Ancient Mesopotamia Unit Study Grade 7

The following items are included in the unit study kit and must be returned to HCOS: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Parent/Student Guide Ancient Mesopotamia Life in Ancient Mesopotamia Kingfisher Atlas of the Ancient World Atlas of the Bible Lands Ancient Civilizations Card Game

*Parent guide is available online with clickable links: http://www.onlineschool.ca/rooms/ library/resource_kits/index.php Scroll down page and click on the kit name. Ask your online teacher for a password for the Discovering Education website for access to the video clips. http://www.discoveryeducation.com Website for Writing Research Papers/Essays: http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/ This site gives the basic steps in creating a research report and tips on everything from making an outline to citing sources.

Other Resources available from HCOS library:

Recommended: What in the World? Volume 1 CD by Diana Waring - 4 Disc audio set Creation to Christ True Tales Complete Ancient Civilizations and the Bible by Diana Waring - 3 disc audio set Writers Inc. or another reference for writing essays. Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer Mystery of History Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History Adam and his Kin Genesis, Finding our Roots Ruth Beechik DVD - Abraham Check for more books and resources on the library website.

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Creating Timelines
In her writings, Charlotte Mason recommended preparing a handmade Time Line Book (originally called a Museum Sketch Book; sometimes called a Book of the Centuries). This activity is based upon one of the major keys to motivation: the active involvement of students in their own learning. Students learn by doing, making, writing, designing, creating, and solving. Creating this Time Line Book is a marvelous way for students to not only be actively involved but to pull it all together and grasp the ow of biblical and historical events. In a short period of time, students can complete an illustrated time line page that tells a story, resulting in immediate feedback that is satisfying and rewarding. Then, as your students learn historical facts, they will make notes and sketches in their book, on the appropriate dated page, about famous people, important events, inventions, wars, etc. There are many versions of timelines you can make: a wall timeline, notebook, lapbook, computer generated or purchased book. See examples here: http://heartofwisdom.com/homeschoollinks/craeting-a-timeline-book/ HISTORYThrough the Ages Historical Timeline Figures help tremendously when putting the puzzle of history together. They allow you to follow across eras of time using illustrated gures to represent people and events key to world history. Using them on a wall will allow you to see the global picture, or you can use them in a notebook for portability that will become both a valuable resource and treasured keepsake! Timeline forms to print: http://www.donnayoung.org/history/timeline.htm http://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/homeschool-timeline-templates.html To Set Up Your Time Line Book you will need: 1. A three-ring notebook with a clear-plastic pocket cover 2. Blank 8.5 X 11 pages 3. Smaller lined pages (8.5 x 11 cut down to 8.5 x9) 4. A three-hole punch 5. Glue sticks 6. Optional: Clip art or Software Decide upon the units of time you will use (decades, centuries, etc.) to divide your time line into segments. The nice thing about the notebook style timeline is that its cumulative; every years study can be added in. You can continue this time line as you study later periods by adding pages. As you study each period, there will be times when you will document decades on one page, and other times when you will document several centuries on one page. 8/1/2013 Revised

Place the appropriate section of the time line across the top of each 8.5 x 11 page to represent increments. The shorter lined pages will go in between these pages to hold notes. If there is not room on your time line to include all of your chronology, cull some of the dates or add pages with larger segments that leave more room. Illustrate Pages - On the blank pages add illustrations. Utilize the Internet. Thousands of illustrations, maps, Christian clip art, etc., are available on the Internet. You can also draw your own illustrations, use illustrations from the web or trace or photocopy the illustrations from Reproducible Maps, Charts, Time Lines and Illustrations (What the Bible Is All About Resources). Add Notes and Outlines to Lined Pages - On the lined pages add notes or outlines about key events or people. Write a brief summary for each event, development, or invention. Include: Who did it? When did it occur? What it was. Where it occurred? Why it was important? Write a short biography for each person you research. Information that you may include: birth and death dates, where they were born, where they died, what they did that was important, etc.
Here are some creative options for students to use to record their work. There are many websites and yahoo groups which have a lot of information as well as free resourcesjust do a search!

Big Book of Books and Activities: an illustrated guide for teachers, parents, and anyone who works with kids! by Dinah Zike is available from the HCOS library http://www.dinah.com/ About Lapbooks and Lapbooking Lapbooking is the term for taking a paper le folder and refolding it so that there are two covers on the front. It is held vertically, with the 11 inch long side being held in a vertical position. It is refolded so that one cover opens to the left and the other cover opens to the right. This lapbook is dedicated to one topic of study. The child then makes miniature books and little folded aps about content of that subject area. Those little books are glued to the inside of this lapbook. Extensions can be made, with card stock paper or tag board paper, to make the lapbook have more surfaces in which to place books. The cover can be decorated. About Notebooks and Notebooking The big difference between notebooks and lapbooks is that in lapbooking the information is made into tiny books which are glued inside of a le folder. With notebooking a child may make little books but they are glued into pages which are 3 hole punched and put inside of a 3 ring binder notebook. With notebooking, regular pages can be added as well as pressed leaves or other objects. In other words the notebook pages might just be at and not have "mini books" in them. Also some people use notebooks like scrapbooks and can add in things like pressed owers, real dried leaves, photographs your family took, et cetera. Notebooking can cover a whole subject such as Ancient History and may hold an inch thick stack of papers, while lapbooking is smaller/thinner and holds less information. Subjects for lapbooking may cover smaller topics such as Ancient Mesopotamia or Pyramids. Sites for lapbooks & notebooking: 8/1/2013 Revised

Homeschoolshare has many free resources! http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php www.knowledgeboxcentral.com Lapbooking 101 Lapbook lessons Flapbooks http://lapbooking.wordpress.com/ http://www.lapbooklessons.com/ http://www.unitstudies.com/books/index.aspx

More website links are available through the Weblinks library: http://www.onlineschool.ca/php-bin/links/ Mesopotamia Websites:
http://history-world.org/sumeria.htm http://mesopotamia.lib.uchicago.edu/
http://hypermedia.educ.psu.edu/k-12/edpgs/su96/meso/ mesopotamia.html#hammurabi http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook03.html Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia

http://www.crystalinks.com/mesopotamia.html Hammurabis laws - http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm http://lexicorient.com/e.o/mesopotamia.htm http://www.livius.org/index.html http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/index.html http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/civilizations/meso/ index.html http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/index.html http://www.mrdonn.org/ancienthistory.html http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Iraq.html http://www.timelineindex.com/content/home/forced

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Dear Parents and Students,

Studying Ancient Civilizations helps us to understand human nature and mans role in history. True history, Gods history, is the study of the unfolding of Gods plan for mankind. The start of recorded history leads us to understand our current world and allows us to build on whats been done before us. God is active throughout all of history and will be for the remainder of history on earth and eternity. Through studying ancient civilizations we are able to study how people lived and the role God played in their lives. There will be those that ignored Him and those that followed Him. We can learn from all of them. As we study the lives and times of those that came before us, we are able to apply Biblical truth to fully understand the events that took place. Without using the Bible as a forge to put history through we will not fully understand the truth behind what has taken place or how it can be used to help us as Christians. Enjoy studying our history, learning about places and people that may seem foreign to us yet were involved in building the world we have today, and use Gods word throughout it all to learn the truth. At this grade level it is expected that the student should be able to work independently. Decide together what activities you will do and what kind of format to use. A student who is most comfortable using a computer may want to type everything, whereas an artistic student may choose to do a lapbook. Feel free to adapt any of the activities to suit your student. If they want to do a powerpoint instead of a report, encourage them to do so, however research papers are required for portfolios as well. Create a notebook where you will record your answers to questions and include your essays. Reading assignments are noted by page number, but you will need to refer back and review when covering a new topic. Here are some different ways to present information: oral report, group activity, demonstrating a skill or concept, poems, role play, posters, audio recordings, power point, video, diorama, models, songs, collages, research projects, drawings, picture journal, time lines, narrated eld trip, debates, maps, graphs, and charts. Use these methods when completing questions/activities in any subject. Consider the audience you will be presenting to when selecting a presentation format. The use of the internet is important for research and many websites are included. You will need to create a timeline which you will add to throughout your study of history. There are 10 lessons which may take up to 20 sessions to complete, depending on how much time is spent each day. Plan your schedule keeping the due date of the kit in mind (remember that the kit must be ready to send back about 5 days before it is due because of travel time). The Ancient Civilizations Card Game is fun to play anytime!

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Specic learning outcomes are noted, but there are others you may cover ie. Bible, language arts, art. Enjoy your study!

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Lesson 1 Cradle of Civilization

The Garden of Eden is believed to have been located in or near Mesopotamia, between two great rivers. Read: Genesis 1:1 2:3 Listen to: (not included in kit but available from HCOS library) What in the World? Volume 1 CD by Diana Waring Disc One: Welcome, Creation, Early Man, The Flood OR True Tales Introduction, Dates for Creation, Early Man, Where Did Cain get His Wife? Activities: Answer in your Notebook or lapbook 1. What is Gods opinion of his Creation? How often is this judgment repeated? 2. What is different about the creation of man from the creation of animals? 3. Why did God create all of this? (There are many answers, see Gen. 1:28, Jeremiah 9:23-24 and research more scripture). Write a paragraph on what you learn. 4. Start your timeline. See the Time chart of Bible History in the Atlas of the Bible Lands, pg. 52

Lesson 2 Early Civilizations

Read: Genesis 4:21-22 Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 5-9 Life in Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 4-7 Atlas of the Ancient World pg. 4-11 Activities: In your notebook or lapbook: 1. Dene civilization 2. As Christians, we do not believe that man evolved from a lower form of mammal. The Lord created man intelligent and creative, able to reason, make choices and invent, unlike animals. Explain who Jubal and Tubal-Cain were and what they are known for. 3. Research early musical instruments. Write a one page report and draw a picture. 4. Draw a map of Mesopotamia and list the cities, rivers, deserts, mountains and water bodies. See Atlas of Bible lands pg. 12, Atlas of the Ancient World pg. 10 11. 5. Add to your timeline

Lesson 3 The Sumerians

Watch: Discovery Streaming clip: Mesopotamia: the Development of Written Language Read: Life in Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 8, 18-20 Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 10 12, 74-83

Activities:
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Research cuneiform using the internet and books. http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/ 1. Write an essay answering the following questions: How did people pass on information before the development of the written word? How did they begin recording information and how did it develop? What did the Sumerians document on the tablets? (review video if necessary) List other things societies want on record today ie. citizenship, property ownership. What was the importance of scribes? Describe how they were trained and what services they performed. Compare cuneiform and how it affected civilization to modern day media 2. Compare the Mesopotamian Flood Story to the Biblical account. Create a chart showing the similarities and differences. 3. Add to your timeline. Include inventions and important people. See pg. 52 in the Atlas of the Bible Lands and Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 90 - 96

Lesson 4 Babylonia
Listen to: (not included in kit but available from HCOS library) What in the World? Descendants of Noah, Sources & Evidences, Oldest Cities OR True Tales: Table of Nations, Origins of Races, Dispersion after Babel, Discovery of Troy Discovery of Ur Read: Life in Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 9-11 Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 12-31 Genesis 11: 1-9

Activities:
1.

After the ood, all people were descended from Noah and his sons. As time went by, the people began to worship many gods. Research the Tower of Babel and create a poster or picture showing what happened. Why did the Lord confuse their language? How did this impact their civilization?
http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/

2. Investigate who Nimrod was, what his name meant and what his association with the Tower of Babel was.
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3. Read Genesis 11:26-32. What do we learn about Abrams family? Why does the Lord tell Abram to leave his homeland (Chapter 12) and what promise does he make? Plot his course on a map. Atlas of the Bible Lands pg. 12-13 4. Add to your timeline.

Lesson 5 The Code of Hammurabi

Read : Life in Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 21 Research the code using the internet and other reference books. Activities: 1. What is the Code of Hammurabi? Why is it important to the development of legal systems? Was it effective or fair? 2. Compare the code to Canadas laws and legal system. Create a chart of the similarities/differences. 3. What makes the laws necessary? Create a day without rules/laws compare to a day with rules/laws and write down what it would be like. 4. Discuss family rules. What kind of rules do you have? Why do you have them? (ie. protection, safety, keep the peace). Are there consequences for breaking the rules? Think of the similarities between family rules and Societys laws. 5. Pick a global issue that Christians are involved in (spreading Christianity, education, health, poverty, food supply, etc.). Identify the issue, explain how it affects Christians or how Christians are affecting the issue, and nd other perspectives on Christian involvement in the issue. What do you think about the issue and Christian involvement? Defend you answer. Useful site: http:// www.cmf.org.uk/search/default.asp?search_string=Global +Issues&whole_site=on&search_mode=all&alias=true 6. Add to your timeline.

Lesson 6 Assyria
Read: Book of Jonah Life in Ancient Mesopotamia 8/1/2013 Revised 2 Kings chapters 17 & 18 pg. 9-11

Ancient Mesopotamia

pg. 57-64

Activities: 1.

2. 3.

4. 5.

Research the Assyrians using the internet and other books. Write a description of the Assyrian civilization. What were they known for? Include a bibliography. http:// www.crlsresearchguide.org/ Create a map of the Assyrian Empire. See Atlas of Bible Lands pg. 22 & 23 Write your version of the sermon Jonah may have given; it was so powerful it caused the nation to repent. Consider his experience and the religious beliefs of the Assyrians. OR Write a news story about Jonahs arrival and the impact his sermon had on the people. Add important dates and people to your timeline. See Atlas of Bible Lands pg. 52

Lesson 7 Farming in Ancient Mesopotamia

Watch: Discovery Streaming clip: From Nomads to Farmers [20:00] Read: Life in Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 6, 7, 16, & 17 Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 50-56 Activities: 1. Research farming, then write an essay. Consider these questions: Why did the ancient Sumerians look for new ways to produce their food? Was the soil good for farming? What problem made farming difficult at rst and how did they solve it? What important farming tool did they invent? How did farming effect their civilization? http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/ 2. What kind of pollution existed in ancient civilizations? Did it need to be controlled? How could it have been controlled? What affect would this have on future generations? 3. Add inventions to your timeline. See Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 90 - 96

Lesson 8 Merchants and Traders

Watch: Discovery Streaming clip - Mesopotamia: Trade Routes and Transportation Read: Life in Ancient Mesopotamia 8/1/2013 Revised pg. 12-15, 24-27

Ancient Mesopotamia

pg. 32-39

Activities: 1. Write about the day in the life of a merchant. Imagine what issues this individual might have faced and how they could be resolved (e.g., food shortages, ooding, epidemic). If you were this person, how would the issue affect you? How would you overcome the issue? How would it feel to have or not have power? Would you be treated in a particular way because of your place in that culture? What could you conclude about the social structure of this culture? When researching, make sure you identify daily life, gender roles, and social structure in the time period your person lived. If this person lived in your town today, would their life be any different? 2. How would things like the environment, peoples needs, and trade fuel the desire for new inventions and new types of technology in ancient civilizations and in the present? 3. Add to your timeline. See Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 90 - 96

Lesson 9 Art, Science and Technology in Ancient Mesopotamia

Read: Ancient Mesopotamia Life in Ancient Mesopotamia pg. 40-49, 65-73, 84-89 pg. 28 29

Activities: 1. Create a chart of all of the inventions and innovations the Mesopotamians contributed. Explain how it affected their culture in the second column and how they affect us in the present day in the third column. Include art, technology, and literature, political & military inuences. 2. Trace the history of an innovation (e.g., inclined plane, wheel, lever) or a concept (e.g., faith in God, the alphabet, numbers, astronomy, astrology) important to that culture. Analyze the spread of the innovation or concept to other cultures and show if other cultures changed the original to suite their needs. Why did the innovation or concept change/not change from culture to culture?

3. Research one of the following areas of Mesopotamia using books and the internet and write an essay. Questions and suggestions are given for some topics: Art (see art questions) Architecture ( see architecture questions) Medicine 8/1/2013 Revised

Science and Technology (see suggestions) http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/ Art Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Make a list of all of the types of artwork done. What kinds of carvings were discovered? How skillful were the sculptors? What kind of metalwork did they do? What types of paints or pigments did the Ancient Mesopotamians use? What types of homes did the workmen and their families live in? What were the Hanging Gardens? Add illustrations of art to your report.

Architecture Questions 1. What types of structures were built ie. Ziggurats? 2. What materials were used? 3. Where did they get the materials? 4. Were special materials or tools developed? 5. What type of machinery was used? 6. Where were the structures located? 7. What were they used for? 8. Were they public or private? 9. What features are distinctive of the style? 10.Draw a sketch of the building 11.Create a Model of the building Science and Technology Choose an activity: 1. Write a summary about Ancient technology & science at least 4 paragraphs long and add illustrations. 2. Make a model of one type of technology used. Ie. a tablet, irrigation system, star map. 3. Brainstorm the types of tools that would be useful in Mesopotamian civilization and create a Mesopotamian tool or invention (or choose a civilization of your choice). This tool or invention should impact the society you have chosen in one of the following areas: farming, religion, daily life, mathematics, astronomy, trade, or transportation. The invention or tool must be constructed from materials that would be available during that period of history (e.g., no plastics or electronics). 4. Write a reection describing how your invention or tool (from question number 47) impacted the society you chose and why this impact will further develop the societys civilization. (For example: creating a simple rudder for a boat will enable better control of boats, which in turn will increase ability to travel down Euphrates and Tigris Rivers, thereby increasing trade and enhancing the civilization.). 8/1/2013 Revised

5. Add science and technology discoveries to your time line.

Lesson 10 Kings
Research the Rulers of Ancient Mesopotamia that are mentioned in the Bible. Some scriptures are noted, but search the Bible for more. The Book of Daniel has references to several Kings. Sargon ll Hosea 10:6, 2 Kings 17 Sennacherib 2 Kings 18:17-37 Nebuchadnezzar ll 2 Kings 24, Daniel 4 & others Belshazzar Dan. 5:26-28 Cyrus the Great Isa. 44:28 45:1,Ezra, 2 Chronicles, Daniel Darius the Mede Daniel Darius l Ezra Xerxes l Esther Artaxerxes l Ezra See Atlas of the Bible Lands pg. 52- 53 for timeline of rulers. Activities: 1. Read all of the accounts regarding the above Kings and put them on your timeline. 2. God is always in control, even when it does not look like it. He uses the powers that govern to affect His outcomes. Write an essay on how God directed these kings and how they treated the Israelites. Focus on one or more specic Kings, which person in the Bible they interacted with and how God used them for his purposes. ie. Nebuchadnezzar (the Mad King), Xerxes & Esther http://www.crlsresearchguide.org/

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Grade 7 - Ancient History/Early Civilizations, Creation to 500 A.D. Learning Outcomes.

Students will choose three different cultures that existed between Creation and 500 A.D. to study this year. Specifically, the will look at: Society and Culture - How did various cultures meet common needs, preserve their identities and adapt to change? What were the effects and consequences of contact and conflict between ancient cultures? What are some connections between current cultures and ancient cultures? Students will describe daily life, work, family structures, and gender roles in selected ancient cultures. Through their study, students will demonstrate an understanding of the concept of civilization and will demonstrate their understanding of events as part of a chronological series. Politics and Law - Outline the evolution and purpose of rules, laws, and government. Compare the concept of the individual in early societies to that of today and compare ways in which ancient governments acquired and used power and authority. How did ancient civilizations define membership and citizenship? How have ancient systems of laws and government contributed to current Canadian political and legal systems? Economy and Technology How were the settlement patterns, economies, and occupations of ancient peoples influenced by their physical environments? Describe various ways ancient peoples exchanged goods and services. How did technological innovations impact the lives of ancient peoples? Describe the contributions of ancient cultures to science and technology and compare ancient and modern means of communication. Environment How have peoples interactions with their physical environments changed over time? What has been the impact of natural processes and human-induced changes on communities? During their studies, students will construct, interpret, and use graphs, tables, scales, legends, and various types of maps. Portfolio Submissions A minimum of 3 samples for each portfolio including at least two samples from group A. At least one sample of map work should be included at some point during the year and at least one sample per portfolio should be written. Where possible, please include any outlines the student created and the process by which the student determined whether a source was reliable or not. If an oral report is completed please submit a tape recording of the report. A

A written or oral report that shows the student is able to defend a position on a global issue by considering competing reasons from various perspectives. A written, oral, or audio-visual presentation using more than one form of representation (written and oral, audio-visual with a paper-based hand-out, etc.) and utilizing information from both primary and secondary sources. A project where the student designs, implements, and assesses detailed courses of action to address national problems or issues.

A written sample that shows the students understanding of one or more of the above topics researched using a body of information from primary 8/1/2013 Revised

archaeological and historical evidence and secondary print, non-print, and electronic sources.

A list of books, audio-visual materials, or multi-media that the student has learned from. A eld trip log. Map work (showing the ability to locate and describe major geographic features and selected nation states of the world and the ability to interpret and use graphs, tables, aerial photos, scales, legends, and various types of maps) Answers to comprehension questions

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