Mesopotamia and Egypt World History

September 17 and 18

Stinger

1. What vocabulary do you need to understand the map?

2. What is the purpose of the map?

3. What information does the map provide?

4. Identify at least two patterns in the map.

5. Explain why those patterns exist.

6. Why is this map important to understanding early civilizations?

Take aways from the map

• Mesopotamia and Egypt are both highly reliant on the river systems that make the areas fertile

• They are in roughly the same warm latitudinal band

• There would have been a good deal of trade and communication between Mesopotamia and Egypt.

• Populations are centralized closest to the river areas.

• Power is centralized closest to the river areas.

Connections to Today

• Mesopotamia • Modern day Iraq

• ISIS (acronym ironically references an Egyptian diety who reassembled her dead husband. Let that run around your head for a bit.)

• Hierarchical power structures still seem to be wining over democratic ones

• Agriculture is no longer the cutting edge

• River control projects have exacerbated drought conditions

• No longer a land of food abundance, but an oil producing nation

• Still hierarchical class structure with broad wealth disparities

Connections to Today

• Egypt • Arab Spring-

• Egyptian revolution held promise, which is now fading

• Long history with dictatorships

• Power struggles between opposing groups

• No longer agricultural powerhouse

• Not using modern techniques

• One of the largest dam structures in the world

• Drier than previously

• Class structures and economy

• Poor wealth distribution

• Reliance on oil industry

Jigsaw Rules

• You need to be flexible today. You will work in a large group, a trio, and a pair.

• Be prepared to get up and move your body!

• You will be handed an article with a symbol, a letter, and a number

• These are your groups for the three different rounds of activities.

• Stay open minded!

• Do not trade articles, you will mess me up!

• Keep your same PERSIA/comparison chart throughout.

Round 1

• Get together with people who have your same article and symbol.

• Do not write or mark on the articles.

• Try to fill out the PERSIA chart to the best of your ability with the information provided to you in the article. • Your article only deals with EITHER Mesopotamia OR Egypt, so you will

only be filling out one of the first two columns

• Do not worry if you cannot get all six rows. That is what round 2 is for.

• You have 20 minutes! GO!

Round 2

• Get together with people who read a different article about the same society. • These people should have the same letter as you.

• You are a trio (so decide who is singing soprano 1 ,soprano 2, and alto or alternately tenor, bass, and baritone. Sorry. Bad choir joke.)

• Share the information that you have compiled.

• You are still only working in one column.

• Now you should be worried if you do not have all your rows filled out.

• You have 20 minutes! GO!

Round 3

• Get together with someone who studied the other civilization. • This person should have the same number as you.

• You are a pair.

• If you cannot find your numbered soulmate, join a trio. It’s legal in C205

• Exchange information so that you now have both civilization columns filled in completely.

• Use the last two columns to note similarities and differences between the two civilizations

• You have 20 minutes! GO!

Exit Ticket/ Homework/ Instructions

• Use the back of your stinger to answer

• Exit Ticket • List three similarities between ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

• List two differences between ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt.

• Why do you think these civilizations failed in the long run?

• Homework: Read pages 44-55

• Return ALL articles to be used again!