Mr. Roberts TIPS Project I
Global Studies I
Project
What were the 4 early river valley
civilizations?
Why did civilizations/cities develop there?
Where were they located?
How do they look today?
About
5,000 years ago, the advances made by early farming communities led people to a
new stage of development the rise of cities, and the emergence of
civilizations.
Cities rose independently in the valleys of the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers in the Middle East, the
Conditions in these river valleys favored farming. Flood
waters spread silt across the valleys, renewing the soil and keeping it
fertile. The animals that flocked to the rivers to drink were another source of
food. In addition, rivers provided a regular water supply and a means of
transporting people and goods.
Rivers also posed challenges. Farmers had to control
flooding and channel waters to the fields. To meet these challenges,
cooperation was needed. Early farmers worked together to build dikes, dig
canals, and carve out irrigation ditches. Such large scale projects required
leadership and an organized government.
Task
& Process
You represent a team of archaeologists, historians and
anthropologists who are looking to educate the world about these civilizations
that laid the foundation for the rest of mankind. It is up to you and your
teammates to make sure that the story is told and the world gains a new
appreciation of the early civilizations of man. This class will divide into
four (4) groups to examine each of the river valley civilizations in order to
prepare a group presentation that will illustrate the features that made these
areas desirable to the people of the earliest known civilizations. In your
presentation, you will show that although much has changed in terms of how
civilized people live, very much has also stayed the same.
Within
the different groups there will be different roles performed by each
individual. One role will be to prepare
a detailed map (or maps) that show the physical features, climate and or
resources which made this region desirable. Another role(s) will be research
the different areas of interest we will be focusing on for each civilization.
The areas of interest are as
follows:
1.) How
long do scientists think the civilization lasted (duration)?
2.)
Technological achievement - What advancements did they make in tools, weapons,
agriculture, etc.?
3.) Cities - What were the names of the major cities and
how did they operate? Also, present day location.
4.) Government - What advances in government did this
civilization make?
5.) Religion
- How did these people worship?
6.) Jobs
- What did people do for a living?
7.) Social
Classes - How were the people ranked in society?
8.) Arts
& Architecture - What type of art and structures are these people known for
creating?
9.) Public
Works - What type of projects did the government undertake for the good of the
masses?
10.)
Writing - How did the people of this civilization communicate?
Two
people will write up and type the paragraphs that answer all of the above
questions. They will also lead the presentation of this information to the rest
of the class. The presentation should take no longer than 7 minutes. The
internet is a source of information that can be quoted in the paragraphs that
answer the focus questions. There should be a reference list which lists all
the resources.
The
groups will first meet to decide which role each person will fulfill as part of
their project. The best writers should do the writing, the best artists the
illustrating and so forth. Furthermore, tasks can divided amongst member in
just about fashion, so long as they are completed and the entire group is in
agreement. You must use the internet to obtain resource materials that will
enable you to do your individual work. You can supplement your assigned project
with other resource materials as needed.
Once
the individual work is complete, the groups will meet to review and critique the
individual work of one another. The
individuals will use this session to edit and finalize their individual work
and to prepare it for presentation. The
group will meet to post all their group work on a poster-board for the rest of
the class to see.
The
poster-board will be used as part of the 7-minute class presentation that will
be graded. The poster should also identify the members
of the group as well as show who completed each role of the group.
`
USE THE LINKS BELOW TO ACCESS THE WORKSHEETS.
COMPLETE THE WORKSHEETS AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH WEB PAGE.
Step 1)
Use worksheet #1
to identify the issues.
Step 2)
Use worksheet #2
to gather the evidence as why people saw the need to settle down in one place.
Step 3)
Use worksheet #3
to determine the causes of civilizations developing in river valleys.
Step 4)
Use worksheet #4
to evaluate the public policies of each government that was created.
Step 5)
Use worksheet #5
to do a comparative analysis with one of the other civilizations to determine
if one had a society that seems to have functioned better than the other.
The information on these
worksheets will be the resource you use to complete your poster-board display
and presentation. Your display and presentation must include information about ALL the steps above.
RESOURCES
Mesopotamian Empires: 2340 -1600 BC
- 2340 BC:
Sargon Akkad takes
- c.
2125-2027 BC: The Third Dynasty of
- 1900-1600 BC: The First Babylonian Empire
- c.
1900 BC: Ammorites establish
- 1792-1750 BC: Reign of Hammurabi
- c. 1600 BC: Invasions by Hittites and Kassites destroys the empire
Egyptian Civilization: 3100 BC - 332 BC
- 3100-2686 BC: Archaic Period
- 2686-2181
BC:
- 1991-1636 BC: Middle Kingdom
- 1578-1085
BC:
- 1085-332 BC: Late Dynastic Period
- 332 BC:
Alexander the Great conquers
Harappan Civilization: 2600 -1300 BC
- 2600-2500 BC: Harappan Civilization is at its height
- 2000-1900 BC: Harappan Civilization collapses
- c. 1300 BC:
Aryans migrate into the
- c. 1000 BC:
Aryan migrate into the
The Early Chinese Civilization: 2205 BC- AD 220
- 221-207 BC: Qin dynasty.
- 206 BC- AD 9: Former Han dynasty
- AD 25--220: Later Han dynasty
A ziggurat
Info on Mesopotamia (
Mr. Dowling's Mesopotamia
Page
More on
Mesopotamian Government
Government: A Selection from
the Code of Hammurabi
Mesopotamian
Art & Archaeology
Images
of actual art taken from the site: Image1
Image2
Image3
Image4
Image5
History of
Cuneiform (the Mesopotamian form of writing)
Technology: Plumbing in
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamian
Society and Religion Slideshow
The Ancient Indus Valley (Site
has everything including a slideshow)
Everything you need to know about
Ancient
The sights and sounds of ancient
The Yellow River (
Picture of an ancient Shang vessel (Chinese Art)
Ancient Chinese Architecture: The Chinese Pyramids
Government & Political Theory: Confucius
More Links:
http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/30/28149.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/chinarticles.html
http://www.nga.gov/education/chinatp_pt1.htm
http://www.fmnh.org/education/feinman/feinman_letters.htm
Predynastic Period (5,500 - 3,100 BC)
Dawn of Egyptian Culture (Society, architecture, art, government, etc.)
More:
http://www.guardians.net/egypt/religion.htm
, http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.3.html
Virtual Tour of Ancient Egypt (Writing/Hieroglyphics, etc.)
EVALUATION
|
Performance |
Excellent 5 |
Good 4 |
Satisfactory 3 |
Needs Improvement 2 |
|
Completion of Worksheets |
Fully understand the social problem, its causes and public
policy that arose from it, and fully completes worksheets |
Good understanding of social problem, causes, and public
policy. Completion of worksheets |
Satisfactory understanding of social problem, causes, and
public policy. Substantially completes worksheets. |
Minimal understanding of social problem, causes, and public
policy. Failure to complete worksheets |
|
Completion of Power Point Presentation |
Full completion of 10 power point slides with pictures,
graphics and meaningful text |
Professional looking power point presentation, with 10 slides,
plus some pictures, graphics, and meaningful text |
Completed power point presentation with some pictures,
graphics and meaningful text. |
Partially completed power point presentation. Absence of sufficient pictures, graphics,
and text. |
|
Oral Presentation (power point) |
Full presentation of power point slides. Each group member presents one or more
slides. |
Good presentation of power point slides. Two out of 3 group members present slides. |
Satisfactory presentation of power point slides. 1 of 3 group members present slides. |
Presentation of power point slides. 1 of 3 group members present slides. |
|
Organization |
Group worked together on all projects and handed in signed
group summary (or spoke to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues). |
Group worked together on most projects and handed in signed
group summary (or spoke to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues). |
Group worked together on most projects but failed to hand in
group summary (or spoke to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues). |
Group did not work well together (and did not speak to Mr. Cohen regarding any group |
STANDARDS
This Webquest conforms to the following
curriculum standards:
Social Studies: Standard 2
·
The
student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments and turning points in
world history, and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of
perspectives.
Social Studies: Standard 3
·
The
student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live-
local, national, and global- including the distribution of people, places, and
environments over the Earths surface.
World History:
Standard 2
Students
will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history
and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.
English Language Arts: Standard 1
·
Students will read,
write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
English Language Arts: Standard 2:
Language for Literary Response and Expression
Students will
read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and
performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances
to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social,
historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As
speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows
the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and
artistic creation.
English Language Arts: Standard 4
·
Students will read,
write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
Conclusion
These four ancient river valleys
provided the foundations for civilization as we know it today. The inhabitants
of these great empires built cities, established governments, created art, and
pioneered in technology that we still use today. When studying history it is
always helpful to keep in mind that what is past is prologue. All civilizations
have gone through various cycles of creation and destruction throughout the
years. With this WebQuest, your team was able to learn a great deal about the
four ancient civilizations that historians think contributed the most to our
current way of life. Thank you for your hard work and participation.