64 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 3A | The Religion of Babylon
- Evaluative Do you think that gods and goddesses were a good
way to explain the workings of the universe? Why or why not?
(Answers may vary.) - Inferential Why was it important for people to write down what
they learned about the world? (If they did not write down their
discoveries, the people who came after them would ask the
same questions over and over again, instead of using what
others had learned and asking new questions.)
Show image 3A-3: Palace and temple - Inferential In today’s read-aloud, you heard Amur tell his
father that he thought Babylon was the greatest city in the
world. Why did he think so? (Its palace and temples were so
beautiful, despite the noise and dirt of the city.) - Literal [Remind students that the Mesopotamians had a
polytheistic religion.] What does the word poly– mean? (many)
So, did the Mesopotamians believe in one god or many gods
and goddesses? (many gods and goddesses) - Literal What were the people whose job was to take care of
the temples called? (the priests) - Inferential What things did the Mesopotamians believe the
gods were in charge of? (sun, city, water, sky, etc.) - Literal At the end of the read-aloud, Amur and Warad visited
the temple of Marduk. It was located on top of a much larger
building with lots of steps. What was that building called?
(ziggurat)
[Please continue to model the Think Pair Share process for
students, as necessary, and scaffold students in their use of the
process.]