Looking Back – Mesopotamia: The Presentation – Part Four

This is my forth and last post on our studies on Ancient Mesopotamia three years ago.

For part one: http://angelicscalliwags.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/looking-back-mesopotamia-part-1/

Part two: http://angelicscalliwags.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/looking-back-mesopotamia-part-2/

Part three:http://angelicscalliwags.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/looking-back-mesopotamia-wrap-up-night-and-visit-to-the-british-museum/

This was our first EVER presentation, so we were still finding our feet a little.  The children had made a papier-mache map of how they imagined a river civilisation to look like using newspaper and a  flour & water glue.  On closer inspection I may have dyed desiccated coconut green and stuck it on the map for the fields!  I think it was L10 (who would have been about 7 then) who did her presentation on rivers and civilisations.  I teach everything through history and of course that includes geography.  The children learnt that all early civilisations grew up around a river.  They discovered how rivers were formed and learnt all about the water cycle and about river features.

L10 (7) had built a shaduf, a water collector which allowed irrigation, resulting in a more planned farming year and reducing the need to move on hunting and gathering.  It was an important feature in these first civilisations in Mesopotamia.  She also built a clay house and placed it on the river bank, up on the higher ground to be safe from the yearly flood:

C10, also 7 at the time, chose cuneiform as her topic.  Here is her display board, cuneiform and stylus

T10, probably 8 at the time, did a presentation on Warfare at the time of Sargon, the world’s first ever dictator.  I wish I had photos of him in his costume, but I can’t find them.  He made his own black papier-mache helmet and a cloak of thick black cotton with foil covered card discs to represent the type of primitive armour they wore then. In addition to his dress up he made a selection of weapons found at the time:

And that’s it!  All our work for Mesopotamia.  It has been so good, looking back at all we have achieved.  Hope you enjoyed it!