Ancient Mesopotamia lapbook unit

We're just finishing the first of this academic year's history lapbooks. It always takes me a while to sift through materials, so I'm hoping that putting the basics up here will save somebody some time. We used other books and did other activities, but these were the main ones. The unit seemed rather 'thin', and I'm sure that had something to do with the complete lack of story books for young ones set in Sumeria or Assyria or Babylon. Please let me have details of any you have found and I'll add them.

Ancient Mesopotamia lapbook
See the post on making a lapbook for practical tips.

CORE TEXTBOOKS
RSM = The Real Story of Mankind - free Christian ebook:-
http://www.puritans.net/curriculum/Real%20Story%20of%20Mankind%20TM.pdf

EL = Everyday life in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia - Philip Steele

HP = Evan Moor History Pockets: Ancient Civilizations - Mesopotamia is one of these. The point is to compare the different civilizations covered. I used some parts of this; some were too easy.

Also:-
Book of Jonah - Peter Spier. See below.
Step into the world of Ancient Babylon (borrow)
Step into the world of Ancient Persia (borrow)

KEY WEBSITES
Mr Donn's Ancient history pages - invaluable, and great for clipart for the lapbook:-
http://ancienthistory.mrdonn.org/

British Museum site - full of interest, clipart and games:-
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/

Throughout unit, read 'Gilgamesh'; version by Geraldine McCaughrean.
Watch DVD 'Abraham' (Richard Harris as Abraham) - takes about 6 half-hour slots. Watch out for content (childbirth; Sarah with Pharaoh; destruction of Sodom; Lot's wife)
Watch DVD 'Jacob' in same series.

1. Prelude: What is history
Your own history book overview
Complete HP Words to know minibook
Complete HP timeline

2. What, when was Mesopotamia? The Fertile Crescent
EL p.66
Mr Donn's site

Complete Mesopotamia words to know minibook
Using an outline map, colour the fertile, desert and water areas on the map of Mesopotamia. Mark the Tigris and the Euphrates.

3. City states - the city of Ur (Sumeria)
HP booklet on Mesopotamia
City States - EL pp.68-9
Ziggurats - EL pp.78-81
British Museum site - The Great Ziggurat and the Standard of Ur

Colour the HP illustration of a city state
Make the HP pop-up ziggurat

4. Abraham and Ur
Genesis 11-12

Illustrate a little book of what Abraham's life in Ur was like before his family left and the Lord called him to go to Canaan. Eg; may have lived in a reed house, eaten barley bread, worn wool or linen clothing, seen the people worshipping at the great ziggurat etc.

5. Cradle of Civilization - inventions
Mr Donn's site and links - include wheel, plough, seed drill, boats, potters' wheels, maths, writing, first epic.

Make a wheel with brad to choose you favourite invention - pin near map

6. Writing, cylinder seals
EL pp.74-77
Mr Donn and British Museum sites.

Make a cuneiform writing tablet - photo for lapbook

7. Gilgamesh
Write and illustrate a minibook of one of your favourite episodes

8. Babylon - and Nineveh - and the Persians
EL pp.118-121
Book of Daniel
Step into the world of Ancient Babylon
Book of Jonah - Peter Spier. Faithful retelling, plus astonishing pictures based on Babylon remains. He shows landscapes with ziggurats, and even norias (water-wheels) which you can still see in Hama, Syria today.

Look at sites on the Ishtar Gate; its dragons and the lions from the Processional Way made from glazed bricks.
Build gate of Ishtar from Lego (if it grabs you) - photo for lapbook
poem about the Hanging Gardens - simple minibook
Choose 3 interesting laws from the Code of Hammurabi - Code shaped minibook

Read Step into the World of Ancient Persia
Disucss how the Babylonians had taken off the Israelites, while the Persians allowed them to go back.

9. Christian perspective
Read Ch 2 and 3 RSM

Make a person shaped accordion book for the 3 sons of Noah and the prophecies Noah makes about them in Genesis 9. Where do the Mesopotamians fit in?

Photos of the lapbook soon...