92 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide PP1 | Pausing Point 1
Trading Activity
Materials: Drawing tools
Tell students that they are going to pretend they are in a market
in Mesopotamia and have come to trade with others there. Hand
out crayons or markers to each student. Divide the class into two
groups. Have one group pretend to be the vendors at the market
and remain seated, while the other students pretend to be the
market attendees and roam around the classroom trading crayons
or other drawing tools with the vendors. Have the students say,
“Would you trade your crayon for this crayon?” Make sure that
students use the word trade in their conversations with other
students.Venn Diagram
Materials: Chart paper, chalkboard, or whiteboard; drawing
tools
In order to compare desert land to fertile land, draw two large
overlapping circles to make a Venn diagram on chart paper, a
chalkboard, or a whiteboard, and label them “Desert” and “Fertile.”
Show image 1A-1: The desert
Have students describe what they see in the picture. Record their
observations on the diagram.
Show image 1A-8: Close-up of canals
Have students describe what they see in the picture. Record their
observations on the diagram.
Have students describe the similarities and differences between
the desert land and the fertile land. Remind students that the
Euphrates River and the Tigris River made the land in Mesopotamia
fertile. Farther away from the rivers there was desert land.