Format
1. Pre-Lesson: Introduction to the Penn Museum
2. A brief history of Mesopotamia
3. Think like an archaeologist! Let's look at cylinder seals
4. Close looking: their size and shape, their materials, their design, how were they made, and their function
5. Cylinder seals in Mesopotamian society: the earliest written signatures
6. Post-program: design your own cylinder seal register
8. Conclusion and questions
Objectives
Big Question: What can studying cylinder seals teach us about ancient Mesopotamian peoples?
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to…
• Draw inferences about the purpose and meanings of Mesopotamian cylinder seals by examining key details in various artifacts.
• Gather evidence and integrate information from different sources to understand the role cylinder seals played in ancient Mesopotamian society.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.1.RI.1 -- Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.1.RI.7 -- Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.2.RI.1 -- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.2.RI.7 -- Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
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.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.K.RI.1 -- With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.K.RI.7 -- With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).World History Content Standards, Grades 5-12 (https://phi.history.ucla.edu/nchs/world-history-content-standards/):
World History Era 2: Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples, 4000-1000 BCE
• 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.
• 1B 5-12: Analyze the importance of trade in Mesopotamian civilization of the fourth and third millennia and describe the networks of commercial exchange that connected various regions of Southwest Asia.
State Standards
Please contact the Assistant Director of Virtual Programs for more information on state or region specific standards.