48 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 2A | Writing in Mesopotamia
- Literal What was Mesopotamian writing called? (cuneiform)
- Inferential Describe how the Mesopotamians made cuneiform
writing. (Wedge-shaped symbols, or markings, were pressed
into tablets, which were smooth rectangles made of clay.) - Inferential Why was writing important to Warad? (He used it to
keep track of how much cloth he had sold.) - Inferential Why was writing important to Amur? (He used it to
write down a story he had heard. Without it, he might have
forgotten the story.) - Literal What was the Code of Hammurabi? (the many laws
that Hammurabi, the king of Mesopotamia, had written down
and which everyone was expected to follow) - Literal What were the people called that wrote down the Code
of Hammurabi? (scribes) [Make sure students understand that
only certain people were taught to write in Mesopotamia.] - Inferential Why was writing important to a civilization such as
Mesoptamia? (It helped them to write down and remember
their laws. Without writing, the laws might have changed
much more frequently.) - Evaluative What would life in ancient Mesopotamia have been
like without writing? (Answers may vary.)
[Please continue to model the Think Pair Share process for
students, as necessary, and scaffold students in their use of the
process.]
I am going to ask a question. I will give you a minute to think about
the question, and then I will ask you to turn to your neighbor and
discuss the question. Finally, I will call on several of you to share
what you discussed with your partner. - Evaluative Think Pair Share: How was Mesopotamian writing
different from ours? Are there any ways in which it was the
same? (Answers may vary.) - After hearing today’s read-aloud and questions and answers,
do you have any remaining questions? [If time permits, you
may wish to allow for individual, group, or class research of
the text and/or other resources to answer these questions.]