So, Mr. Stearns… You have trained me to think ahead, plan ahead, and find balance between work and play… What’s next, O.T. (original teacher)?
5…..Ancient Sumer
In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students learn about the characteristics of civilization and analyze artifacts to determine how each characteristic was exhibited in ancient Sumer.
Essential Question:
Why do historians classify ancient Sumer as a civilization?
The students will...
Social Studies
• analyze artifacts from ancient Sumer and explain how they are examples of the characteristics of civilization.
• identify agricultural inventions that allowed Sumerian city-states to create a stable food supply and a complex society.
• explain the relationship between religion and the social and political order in Sumer.
• explain the evolution of Sumerian written language, from pictographs to cuneiform.
• apply the characteristics of civilization to modern-day society.
Language Arts
• offer persuasive evidence to validate conclusions…
- Move from a “I WONDER” question to a THESIS… How do I do this, Mr. Stearns… Piece of cake, guys.
- Develop your essay around your THESIS and not the essential question… Do you see how this immediately impacts the depth of your learning? Guys, this is powerful stuff…
• support opinions with detailed evidence.
- This has to do with proving your THESIS, sometimes known as your CLAIM, as either true or false…
- Go back into your primary and secondary sources to gather evidence about your claim… Does your evidence support your THESIS or does it disprove your THESIS… Remember, either way… you have helped to make our team stronger… Social Scientists generally are proven wrong over time when new evidence arises… However, proving your THESIS is NOT correct is as or even more important than proving your claim is correct… Both outcomes are vital to understanding history…
Key Content Vocabulary
Civilization, social structure, technology,merchant, artisan, scribe,ziggurat, culture, cuneiform, pictograph
This is one of the MOST important artifacts ever discovered, to date… This is called the Standard of Ur (pronounced OR)… It proves in pictures that SUMER had to have all seven characteristics of civilization… otherwise, um…., how would they have known to draw it?
So, when I ask you to develop a THESIS, about Sumer being a civilization… YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING CAREFULLY AT THIS ARTIFACT FOR EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT OR DISPROVE YOUR CLAIM…
Miss Emelander’s Style of Teaching… Compliments my teaching and also shares a different way to SEE this chapter…
If you don’t connect with what we are saying in class… try reviewing her class’ view of ch. 5.
Notes Outline….
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE STUDY GUIDE by Miss Emelander’s 6th Grade Class Assignment Packet
*Credit given… Miss Emelander’s 6th Grade Classroom (click to link)