Grade 1 - Early world Civilizations

50 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 2B|Writing in Mesopotamia

Extensions 20 minutes

Early World Civilizations Chart 15 minutes

Farming Cities Writing Leaders Religion

Mesopotamia Image Card 1 (Farming) Image Card 2 (Babylon) Image Card 3 (Cuneiform) Image Card 4 (Hammurabi)

Ancient Egypt

Show students Image Card 3 (Cuneiform). Talk about the Image

Card, and have students share what they learned from the

read-aloud about cuneiform and writing in Mesopotamia. Tell

students that you are going to place the Image Card in the Writing

column on the Civilizations Chart to help them remember that

Mesopotamians developed a system of writing.

Show students Image Card 4 (Code of Hammurabi). Talk about the

Image Card, and tell students that Hammurabi’s Code was carved

into a stone pillar and was not written on paper; this is a picture

of the pillar that contains the Code of Hammurabi. Have students

share what they learned from the read-aloud about Hammurabi

and the Code of Hammurabi. Explain that the 282 laws were

inscribed on a huge pillar. Tell students that you are going to

place the Image Card in the Leaders column on the chart to help

them remember that Mesopotamians had a leader (king) and

laws. Explain that a leader is very important to the development

of a civilization. Remind them that King Hammurabi was not

only responsible for writing all the laws, but he also oversaw the

building of the canals they previously heard about.

Writing in Mesopotamia

2 B