Unit 3 - Lesson 2: The Early River Valley Civilizations

Big Ideas of the Lesson

Civilization in Afroeurasia developed around river valleys at the Tigris and Euphrates
in Mesopotamia, the Nile in Egypt, the Indus River in modern India/Pakistan, and the Yellow
River (Huang He) in modern China.

These areas had climactic features and natural resources which facilitated the
intensification of agriculture and allowed for larger groups of people to live there.

As civilizations developed, new problems emerged which necessitated new

solutions, and innovation occurred at a faster pace in a variety of areas including technology,
government, culture and art, and writing. New systems of social hierarchy also developed.

The largest settlements of humans developed into cities, and over time, more and
more people began to live in cities... a trend that continues today.
Lesson Abstract:
In this lesson students examine Era 2 from a birds eye view to get a sense of the major
developments in Afroeurasia during the period. Students explore the characteristics of the four
main River Valley Civilizations (Sumer, Egypt, Indus River, and Yellow (Huang He) River) through
map work, photo analysis and a reading activity. They also consider the role of geographic luck in
the development of these four river valley civilizations. Students add to their understanding of the
term civilization by looking at specific criteria for civilizations and apply these criteria to the four
river valley civilizations as they read descriptive overviews of each. They consider the amount of
time it took for civilizations to develop once people started living in more complex villages. The
lesson concludes with an examination of an artists rendering of Ur from Sumer to check their
understanding of the criteria for civilizations, and a discussion connecting the past to today in these
regions.
Content Expectations
7th Grade: H1.2.1; H1.2.2, H1.2.3; H1.2.5; H1.4.1; H1.4.2; H1.
W1.2.2 ; W1.2.3; W2.1.2; W2.1.3; W2.1.4
Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies: RH.6-8.1, 2, 4, and 7;
SL.6-8.4
Key Concepts
cities
civilization
geographic luck
intensification
power and authority
river valley civilizations
social hierarchy
specialization
technology

writing