2. The Four River Valley Civilizations are called the Cradle of Civilization.

3. Birthplace of three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity & Islam. Important Contributions: Cuneiform Writing, Hammurabi’s Code, The City-State & the Ziggurat. The Fertile Crescent is the area around the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers. Often called Ancient Mesopotamia.

4. From The Code of Hammurabi, translated by L. W. King PROPERTY 21. If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal), he shall be put to death before that hole and be buried. 22. If any one is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death FAMILY 141. If a man's wife, who lives in his house, wishes to leave it, plunges into debt, tries to ruin her house, neglects her husband, land is judicially convicted: if her husband offer her release, she may go on her way, and he gives her nothing as a gift of release. If her husband does not wish to release her, and if he take another wife, she shall remain as servant in her husband's house. 195. If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off. VIOLENCE 196. If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. 200. If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out. 218. If a physician make a large incision with the operating knife, and kill him, or open a tumor with the operating knife, and cut out the eye, his hands shall be cut off. 229. If a builder build a house for some one, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to death.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85bdU0VU1j4&feature=share&list=PLAF07FAA1B486B4E7

5. Fertile Crescent Empires Station Activity Students will work in groups around the room clockwise. Students will have 10 minutes at each station to explore a summary article and fill in graphic organizer. When the music stops, switch stations. Station 1: Hittites Station 2: Sumerians Station 3: Babylon Station 4: Assyrians / Chaldeans Station 5: Phoenicians Station 6: Catch-up round (5 minutes)

6. Civilization Dates Sumer Rise Fall Babylonians Rise Fall Hittites Rise Fall Assyrians & Chaldeans Rise Fall Phoenicians Rise Fall Government Religion Writing Math and Science Arts Trade

7. The Kingdom of Egypt developed along the Nile River. The Egyptian government was a Theocracy ruled by the Pharaoh. The major contributions of this civilization are: Hieroglyphic Writing Use of papyrus for writing. Embalming and Mummification. Building of the Pyramids.

8. Indian civilization began along the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan. Birthplace of two major religions: Hinduism & Buddhism. They built well planned cities with streets that ran in a grid pattern. In the largest cities a walled, elevated Citadel, or fortress, enclosed buildings such as granaries, warehouses & meeting halls.

9. This civilization developed between the Chang Jiang (Yangzi) & Huang He (Yellow) Rivers. The Huang He region is very fertile due to its soil known as loess. Birthplace of two famous philosophers: Confucius &Laozi. Important contributions: Great Wall of China, development of paper, the abacus & the development of writing. Religious beliefs: Ancestor Worship, Shintoism, and the Mandate of Heaven.

10. The Structure of an Essay: INTRODUCTION: The introduction acquaints the reader with the topic. Its purpose is to get the readers' attention and make them want to read the essay. For this reason, you should try to make your introduction interesting, engaging, and original. As a writer, you indicate the point you will make about your topic in a thesis. The thesis can be either stated or implied. In either form, it should clearly and specifically convey your point, and it should do so early on in the essay. MAKE AN ARGUMENT! BODY: The purpose of a body paragraph is to develop and prove the thesis. Each body paragraph should make just one point that clearly develops and supports the thesis. In the same way that you have a thesis to indicate the point of the essay, you should have a topic sentence for each body paragraph. The topic sentence states the point of the paragraph, and all of the other sentences should support, develop, and explain that point. Each body paragraph should be unified independently. That is, it should make sense by itself and be able to stand alone. However, it is just one piece of the essay, and it is up to you, as the author, to connect the body paragraphs together and relate them to the thesis. You do this by referencing key words or ideas from the thesis and using transitional words and phrases. CONCLUSION: The purpose of the conclusion is to bring the essay to a satisfying close. You should avoid bringing up a new point in your conclusion and you should avoid lengthy and excessive summary. The most successful conclusions are thoughtful and reflective. After having presented your topic and proven your thesis, you want to be able to make an overarching statement based on that information.