Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Ancient Mesopotamia Newspaper Project

Travel back almost 5,000 years in the past to create a newspaper focusing on all things Mesopotamia! You will conduct careful and thorough research in the library and computer lab over the next few weeks to gather information, and use your creativity to put together an informative and entertaining newspaper with your group members. Each group will have 3-4 members, with each member of the group responsible for specific sections of the newspaper. Your grade will be based on your individual contributions to the group as well as the overall quality of the finished product and your ability to work well with others.

Each group member will choose a specific characteristic of a civilization to research in greater detail. (These characteristics include religion, government, technology, communication, social classes, arts, and stable food supply.) You will then choose an aspect of this broader topic to focus on during your research, and create a news article (150-200 words) to be included in the group newspaper. For example, if I choose to research technology, I could learn more about one specific Mesopotamian invention and write an article about that. This article must include factually correct information, but should also include some fiction. You must also include an illustration related to your topic. The number of local news articles per group will depend on the total number of people in the group (either 3 or 4). Bibliographies must be included, but will be turned in separately from your newspaper.

But a newspaper contains more than just local news stories, right? Right! If you pick up a newspaper, you would find it was organized into various sections. In addition to the local news article, each student must also choose one area from the list below to be included in the newspaper.

 Interview

o interview a real person (Hammurabi) or a fictional person (priest, slave) of that time period

o must contain at least 10 thoughtful, interesting questions and answers

o questions and answers are research-based

 Editorial o an editor of the newspaper gives their opinion about an important issue

o information is research-based and article shows a strong opinion

o choose something not already mentioned in your newspaper

 Travel & Tourism

o must include a detailed, colored, hand-drawn map with key and title

o must include a timeline of Mesopotamia, noting important people, empires, and events

 Entertainment

o create a trivia quiz about Mesopotamia

o quiz should contain at least 15 thoughtful questions and answers

o must be research-based

There are a few more features that must be included to create a finished newspaper product. All areas listed below must be included in your newspaper. All members of the group should contribute to these areas.

 Cover page

o front page of your newspaper

o must include original title of your newspaper (related to theme), date, a relevant illustration, and previews of what is inside

 Table of Contents

o list the contents of your newspaper and the page numbers

 Graphics/pictures

o to support your information (should be included as often as possible)

 Extras!

o comics, advertisements, horoscopes, classifieds

 Bibliography

o you must indicate where you found your research

o all group members will list their sources on the bibliography sheet You have a lot of room for creativity here, so please use it! Please choose your groups carefully as well. You will have plenty of class time to work on this assignment, so use your time well.

This assignment is due ______.

Happy researching!