Format
1. Pre-Lesson: Introduction to the Penn Museum
2. A brief history of Mesopotamia
3. Let's visit Ur, an ancient Mesopotamian city
4. Humans before cities
5. How did humans start settling in cities?
6. Post-program: design your own city
8. Conclusion and questions
Objectives
Big Question: What innovations led to the creation of cities?
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to…
• Draw inferences about life in ancient Mesopotamian cities based on examining artifacts.
• Study artifacts to track the evolution of human settlements from hunter-gatherers to cities.
• Compare and contrast religion, culture, and society in ancient Mesopotamian cities to the present.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.11-12.RH.1 -- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.11-12.RH.7 -- Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.3.RI.1 -- Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.3.RI.7 -- Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.4.RI.1 -- Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.4.RI.7 -- Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it a
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.1 -- Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.7 -- Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6-8.RH.1 -- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6.RI.1 -- Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6.RI.7 -- Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.7.RI.1 -- Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.8.RI.1 -- Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.9-10.RH.1 -- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.9-10.RI.1 -- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.9-10.RI.7 -- Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.World History Content Standards, Grades 5-12 (https://phi.history.ucla.edu/nchs/world-history-content-standards/):
World History Era 1: The Beginnings of Human Society Giving Shape to World History
• 2A 7-12: Identify areas in Southwest Asia and the Nile valley where early farming communities probably appeared and analyze the environmental and technological factors that made possible experiments with farming in these regions.
• 2B 7-12: Analyze how peoples of West Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Americas domesticated food plants and developed agricultural communities in response to local needs and conditions.
World History Era 2: Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples, 4000-1000 BCE
• 1A 9-12: Describe architectural, artistic, literary, technological, and scientific achievements of these civilizations and relate these achievements to economic and social life.
• 1A 7-12: Compare the development of religious and ethical belief systems in the three civilizations and how they legitimized the political and social order.
• 1A 5-12: Compare the forms of writing that developed in the three civilizations and how written records shaped political, legal, religious, and cultural life
• 4A: 7-12 Describe fundamental inventions, discoveries, techniques, and institutions that appeared during this period and assess the significance of bronze technology for economic, cultural, and political life.
State Standards
Please contact the Assistant Director of Virtual Programs for more information on state or region specific standards.