Staff room

How did the geography and climate affect settlement?

	To acquaint pupils with ideas about how geography can affect settlement. To introduce pupils to basic features of the landscape of Mesopotamia.
	Maps of Mesopotamia, the Near East and the world.
	Whole group discussion or small groups brainstorming then sharing ideas.

Individual project

Begin a discussion by asking pupils to identify some of the basic necessities of life (i.e.: what they require from their environment on a fundamental level to ensure survival), such as food, water and shelter. Then discuss how the natural resources and landscape of a place can affect whether or not people settle there.

Can people grow food there?
Is there an adequate and sustainable water source?

Show pupils a map of Mesopotamia and ask them to describe the land.

Is there a source of water?
How much fertile land is there?
How is it distributed?

Ask pupils to comment on how the nature of this landscape might affect the way that people settle and ultimately use the land.

Where would they settle, and why?

Explain some of the ways that the landscape and climate in Mesopotamia was unique, and how people used the land. You could make a link with modern Iraq by discussing recent changes made by humans to the environment, and how they have affected the way people use the land in Iraq today.

Close the discussion by emphasising the impact of the land on the way the Mesopotamians lived and the use they made of natural resources.

Chapter and section used

see: Geography and Environment