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Introduction

Task

Individual Roles

Process

Conclusion

Rubric

 

Top

Introduction

Task

Individual Roles

Process

Conclusion

Rubric

DESTINATION... SUMER: The Greeks called the area of the world's first civilization "Mesopotamia" which means "the land between the rivers".  This name was appropriate because ancient Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the present-day Middle Eastern country of Iraq. These rivers actually begin in eastern Turkey, flow southeast and come together in Iraq. They then empty into the Persian Gulf. Although the hot arid climate mixed with seasonal flooding was difficult and challenging, the farmers of the area learned to control the flooding rivers and used the resulting fertility to produce crops such as barley, wheat, flax, and sesame. The fertile ground also supported many different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Sumer was one notable non Semitic culture in southern Mesopotamia. It appeared at least as early as the 5th millennium B.C. and By 3000 B.C. Sumerian city-states like Kish, Lagash, and UR, developed considerable power based on irrigated agriculture.  In the Bible, Ur was the given home of Abraham. Pottery and metalwork were made into fine arts, and the Sumerians probably invented Cuneiform writing. The Sumerians were the rivals of Semitic cities such as Akkad and ultimately were conquered by them. The growth of Babylonia ended the Sumerians as a nation.

 

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Introduction

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THE TASK:  As part of a grant put forth by the Archaeological Museum of World History,  You have been chosen to partake in an expedition back in time.  You will be visiting an area of the world known as the FERTILE CRESCENT... the land between the rivers. You are to learn and bring back knowledge to share with the museum.  Go here to see a comprehensive overview of the history of the land and people. QUESTIONS: As part of your Quest, you will search for the answers to the following: Where did people tend to settle? Why did they settle there? What effect did the environment have on culture? Your team will present the histories, artifacts, and maps found on your expedition with other teams and will also orally present your thoughts/answers/responses/ musings to the above questions. Top Introduction Task Individual Roles Process Conclusion Rubric You may click on your job assignment below to learn what you will be doing as part of this expedition!

HISTORIAN

CARTOGRAPHER

MUSEUM CURATOR

By completing this WebQuest you should be achieve the following goals: Learn vocabulary related to the unit Develop an interest in Mesopotamia Use the internet as a tool to access resources learn information on 4 key aspects of Sumerian life Work as part of a team to complete a task Make choices about what you feel is important information and support those choices intelligently

You should be able to achieve these goals by completing a process where you join a team and take on one of the roles listed in the task. After each becoming experts on one of the different roles, you will work to complete the assignments given to you i.e. the  map, artifacts, chart, etc.  You and your teammates will then work together to create a written group report to the Archaeological Museum of World History. This report presents your team's findings including your combined answers to The Questions. You can use a rubric to see how the whole task may be evaluated.

 

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Introduction

Task

Individual Roles

Process

Conclusion

Rubric

CONCLUSION: I hope that by working through Exploring Mesopotamia and researching Sumer you now appreciate the land and culture that gave birth to civilization. I also hope that you can appreciate the power of the Internet as a way of gaining information to do research and as a way for making contact with real people. Just to give you something more to think about .....How could you contact present day countries to gather information about Mesopotamia?  Are their embassies?  Could you contact our government?  It's clear, the world is full of complex and interesting topics that need sharp- thinking people to understand them and make decisions. There is a saying, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Through your team's activities, I hope you've developed an interest in Mesopotamia and have learned information on 4 key aspects of Sumerian life.  Your work as part of a team to complete a task is a skill that you will need throughout your life.  You need to be able to make choices about what you feel is important and support those choices intelligently. I hope you enjoyed your yourself!  Go forth and Quest some more!

 
 
 
 

Updated June 2004