UKS2 Topic: Earliest Civilisations Ancient Sumer Block D: Inventions
The people of Ancient Sumer were amazing inventors. Be introduced to their greatest achievements, including the wheel, writing, astronomy and metal-working.
Block D: Ancient Sumer
Inventions
[7 Sessions]
By the end of this block you will have achieved the following outcomes:
Main outcome: History
Other outcomes: Science , D&T , English and Art
 Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.
 Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses.
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Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history, and between short- and long-timescales.
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Recognise that some mechanisms allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.

Identify the effects of friction that acts between moving surfaces.
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Describe the movement of the Earth, and other planets, relative to the Sun in the solar system.

Use the idea of the Earth’s rotation to explain day and night and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky.
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Compare materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness and their melting temperature.
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Understand and use mechanical systems in their products.
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Generate, develop and communicate their ideas through discussion and cross-sectional and exploded diagrams.
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Select from and use a range of materials and components.

Evaluate their products against their design criteria.
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Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing and sculpture with clay.
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Record their observations.
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Y5 Identify factors, including finding all factor pairs of a number.
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Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
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Know angles are measured in degrees.

Identify angles.
Calculate areas of rectangles.
 Calculate areas of triangles.
 Recognise angles meeting at a point total 360°.
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Continue to read and discuss an increasingly wide range of non-fiction.

Increase their familiarity with texts from other cultures.
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Explain and discuss their understanding of what they have read.
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Participate in performances.
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Listen and respond appropriately to their peers.
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Articulate and justify opinions.
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Give well-structured explanations.
 Participate actively in collaborative conversations.
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Use spoken language to develop understanding.

Consider and evaluate different viewpoints.
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
The links to the websites and the contents of the web pages associated with such links specified on this list (hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Links’) have been checked by Hamilton Trust (being the operating name of the registered charity, William Rowan Hamilton Trust) and to the best of Hamilton Trust’s knowledge, are correct and accurate at the time of publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other terms and conditions on the Hamilton Trust website, you acknowledge that Hamilton Trust has no control over such Links and indeed, the owners of such Links may have removed such Links, changed such Links and/or contents associated with such Links. Therefore, it is your sole responsibility to verify any of the Links which you wish you use. Hamilton Trust excludes all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Links.

UKS2 Topic: Earliest Civilisations Ancient Sumer Block D: Inventions
Session 1 History , Science and
D&T
The wheel
Learn some theories about how the wheel was developed over time, both in
Sumer and in other geographical locations. Explore the impact of the wheel and learn how to make a model chariot based on the Ancient Sumer wheel.
Children will:
 Discuss possible theories for the development of the wheel.
 Appreciate that the wheel may have been invented in more than one place at about the same time.

Understand the importance of the wheel in Ancient Sumer and today.

Make a model Ancient Sumerian chariot based on Ancient Sumerian contemporary images.
Children will:
 Explain how the Ancient Sumerians developed the first-known writing.

Understand the importance of scribes in Ancient Sumer.

Make their own cylinder seal.
Session 2 History and Art
Writing
Discover how the Ancient Sumerians developed writing, from pictographs/pictograms to ‘cuneiform’ writing. How this early form of writing was on clay tablets that were baked in a kiln to harden them, so they became permanent records which can still be read today.
Session 3 History and Maths
Maths
Discover how the Ancient Sumerians developed their mathematical systems.
Explore the concept of a number system using a base of 60 and use Ancient
Sumerian mathematics to calculate simple calculations and geometry.
Children will:

Know that the Ancient Sumerians number system had a base of 60.

List the factors of sixty.
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Know how to find the area of a shape (square, triangle and circle).
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Understand that the symbols used for counting gradually developed into a cuneiform style.
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Appreciate that our mathematics is still influenced by the Ancient
Sumerians.
Session 4 History and Science
The night sky
Discover how the Ancient Sumerians studied the night sky and used this knowledge. Explore the star constellations and how this relates to the zodiac. Learn how to make a star constellation viewer or a planisphere.
Children will:
 Know that the Ancient Sumerians studied the movement of the Sun, Moon and inner planets.
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Know that the Ancient Sumerians saw pictures in the stars and identified some constellations.
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Understand that the apparent movement of the stars (including the Sun) across the sky is due to the Earth’s movement relative to the Sun and its rotation on its tilted axis.
 Create a star constellation viewer or a planisphere.
Session 5 History , Science and Art
Bronze
Discover how the Ancient Sumerians learned how to make Copper objects and then progress to making alloys especially
Bronze. Learn how the Ancient
Sumerians used the ‘last wax process’ to make a variety of Bronze objects.
Children will:

Know that the Ancient Sumerians knew how to make bronze from copper and tin.
 Understand that the properties of bronze made it very suitable for making tools, weapons and statues.

Know that this time period was known as the Bronze Age and that the people living in the UK also experienced the Bronze Age.

Make an observational drawing of a bronze artefact.
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
The links to the websites and the contents of the web pages associated with such links specified on this list (hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Links’) have been checked by Hamilton Trust (being the operating name of the registered charity, William Rowan Hamilton Trust) and to the best of Hamilton Trust’s knowledge, are correct and accurate at the time of publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other terms and conditions on the Hamilton Trust website, you acknowledge that Hamilton Trust has no control over such Links and indeed, the owners of such Links may have removed such Links, changed such Links and/or contents associated with such Links. Therefore, it is your sole responsibility to verify any of the Links which you wish you use. Hamilton Trust excludes all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Links.

UKS2 Topic: Earliest Civilisations Ancient Sumer Block D: Inventions
Session 6 History and English
Proverbs
Learn about how the Ancient Sumerians used proverbs and wrote them down.
Discover the similarities between
Ancient Sumerian proverbs and the
English proverbs we use today. Learn to use proverbs in a day-to-day situation.
Children will:
 Define a proverb and list some English examples.

Understand that Ancient Sumerians wrote down proverbs (wise sayings) which had probably been passed down orally for hundreds of years.
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Understand the meaning of proverbs (both English and Ancient Sumerian).

Write a short play script leading to the use of an Ancient Sumerian proverb.
Session 7 History and English
Laws
Learn about how the Code of Ur-Nammu was developed. Explore how laws are necessary for a community and produce a set of laws that can be used.
Children will:

Define a law and understand how important it is for society to have a set of laws that everyone lives by.

Describe the Code of Ur-Nammu.

Create a class set of ‘laws’ for a new society in Ancient Sumerian times.
Session 1
Provided: Information sheet covering the development of the wheel.
You will need: World map; Card, wood dowelling and 1cm square strips, wheels (card or wooden), matchsticks, lolly sticks, glue, glue gun (adult support); Hacksaws, steel rules.
Session 2
Provided: Information sheet covering the development of writing in Ancient Sumer;
You will need: Access to the Internet; Air-dried clay; Clay tools (or reeds cut to size if available);
Plasticine; String.
Session 3
Provided: Information sheet on the development of Ancient Sumerian Mathematics.
You will need:
Session 4
Provided: Information sheet on Exploring Astronomy.
You will need: Kitchen towel inner tubes or similar; Black sugar paper; Pins; Pair of compasses; Scissors;
Masking tape; Rubber bands; Sellotape; Globe; Torch.
Session 5
Provided: Information sheet on Bronze Objects.
You will need: Bronze ornament if available; Drawing pencils and paper.
Session 6
Provided: Information sheet on Proverbs.
You will need: Access to the Internet; Props for short plays.
Session 7
Provided: Information sheet about The Ur-Nammu law code.
You will need: Access to the Internet.
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
The links to the websites and the contents of the web pages associated with such links specified on this list (hereafter collectively referred to as the ‘Links’) have been checked by Hamilton Trust (being the operating name of the registered charity, William Rowan Hamilton Trust) and to the best of Hamilton Trust’s knowledge, are correct and accurate at the time of publication. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other terms and conditions on the Hamilton Trust website, you acknowledge that Hamilton Trust has no control over such Links and indeed, the owners of such Links may have removed such Links, changed such Links and/or contents associated with such Links. Therefore, it is your sole responsibility to verify any of the Links which you wish you use. Hamilton Trust excludes all responsibility and liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Links.