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Following the Rain Line Down the Tigris worksheet preview

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Following the Rain Line Down the Tigris

Grade 6 geography: follow field notes from the mountains of Turkey to Uruk, read latitude, longitude and rainfall, and explain why cities grew on Mesopotamia's river plain.

Grade 6Social StudiesInteractive · Printable

Aligned toGEO.6.1

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 C3 Framework standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 10 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 6
Subject
Social Studies
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students use latitude, longitude and rainfall data to compare places from northern to southern Mesopotamia.
  • Students explain why early farming villages grew where rain fell but the first cities grew on the dry river plain.
  • Students connect irrigation and shared canal work to the growth of cities.

How to use

Have students trace the route from north to south on a classroom map of the Middle East as they read the notes, then let them answer on their own.

Curriculum

C3 Framework standard covered

GEO.6.1

Use maps, latitude and longitude, and climate information to explain why the first civilizations grew in river valleys.

Preview

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Name Date

Following the Rain Line Down the Tigris

Use a geographer's field notes, latitude and rainfall to explain why the first cities grew on a dry river plain.

The data card

A geographer traveled from the mountains of eastern Turkey to the south of Iraq. Read her data card. Then answer the questions.

Map note: The Tigris and Euphrates rivers both begin in the mountains of eastern Turkey. They flow southeast across Iraq, join near the end of their journey and empty into the Persian Gulf. The land between them is called Mesopotamia.
Stops on the route (rain: modern yearly averages, rounded)
StopLatitude, longitudeYearly rainArchaeology
Diyarbakır, upper Tigris38°N, 40°Eabout 19 inRain-fed farms; town came later
Hassuna, near Mosul36°N, 43°Eabout 14 inFarming village, about 6000 BCE
Samarra, middle Tigris34°N, 44°Eabout 6 inVillages, about 6000–5000 BCE
Nippur, southern plain32°N, 45°Eabout 4 inTemple city, by about 3000 BCE
Uruk, southern plain31°N, 46°Eabout 4 inLarge city, about 3100 BCE
Desert west of Uruk31°N, 43°Eabout 3 inNo ancient cities
Farmers can usually grow barley with rain alone only where at least about 8 inches of rain fall in a year.
1.
The geographer travels from Diyarbakır to Uruk. Which statement describes the change along her route?
  • A. She moves north, and the yearly rain increases.
  • B. She moves south, and the yearly rain increases.
  • C. She moves west, and the yearly rain stays the same.
  • D. She moves south, and the yearly rain decreases.
2.
Use the table.

Uruk lies about   degrees of latitude south of Diyarbakır.

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