005 - Bronze Age Cities Group Project

Activity One - Research Question

As a class you will be divided into four teams of approximately five or six of your peers to investigate a specific Bronze Age City. You will be creating a research document using google docs which will be able to inform your team's knowledge about a specific Bronze Age City. As a team, you will divide up the list of tasks below. This year we will be focusing on the city-states of - Thebes in Egypt, Mycenae in Greece, Ashur in Mesopotamia and Gojoseon in China/Korea.

Before we even start to research each team will need to devise a research question. This question will help to focus your research and give it a purpose. But how do you devise a research question? Where do you start? Have a look in the text box below for help and then as a team try and write a question.

A - Question Formation

• Write your final question in the middle of a piece of A4 plain paper and blue tack it to the window.
• Each group will be given the chance to review each question and suggest how the question could be improved by writing suggestions on each piece of paper stuck to the window.
• Each group will then have time to review the suggestions and decide on a final question. This question will go at the top of your document.

B - Justifying your Question

• Now justify why you have chosen that question. Why is it important to ask? How will it help your research?

Useful Resource

Quizlet - Individuals and Societies MYP Command Terms 2016

Activity Two - Research

Now you have decided on a question or statement you now need to complete the research. Create a Google Doc and share it with your team mates. Remember to give it a sensible title. Decide who is going to focus on what and create headings on your Google Doc to show who is researching what. Try and include the following:

A - Information to Include

1. Research question and justification if why it was chosen.
2. Outline the history of the city from founding to decline.
   • A timeline will help you.
   • How do we know this? What evidence is there?
3. Describe the site and situation of the city - where is it located? What are the natural advantages?
   • Include an annotated map.
   • What does every map need?
   • How do we know this? What evidence is there?
4. Explain how natural systems such as rivers help to cause innovation.
   • What key river did the city develop along?
   • Why was that river important?
   • Think about farming, trade, and communication.
   • How do we know this? What evidence is there?
5. Describe how the social and economic systems were organised and how the people specialised into different roles.
   • Rulers
   • Beliefs (religion)
   • Communication - types of writing or drawing
   • Sanitation - sewage systems, cleaning such as baths
   • How do we know this? What evidence is there?
6. What was specific about this city? What was their specialisation?
   • Currency for trade
   • Jobs
   • Food
   • Houses
   • How do we know this? What evidence is there?
7. Describe the innovations or inventions that were created and explain how this developed the city.
   • How do we know this? What evidence is there?
8. All - explain how the specialisation and systems allowed the city to develop.

B - How should the information be presented?

• You will be using Google Slides - one person in your group will set it up and share it with everyone, including me.
• Make a text box and include - Bronze Age City Name - team members.
• On the second slide make a text box and include in it your Guiding Question and justification of why that question deserves to be answered.
• Contents Page
• Each section needs to be on a separate page with a clear heading.
• Glossary of key terms
• Bibliography
• Check your grammar and spellings!
• Remember to put your name on the bottom of the pages that you produced.

Useful Resources

There are also the textbooks in the classroom which you may wish to use.

How will I be assessed?