Download Living the Life of a Scribe

Living the Life of a Scribe
Name _______________________________________ Date ______________________
Description:
A scribe was a person who could read and write. The scribe's job was to write letters,
keep records, and record traditional stories and songs. A scribe was a professional paid
writer. The scribe was the reporter of his time. Imagine that you are a scribe and a farmer
has asked you to write a letter to his relative in another citystate. The farmer wants to tell
his relative about his typical day and family.
Tasks:
• Write a descriptive letter about the farmer's typical day.
• The letter is to be sent to a relative in a nearby citystate.
• The farmer only has enough money to pay you for a three paragraph letter, ten
vocabulary words and an illustrated cover page.
• Use the graphic organizer to help you write the letter.
• To aide you with the vocabulary, use the vocabulary bank.
• You are to illustrate the front cover of the letter using a theme from Mesopotamia
• Base your letter on facts from the unit on the Fertile Crescent.
• Please check your work for grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling mistakes
Vocabulary Bank:
Remember, the farmer is paying you to use at least ten vocabulary words in the letter.
You may use more if you want.
irrigation
levee
polytheism
cuneiform
grains
Mesopotamia
Hammurabi
surplus
shadoff
canal
crops
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Illustration:
• Design and illustrate your cover
• Use any theme in Mesopotamia or the vocabulary words
• Use color pencils or crayons
• Use construction paper for your cover
• Place the letter on the inside of the illustrated card
scribe
mud brick
silt
artisan
Code of Laws