Mr. Kahn’s Social Studies

We are done with the Stone Ages and now move into the first civilizations. This week is Mesopotamia and next week is the Indus Valley.

Homework this week: Read pages 16 to 25. Answer questions #1, 2 & 4 on page 23 and #1 & 2 on page 25.

Monday, August 30th

We will look at maps and locate Mesopotamia and learn in general about this civilization

Tuesday, August 31st

We will learn about the development of writing, and write our names in cuneiform

Wednesday, September 1st

We will hear The Epic of Gilgamesh, the first written story

Thursday, September 2nd

We will learn about the first empires, Akkad, Sumer & Babylon. We will then study Hammurabi and his law code.

Friday, September 3rd

After a reading quiz, we will learn about inventions in Mesopotamia

This week we will finish our study of Paleolithic & Neolithic times and will have an assessment on Thursday.

This week we will read an introductory part of the textbook, immediately prior to the chapter we did last week. It is entitled Tools of the Historian.

Homework this week:  Read pages Tools1 to Tools11 … answer questions #2 on Tools3, #3 on Tools5, #2 on Tools7, and #1 & 2 on Tools9.

Monday, August 23rd

We will learn about the different types of religions that we will study this year

Tuesday, August 24th

We will revisit the farming revolution, this time seeing how it eventually caused the development of civilization. Then we will continue our timeline of early history.

Wednesday, August 25th

We will review all materials for the assessment and preview the ORQ.

Thursday, August 26th

Unit 1 Assessment — bring a book to read after you finish your assessment.

Friday, August 27th

We will go over the ORQ from the assessment, peer grade them, and find ways to improve.

You have a worksheet with these questions: After each question, you will click on the “click here” and be taken to information to help you answer the question. 

1. In what modern country would you find Çatal Höyük? click here
2. How long after Jericho was settled did people occupy Çatal Höyük? click here
3. What does Çatal Höyük mean? click here
4. What were the best tools found in Çatal Höyük made from? click here
5. What is paleobotany? click here
6. Where did the residents of Çatal Höyük bury their dead? click here
7. What was shown on Mural 9? click here
8. Name a typical meal in Çatal Höyük. click here

Now look around the web site and do some of the other activities.Explore a home in Çatal Höyük, play the Ball Game (to see how observant you are) and play the Excavation Game. click here

You may also look at the web pages dedicated to the Paleolithic caves of France.    Lascaux     Cosquer         Chauvet

Welcome back for week 2 of the new school year.

Homework this week:  Read pages 8-15 of Journey Across Time … answer questions #1, 2, 3, 4 & 6 on page 15.

Monday, August 16th

 I will distribute textbooks, and then we will learn more about the Paleolithic time period. We will explore the cave paintings in France.

Tuesday, August 17th

 We will learn about the effects of the farming revolution. Then we will develop a timeline of developments in the Stone Age and Archaic time periods.

Wednesday, August 18th

 We will be in the computer lab for the first time of the year, learning about one of the first great cities, Catal Hoyuk, located in modern Turkey.

Thursday, August 19th

 We will learn about how ideas get from place to place; cultural diffusion.

Friday, August 20th

We will finish up the week with a discussion of the types of government that we will encounter this year.

Below you will find important dates for this school year:

Monday, August 9th — Tiger Bash — come get your schedule and meet your teachers

Wednesday, August 11th — First day of school

I hope to meet you all at Tiger Bash!

I am excited! We are going to have such a great year learning about ancient history. I update this web page at least once per week, listing all homework, computer lab activities, and other information to help you learn. Visit this site regularly as we navigate thousands of years of the history of our world.