Destination Ancient Egypt

We have closed the book on the first ancient civilization of the world, Mesopotamia. Now, we will be traveling west from Mesopotamia to another great civilization of the world: Ancient Egypt. As we explore and discover all this civilization has to offer, you will be amazed at what we will find. Pyramids, Mummification, gods/goddesses, pharaohs, Giza, Sphynx, the Nile River, Hieroglyphics, etc...The list goes on! As we begin our quest for Ancietn Egypt knowledge, we are going to start by scouring the internet for helpful websites that can aid in our never ending thirst for knowledge. For this Ancient Egypt introductory post, we will be searching for and gathering websites about ancient Egypt. We are looking for good, quality websites. Perhpas you want to simply search for "Ancient egypt" or perhaps you want to get specific and actually take a more focused approach like searching for "pyramids of egypt," or "King Tut" or "Nile River" or "Mummification" or any other topic you are interested in. At the end of the week, I will look through all the websites you have found and compile a list of only the best and form a Ancient Egypt Websites gadget on the side of Water for Sixth Grade. Perhaps your website will make the list!

Task: Search the internet by using google or bing to find good, quality, interesting websites about Ancient Egypt.
DUE: Friday, October 29th, 2010

Helpful Hints: websites ending in .gov, .edu, .net are usually the best, most trusted.

Good Luck!

Wax Museum 2010: A Look Back

Wax Museum 2010: A Look Back at the First Show from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

Ladies and Gentleman of 6th grade: Welcome to the Wax Museum 2011. With this video of last years Wax Museum performance, we will be kicking off this year's version of the Wax Museum. This will be the single biggest event of your sixth grade life, possibly your whole middle school experience. The experience of doing the Wax Museum will be something you hold on to and remember for the rest of your life. I already feel very confident that this year's Wax Museum performance will be a great one. As we kick off this year-long project, take a look at the list of people, share it with your parents, and think about who you might want to be. I can not guarantee that everyone will get who they want, but there are hundreds of great characters to choose. Being a little nervous at this point in the project is totally naturally and normal. However, you will see that as we go throughout the year, we will work hard on this project getting prepared so when the big night comes, you will be excited, not nervous. April 12th, 2011 will be a day like no other in your young lives. I am already greatly anticipating the night and watching all of you perform splendidly.
Wax Museum 2011: April 12th, 2011. 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Teach Timmers about Mesopotamia

I can not believe how fast time goes. It seems just yesterday was the introduction to the "Teach Timmers" feature. Now, here we are four weeks later, for round two of "Teach Timmers." Today, we will be teaching Timmers about Mesopotamia. Throughout this unit, we have covered many different topics and done many different activities to try and gain an understanding and knowledge base of this first civilization of the world. Now, we will review all of our Mesopotamia information by teaching Timmers. Like you at the beginning of the unit, Timmers perhaps does not know a great deal about Mesopotamia. Though it is the first civilization of the world, it is something that few people know a lot about. Fortunately for Timmers, all of you now know a lot, so share your knowledge about this very interesting place. Read your "task" to get started.

Task: post a comment to Timmers telling him about Mesopotamia. Topics you should explain in your comment: vocabulary words, Lesson 1 guided notes, Lesson 2 Guided Notes, Flip packet, problem/solution poster, Mesopotamia Vs. USA, Cuneiform, "I Invented Farming", irrigation, the fabulous four inventions, Epic of Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, Deadliest Warrior, Ziggurat tournament, and anything else you would like to include from this unit.

Length: You need to thoroughly explain five topics from above.

Points: 20 completion points.

Remember, Timmers is a real person. He will respond to only the best comments, so do a good job of teaching him about Mesopotamia and you might get a reply back!

Sumer Vs. Akkad Sketch

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Post a comment summarizing the sketch comparing Sumer and Akkad.

Major gods of Mesopotamia

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Students, my below average art skills are on display once again in trying to give you a visual of the major gods of Mesopotamia. This is an activity sketch. Try figuring out what each is the god of based on the sketch. There are 6 major gods and one bonus question at the end. Post a comment and see if you can figure out all 6!
Example:
1. god of _____________.
2. god of _____________.
and so on.....

Good Luck!

The Code of Hammurabi: Fair or Cruel?

Being put to death for false accusations. Having your tongue cut out for insulting someone. Having your hands cut off for giving the wrong kind of haircut. Being thrown into a fire for looking upon someone else's property. What do all these things have in common? They are all punishments found in the Code of Hammurabi. Now, one question lingers: Fair or Cruel? That is the question we will be dealing with for this blog post. That is the question that you will have to think about and come to your own opinion. Both sides of the arguement make a compelling case supporting what they believe. There is no clear cut answer whether the Code of Hammurabi is fair or cruel. One thing we do know for sure, though, is that it was a major aspect of the Mesopotamian civilization. I have linked an article for you to read about the Code of Hammurabi being fair or cruel. In the article, both sides are given with reasons supporting the "fair" side and the "cruel" side. After reading the article, your task is simple: decide for yourself whether the Code is fair or cruel. Then, tell me why you think that.

Read article: The Code of Hammurabi: Fair or Cruel?

Task: Read the above article about the Code of Hammurabi being fair or cruel. Post your opinioni in a comment and explain why you think that. Minimum five sentences. Anything short of five sentences would not do a good enough job explaining your opinion.

In-Class Blogging. Good Luck!

Thinking About Hammurbi's Code

Another first for Mesopotamia: Laws. Before Mesopotamian civilization, the world was without Laws. People of the world could go out, do whatever horrible acts they wanted, and go unpunished. The people had no consequences, they had no punishments. There was nothing to hold them accountable for their actions, nothing hanging over their head, discouraging them from committing crimes. That is, until Hammurabi entered the scene. Hammurabi, the king of Babylonia which is in Mesopotamia, came along and wrote down a set of laws. It was this set of the laws that began to instill some order and justice in the world. A group of people without a written set of laws is no civilization at all, therefore, Hammurabi's Code was a major step toward establishing Mesopotamia as a legitimate civilization. We have been discussing some of the laws in class. We have discussed the basic principle: "eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth." We have also seen how harsh the consequences are for breaking Hammurabi's laws. Some would say the punishments are too harsh. Some would say the punishments are justified. That, though, is for you to decide for yourself. I have listed four laws below from the Code of Hammurabi. I have also listed the Code of Hammurabi website link to see more of the laws. I want you to think about the Code of Hammurabi by reading the four laws I have posted for your and/or reading additional laws from the link.
Four Laws from the Code of Hammurabi:
1. If a man has put our the eye of another man, they shall put our his eye as well.
2. If a builder has built a house for a man, with the result that the house falls down and kills the owner, the builder shall be put to death.
3. If a son has struck his father, they shall cut off his hand.
4. If a man has accused another man and has brought a charger of murder against him but has not proved it, the accuser shall be put to death.

Answer the following Questions by telling me what YOU think:
1. Why did Hammurabi make a set of laws?
2. How did the Code of Hammurabi change Mesopotamia?
3. Do you think the people needed these laws? Explain your answer.
4. Why did Hammurabi make the consequences so severe?
5. What would the world be like today if everybody still followed Hammurabi's Code?
6. What Laws effect you the most in your life? What would you change about today's laws and rules? (This could be not necessarily laws, but school rules, rules your parents have for you, etc...)

In-Class Blogging.

Irrigation Animation

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The Tigris and Euphrates Scream

The Tigris and Euphrates Scream from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

The Tigris and Euphrates are the two major rivers in Mesopotamia. These two rivers are so important to the people of Mesopotamia, that without the rivers, this ancient civilization would have never exsisted. Because of the Tigris and Euphrates, Mesopotamians had irrigation, transportation, and a source of fresh water. Indeed, these two rivers are extremely important. So don't forget them!
Which class period was the loudest? Post a comment. Don't forget to vote on our Loudest Scream poll.