Heritage Middle School sixth grade social studies teacher Dustin Thomas’ has spent the last few weeks teaching his students about the ancient land of Mesopotamia, which lies in a region of southwestern Asia, where the world’s earliest civilization was developed.  

Students used prior knowledge of geography to better understand Mesopotamia, the land between two rivers. By introducing geography, students learned how the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers contributed to the perfect location for the first human civilization, the Sumerians, to develop such as the use of irrigation and the plow.  

The Ancient Sumerians date back to 4500 BCE. Heritage students discovered the culture, government, economy, and innovations that continue to inspire current era knowledge today. Using clay and stone tablets, the Sumerians created the first known written language called Cuneiform. The students had the opportunity to create their own tablets using Crayola Model Magic and utilized toothpicks to transcribe their name and date in cuneiform. A note card was provided to students to list traits of Sumerian civilization, in English.   

To empower the students’ learning, they were given a choice board. Many students chose the clay tablet, while others chose to construct their own ziggurat out of construction paper. The gifted and talented classes were further challenged by having to use critical thinking skills to engineer their ziggurat using popsicle sticks. 

The Sumerians were the first to build religious temples. Religion was at the center of Sumerian culture, as these ziggurats were constructed in the center of each city. Using a rectangular base and a series of steps up to a flat platform, a temple would be on top. Priests used the temple to elevate themselves toward heaven during worship and rituals.   

 “As teachers, we have the opportunity to create inspiration and curiosity,” said Thomas. “It is our promise to ourselves and to our students to provide those experiences that are lasting and remembered the most. That is how we serve our students the most.” 

By allowing the students to choose how they receive their learning and creating engaging activities, the students embraced and took ownership of the lesson. Several went above and beyond the lesson by continuing to write in cuneiform days afterwards.