Grade 5 Historians Stage Exhibit

On October 23, Grade 5 historians welcomed visitors to a display they called the “Ancient Sumer Museum.” It was an opportunity for them to share and showcase their knowledge of this earliest known civilization. The exhibition consisted of their artistic representations of Sumerian artifacts such as ziggurats, or Sumerian temples, and cuneiform tablets, which were used to record trading activity.

Visitors learned about the significance of these objects and gained a broader understanding of Sumerian culture and civilization. For this first unit of the school year, students began to develop critical thinking skills by drawing inferences from historical evidence. They considered geographical and environmental factors that shaped Sumer’s development as a city-state. They discovered the importance of river systems in supporting agriculture and urban growth and considered the social and political changes that resulted. Middle School History teacher Rachel Barany comments, "Sumer is a wonderful civilization to kick-off our fifth grade study of ancient history because the artifacts are so gorgeously detailed, and Sumerian inventions were so impressive. Imagine coming up with the ideas for the plow, the wheel and irrigation? The kids take notice – as they should!"