Mesopotamia: The First Empires and Summarizing the Civilization of Sumer

Sargon the Great was the first ruler to unite the city-states of Sumer into one empire.

 Today's Focus Question  What is an empire and how did they first develop? 

Flocabulary Video: 'The Fertile Crescent'  Let's review where we've been and where we're going on our journey to understand the region that gave birth to the world's first civilization. Check out the video from Flocabulary below.

The First Empires: Guided Reading  Today we will learn how strong rulers finally conquered Mesopotamia's independent city-states to create the world's first empires. We will read the excerpts from our textbook below.  

Summarizing the Mesopotamian Civilization of Sumer  Earlier this week you researched and gathered essential details about the world's very first civilization, which began in the Middle East region known as Mesopotamia. If you haven't already, it's time organize your information about Sumer in an original summary that you write, and will later become the foundation for the text you include on the historical layer of your Social Studies Events Map.   

For a reminder on how your summary will be assessed, check out the rubric below. 

Homework  Complete the summary component of your Noteaking and Summary Guide (Sumerian Civilization) by tomorrow, Friday, October 28, in order to include it as part of a "pinned story" on your Social Studies Events Map.