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6th grade · Social Studies · Unit 3 of 15

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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 6.3a; 6.3b; 6.3c; 6.3d · the river valley civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt: farming, writing, laws, rulers and social classes

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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 3 of 15 in 6th grade Social Studies, after First Farmers 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers." Which two rivers?

    • The Nile and Congo
    • The Indus and Ganges
    • The Yellow and Yangtze
    • The Tigris and Euphrates

  2. Question 2

    Why was the Nile's yearly flood helpful?

    • It brought salt water
    • It washed cities away each year
    • It left rich black soil for farming
    • It froze crops

  3. Question 3

    Why did early civilizations grow in river valleys?

    • Rivers were cold
    • Rivers kept everyone dry
    • Rivers gave water, rich soil and transportation
    • There were no rivers elsewhere

  4. Question 4

    A scribe was…

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

  5. Question 5

    A city-state is…

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

  6. Question 6

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

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

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