Introduction
Students will learn and explore the culture, geography, and history Mesopotamia. Students will synthesize their learning by teaching a mini lesson to the class about Mesopotamia.
Introduction
The first great civilizations, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was developed in 5000 B. C. Archaeologists and historians discovered this "cradle of civilization" buried under sandy mounds of the vast plain which were the remains of Ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is derived from the Greek words, mesos meaning "middle," and potamos meaning "river," which became known as the "land between two rivers." Researchers believe the people of Mesopotamia influenced the development of the human race in many ways. Without Mesopotamia many things today that we use daily would not exist!
Task
You are a cyber archaeological historian and are about to embark on a fantastic journey into the past to discover the mysteries of ancient Mesopotamia. Your goal is to achieve an understanding of what life was like, what the culture consisted of, how the government developed, details about the religious beliefs, the development of trade, the development of specialization and social classes, and how the first written language looked. You will discover that much of what we in the twenty-first century take for granted in our civilization has roots in the Mesopotamia of 5000 years ago.
You will be asked to explore a number of web sites and find specific information that you will use to perform a number of tasks that you will adapt into a finished project to be turned in. This webquest will be accomplished as a group. Each individual must complete one task and then as a team, develop a project that creatively presents their knowledge of the area.
As part of this Cyber Exploration, you will be asked to take on 4 different roles for this venture. You will journey back in time to ancient Mesopotamia. You are to discover and bring back information, about this ancient civilization. Your final project will demonstrate how this ancient civilization contributed to our modern world. You will be teaching the class about Mesopotamia as a group. By presenting the information to the class through a format of your choice. Each member of the group will be responsible for reporting on their task. A visual will be required for students to have.
Process
Wait, What are we doing?
I don't get it
Huh...so what am I suppose to do, again?
I need help.
What do you mean?
STEP - 1 For the first step you will need to follow each of the directions very carefully.
STEP - 2 Once you have read everything, you should begin doing one of the four roles. Each of the 4 roles will provide you with instructions and web pages for you to explore. As you explore through each role, you will need to have a pencil and paper or ipad to keep an ongoing journal of all the information you have gathered for each role.
STEP - 3 Once you have gathered all the required information, you can begin compiling all your information in whatever creative format you choose. It could be a poster, Keynote, canva, a booklet, brochure, a flyer, a powerpoint, or a folder.
STEP - 4 After you have decided on what type of format you will use to compile all your data you will need to begin creating your project. Remember to include all the things you were required to research for this project. Make sure to have everything included!
STEP - 5 You will need to hand in you final project. Once again you are presenting to the class as a group. You will be teaching the class about what you have learned.
Role 1 - The GeographerFor your first job in cyber Mesopotamia you will take on the role of a Geographer. It will be your responsibility to come up with the following information (REMEMBER: When you are answering the following questions, respond using YOUR OWN WORDS!!!!): 1)Explain where Mesopotamia was located. What are the names of the two rivers where Mesopotamia lay? What does Mesopotamia mean? 2)Find a map to illustrate its historical location. 3)What type of climate is in Mesopotamia? 4)What present-day country would be the location of Ancient Mesopotamia? 5)How far is Mesopotamia from our school (approximately)? Use Google, here are a few helpful links to guide your research. http://www.fsmitha.com/h1/map01mes.htm https://www.mrdowling.com/603mesopotamia.html https://metaphysikal.tumblr.com/post/104365146766/the-fertile-crescent-is-an-ancient-area-of-fertile
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Evaluation
| Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Qualified 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Aid | Visual aid was not completed. Or was completed but does not meet requirements. | Visual aid was completed with minimal effort. May have errors on it. May be messy or unappealing. | Visual aid is appealing. Information is complete and correct. | Student went above and beyond. Visual aid shows outstanding effort, is neat, clearly showing information. | |
| Group Organization and Time Management | Always postponed work until deadline. There was no evidence of planning the task out. | Began work early, but still postponed. Some evidence of planning the task ahead of time. | Began work early. Planning of the task was done, but not always followed. | Began work immediately. Planned the task according to the group members and set their own schedule to have the assignment completed. | |
| Webquest Assignment | Directions were not followed and none of the required tasks were completed. None of the assignment was completed. | Directions were read and partially followed. Some of the tasks were completed, but there were major errors. | Directions were followed and all tasks were completed. Made minor errors. | All directions were read and followed. All tasks were completed. There were no errors. | |
| Presentation | No evidence of group planning, effort, creativity. Monotone voices wit little attention to the audience. |
Little evidence of planning and creativity. Still did not try to persuade the audience. Little eye contact and fast speaking. Hard to understand. | Some apparent originality, creativity, and planning. Tries to persuade the audience to come to their party. Clear articulation. | Exceptional originality, creativity, planning, and effort seen during presentation. Clear articulation, eye contact, and enthusiasm. |
Conclusion
Woohoo!!! You did it!You have successfully completed your cyber journey to Mesopotamia. You have now learned plenty about Mesopotamia and how important the beginning of civilization was to our world. Whether you are writing an essay at school, playing games at home, or driving in your car to Grandma’s house, you have been affected by the development of Mesopotamia. Don't forget to make sure your project has what you believe to be the most important facts for each question.
Working with other students will help you boost your social skills
and learn to work well with others. This is a skill you will need
throughout your life.
Credits
Teachers pay teachers
Matt Micheletti