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Name ___________________________________________________ Hour ___ Date _____
Chapter 2: “The Fertile Crescent” (Sections 1-3, pages 28-47)
Using your pre-reading skills, look through the chapter. Look at the pictures, read the captions
under the pictures.
Section 1: Land Between Two Rivers, pages 28 - 37
1. Choose one picture that you found to be most interesting. Recreate the picture and write a
heading under your pictures that helps explain your picture or write at least two sentences
saying what you learned from the picture. Write the page number of the picture.
2. Read the section on page 30 called “Prepare to Read.” List one objective that you should
learn from this section:
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3. Which Reading Skill is going to be targeted in this chapter?
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4. Choose 3 terms with which you are unfamiliar. Write the word and the definition on the lines
below:
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____________________________________________________________________________
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5. Now read the red bolded headings. These headings tell you what that section will be about.
Write each of the red bolded headings from this chapter on the lines on the next page. If there is
a smaller blue heading under the red one, write those headings under that line.
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A. __________________________________________________________________________
a. ______________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________
B.__________________________________________________________________________
a. ______________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________________
a. _______________________________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________________________________
Now that you have pre-read, read this section. As you read, watch for the following sentences
and complete them as you come across them in your reading.
Pages 28-31:
6. A region known as the Fertile Crescent stretched in an _______ from the Mediterranean Sea
to the Persian Gulf.
7. The language on this tablet ____________ is the oldest known written language.
8. The first known schools were set up in the land of Sumer over _____________ years ago.
9. Students usually began school at age _________.
10. Sumer was located in a region called ___________________________________.
11. Mesopotamia had rich soil and life-giving ___________.
12. Sumer became one of the most prosperous areas of the ____________ world.
13. The word Mesopotamia comes from Greek words that mean ____________ the rivers.
14. Mesopotamia lies between two rivers, the __________ and the ___________________.
Pages 32 – 33:
15. The rivers of the crescent-shaped region helped to make one of the best places in
Southwest ______ for growing crops.
16. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers were the source of ______ for the peoples of Mesopotamia.
17. As farming succeeded in Mesopotamia, communities began to build up surpluses of
_________.
18. Each Sumerian city acted as an independent _________ with its own gods and goddesses.
19. In the ______________ merchants displayed good in outdoor stalls.
20. For a fee, ____________ wrote letters for people who couldn’t write.
Name ___________________________________________________ Hour ___ Date _____
Pages 34 – 35.
21. In the heart of the city was a ____________ building which was a temple to the main god.
22. At the top of each ziggurat was a __________.
23. The Sumerians believed the gods used the ziggurat as stairs to come to ___________.
24. Temple priests washed the statues of gods before and after each _________.
25. ____________ was also used to express what was important to them (Sumerians).
26. Around 2300 B.C., the Sumerians were conquered by ___________.
27. In the 1700’s B.C. the Sumerians fell to the ______________________.
Section 2: “Fertile Crescent Empires”
1. Choose one picture that you found to be most interesting. Recreate the picture and write a
heading under your pictures that helps explain your picture or write at least two sentences
saying what you learned from the picture. Write the page number of the picture.
2. Read the section on page 38 called “Prepare to Read.” List one objective that you should
learn from this section:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Which Reading Skill is going to be targeted in this chapter?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Choose 3 terms with which you are unfamiliar. Write the word and the definition on the lines
below:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Name ___________________________________________________ Hour ___ Date _____
5. Now read the red bolded headings. These headings tell you what that section will be about.
Write each of the red bolded headings from this chapter on the lines below. If there is a smaller
blue heading under the red one, write those headings under that line.
A.__________________________________________________________________________
B.__________________________________________________________________________
a._____________________________________________________________________
b._____________________________________________________________________
C. __________________________________________________________________________
a._____________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________
D. __________________________________________________________________________
a._____________________________________________________________________
b_____________________________________________________________________
Now that you have pre-read, read this section. As you read, watch for the following sentences
and complete them as you come across them in your reading.
Pages 38-39:
6. ________________ was one of many kings who ruled after the fall of Sumer.
7. _______________ was the capital of the Babylonian empire
8. The roads through Babylon made travel easier, which encouraged ______.
9. In Babylon’s bazaars, shoppers could buy cotton cloth from ________ and spices from
____________.
Pages 40-41:
10. The kingdoms of Assyria lay in open land, making it easy for others to __________.
11. The Assyrians invented the ____________ ram.
12. Assyrian archers were protected by _____________ and armor.
13. However, most of Assyrian enemies feared the armed ___________.
14. Assyria’s capital, Ninevah, had a library that had thousands of clay tables with writings from
__________ and Babylon. Because of these records, we know a lot about these civilizations! 
15. King __________________ put up massive walls around the city of Babylon.
16. Astronomers in Babylon charted the paths of the _______ and measured the length of the
__________, which was only a few minutes off from our year today.
Name ___________________________________________________ Hour ___ Date _____
17. Their farmers even raised _____________ bees.
18. The _______________ conquered the Babylonians in 539 B.C.
19. The Persians built the largest empire the __________ __________ had ever known.
20. The Persians tolerated people with different __________.
21. They freed __________ who had been held captive in Babylon.
22. The Persian ____________ achievements survived to help shape our modern civilization!
Section 3: “The Legacy of Mesopotamia”
1. Choose one picture that you found to be most interesting. Recreate the picture and write a
heading under your pictures that helps explain your picture or write at least two sentences
saying what you learned from the picture. Write the page number of the picture.
2. Read the section on page 43 called “Prepare to Read.” List one objective that you should
learn from this section:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Which Reading Skill is going to be targeted in this chapter?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Choose 3 terms with which you are unfamiliar. Write the word and the definition on the lines
below:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Now read the red bolded headings. These headings tell you what that section will be about.
Write each of the red bolded headings from this chapter on the lines on the next page. If there is
a smaller blue heading under the red one, write those headings under that line.
Name ___________________________________________________ Hour ___ Date _____
A.__________________________________________________________________________
a._____________________________________________________________________
b._____________________________________________________________________
B.__________________________________________________________________________
a._____________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________
Now that you have pre-read, read this section. As you read, watch for the following sentences
and complete them as you come across them in your reading:
Pages 43-45:
6. __________________ set down laws for everyone to follow.
7. ______________ ______________ told the people of Babylon how to settle conflicts.
8. This code held _____________ laws.
9. Hammurabi felt the punishment should be similar to the __________ committed.
10. The harshness of the punishment depended on how important the ______________ was.
11. The higher the class of the victim, the greater the ____________ was.
12. Hammurabi’s laws were important because they were __________ down.
13. Writing first developed in Mesopotamia ca ________________.
14. ________________ held positions of great respect in Mesopotamia.
15. Since ________ had not been invented, laws were written on ________.
Pages 45-47:
16. _____________ script could be used to represent different languages.
17. The Sumerians did not borrow ideas from the writing systems of other ___________.
Now: On the next page, write a summary of what you found to be the most interesting part of
chapter 2. Remember, you need a topic sentence, 3-4 supporting details, and a concluding
sentence. See me if you need help with this. Reminder: be sure you have a very neat paper that
shows you have pride in your work. 
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Do you remember WHY the ancient Mesopotamians built ziggurats? 