Four River Valley Civilizations: Read and Compare

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Social Studies · World History
SP-WORLDH-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Four River Valley Civilizations: Read and
Compare
Social Studies · World History · Grades 9-10 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). No other prep.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students read and work alone, then compare with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet
Goal for today: Students will compare four early river valley civilizations by completing a chart from a reading and
explaining how rivers supported farming, cities and writing.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: Civilization = a large society with cities, farming, rulers, jobs for different people, and
usually writing.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. You do not need to know the history; the passage contains every answer.
☐ Note: dates in this lesson are approximate, so accept answers that say “about” or “around.”
Say this to start
Good morning! Your teacher left a world history reading for today. Four of the first civilizations on Earth grew up next
to rivers, and today you will read about all four and compare them in a chart. Everything you need is in the reading.
Work on your own first, and then you may check answers quietly with a partner.

SubstitutePlans.com
Social Studies · World History
SP-WORLDH-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance the way the school requires. Hand out the
worksheet and read the board definition of “civilization”
aloud.
Settle in and take out a pencil.
5–15
Tell students to read the passage silently and underline
each river name. Walk the room; this is quiet reading time.
Read the passage and underline the four
rivers.
15–28
Tell students to complete the comparison chart using only
the passage. Say, “If it is not in the passage, leave it blank
and ask a neighbor.”
Fill in every empty box in the chart.
28–40
Tell students to answer questions 1–8 (multiple choice and
true/false). Partners may compare quietly when finished.
Circle or mark answers for questions 1–8.
40–47
Tell students to write complete sentences for questions
9–11. Remind them that questions 10 and 11 have more
than one right answer.
Write short answers in full sentences.
47–50
Collect all worksheets and put them in a stack for the
teacher.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If students ask about dates, tell them the dates are approximate and the exact year does not matter for this
lesson.
• If a student cannot find an answer in the chart, point them to the paragraph with that civilization’s name;
each paragraph starts with the place name.
• If students finish early and get noisy, send them to the early finisher list and remind them that other students
are still reading.
• If a student says they do not know how to answer question 10 or 11, tell them there is no single right answer;
they should use details from the passage.
Early finishers
• On the back, draw a quick sketch map showing one river and the farmland beside it, and label two things
people might build there.
• Write three sentences explaining what would go wrong for a city if its river failed to flood one year.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students work with a partner on the chart and complete only questions 1–6 and 9.
• Challenge: Ask students to write a short paragraph arguing which of the four civilizations had the hardest
environment to farm in, using evidence from the passage.

SubstitutePlans.com
Social Studies · World History
SP-WORLDH-001 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: