UNIT GUIDE SHEETS

UNIT 1 – GUIDE SHEET

CHAPTER 1

Essential Questions:

1. How did early peoples develop skills that became the basic elements of human life?
2. What developments led to the rise of the world’s first civilizations?
3. Describe how the Neolithic Revolution led to the development of similar traits of civilization.

Objectives:

1. Explain how recent archaeological finds have contributed to our understanding of human origins.
2. Describe some of the achievements of the earliest humans.
3. Specify the kinds of economic, political, and social changes that resulted from the rise of cities.

Discussion Topics:

1. Migrations – page 22
2. Archaeological finds – page 23
3. Neolithic Revolution
4. Changes and results in early civilization
5. Early writing systems

CHAPTER 2

Essential Questions:

1. In what ways were each of the early civilizations unique?  How were they different?
2. How did river valley civilizations lay the foundations for the global civilization that we know today?

Objectives:

1. Understand why Egypt was called the ‘gift of the Nile.’
2. Summarize how Sumer’s achievements enriched the early culture of the Middle East.
3. Relate how people of the Indus river valley civilization built cities.
4. Examine the major contributions of the early Chinese civilization.

Discussion Topics:

1. Map page 48 – Location of kingdoms/position of Nile; modern nations; advances in technology; crossroads Asia/Africa
2. Religion – Did religion play a greater role in Egypt than in the US today?
3. Factors that account for growth and longevity along the Nile.
4. Hammurabi’s Code
5. Harrapan civilization attractive to invaders
6. China has the oldest continuous civilization in the world/isolation.
7. Gilgamesh reading and discussion

CHAPTER 3

Essential Questions:

1. How did traders, religious thinkers, and empire builders shape the development of the ancient Middle East?
2. How have their achievements influenced cultural and religious life today?

Objectives:

      1.   Explain how trading peoples influenced the development of the Middle East.

      2.   Describe the role that slavery, exile, and return play in the history of the Israelites.

3. Explain how a series of powerful empires extended their rule throughout the Middle East.

Discussion Topics:

1. Israelite/Hittite interaction – reading from Genesis 23, Genesis 26: 34-35, II Samuel 11
2. Project discussion

Unit Assignments:

1.      Chapter Notes

2.      Guided Readings

3.      Movie Notes/Questions

Unit Assessments:

1.      Unit Test

2.      Neolithic Revolution Essay

3.      Civilizations of the ancient Near East Google Presentation

1. You and a partner (of your choice) will create a Google Presentation of one of the following topics:  Hittites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, Israelites and Phoenicians.  Your project will include the following:

                                                              i.      Beginning and ending dates of empire

                                                            ii.      Territorial extent of empire (map)

                                                          iii.      Names of major rulers

                                                          iv.      Significant achievements of empire

                                                            v.      Legacies of empire