Ancient Mesopotamia, Sumer, Babylon Lesson Plans

Hammurabi's Code: Before there was a Supreme Court.. there was Hammurabi!

Open the Lesson: Open the lesson with something like this: "Let's say you are a carpenter and the house you build accidentally falls down and crushes its owner. What happens to you? According to the code of Hammurabi, DEATH of course! 

Make copies of this list of laws as a handout for classroom use. On the other side of this handout, create a couple of crimes, for classroom discussion. Direct the kids to: "Read the crimes and see if you are fit to be a judge under Hammurabi's code." Give them a minute to read the crimes and to try and find the punishment from the list of laws on the other side of handout. Brief classroom discussion. Then..

Divide the kids into groups. Have them each create 1 or 2 "crimes." Have each group ask the rest of the class to fit a punishment to the crime in Hammurabi's time. Discussion after each group presents, and the class determines what Hammurabi might give as punishment could include: "Does this seem a fitting punishment? What might be the punishment today? Are we too easy on criminals, today? Was crime reduced during Hammurabi's rule?"

Here are some others ideas online, to teach Hammurabi's Code:

• You Be the Judge - Hammurabi's Code

• Rent a house in ancient Mesopotamia! (A collection of contracts)

You are a scribe, hired to write a script for a scenic tour guide in old BC Babylon Unless otherwise stated, you may use the ideas included below, or you may choose to create your own place names and activities. Your paper must include five paragraphs as follows:

• Paragraph One: Write an opening welcome. Thank your group for coming.

• Paragraph Two: Write a brief description of one scenic site, stop, or adventure. (Here are some ideas: The Cafe Ur, Atop the Ziggurat, Marduk's Processional Way Parade.)

• Paragraph Three: Write a brief description of a second scenic site, stop or adventure. (Here are some ideas: The Dangerous Sport of Euphrates River Rafting or the Green and Glowing Hanging Gardens (a living love story.)  

• Paragraph Four: Write one touring tip, such as: Mention this tour for special discounted prices on scented oils at The Babel Basin; the Ishtar Lost & Found Office is located at The Gate. You may not use these touring tips. You must create your own.

• Paragraph Five: Write a closing good-bye. Thank your tour group for coming. Be sure and mention what a pleasure it was to meet them. Be polite!
  

How I found my way back from .....  After the kids do the above assignment, choose a list of interesting places in ancient Babylon from those created by your class. Make sure everyone is represented. Using this list, assign the kids a creative assignment . Your mission: Separated from your tour group, you find yourself  LOST in BABYLON! Communicate your ancient Babylonian adventure, and how you found your way back to the group from one or more of the places on this list. You may write, map or picture board your adventure.

Welcome to our City! Create a welcome pamphlet - what to see, where to go, what to do, customs, manners, exciting events. This can set the stage for all other cultures, by comparison.

"Vacation in the Ancient World" After Mesopotamia, I have the kids research 2 of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and make a postcard for each one. The front has to be a color picture, the back has to be addressed to a friend and a letter has to be written that includes info like: when was it built, by who, what's is purpose, how/when destroyed (except the Pyramid!), and at least 2 other interesting facts. The letter has to sound like vacation greetings, not a report. Just thought I'd share that one with you... The finished postcards make a terrific bulletin board! :-) Suggested by Kev and The Chihuahua Pharaohs

Making Cuneiform Tablets: Pick up some Sculpy from an arts and crafts store, and a wooden stylus. Separate the clay into roughly 6" X 6" tablets. Flatten the clay out. Use cuneiform (real symbols, but make up what means) and use a stylus to write messages in cuneiform.. Three tablets had the message "Gilgamesh was a great king whose mother was a god. He climbed many mountains". The second said "Sargon was a great and powerful king. He created the first empire in the land between 2 rivers". I placed them in my oven at 275 for 30-45 minutes. I then wrote three sources for each translation. In the lesson, I split the class into 6 groups. I used the previous chapter on Egypt to lead them into this lesson. I reminded them about the story of the Rosetta Stone. I also reminded them that England and France raced to translate the stone first. They were in a similar position because 2 other groups had the same tablets, it would be a great honor to beat them! This motivated the students even more. The rest of the lesson was generally the same as it was written.

Two days later I was able to make small 3" X 3" tablets for each of my students. Each received a Popsicle stick for their stylus. They were allowed to use any cuneiform characters they could find; in their textbook, on the worksheets from the earlier lesson, or the characters I placed on the overhead that was shown on a screen in the room. I told them it really did not matter what was said on their tablets, it didn't even have to make sense. What was really important was that they tried to write the way the ancient Sumerians did. After everyone was finished, we discussed what they thought about writing in clay. After school I brought the tablets in the cooking room and placed them in ovens for about 45 minutes. They are now on display in my classroom. When we finish the chapter next Wednesday, I am going to store them. In May, our school has a curriculum fair. I plan to display their work. It's definitely something that the school has not seen before! I love these lessons! The kids really get into it and it makes history "real" to them. It's something they can see and touch and experience. Submitted by Rocco Celentano; New Jersey; USA

Making Sumerian Cylinder Seals: To make Sumerian cylinder seals-- first, squeeze clay through a 1 1/4" piece of PVC, one foot long -- use a 1" wood dowel to force it out. Use the type of clay that hardens (natural clay is FREE!) so it won't crush when you roll it out. (Sort of like a Play-Doh Fun Factory!) Slice it into 2" segments with nylon fishing line. After it hardens, have the kids use bamboo shiskabob sticks, cut with scissors to make them pointy (as a stylus!) to carve whatever they think would make a good seal for themselves.  Make some flour/salt/cream of tartar Play-Doh like stuff, and have the kids roll them out. Submitted by: The Chihuahua Pharaohs

Mr. Donn's Mesopotamia Unit

For More Lesson Ideas, by many authors,
see ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Free Mesopotamia, Sumer, Babylon, Assyria Powerpoints

Mesopotamia for Kids

Ancient Egypt Lesson Plans

New Deities: Ask the class to come up with a list of some of the animals that live in your state. Record them on the chalkboard. Then have the kids create new gods and goddesses using the heads of your local animals. Brainstorm a list of topics that their deities can "stand for," such as friendship, schools, fun, etc. Challenge them to make their animal choices match the attribute they represent: for example, an owl-headed god of schools (wise as an owl), a dog-headed god of friendship ("man's best friend"), a bee-headed god of work (busy as a bee).

Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt: Explain how Narmer unified Egypt in 3100 BC, and that the double crown was created by combining the white crown of Upper Egypt with the red crown of Lower Egypt. Then, have the children create new symbols for a modern unification by combining the logos of competitors. To get them thinking, ask what the logo could be if Coke and Pepsi were united. Or MCI and AT&T, or Apple and Microsoft, or the USA and Canada, etc. Have magazines available for kids to reference corporate logos and an encyclopedia for flags of countries. Submitted by: Kevin Fleury; New Hampshire; USA

Ancient Egyptian Fairy Tales: Have the students rewrite their favorite fairy tale...Change the setting, and items to ancient Egyptian times. Instead of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves...I got a tale called, "Nefertiti and the Seven Tomb Robbers." There are some great tales to be changed, rewritten, and illustrated. Students learn many concepts from this unit. Submitted by: Jeanie Saiger; Grand Forks, North Dakota; USA

Ancient Egyptian Alphabet Book: Have slips of paper ready in a bucket for each student to draw. Include letters A-Z, Cover, Back Cover, and Table of Contents. Allow 2 minutes to trade with other peers for desirable letters. Remind students not to be taken advantage like a Nubian and get stuck with the letters X and Z. Have plenty of resources available for students to write a short, informative paragraph about their letter. Title each page ("A is for Anubis") etc.  Use hole punched paper. Have them use the top half of their page to illustrate their alphabet letter. When letters are completed, combine, and place "Ancient Egyptian Alphabet Book" in the library for other students to use. Submitted by: Jeanie Saiger; Grand Forks, North Dakota; USA

Ancient Egypt Daily Life: Have each student write their own story about a day in Ancient Egypt. Their story must be at least 5 paragraphs long. They will write as if they were telling about their own life in Egypt over the course of one day. They can not be the pharaoh, a king or queen, or a god. They can be a priest, worker, soldier, merchant, slave, or visitor. They can work alone or in small groups. When working in groups, each student must turn in their own original work, but students stories must mesh and intertwine. When working in groups, students are encouraged to know each in ancient times. Information on ancient Egypt daily life may be found here: Daily Life Ancient Egypt.

Barter: Have a mock bazaar by getting a 5 lb candy bag, and pass it out (give some kids more than others... "Gee, this was a bad year for our Peanut Butter Cup crops!" Throw in other items to barter, such as pencils, stickers. The Egyptians ranked the value of their wares according to the "deben," a standard sized piece of copper. A goat may have been worth 1 deben, and a bed 2.5 deben. A reasonable trade would be 2 or 3 goats for one bed. Prepare for the activity by assigning each item a deben value. Cherry lollipops might be 6 deben, small lemon flavored candies 1 deben. Have each child take inventory prior to trading to calculate the total value of their starting worth. Let them trade. Have the kids recalculate. My kids were very particular about making sure they were getting their "deben worth"! Submitted by: The Chihuahua Pharaohs

Make a Mummy: Break your students into 6 groups. Have each group measure 25 yards of toilet paper, ending up with 150 yards total. You'll need a 12-roll pack of toilet paper. When they were finished measuring I randomly chose a student and we wrapped him in the toilet paper, took a class picture and then finished the lesson. Submitted by Barbara D. Martin; California, USA

THE MUMMY MOVIE: Help find the inaccuracies! I saw "The Mummy" last night. The script is just awful but I'll agree with the earlier posts that it's great fun.... One of the fun things for types like us is finding all the errors. Some things to watch for when you go: The three great pyramids -- of Thebes! The embalming scene showing FIVE canopic jars. In the movie, one is apparently for the heart. The female lead says the heart is removed during embalming. The Anubis colossi that somehow look like some cartoon dog or something. The "Book of the Dead" that is actually a book instead of papyrus. The Mummy's sidekick, who neither looks nor sounds like an Egyptian or an Arab. They all swim in the Nile -- and no one gets sick. The pharaoh's guards are wearing something that looks vaguely like the Red Crown. There were half a dozen other fun little goofs I saw that I can't recall now. (Shared with us by Gilly and used with her permission. Ancient/Classical History (about.com)

Decorative Decodes (Be an Archaeologist): Have students write (with black permanent marker) their full names in any order (middle, last, then first - or however) on a sheet of white typing paper using hieroglyphic symbols. When finished, stain the papers in tea water and mount them on black construction paper. Give the kids the next week to decode all the papers and figure out whose was whose. Submitted by Barbara D. Martin; California, USA

More ideas for Ancient Egypt Submitted by Barbara D. Martin; California, USA

1. Archeology--Use magazines to look up places around the world where archeologists are at work today. Make a large world map to show findings.

2. The Egyptians left out most vowels. Write a letter to a friend using no vowels and see if they can fill in the blanks.

3. Debate ethics of taking things from a tomb for museums.

4. Write a want ad for pyramid workers.

5. Make a clay pyramid using 2 cups each salt and flour, 1 1/2 cups water. Cover with sandpaper to give realistic look.

6. Compare the height of some of the worlds highest structures.

7. Pretend you are working on a pyramid. Write a letter home to your family describing your day, thoughts and feelings.

8. Design a pyramid you think would be safe from grave robbers.

9. Rosetta Stone--Make your own from plaster of Paris, carving it when dry with heavy needle or nail.

10. Find pieces of literature you think should be left as examples like the Rosetta Stone.

11. Sphinx--write a story telling what happened to the end of his nose. Read out loud and vote on the best story.

12. Tombs--list things you would want in your tomb.

13. What books do you think should be left behind for future generations?

14. Workers--compare ancient Egyptian and modern day.
    

For More Lesson Ideas, by many authors, click ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egypt for Kids

Free Egypt Powerpoints

Aesop's Fables: First, discuss What is a Fable, and Who was Aesop?  (The fables of India were very popular in ancient times as well as now. They were recited in ancient Greece, over two thousand years ago. Aesop wrote many of them down, so people thought they were his. In a way, they were. If Aesop had not collected them, and saved them, and shared them - many of these old fables would have been lost and forgotten. Instead, today, we can enjoy these old fables, just as kids did, in ancient Greece, over two thousand years ago!) During your unit study of Ancient Greece, close each day's lesson by reading aloud one of Aesop's Fables to your class. Briefly, have your class discuss the meaning. Many lessons may be taught and discussions directed, using this technique, and the kids love it. 

Daily Life: Have each student write their own story about a day in Ancient Greece. Their story must be at least 5 paragraphs long. They will write as if they were telling about their own life in an ancient Greek city-state over the course of one day. They can not be a god or any famous leader or person. They can live in either Athens or Sparta, and can be a citizen, merchant, slave, or visitor. They can work alone or in small groups. When working in groups, each student must turn in their own original work, but students stories must mesh and intertwine. When working in groups, students are encouraged to know each in ancient times.  Interesting information on ancient Greek daily life can be found here: Daily Life in Ancient Greece  

Art & Architecture: PAPER COLUMNS  

1. Will a single sheet of paper support a book?  For an amazing answer, try this!

2. Take an 81/2" x 11 inch piece of paper.  Roll it into a cylinder to represent a column. Secure it with tape.  The more tightly you roll it, the more books it will hold.

3. Set your column on the floor.  Balance a book on the top of the column.  Add another!  Will it hold three books?  How many will it hold?

4. When your column collapses, check your column.  Did it bend?  Where did it bend?  That's where it was weak.   

Art & Architecture:  THE PARTHENON    
On the top half of a piece of paper, have students drawn a picture of the Parthenon.  On the bottom half, answer printed questions:

TOP HALF:  Student Drawing of the Parthenon

BOTTOM HALF: Fill in the blank:

1. ____________ Who was ruler when the Parthenon was built?

2. ____________ What name is given to the time when the Parthenon was built?

3. ____________ What type of architecture was used?

4. ____________  How were pillars arranged so that they seemed straight?

Greek Inventions:  GIFT-WRAPPED GREEKS 

1. Cut manila folders into different shapes.  

2. Write one thing the Greeks gave the world on each shape. There will be duplication; that's fine.

3. Gift wrap each shape, in colorful, festive wrapping paper, along with a small piece of candy.

4. Bring "gifts" to class in a plastic garbage bag.  (Bring extra garbage bags; you'll need them!)

5. Pass out "gifts" from the Greeks; one "gift" per student.  Tell students that these are "gifts" given to the world by the Greeks.  Have students open their gifts. Have each student write a one-two paragraph report on their "gift" in the first person, explaining why "their" invention, or their gift, is of value to the world.

6. Collect wrapping paper while students are writing.  Ask if anyone would like to share their "gift" and what they wrote about their gift with the class.  After some of the students read their paragraphs, post all "gifts from the Greeks" on the Gifts from the Greeks bulletin board.

7. Gifts could include: Greek columns (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian), trial by jury, myths, democracy, sculpture, comedy, tragedy, theatre, the Olympics, epic poetry, and fables.
   
   

Make a Greek Chiton (from my Mom's notebook on things to do with Scouts.)

This simple costume was an everyday dress for men, women and children. Kids wore it short. Women wore it long. It's made by folding a single piece of material in a certain way. You don't cut it - you just fold it! That means, you can use a single bed sheet to make one.

1. Use a single bed sheet

2. Fold it over, until it's about the length from your shoulders to your knees

3. Then fold it in half

4. Use two safety pins to hold it at the shoulders

5. Drop it over your head (with your head sticking out the hole between the two safety pins)

6. Tie a rope around the waist. Change the length by clousing it out at the waist (pulling it up a bit so it drops over the rope belt.

Mr. Donn's Early & Classical Greece Units

Greek Olympics Unit

For More Lesson Ideas, by many authors, click ANCIENT GREECE

Free Ancient Greece Powerpoints

Ancient Greece for Kids

Can you save the Roman Republic? Let's see if students can do better than the Romans did to generate reforms, to correct some of Rome's major problems during the Roman Republic and save the Republic! Directions: Students will imagine themselves to be a Roman consul. They have some power, but they are not gods. They must obey the will of the people, keep the rich happy, and still save Rome from self-destruction. As elected consuls, leaders of government, your  (the student's) job is to discuss and solve three major problems facing the Republic. For lesson details, see Roman Reforms.  

The Roman Gazetteer.    This is certainly not a new idea, but it's always fun. Have your kids create a newspaper for ancient Rome. Put all the pieces together and print copies so that each student has one completed copy. It's great review or introduction to ancient Rome, and a nice piece for students to take home and share with parents. Editorials, Classified, Sports & Entertainment, etc.
Preparation:

1. Take several 8" x 11" pieces of paper, and plan how much room each section of your newspaper will take. (Space is limited!) Hand each student, based on the section they select, a pre-cut piece of paper. As reporters, they must accomplish their job within assigned space limits. This makes putting your newspaper together much easier! For unassigned space, or space left empty from students who do not complete this assignment, simply run an ad - this space available for advertising. Call....  And/or offer empty space as an extra credit project to interested students. As students tend to lose things, and need several copies of blank pieces of paper, have extras blanks available, based on sizing. To stay organized, number the back of various sizes with Roman Numerals. That way, you can have a blank paper stack for each size.

2. Under each heading, include a short paragraph of background information.

3. Make a sign-up sheet, that covers all newspaper headings, and post it in your classroom. Have the kids sign-up as reporters under the section they choose. For organizational purposes, note the Roman Numeral "size" next to each section. For example, the cartoon section might be called: Forum Funnies. Example: Consul Claudius sneezed today. At least he accomplished SOMETHING! The gossip section might be called "Rome Wonders"; example: New man about town! Gladiator Claudius gains freedom today! Will he replace Nero as ladies man #1? Keep your eye on this column for updates!

4. Information about ancient Roman daily life can be found here.
   

Milestone Advertising: Hand your kids the following Assignment: The Romans did a wonderful job building roads! To help people find their way, while traveling these roads, the Romans more or less invented the milestone which grew increasingly wordy, and increasingly tall, to be easily readable from a vehicle. Some are 6 feet tall. Each milestone usually gave the mileage to the nearest large city, sometimes to an intermediate place as well; and the date and perhaps who paid for the road. We're going to add business advertising! Your job is to create a business ad to add to a milestone, somewhat like billboard advertising. What would you say, to advertise your company's service or product, if you had limited advertising space on one of these ancient Roman milestones? To accomplish your job, first you must create a service or product of interest for ancient Rome, and then create an ad to advertise it. From your ad, it should be easy to figure out what service or product your company offers citizens of Rome. Remember, your ad must be very brief and to the point as you only have limited space!  

For More Lesson Ideas, by many authors, click ANCIENT ROME

Free Ancient Rome Powerpoints

Ancient Rome for Kids

The Eightfold Path: Intro to Buddhism. Ask students to read about each step on the Eightfold Plan. Student must select about which to write, identify these two steps, and give each of the two selected its Buddhist meaning. Direct students to describe why each step would, or would not be, difficult to follow here in America. Eightfold Path 

Make a Chinese Panel: Chinese painting typically has three sections, birds and/or flowers, figures, and glimpses of the countryside, which might include mountains, a field, a waterfall, a stream. The pictures create a feeling of harmony and balance.  Some painting illustrate a poem, which is included on the painting. Many paintings were done with just a few brush strokes, to suggest, rather than detail, an idea. First, show your class some examples of Chinese paintings. Discuss how each reflects an idea or feeling. Then, using pencil or crayon, have your kids create a Chinese panel that illustrates an original poem they have written about Ancient China.  This can be done as a group project, or individually.  

More Ideas for Ancient China:  Submitted by Barbara D. Martin; California, USA
This was created for Ancient China, 6th-grade, but the concept could easily be adapted for any culture, any unit, any grade.

Instructions to my Class: Listed below are the points it is possible for you to earn in our special projects section, during our study of Ancient China. Space is provided at the end of every section so that you may write in a project that you wish to do which isn’t listed--just be sure to check with me (before you begin) to make sure that it’s OK. Be sure that you complete the required number of points from each section. You may earn the rest of your points from any area or areas you choose. Please write the number of each project on the project itself and turn it in with this paper as each project is completed. Note that the points listed are for points possible--if you don’t do a good job, you won’t earn many points. A=200+ pts., B=160+ pts., C=100+ pts., D=80+ pts. F is anything less than 80 points.

GEOGRAPHY-- Minimum 50 points required:

1. Map of eastern hemisphere with geographic features 10

2. Map of modern China with political divisions 10

3. Map of China’s geographic features 10

4. Map of sources of China’s products 10

5. Map showing locations of archaeological finds 20

6. Map showing boundaries of each dynasty 10

7. Methods of travel and routes used in Ancient China 10

8. Methods of travel and routes used in Modern China 20

9. Flour and salt relief map painted to show geographical features 05

10. List 10 major cities by longitude and latitude 05

11. Do a Find-A-Word hand out on Ancient China 10

12. Make your own Find-A-Word using China’s geographical features 10

ART-- Minimum 20 points required:

1. Make a paper cutout 10

2. Make a scratch-through of a Chinese scene you’ve drawn 5

3. Draw pictures showing one product from beginning to end 10

4. Make a paper mache mask used in a traditional Chinese play 10

5. Draw one of the religious figures of China 5

6. Draw replicas of modern China’s coins and give their value in U.S. dollars 10

7. Draw 5 symbols of China, and tell why you chose them 10

8. Build a pagoda, replica of the Great Wall, etc. 20

9. Draw an illustrated alphabet of words about China: A=ancestor, B=bamboo, etc. 20

10. Make a Chinese screen 10

11. Draw a traditional Chinese landscape 10

12. Make a typical “jade” carving out of Ivory soap. 15

13. Reproduce one of China’s inventions 20

14. Draw or reproduce ancient Chinese instruments 20

15. Choose one of the minority people of China and illustrate the things that set them apart (houses, clothes, etc.) 5

16. Reproduce ancient oracle bones or sticks 5

17. Illustrate the development of money in China 10

18. Make something with embroidery 10

HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT-- Minimum 30 points required

1. Diagram the structure of government under one of the dynasties  5

2. List accomplishments of each dynasty 10

3. Make a crossword puzzle 5

4. Find 10 newspaper articles which deal with China 5

5. List things imported from China today 10

6. Make a map of the “Silk Road” and list things imported to and exported from China 10

7. List things of Chinese origin that are in general use in America today (food, vocabulary, etc.) 5

8. Report on the conquests of a dynasty 5

9. Diagram the difference of Legalism, Confucianism, and Taoism. 10  (A lesson plan for Legalism, Taoism & Confucianism can be found here)

GENERAL-- Minimum 20 points required

1. Plan a 2 week vacation showing points of interest, places to stay in Ancient China 20

2. Write letters for posters, information, etc. to the Chinese consul, airlines, etc. 5

3. Bring to school and share with the class things from China 5

4. Put up a bulletin board about Ancient China 10

5. Do a 1 page report about a special aspect of Ancient China 10

6. Write “A Day in the Life of...” an emperor, farmer, etc., of Ancient China 10 (Information about ancient China daily life can be found here.)

Note Home to Parents:

• Projects worth a combined value of 50 points are due ____________.

• Additional projects worth a combined value of 50 points are due ___________.

• Date total project is due _______________

• I plan to earn _________ points.

• Student’s signature: __________________

• Parent’s signature: ___________________

For More Lesson Ideas, by many authors, click ANCIENT CHINA

Free Ancient China Powerpoints

Ancient China for Kids