Dawn of Civilization

4 Part 4: Critical Thinking Synthesis

Connecting the Concepts

4. The Surplus Domino Effect: How did an agricultural surplus directly create the conditions for a barter economy, specialized artisans, and scribes?

5. Infrastructure & Power: In Ur, mile-long irrigation ditches had to be dug and maintained. Why did massive public projects require centralized government?

EXIT Part 5: 3-2-1 Exit Ticket (Check for Understanding)

Final 5 Minutes • Independent

3 Characteristics: List THREE traits that define a civilization:

2 Transformations: State TWO fundamental ways farming changed daily human life:

1 Artifact Inference: Name ONE artifact from Ur and explain what job or institution it proves:

Dawn of Civilization • Student Investigation Turn in completed sheet to teacher Page 2 of 2

3. Çatalhöyük: Describe dwellings/entry and the Mother Goddess shrine. Village vs. Civilization?

[Exemplar Response]: Houses were built tightly touching with flat roofs; residents entered through roof ladders for security, insulation, and roof terrace workspace. The Mother Goddess shrines show their survival obsession with fertility and grain supply. Çatalhöyük was an advanced agricultural village, NOT a civilization, because it lacked written record keeping, formal government institutions, social classes, and regional trade hubs.

Teacher Key • Unit 1 Turn page for Part 3-5 Solutions → Page 1 of 2

Dawn of Civilization: Teacher Key (Part 3–5)

Grading Reference Sheet

3 Part 3: The 5 Pillars of Civilization Matrix (Ur Evidence)

Sumerian Exemplars

4 Part 4: Critical Thinking Synthesis Solutions

High-Order Analysis

4. The Surplus Domino Effect: How surplus creates barter, artisans, and scribes:

[Exemplar Response]: When farmers grew more grain than their families needed, the surplus allowed non-farming specialists to eat. Craftsmen could spend full workdays making metal tools, pottery, or cloth, trading them in the bazaar for food (barter). As trade transactions and land disputes multiplied, scribes were hired to record deals and contracts on clay tablets.

5. Infrastructure & Power: Why did mile-long irrigation canals require centralized government?

[Exemplar Response]: Digging and maintaining mile-long canals required hundreds of coordinated workers and fair water distribution. A single farmer could not build or defend a canal system. Centralized government leaders and officials were needed to direct labor, resolve water-rights disputes, collect taxes to fund projects, and maintain the levies during floods.

KEY Part 5: 3-2-1 Exit Ticket Scoring Guide

Formative Assessment (5 Pts)

3 Characteristics (Any 3 of the 5 pillars):

Advanced Cities, Specialized Workers, Complex Institutions, Record Keeping, Advanced Technology.

2 Transformations (Any 2 valid agricultural shifts):

1. Shift from nomadic moving to permanent mudbrick houses. 2) Creation of food surplus leading to population growth and specialized trades rather than hunting/foraging all day.

1 Artifact Inference (Sample acceptable connection):

Cuneiform tablet: Proves the existence of professional scribes (specialized workers) and organized trade/government (complex institutions). Or: Ziggurat mudbricks: Proves organized religious priesthood and engineering.

Dawn of Civilization • Answer Key Instructional Review & Discussion Complete Page 2 of 2