Grade 1 - Early world Civilizations

Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 2A|Writing in Mesopotamia 41

Note: Introducing the Read-Aloud may have activity options which

exceed the time allocated for this part of the lesson. To remain

within the time period allocated for this portion of the lesson, you

will need to make conscious choices about which activities to

include based on the needs of your students.

Introducing the Read-Aloud 10 minutes

Where Are We? 5 minutes

Each day, at the beginning of each lesson in this domain, have

a different student locate the area known as Mesopotamia on

a world map or globe and identify it as a part of Asia. Remind

students that this entire region of the world is now called the

Middle East and that the present-day country of Iraq is located

there.

What Have We Already Learned? 5 minutes

 Show image 2A-4: Iddin pointing to cuneiform

Remind students that in the previous lesson, they learned about a

father and son in Mesopotamia. Have a student point out Iddin in

the picture (the boy pointing to the cuneiform), and have another

student point out his father, Warad, in the picture. If students have

trouble, point out the characters for them, and have them repeat

their names after you. Ask students if they recall what Warad and

his son Iddin were talking about as they walked along the banks

of the Euphrates River. Students should be able to point out that

Warad was explaining the importance of the river to farming and

the development of the city of Babylon. You may wish to review

what you have completed thus far in the Civilizations Chart begun

in the last extension activity.

Ask, “Who remembers what canals are?” (Canals are ditches dug

into the land to move water from one place to another. Canals

Writing in Mesopotamia

2 A