Civilizations of the Ancient Near East

Designed by: David Blackwell, Gibbes Middle

1) CORE CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE(S):

Examine the ancient civilizations which developed along the Nile, Indus, Huang He, and Tigris Euphrates rivers

Locate each civilization on map(s).  (6WH3-1)

Explain the following aspects of each river civilization: important terms; government; religion(s); economy; inventions and contributions; communication; natural resources; evolution of the civilization; its place within a time reference; primary people, places, and events; social structures; education; neighboring/concurrent cultures and their contributions. During this unit, students will learn about the Ancient Israelites, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Phoenicians, and the Persians.  (6WH3-3)

Assess how each location was "a cradle of civilization" and the relationship of each civilization to the world today.  (6WH3-4)

GRADE LEVEL: Sixth          SUBJECT(S): World History

2) OVERVIEW:

This lesson/unit is a study of the Ancient Near East concentrating on the Ancient Israelites, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Chaldeans (also known as the Babylonians), the Phoenicians, and the Persians. The students will study important events, leaders and contributions of each of the six groups/civilizations. Activities will include completing fact charts, writing essays, using cloze worksheets, participating in consensus groups, using vocabulary cards, completing timelines and a chapter info-chute, viewing and discussing related videos, and completing a sculpture project. Students will research a related topic on the Internet and give an oral presentation of their individual or group project with choice of project type, focus and items to be included. Students will present their individual or group projects to the whole class and invited guests. These projects/presentations will be assessed using the rubric included with the lesson/unit. Additional assessments will be in the form of teacher observation, quizzes, daily outcome sentences, a portfolio of completed work, and a written test.

3) FOCUS/ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S):

What contributions did the peoples of the Near East make to world civilizations?

When and where did the civilizations of the Ancient Israelites, the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Phoenicians, and the Persians exist?

What happened to these civilizations?

4) TIME FRAME:

This unit should take fifteen class periods of 50 minutes each. 5)

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:

Books:
World Cultures, Silver Burdette Ginn, pages 94 - 109
Bible stories or the Bible
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp (Any simplified version)
Judaism: World Religions, Martha Morrison & Stephen Brown
The Internet Resource Directory for K-12 Teachers & Librarians by Elizabeth Miller

Internet Sites:
The Ancient World Web - http://atlantic.evsc.virginia.edu/julia/AW.html
Exploring Ancient World Cultures - http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - http://pharos.bu.edu/Egypt/Wonders Yahooligans! - http://www.yaholligans.com
This Day in History from the History Channel -
http://www.historychannel.com/thisday

Teacher-made materials: rubrics, charts, worksheets, outcome sentence starters

Materials: chart paper, magic markers, masking tape, colored pencils, plaster of Paris blocks, nails, blank transparencies for copier, clip art pictures (optional), single hole punch, index cards, card stock, string, yarn, bond paper

NOTE: Snow cone cups may be used instead of making cones to save time. You may obtain the Day One Map, Day Six Cone Pattern and the Day Ten Crossword Puzzle by contacting David Blackwell at the following E-mail address: dblackwell@richlandone.org

6) CULMINATING ASSESSMENT:

The culminating assessment rubric is divided into two sections. The first section allows for on-going assessment the daily activities. The second section deals with the culminating activity and will be used to assess the student projects and oral presentations. The rubric considers some criteria to be more important and therefore some scores are weighted by multiplying the score by two. The total points for both parts should be added together to get the final assessment total.

7) INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Day One
Focus Activity:
(Prior Knowledge Inventory): After placing a chart with the names of the six groups to be studied on the board, students will be given an opportunity to tell facts that they already know about any of the groups. If no one responds, suggest that they may have heard about some of the groups in a previous chapter or from Bible stories. The students' responses should be written on the chart. This should be displayed in the room as the students continue the study of the unit.

Map Skills:
Give students markers and a map of the Ancient Near East. The map should have numbers that indicate where the six civilizations began. Students should use Chapter 3 of their textbooks to find the correct locations and write the names of the civilizations by their corresponding number. Once they have done this, students should use a world map located in the Appendix of their textbook to locate what these areas are called today. Using a different colored marker, students should write in the name of the modern day country that is located at the six numbers on the map. As a group, discuss what the students discover from this activity. The completed maps will be used in the students' final projects.

A variation would be to have students find the maps in Chapter 3 that indicate where the ancient Israelites lived. Tell them to use a marker to color in the area. Use a different color marker for each of the other five groups to identify the area of land that their civilization covered. Students should see that some civilizations occupied larger territories and this could lead to a discussion of how they were able to control these areas.

Vocabulary Cards:
Using a transparency (Supplement C), present the important vocabulary words for the six civilizations. Discuss each of the vocabulary words. Have the students make vocabulary cards. They should write the vocabulary word on one side and the definition on the other side. They may complete this for homework but should finish the ones for the Ancient Israelites in class. Students should draw a picture with the definition to help them learn the word. Students will be given a crossword puzzle as an evaluation of the vocabulary words later in the unit.

Daily Assessment:
Students will be given a response slip (Supplement D) on which they will write at least one fact that they have learned from the day's activity. This will be counted as a grade.

Day Two
At the beginning of the period, students should write the words from their vocabulary cards on small strips of stock paper or index card. After this has been completed, the students will be asked to do the following activity.

Timeline Activity:
During a class discussion the students will find and identify all dates that are listed in the chapters. The teacher will list all of these dates on an overhead transparency as they are identified. The teacher will then review the meanings of AD, BC, and BCE (Before the Common Era). After this, the students pair up with their neighbors and put the dates in the correct chronological order from earliest to latest date. When the students finish doing this part of the activity, a round robin approach should be used for pairs to share information. The teacher or a student volunteer will write these on an overhead transparency. Any disagreement about a date should be discussed at this time to insure the correct chronological order. Students will then copy the dates onto their timelines (Supplement E). Encourage students to use their timelines as a reference as they read Chapter 3.

After the timeline activity has been completed, the students should study their vocabulary cards using the following directions. Turn all vocabulary cards so the definitions are facing up. Match the vocabulary word by placing a word card (made earlier in the period) on its corresponding definition. Self-check by turning the definition cards over to see if words and definitions match each other.

Daily Assessment:
Students will be given a response slip on which they will write at least one fact that they have learned from the day's activity. This will be counted as a grade.

Day Three
Is It A Civilization Activity:
Lead the class through a discussion of what constitutes a civilization. This should be a review of information that should have been covered in the previous units about earlier civilizations including the Sumerians and the Egyptians. The teacher should give the students the chart entitled, "Is It A Civilization?" (Supplement F) at the beginning of each lesson that introduces a new civilization. The first chart about the Ancient Israelites should be completed with the teacher to insure that students understand what they are to do. The rest of the charts should be completed for homework as the last five groups are studied. Students should sign the completed charts and place them in the first section of their portfolios.

Workshop Activity:
Assign each student to one of five collaborative groups. Each member of the group should have a definite role, such as reporter, timekeeper, recorder, materials handler, etc. The responsibilities of each role should be discussed at this time using role cards given to each group. Assign each group one section of Lesson One of Chapter 3. The task for the groups is to find at least five important facts about their section of the lesson. The record keeper will then write the facts on chart paper. Each team will present their facts to the whole group. Display completed charts in the room. The teacher will monitor and assist groups to insure that students are finding the most important facts for each section of the lesson.

Summaries:
If time allows, have students begin the rough draft of their Lesson One summaries during Day Three. The teacher will discuss appropriate topic and closing sentences before the students begin writing. The final draft of the summary should be assessed using the following criteria: Final draft has a beginning, middle and an end. Final draft has no errors in spelling or grammar. Final draft has at least two facts from each section of Lesson One. The teacher will monitor the writing process and offer assistance whenever it is needed. Students may be given the choice of illustrating their summaries. These will be displayed on a bulletin board in the room and later placed in the students' portfolios.

Daily Assessment:
Students will be given a response slip on which they will write at least one fact they have learned from the day's activity. This will be counted as a grade.

Day Four
Timeline Activity:
Have students get their timeline and research Lesson 1 to identify the important dates for the Ancient Israelites. Have them write short statements above each date that deals with the Israelites.

Paired Reading & Worksheet Activity:
This activity is another way to have students read material. Students will work in pairs and read Lesson 2: The Hittites, Assyrians & Chaldeans to each other. Give the students the reading assignment and worksheets (Supplement G) at the same time. After they finish reading the lesson, they will find the answers to complete the accompanying worksheets. During this time, the teacher will monitor and assist students who are having difficulty finding the correct answers. After the pairs have completed the worksheets, they will take turns sharing the answers with the whole group.

The teacher should act as facilitator to insure that all students have the correct answers for these worksheets. The students should take the worksheets home to study to help them prepare for following day's activity.

If time allows, students should continue studying their vocabulary using the same routine as in Day Two.

Daily Assessment:
Students will be given a response slip on which they will write at least one fact that they have learned from the day's activity. This will be counted as a grade.

Day Five
Timeline Activity:
Students will research Lesson 1 to identify the important dates that deal with the Hittites, the Assyrians, and the Chaldeans and write why those dates are important to these three groups above the date on their timelines.

Name That Civilization:
Students will work in the collaborative groups that they were assigned to during Day 3. Each member of the group will receive a worksheet (Supplement H) to identify items from all four groups studied during Lessons One and Two. The following directions should be used: Use the following letters to identify the civilization facts: I = Ancient Israelites, H = Hittites, A = Assyrians, and C = Chaldeans (Babylonians). Write these in the appropriate blanks beside each fact on the worksheet. The collaborative groups should discuss their answers and reach consensus. During the whole group discussion that follows, students should take turns reading their answers.

The teacher should be the facilitator during this part of the lesson insuring that students have the correct answers for each item.

Name That Civilization Chart:
The teacher should pass out copies of the civilization chart (Supplement I) to each student. This is an individual activity and may be completed for homework. Using their worksheets from the first part of the period, students should place each item underneath the appropriate civilization. There should be at least five items under each civilization. This chart should be used as a daily assessment. If this is completed as homework, it should be reviewed at the beginning of the period on Day 6 and placed in the student's portfolio.

Daily Assessment:
Students will be given a response slip on which they will write at least one fact that they have learned from the day's activity. This will be counted as a grade.

Day Six
Review Homework:
Review the answers for the Name That Civilization Chart by placing a completed chart transparency on the overhead. Have students check their answers against this chart as you review each civilization.

Chapter 3 "Info-chute":
Students will summarize the first two lessons of Chapter 3 by creating an info-chute using the following directions. Students will be given a cone pattern. Students should cut out their cones and decorate them with patterns and/or pictures that depict something about the six groups that they studied in Chapter 3. Decorated cone patterns may be laminated to make them stronger which allows for more cards to be attached. If the patterns are laminated, they should be trimmed and stapled into the shape of the cone.

Students will then write facts that they have learned about Lesson 1 & 2 civilizations on index cards. The cards can be cut into different shapes or simply cut in half. One fact should be written on each card with a minimum of three facts about each group. Holes should be punched in the top of each index card and around the bottom edge of the cones. A piece of yarn or string should be tied through each hole of each card. Students should hang their cards on the cones by tying them through the holes previously punched at the bottom of the cones.

Monitor the students throughout the whole process. Students may not use their textbooks, but may use their portfolios if the teacher feels that they need some additional help completing the activity. The students should continue to add facts to the info-chute as they complete the other lessons. The info-chute could be used as an alternative assessment of what students have learned about the six civilizations. The info-chutes should be displayed in the room by hanging them from the ceiling or from clothesline hung around the room.

Daily Assessment:
Students will be given a response slip on which they will write at least one fact that they have learned from the day's activity. This will be counted as a grade.

Day Seven
Focus Activity:
Give the students a copy of the first paragraph in Lesson 3, The Phoenicians (Supplement J). Retype it so that there are no vowels in the words. Ask the students to tell what they notice about the paragraph. Ask them to try and figure out what the words say. After a few minutes, ask for volunteers to explain what they think the paragraph is about. Tell them that the next group of people that they are going to study, the Phoenicians, invented a phonetic alphabet of 22 letters that is still in use today with the Greeks' inclusion of letters for vowel sounds. Have them look at the map of the Phoenicians' land at the height of their civilization. Ask the students to compare this to the other civilizations that they have studied in the unit.

Create-an-alphabet:
Students should get into their collaborative groups. Give each group a piece of chart paper and instruct them to create a new alphabet. They should use symbols to stand for all letters of our alphabet. The charts will be displayed at the front of the room. The characters should be drawn large enough to be seen by each group. Once they have completed their alphabets, they should read Lesson 3, taking turns reading it orally. Instruct the group to take four sheets of paper and write a different fact from the three different sections of Lesson 3 on each sheet using their new alphabet.

Once they have completed the facts, they should give one sheet to each of the other four collaborative groups; each group should decode the sentences and share them with the class during a group discussion.

After the students get through with this lesson, hand out the Review Master Booklet, page 28, entitled, "Understanding The Lesson", from the textbook resource notebook. The students should begin these in class and complete them for homework.

Day Eight
Timeline Activity:
Students should get their timelines and research Lesson 3 to identify the important dates about the Phoenicians. The students should write the facts above the dates on their timelines.

Review Homework:
After completing the timeline activity students should review the worksheet that was assigned for homework. Monitor the students' answers and make sure that each student has the correct answers. These worksheets can be placed in their portfolios.

Discuss the major points of Lesson 3. Emphasize the Phoenicians' contributions, products, why they became great sea traders, and why they paid taxes to foreign countries. Emphasize the fact that our country started from colonies and that we rebelled against paying taxes to a foreign power. See if the students can identify the power and recount some events of the American struggle for independence.

The Writing Connection:
Read the students a letter from a fictional Assyrian to a member of his family back home. The Assyrian could be a soldier who is in another place during wartime. Using an overhead transparency of this letter, emphasize the parts of the friendly letter and tell the students to make sure that they include the parts in their writings. Have students pretend they are Phoenicians and have them to write a letter to a friend or family member who is living in the Phoenician colony of Carthage. Have them pretend that they are a fisherman, a dyer, a cloth maker, a farmer, or a merchant who sells glassware or other Phoenician products. Have them write about a typical day just as they might write to a family member today. The teacher should monitor the students during this process. After writing, conferencing, editing and revising the first drafts, students should write their final drafts.

Have the students share their final drafts with the class as a closing activity for the day. The letters should be placed in their portfolios and will be used as an assessment of the day.

OR

Writing A Skit:
Students, working in collaborative groups, could write a skit instead of a friendly letter. They could select a character for each person in the group and brainstorm ideas that they could use in their skit. They would need to write a brief introduction that tells the setting and identifies each character involved in the skit. They could use one of the following ideas as the focus of their skit or decide on one of their own ideas.

A merchant is talking with his customers about having to pay taxes to a foreign government A seaman comes home after a long fishing trip and tells his family about the voyage A farmer talks with some of the other farmers about the problems he is experiencing because of a drought or lack of suitable farming space A soldier is talking with some of the other soldiers about the battle that took place earlier in the day Group choice

Once they have decided on a topic, the characters' names, and have written the introduction, students should then write dialogue for the skit. The skit should not take longer than five minutes to perform. Once they have completed the dialogue, students should think about props that they will need for their skits. Teachers might want to collect items to be used as props earlier in the unit. They could ask students or other team members to bring in items from a list the teacher provides. Of course, props are not necessary to perform the skits. After the teacher has reviewed the skits, the groups should take turns performing their skits for the class and any invited guests.

Day Nine
Focus Activity:
Read the story Aladdin and the Magic Lamp to the class. Tell the students that this is an old folk tale that comes from the Persians, the next group they are going to be studying.

Vocabulary Review:
Have the students review their vocabulary cards that deal with the Persians. Let them know that they will be completing a crossword puzzle at the end of Lesson 4 that will cover all of the vocabulary they have studied in Chapter 3. Encourage them to continue studying at home.

Timeline Activity:
Students should get out their timelines and research Lesson 4 to identify the important dates about the Persians. This will be the final time they will need to add to their timelines.

Reviewing the Lesson:
Students will work in pairs during this activity. They should take turns reading the lesson and should write notes about important facts found during the reading. Then during a group discussion, have the pairs share with the rest of the class. Use the round robin method and write the facts on a piece of chart paper as the students say them. Review the facts and add to them any that are important to the lesson. After this is finished, assign Review Master Booklet Page 29. Students may use their text and the list from the chart to complete the assignment. If the students finish the assignment before the end of the period, review the answers by having the students share them orally with the class. Make sure all students correct their papers. They should be placed in their portfolios.

Homework:
Assign the graphic organizer, Review Master Booklet Page 32 for homework.

Day Ten
Review Homework:
Have the students share their answers for Page 32 after checking to see that they have all completed the assignment. If they have not, encourage them to write the answers as they are discussed. Once they complete the assignment, they should put the sheet in their portfolios.

Crossword Puzzle:
Students will complete a crossword puzzle that contains the definitions of words they have been studying during the past nine days. The puzzle will count as a test grade.

Study Guide for Evaluation:
Students may take the chapter test provided by the publishers or one that is made by the teacher. A study guide may help students to prepare for this test. They may use the material from their portfolios and the textbook to complete the study guide.

Day Eleven
Assessment: Chapter Test

Culminating Activity

Days Twelve & Thirteen
The culminating activity is an extension of the portfolio that the students have been keeping in class. Students will have an opportunity to design an appropriate cover & back for their portfolios. The will be required to make a table of contents. After the table of contents, the students will write a friendly letter to their parents asking them to look at their portfolio and sign the statement at the end of the letter that they, the parents, have discussed the contents of the portfolio with them. The first section of the portfolio should include all of the items that students were asked to keep in their portfolio folder.

These items are:
The map that shows the location of the ancient civilizations & the areas' modern era names The timeline with important facts above each date on the timeline Lesson 1 & 2 Summary Lesson 2: The Hittites, Assyrians & Chaldeans Name That Civilization Chart, Review Master Booklet Pages 28, 29 & 32 The crossword puzzle. Six "Is It A Civilization?" Charts

The second section of the portfolio is where the students will have the opportunity to explore one or more of the six civilizations in further detail through the culminating activity. It will be assumed that all students have received some Internet training prior to this activity. For students whose parents do not agree to their use of the Internet, alternate research materials will be provided. The teacher and the Information Technology Specialist will supply web sites to prevent students from simply browsing the Internet.

Students will be able to choose from the following activities or choose one of their own. If students decide on the topic, they will have to write a brief description of what they plan to produce and must include all parts of the rubric that will be given to them prior to the planning stage of their projects. Suggested activities are: Research one of the major rulers of one of the six civilizations and create an illustrated booklet of that person's life and contributions to that civilization. Research the art or architecture of one of the six civilizations and write an essay about their choice. Drawings should be included to show the architecture or art of that civilization. Using the Internet and other research sources, find facts about the modern history of the area once occupied by one of the six civilizations and place them on a timeline. Students can create their timelines with a timeline software program such as Timeliner by Tom Snyder Productions. Create an ad campaign poster (8 1/2" X 11") that emphasizes a product from one of the six civilizations. For example, dye from Phoenicia, bronze weapons from Assyria, or olive oil from Israel. Include a rap or jingle with the poster. Research the product and write five statements about the product that could be used in the ad campaign. Research the foods of one of the civilizations and include a recipe for that area. Research what school would have been like and tell as much about school life for boys and girls of one of the six civilizations. Make a chart and compare the government, religions, types of architecture, food, or clothing of the different civilizations. Students can use drawings to help in the comparison. Other: Student choice

Lesson Extension (Optional):
The Art Connection:
If the students are taking art at the same time as this unit, this would be a good project to see if the art teacher would assist the students with during their art class. If there is not enough time to have students make the sculpture, the teacher should discuss the importance of the sculpture pictured in the textbook. Explain that a lot of the sculpture that they have seen commemorates famous battles and other important events of the civilization that produced the sculpture. Ask the students if they have seen any type of sculpture similar to the ones in the books around Columbia. If possible have some pictures of places like the Veterans Administration Building on Assembly Street to show them. If the teacher feels adventuresome, the directions follow for making the bas-relief sculpture. Tell the students that they are going to do a similar type of sculpture using a plaster block and a nail. Have students bring in half-gallon milk cartons that have been thoroughly washed and dried at home. The students should mark the cartons so that when they cut off the tops, they will leave three inches of carton to form the sides. The teacher should mix the plaster of Paris and pour some into each of the milk carton bottoms. The cartons should be tapped on a table to get rid of air bubbles. Let the plaster of Paris cure overnight. The next day, students should remove the milk carton. Using a teacher created model, the teacher should demonstrate the entire carving process from start to finish. Have students think about an important event in their life (promotion from fifth grade, winning a contest, or being on a winning sports team). Have them take a piece of notebook paper and trace the block onto the paper. Tell them to plan a design that will fit on the plaster block. After they finish the drawing, have them tape their designs to their plaster blocks and trace the design on the block using carbon paper or by covering the back of the drawing with colored chalk. After the designs are traced, they should be removed. The carbon or chalk lines should be traced over with pencil to prevent them from be erased during the carving process. Next, students should scratch the lines of the design into the plaster using a nail. They should then remove a layer of the negative space (space that does not contain a part of the drawing) to allow the sculptured image to appear.

The teacher should monitor the entire process and call the students' attention to the teacher-made model. If the students do not complete the sculpture, let them take their blocks home to complete them for homework. They can also use an old spoon instead of the nail.

Each student should present their sculpture and explain why they chose the image that they carved. The blocks could be displayed in the Information Technology Center or other areas of the school during a PTO open house. If time remains, have the students study their vocabulary cards.

Notes: An alternate method would be to use a bar of soap or a block of styrofoam instead of the plaster block.

Supplements:
The following pages contain the different teacher-made worksheets & rubrics that students will use during the unit. They include:

Supplement A: Daily Instructional Activities Rubric
Supplement B: Ancient Near East Culminating Assessment Rubric
Supplement C: Key Vocabulary
Supplement D: Daily Response Slip
Supplement E: Timeline
Supplement F: "Is It A Civilization?" Chart
Supplement G: Lesson 2: The Hittites, Assyrians & Chaldeans
Supplement H: Name That Civilization Fact List
Supplement I: Name That Civilization Chart
Supplement J: Day Seven Focus Activity Paragraph

Supplement A:

SUPPLEMENT B:

SUPPLEMENT C:

KEY VOCABULARY

COMMERCE

EXODUS

MONOTHEISM

PROPHET

CAVALRY

COMMERCE

AQUEDUCT

COLONIES

CITY-STATE

TAXES

COVENANT

TORAH

PROVINCES

SUPPLEMENT D

DAILY RESPONSE SLIP

SUPPLEMENT E:

The Ancient Near East
"It's all about time!"

Put the dates on the short line in from earliest to latest. Write the important fact that goes with the date on the long line.

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

_________ B.C. ______________________________________

SUPPLEMENT F:

IS IT A CIVILIZATION?

Imagine yourself back in time. Your job is to find out whether the group of people known as the _______________________________________ has each of the criteria that makes a group of people a civilization. As you study the different groups, complete the following chart. Provide at least one example for each criteria.