Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide PP1 | Pausing Point 1 93Then and Now Venn Diagram
Materials: Chart paper, chalkboard, or whiteboard
In order to compare life in ancient Mesopotamia to life today, draw
two large overlapping circles to make a Venn diagram on chart
paper, a chalkboard, or a whiteboard, and label them “Then” and
“Now.” Tell students they will be talking in pairs. Explain that each
student will be given one minute to list as many ways as they can
how life was different in ancient times from the way life is today.
Have each student turn to a neighbor and begin. When one minute
is up, have the second student take a turn for one minute. Then
encourage students to share their ideas and take dictation. First,
ask students to identify the area of the Venn diagram where their
ideas should be recorded. Then, tell the students they will now
try to list as many ways that life back then was the same as it
is today. Give students one minute for each turn, and then take
dictation, asking them fi rst to identify the area of the Venn diagram
on which similarities go (i.e., the overlapping part).Writing Using Cuneiform
Materials: modeling compound; tools to make wedges (e.g.,
reed stick or pencil)
Invite students to “carve” their own decodable message on clay
tablets using cuneiform characters.Recreating the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Materials: large chart paper, drawing tools, mixed media
(leaves, fl ower petals, cloth, tissue paper, etc)
Students learned about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and that
the Hanging Gardens no longer exists. Have students imagine
what the Hanging Gardens looked like. Then have them recreate
the Hanging Gardens on a large sheet of chart paper using mixed
media.