Lesson Ideas

Inquiry Tasks

• Reinforce the concept of a "cultural hearth" as being a geographical place of origin for the world's major cultures and civilizations. Use the presentation, Cultural Hearths of World Cultures, provided by O.C.S.S. to examine the locations of major cultural hearths, their relationship with the environment, and how cultural ideas spread. 

• Facilitate student understanding of the influence of geography on ancient settlements, using the presentation, Ancient River Civilizations. Ask students to develop a chart, noting similarities of cultural traits and significant contributions of each civilization. Encourage students to describe the lasting impact of these river civilizations on today's modern societies. 

• Ask students to consider why earliest peoples settled in particular geographic regions and near specific natural resources, using the lesson, River Valleys: Why There, from the Michigan Alliance for Geographic Education. What types of economic activities necessary for survival were supported by the natural environment? Ask students to make connections between ancient settlement patterns and the location of modern metropolitan areas.

• Ask students to examine one of the earliest river civilizations using the presentation, Mesopotamia, provided by O.C.S.S. and explain why this civilization's central location would have justified the title of "cradle of civilization". Ask students to identify basic traits of civilized societies, using Mesopotamia as an example.

• Encourage students to evaluate the impact of an early code of law with the lesson Hammurabi's Code: What Does it Tell Us from Edsitement. What were reasons that a legal code would have been necessary? How has Hammurabi's Code influenced subsequent codes of law? To what extent does Hammurabi's Code still influence how we create and enforce laws?

• Encourage students to compare Mesopotamia to an ancient civilization of the Indian subcontinent using the presentation, Earliest Civilizations of India. How did the location and environment of both societies influence development? Ask students to create a Venn diagram noting similarities and differences. In their opinion, which civilization most influenced modern ideas and society?

• River Civilizations: What Maps Tell Us, from the Virginia Geographic Alliance, is an extended inquiry unit which challenges students to work collaboratively through a gallery walk to identify evidence and draw conclusions from a collection of maps. Ask students to focus investigations on key questions, such as "How did the physical environment support civilization and afforded protection to citizens?" (online resource collection)

• Early River Societies and Civilizations, from World History for Us All at UCLA, is a series of related lessons, comprising an inquiry unit. Remind students that many of the integral features of our own world developed in ancient societies. Ask students to describe what we have inherited from these societies, including fundamental ideas and inventions, urban living, the concept of the "state", social class hierarchies, writing, institutionalized religion, mathematics, astronomy, and wheeled transport. 

• Invite students to conduct an in-depth inquiry related to the legacy of one of the earliest forms of written communication, using the lesson, Cuneiform Writing System, from Edsitement. Ask students to consider the purposes for writing as it served Mesopotamia and evaluate the extent to which the development of writing and the development of civilization are linked.

• The lesson, Hammurabi's Code, from the Read Like a Historian program at Stanford Education Group, provides an opportunity for students to analyze how one piece of evidence can reveal information about the economics, religion, and society of a people. Ask students how reliance upon one source of evidence can also limit our full understandings? 

Primary Sources 

Secondary Sources 

• Hymn to the Nile, excerpts provided by O.C.S.S. 

• Map of Babylonia, Literary and Historical Atlas of Asia.

• Proverbs from Sumer, excerpt provided by O.C.S.S. 

• Mesopotamia Laws, Sourcebook, Fordham University.

• Networks of Exchange, World History For Us All, narrative for teacher reference.

• Early Humans Migrate, map and discussion questions for student and teacher reference. 

• Farming in Early Societies, World History For Us All, narrative for teacher reference. 

• Crash Course - Agricultural Revolution, 11-minute videoclip, from John Green, PBS Digital Studios.

• Crash Course - Indus River Civilization, 10-minute videoclip, from John Green, PBS Digital Studios.

• Crash Course-  Mesopotamia, 12-minute videoclip, from John Green, PBS Digital Studios.

• Crash Course - Ancient Egypt , 12 minute videoclip, from John Green, PBS Digital Studios.