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Name: ______________________________________
6M Social Studies: Mesopotamia
Pd: ____
Date: ________________
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Making Mesopotamia
Directions: To learn about the world’s first civilization, you need to follow the
checklist below. Be sure to complete your “Exit Card” handout when you’re
done each section and check-in!
The Basics (I recommend completing this section first!):
 “Mesopotamia’s Major Definitions” Handout
Writing & Record Keeping (Choose ONE):
 British Museum Site: http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
(Complete the Story, Explore, AND Challenge!)
OR
 Cuneiform Reading
OR
 Watch a video about cuneiform:
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=250885&title=Cuneiform
 Exit Card complete?
Common Culture (Choose ONE):
 Epic of Gilgamesh, Literature’s first hero:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/geography/story/sto_set.html
(ONLY Complete the STORY section!)
OR
 “The Story of Gilgamesh” Reading
 Exit Card Complete?
Religion (Choose ONE):
 Gods & Goddesses: http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/gods/home_set.html
(Complete the Story, Explore, AND Challenge!)
OR
 Religion in Mesopotamia Reading
 Exit Card Complete?
Specialized Jobs/Workers (Choose ONE):
 Specialized Jobs Video:
http://elementsofcivilization.wikispaces.com/Ancient+Mesopotamian+Job+Specialization
OR
 “Specialization of Labor in Mesopotamia” handout
 Exit Card Complete?
Teacher Note: Government & Written Laws, Social Hierarchy, and Advanced
Cities/Technology aren’t on this checklist because we’ll take time to discuss them as a
whole class!
If you finish your tasks early, try these extras:
 Create a Mesopotamian Museum Exhibit:
http://mesopotamia.lib.uchicago.edu/interactives/DigIntoHistory.html
 Get a preview of the fall of Mesopotamia:
http://www.learner.org/interactives/collapse/mesopotamia.html
 Look through Mesopotamian issues of Calliope and Dig
magazines.
Name: ______________________________________
Mesopotamia’s Major Definitions
City-state:
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Cuneiform:
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Hammurabi’s Code:
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Polytheism:
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Social Hierarchy or Structure:
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Ziggurat:
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There’s no exit card for this handout, just check-in with me so I
know you’re finished this section!
Name: ______________________________________
Making Mesopotamia Exit Card
Directions: After you complete each section of the checklist, fill in this exit card (using
COMPLETE sentences) and check-in with me! Don’t move on to the next section until you
get my “ok!”
Writing & Record Keeping:
Make an inference-why would farming in Mesopotamia bring about a need to write and
record? Explain at least TWO reasons.
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Why do you think writing evolved and changed from cuneiform to what we have today?
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Common Culture:
Name one of Gilgamesh’s admirable traits AND one of his faults. What can this hero tell us
about what Mesopotamia’s values? (Ex: if a character doesn’t think before he acts but
sacrifices himself for a friend, then the civilization probably values careful thought and
loyalty.)
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How do stories like this show a united culture? Why do you think this story might have
been more complex than a hunter gatherer story?
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Religion:
Think about hunter-gatherers and their lack of emphasis on religion. How did farming help
make religion a large part of daily Mesopotamian life?
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What are most of Mesopotamia’s gods/goddesses based on/around? What do these gods
tell us about Mesopotamian culture?
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Specialized Jobs/Workers:
How did farming help create specialized jobs in Mesopotamia?
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What do these jobs reveal about daily Mesopotamian life (Ex: if there are a lot of sciencebased jobs, then you could infer that a civilization is pretty advanced)?
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Because Mesopotamia needed different jobs, its citizens were unequal. Do you think
having a specialized job you’re interested in is worth inequality? Defend your opinion!
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