River Systems: Then and Now

Curriculum Unit Overview

RIVER SYSTEMS: THEN AND NOW

Exploring Rivers in California and Ancient Mesopotamia

Grade: 6
Big Idea
River systems are integral
to the rise of civilizations.

Essential Question

Curriculum Unit Overview

River systems are an integral part of human civilizations all
around the world. The first civilization grew out of the banks
of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia. In this
unit, students will explore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta, or other local river system, to learn the ways in which
people have used the river to help build communities.

How do rivers affect the

land and its people?

Six Facets of Understanding

Enduring
Understanding

Explain how humans used rivers to benefit their

communities.

Rivers

Interpret from nonfiction text how rivers pose a benefit and

challenge to growing communities.

systems are found

at the heart of
civilizations.

Humans use rivers in

different ways to benefit
their communities.

From this curriculum, students will be able to:

Apply their knowledge of local river systems to that of

Ancient river systems.
Gain perspective of their location on earth and the
surrounding geographical features by exploring and
interacting with digital and interactive maps.
Empathize with the challenges of living along rivers in less
developed areas of the globe.
Gain self-knowledge about how people contribute to the
health of their rivers.

River Systems: Then and Now

Curriculum Unit Overview

Knowledge

Disposition

Students will remember:

Students will develop an appreciation for the

power of the river systems in their communities
and other parts of the world.

the ways in which humans used the

Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers over
time.

the ways in which humans used the Tigris

and Euphrates Rivers in Ancient
Mesopotamia.

the effects, both advantageous and

disadvantageous, of the river on the land and
its people.

Skills

History & Social Studies

Content Standards for
California

6.2 Students analyze the geographic,

political, economic, religious, and social
structures of the early civilizations of
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush.

6.2.1 Locate and describe the major river

systems and discuss the physical settings that
supported permanent settlement and early
civilizations.

Students will be able to:

interact digital maps, such as Google Earth

and Google maps, using features such as
zoom, scroll, drop pins, etc.
locate and identify major river systems and
geographical features on a map.
describe ways in which the river affects
people.

draw graphic organizers in digital drawing

programs, such as Google Drawing

write a response to inform about a topic.

Misconception
Often, students wonder why we need to study
the past. By linking the river systems in Ancient
Mesopotamia to the river systems in their local
communities, students will come to understand
how rivers have played vital roles in the
development of their own communities for
thousands of years, and that we should
preserve them for the future.

California Common Core

State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2

Determine a central idea of a text and how it

is conveyed through particular details;
provide a summary of the text distinct from
personal opinions or judgments.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7

Integrate information presented in different

media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively) as well as in words to develop
a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

CCSS.ELA-WRITING.6.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to

examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts,
and information through the selection,
organization, and analysis of relevant
content.
2

River Systems: Then and Now

Curriculum Unit Overview

Google Earth: A Tutorial

Google Earth is a helpful tool to introduce geography in an engaging way. While it is possible to
manually search each location mentioned in this curriculum package, creating a Google Earth Tour
ahead of time will provide a seamless flow to the lesson. Check out this link and tutorial.
http://www.google.com/earth/outreach/tutorials/kmltours.html
To install Google Earth to your computer, go to this website:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/earth/index.html
Create three Google Tours for this curriculum package with the following locations:
1. Golden State: Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, American River, Feather River, Bay Delta,
Lake Shasta, Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe, Salton Sea
2. Major Rivers of the World should include: Yukon River, Mackenzie River, Sacrament/San
Joaquin River, Rio Grande, Mississippi River, Ohio River, Amazon River, Parana River, Zambezi
River, Congo River, Niger River, Nile River, Euphrates River, Tigris River, Danube River, Volga
River, Ob River, Yenisei River, Lena River, Huang He River, Yangzi River, Ganges River, Indus
River, Mekong River, Darling River, Murray River.
3. Ancient Mesopotamia: Mediterranean Sea, Syrian Desert, Euphrates River, Tigris River, Nile
River, Egypt, Persian Gulf, Taurus Mountains, Zagros Mountains, The Fertile Crescent

Resources
California Education and the Environment Initiative
For free curriculum (Teachers Editions and Student Materials) got to www.calepa.ca.gov/
Education/EEI.
This curriculum package used resources from 6.2.1 Ancient People and River Systems.

Santa Ana Unified School District

Getting to the Core: Social Science 6th Grade Common Core Unit of Study: Mesopotamia, July
2014.