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River Valley

Civilizations

Lapbook

Worksheets and

Instructions by Ann Brady

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Table of Contents

The TOC will go here when I finally

get this monstrosity finished.

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Constructing the Basic Lap Book

Materials Needed:

• 4 colored file folders

• White school glue

• 4 sheets of white or colored letter sized cardstock

You will need cardstock for the shape books, pocket books and flap books. Templates are provided for

printing these items. You will also need plain copier paper for these. Envelopes cut in half or smaller

make nice pockets for pocket books.

General Gluing Instructions

• Use tiny dots of glue spaced one or two inches apart for all gluing. No blobs of glue. Glue dots

should be no bigger than a lady bug.

• Do not use lines of glue or try to cover the entire surface of the item in glue. It takes too long to

dry and the paper (even cardstock) will wrinkle. Too much glue will bleed through plain paper.

• Do not use glue sticks. The glue will dry out and lose its stickiness and your stuff will fall out of

the lap book.

• Tape is okay for some things, but can make the book look messy.

• Double sided tape works for most things, but is expensive. If you decide to use double sided

tape, use the permanent kind.

Instructions N.B – It is easier to glue the lap book together if all the tabs are in the same place on all the folders, but

this is not a requirement. If the tabs are not in the same place, you need to be careful not to put glue on

areas that won’t be covered with another file folder to prevent folders sticking together in the wrong

places.

These instructions are for putting the entire “frame” of the lap book together, but you don’t have to do

it this way.You can also assemble the lap book in stages, adding file folders one at a time as you cover

each civilization. For younger kids, or to save time, you may want to do the basic assembly yourself. It

takes quite a lot of patience to explain to an entire class of 6th

graders how to glue the lap books

together.

1. Open a file folder and lay it flat on the work surface.

2. Fold the edges so that they meet at the center fold, being careful not to overlap the tab area.

3. Crease the folds using a spoon or straight edge.

4. Repeat for all four folders.

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5. Print the cardstock sheets for the center section of each folder. Take the sheet for Mesopotamia and

on the back, place very small glue dots every couple of inches around the edges and in the middle.

Use tiny dots of glue. They will dry faster and the paper will not wrinkle.

6. Glue the cardstock on the inside of one of the file folders to reinforce it and prevent it from folding

along the original factory fold.

7. Repeat for all four folders.

8. Take the Mesopotamia folder and lay it in front of you with the flaps on top, closed.

9. On the right hand flap, place small dots of glue around the edges every 2 or 3 inches, being careful

not to place the dots too close to the edge.

10. Take the second folder (Egypt) and glue the left hand flap to the right hand flap of the first folder,

aligning the folded edges carefully. The edges of the flaps will not align perfectly unless the tabs are

in exactly the same position. This is fine. Allow the glue to dry.

11. Turn the folders so that the back of the second (Egypt) folder is on top and the flaps are closed.

Place small dots of glue around the edges every 2 or 3 inches and a few dots in the center.

12. Place the back of the third folder (Indus River) on top of the glued side and align the edges carefully.

Allow the glue to dry.

13. Turn the stack so that the third folder (Indus River) is on top with the flaps closed. Place small dots

of glue around the edges and in the middle of the right hand flap. Take the last folder (Huang He

River) and glue the left hand flap to the right hand flap of the third folder, aligning the folded edges

as before. Allow the glue to dry.

14. You should now have a four section lap book. Place the closed lap book on the table with the first

folder face up, so that it opens to the left. The back of this folder will be on top and will be the cover

of your lap book.

15. Using pencil very lightly number this as page 1.

16. Open the lap book and number the outside of the left flap as 2, the inside of the same flap as 3, the

center as 4, and the inside of the right flap as 5. Continue numbering in this way, ending with the

back cover which will be page 18.

river valley

civilizations

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river valley

civilizations

Image Source: Virginia Geographic Alliance

river valley

civilizations

river valley

civilizations

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river valley

civilizations


KEY

river valley

civilizations

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Instructions for the Front Cover

Using an atlas such as TheNystrom Atlas of World History, a map of the world, or your textbook

complete the map by coloring and labeling the following landmarks. Color lightly and neatly using

colored pencils. Label neatly using a pen. Do not use markers to color. Color the title as you like. Make it

attractive and neat.

When complete, trim neatly and glue to the cover of your lap book using tiny glue dots around the

edges.

• All oceans, seas and rivers(blue)

o Mediterranean Sea

o Red Sea

o Arabian Sea

o Persian Sea

o Bay of Bengal

o South China Sea

o Yellow Sea

o Black Sea

o Caspian Sea

o Aral Sea

o Nile River

o Euphrates River

o Tigris River

o Indus River

o Ganges River

o Huang He (Yellow) River

o Yangtze River

• Deserts (tan)

o Western Desert

o Eastern Desert

o Syrian Desert

o Arabian Desert

o Kara Kum Desert

o Gobi Desert

• Mountains (Brown)

o Zagros Mountains

o Hindu Kush

o Himalayas

• Cities

o Thebes

o Memphis

o Babylon

o Ur

o Mohenjo-Daro

o Harappa

o Anyang

• Shaded areas (green)

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A civilization is ________________________

____________________________________

• Division of Labor

~ ~

~ ~

• Cities

• Hierarchical society based on

________________________

• Complex Religion

• Writing System

• Arts and Architecture

~ ~

~ ~

• Public Works

~ ~

~ ~

~ ~

• Organized Government


____________________________________


~ ~

~ ~

• Cities


________________________


• Writing System


~ ~

~ ~

• Public Works

~ ~

~ ~

~ ~


Features of

Civilization

Features of

Civilization

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____________________________________


~ ~

~ ~

• Cities


________________________


• Writing System


~ ~

~ ~

• Public Works

~ ~

~ ~

~ ~



____________________________________


~ ~

~ ~

• Cities


________________________


• Writing System


~ ~

~ ~

• Public Works

~ ~

~ ~

~ ~


Features of

Civilization

Features of

Civilization Key

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Mesopotamia Instructions

Page 2 Instructions

Teacher’s Notes: Have students complete the Features of Civilization sheet using their textbook, notes

or other sources. They should glue to page 2 (first flap, outside) in their lap book. They may color and

decorate as they like.

Page 3 Instructions

Map of Mesopotamia

Print the map shown on the next page and distribute to students. They should mark the cities of Ur and

Babylon on the map and glue it to the bottom of page 3 (1st

flap, inside).

Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses Pocket Book

Print the “Gods and Goddesses of Mesopotamia” sheet for each student. Have students use their

textbook (Eastern World, pp 124 – 125) to fill out the information for each god or goddess. Cut the cards

apart and place them in a stack. Staple in the upper left corner of the stack. Have students write their

name on the back of the last sheet, in case the booklet becomes separated from their lap book. Prepare

materials ahead of time for making pockets by cutting 9” x 12” sheets of construction paper into three

4-inch strips. Cut each strip in half lengthwise, creating six rectangles. Students should take a rectangle

and fold it in half along the long edge. They should tape the two short edges together forming a pocket.

Alternately, you can cut an envelope vertically making a pocket. Fold the resulting pocket so that it fits

the cards. Glue the pocket into their lap book on page 3, close to the top of the flap. Slide the pocket

book into the pocket.

In between the map and the pocket book, there will be room for a picture or other decoration. Provide a

selection of artwork for students to use, or have students create their own appropriate drawing to fill

this area.

Page 4 Instructions

Copy the Mesopotamia title page for each student. Have students glue this page into their lap book on

page 4 (center section of the first file folder).

They should enter

• three facts about ziggurats

• two facts about The Epic of Gilgamesh

• two facts about Hammurabi’s Code

They can get this information from their notes, textbook or from the Mesopotamia Web Quest.

Students should draw and color appropriate illustrations for Gilgamesh and Hammurabi’s Code and tape

or glue them over the material for these sections in the space indicated creating a flap over each of the

sections.

Page 5 Instructions

Give each student a “Writing” page to glue onto page 5 of their lap book. This is the inside right hand

flap of the first file folder. Students should enter three facts about cuneiform writing from their notes,

textbook or web quest.




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nia Geographic Alliance Image Source: Virginia Geographic Alliance

Image Source: Virginia Geographic Alliance Image Source: Virginia Geographic Alliance

Image Source: Virginia Geographic Alliance Image Source: Virginia Geographic Alliance




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Gods and

Goddesses of

Mesopotamia

Sumerians practiced

________________

- the worship of

many gods.

Enlil

________________

________________

________________

________________

Enki

________________

________________

________________

________________

Inanna

________________

________________

________________

________________

Utu

________________

________________

________________

________________

Nanna

________________

________________

________________

________________

Gods could

________________

________________

________________

________________

Priests

________________

________________

________________

________________

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Mesopotamia The Land Between the Rivers

Figure 1 - The Ziggurat of Ur (The British Museum)

The Epic of Gilgamesh

• _________________

_________________

_________________

• _________________

_________________

_________________

Hammurabi’s Code

• _________________

_________________

_________________

• _________________

_________________

_________________

Ziggurats

1.

2.

3.

Tape Here Tape Here

Writing

Writing developed in Mesopotamia

before anywhere else in the world,

so far as we know. The style of

writing used in Mesopotamia is

called cuneiform.

• _________________________

_________________________

__________________

• _________________________

_________________________

_________________________

• _________________________

_________________________

_______________________

The Evolution of Cuneiform

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Writing





_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_______________________

The Evolution of Cuneiform(Lo)

Writing

Writing developed i




called cuneiform.

• _________________________

_________________________

_________________________

• _________________________

____________________

_________________________

• _________________________

_________________________

_________________________

The Evolution of Cuneiform

Writing





_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

_________________________

The Evolution of Cuneiform(Lo)

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Use the rectangles above for your illustrations for Gilgamesh and Hammurabi’s Code.

Use the rectangles above for your illustrations for Gilgamesh and Hammurabi’s Code.

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Epic of Gilgamesh

Assyrian cylinder seal ca. 600s BC; Schoyen Collection

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about a Sumerian king (Gilgamesh) who seems to have lived around 2500 BC,

in Mesopotamia. Story-tellers probably began telling this story not long after he died, and someone probably

wrote down the story about 1700 BC, in the time of the Babylonian Empire, but the oldest written copy of it that

we still have dates to the Assyrian period (around 900 BC). Archaeologists found the tablet in the ruins of the

palace of one of the Assyrian kings.

The Epic begins with Gilgamesh ruling the city of Uruk, but he is not doing a good job. Everyone is mad at him

because he has a lot of girlfriends all at once, he spends all his time partying instead of working, and he is

disrespectful to the elders in the city.

Then a messenger tells Gilgamesh about a wild man who is living out in the hills near the city. This wild man's

name is Enkidu. He goes naked or wears furs, and he drinks only water from the river. But he is very strong.

Gilgamesh thinks this is interesting, so he sets a trap for Enkidu to get him to come to the city and be his friend.

Gilgamesh sends a beautiful woman to Enkidu, and when he sees her he kisses her and the kiss works like magic

to tame him: he follows her back to the city and becomes civilized.(Contrast this theme of how living a settled life

and farming is so much better than living a nomadic life as a shepherd with the opposite view held by the Jews at

about the same time). (Also notice similar themes in the later West Asian religion of Zoroastrianism).

Now that Gilgamesh has a friend, Enkidu, he is not so bored anymore and he stops being mean to everyone and

bothering the girls. Instead, Gilgamesh and Enkidu plan a big heroic trip to the West to get wood for building

(because very little wood grew in Mesopotamia). They travel there and fight the great monster Humbaba.

(Probably the real King Gilgamesh did trade with Lebanon for wood, though he may not have really gone there

himself to get it!)

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When the two heroes get home, though, they begin to have problems. Gilgamesh is so cool now that the

goddess Ishtar falls in love with him, but when she asks him to be her boyfriend, Gilgamesh says no (and he

is pretty rude about it too). Ishtar is angry and she makes Enkidu die of a fever. Gilgamesh is very sad and upset

that his friend died. And he is afraid that he will someday die too.

Finally Gilgamesh travels to the Land of the Dead to see if he himself can somehow live forever. While he is

there, he meets a man named Utnapishtim, who tells Gilgamesh a story about a great flood. Utnapishtim tells

Gilgamesh that the gods sent this flood because people made too much noise on earth and hurt the gods' ears. He

himself survived the flood in a boat. (this is probably related to the story of Noah).

This is what one of the tablets that was found in the Assyrian king's library looks like. This one tells the story of the Flood.

Gilgamesh finds out that he can live forever if he can stay awake for a week watching this plant. But he falls

asleep in the end. He goes back to his city, still sad but realizing that everyone has to die sometime, and he goes

back to being a good king.

"The Epic of Gilgamesh." 2014. History for Kids. 24 Sep 2014

<http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/westasia/literature/gilgamesh.htm>.

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