Mrs. Larsen (Emperor)
Social Studies: Create a City-State
25 points
Due: 10/20/15
Overview: You are going to work in a group to design an imaginary Mesopotamian city-state.
Think of what qualities make a city state a great place to live. Each group will present their citystate to the class on the final day of the project, and the class will vote for the best designed/most
livable city state.
Collaborate with your City Planning Team to agree on


A code of laws
The design of your city, including
 Defenses
 Food supply/agriculture
 Water supply
 Waste management
Group Roles
ALL members of a group are required to:
 Contribute useful ideas to brainstorming
 Listen to teammates and provide constructive feedback.
 Obey the Emperor (Mrs. Larsen), who can make up new rules whenever she wishes
Each team member must choose a role from the list below.

King/ Queen
o Lead the brainstorming session. Ensure that all members of the group are participating and
treated fairly. Create a list of materials that will be needed to make the map, diagram, stele,
flyer, and any other visual aids your group plans to present. You also have the tie-breaking
vote on the naming of your city state, if needed.
o Artifact: Draw an area map. Show the geographic location and relationship with
neighboring city-states. Include: The Tigris River, the Euphrates River, the Taurus Mountains,
and the Zagros Mountains, neighboring city states.

Vizier
o
o

Write down the roles of each team member. Keep track of the schedule during
brainstorming sessions. Advise the King/Queen to move things along if behind
schedule. Take meeting minutes. Turn in minutes each day to the emperor.
Artifact: Create a persuasive flyer/poster inviting people to live in your city-state. Use
advertising graphics and a catchy sales pitch. Final drafts must be revised & edited.
Scribe
o
o
Write down the brainstorming ideas of the group. Fill in the worksheet.
Artifact: Create an illustrated stele with the city-state laws.

Minister of Agriculture: Food supply
 Research what kinds of food were available in Mesopotamia. Ensure that enough land
and water are dedicated to agriculture. You are responsible for negotiating with your
team members to provide enough land, water, technology, and labor to maintain a stable
food supply. Labor could include slaves, for example.
 Artifact: Draw the farmland on the team’s city-state map. Write a description of the
crops, irrigation system, and grain storage facilities (granaries) to paste to the
map. Explain to the class (using drawings, skits, cartoons, maps, etc) why your city-state
has a more reliable food supply than other city-states, and how you have ensured that all
inhabitants will be fed.

Minister of Construction: Infrastructure & Defense
o Identify the city water system (input and outflow) and location of waste materials
(landfill and sewage) for your city-state. Design the necessary bridges, roads, moats, and
walls.
o Artifact: Add the city walls, bridges, and roads to the team’s city-state map. Also,
create a separate diagram of the city layout with its water services and waste
management. Explain to the class why your city-has the best infrastructure and most
services.
Scoring guide
Group participation (10 points)
Your teammates will anonymously score your contribution to the group based on:
 Fulfilling your assigned role (3)
 Listening to teammates and accepting feedback (3)
 Participating in constructive brainstorming (4)
Presentation (6 points)
Based on your group role, you will provide a description of life in your city-state during your
group’s presentation. That contribution will be based on the following:
 Engaging presentation (3)
 Complete explanation (3)
Artifact (9 points)
 Historical accuracy (3)
 Quality of description (3)
 Graphics and/or edited & revised written work (3)
In-Class Work schedule
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


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10/14: Day One- Receive instructions, brainstorm and work on a rough draft worksheet.
10/15: Day Two- Complete rough draft worksheet. Work on your artifact.
10/16: Day Three- Each individual completes his/her artifact.
10/19: Day Four- Assemble group artifacts, and prepare presentation.
10/20: Day Five- Presentations. Everyone in the class will vote on which city-state
(besides their own) in which they would most like to live. The winning city state will
have their artifacts, and photographs, posted on a school bulletin board.