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6th grade · Social Studies · Unit 4 of 12

Mesopotamia & Egypt

The first river valley civilizations

What your child practices

Why civilizations grew along the Tigris, Euphrates and Nile, cuneiform and hieroglyphs, Hammurabi's Code, pharaohs and pyramids.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 6.H1.1; 6.H3.1 · Mesopotamia and Egypt, their rulers, laws and religions

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Mesopotamia grew between the Tigris and Euphrates; Egypt grew along the Nile.
  2. The Nile's yearly flood left rich black soil. Deserts around Egypt protected it.
  3. Writing mattered: cuneiform, hieroglyphs, and written laws like Hammurabi's that everyone could know.

Example: Why was the Nile's yearly flood helpful? When the water went down, it left something behind. It left rich, black soil for farming. Answer: It left rich soil for farming.

Mesopotamia & Egypt in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 4 of 12 in 6th grade Social Studies, after Where Civilizations Grew and before Ancient India & China.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A city-state is…

    • A state with no cities
    • A city that rules itself and the land around it
    • A country with 50 states
    • A village with no rulers

  2. Question 2

    A scribe was…

    • A pyramid stone
    • A person trained to read and write
    • A farmer
    • A soldier

  3. Question 3

    Why was writing laws down important?

    • It let kings ignore them
    • People could know the rules and they applied more consistently
    • It made laws secret
    • It was only for decoration

  4. Question 4

    What is the name of the writing system of Mesopotamia?

    • Hieroglyphs
    • Cuneiform
    • The alphabet of Rome
    • Sanskrit

  5. Question 5

    Egyptians made a paper-like writing material from…

    • Papyrus reeds
    • Clay
    • Wood pulp
    • Silk

  6. Question 6

    Why do historians call Mesopotamia and Egypt "river valley civilizations"?

    • Both depended on great rivers for farming
    • Both were in Europe
    • Both had no rivers
    • Both were on islands

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