expectation is seven illustrated items of ancient Sumerian living.
Accomadations
The graphic organizer used during the reading will help ELs, striving readers and students with special needs understand the information they should be getting from the reading. The vocabulary introduction will also help these students clarify words they may be unfamiliar with. The poster project allows ELs, striving readers and special needs students to express what they’ve learned without the use of academic language. It will give all the students a chance to be creative and artistic.
Resources
Textbook
Graphic Organizer with Topical Web
Art supplies: construction paper, markers, colored pencils, scissors, and glue.
Graphic Organizer with Topical Web
Art supplies: construction paper, markers, colored pencils, scissors, and glue.