---
title: Think Like a Geographer
description: Students will explore how the inhabitants of river valley civilizations interacted with their environments and adapted and innovated to meet their needs.
image: https://ideas.pixton.com/hubfs/think_like_a_geographer-001.png
---

**Subject: Social Studies**

**Lesson Length: 55 - 60 mins**

**Topic: Human-Environment Interaction**

**Grade Level: 6**

**Standards / Framework: **

- [C3: D2.Geo.8.6-8](https://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/2017/Jun/c3-framework-for-social-studies-rev0617.pdf)

**Brief Description:**  Students will explore the interaction inhabitants of river valley civilizations had with their surrounding environments and how they adapted and innovated to meet their needs.

**Know Before You Start:** Students should be familiar with the location of the early river valley civilizations (China, Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, and Egypt). 

**Hook:**

- Ask students to brainstorm all the ways we use water today. Prompt with questions such as “who uses water?”, “why is it important?”, “what is made with water?”. 
- Read and discuss the sample comic, focusing on the development of early civilizations near water sources.

**Activity:**

- Introduce the following vocabulary: 
    - irrigation
    - terrace farming
    - environment
    - adapt
    - domesticate
    - innovate
    - modify
- Have students choose one of the four river valley civilizations (Indus Valley, Ancient China, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt). 
- Using the sample comic as a guide, have students create a three-panel comic illustrating in what ways water was important to the civilization and how the inhabitants interacted with the water in their environment.
- Describe the innovation that came from this interaction, e.g., terrace farming, irrigation.

**Closure:**

- Discuss the different innovations that resulted from early civilizations interacting with their environments to meet their needs. 
- Discuss how civilizations still use these innovations today.

**Differentiation:**

- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
- Give students a fact sheet with information about each civilization.
- This activity can be done in groups, pairs, or independently.

**Resources:**

- Comic to print or display:  [Comic](https://share.pixton.com/qcvodqi).

**Suggested Content:**

- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/2035048872537513984/thumbnail.png) Ancient China ](https://content.pixton.com/ancient-china)
- [![](https://img.pixton.com/content-pack/1828458355421769728/thumbnail.png) Ancient Egypt ](https://content.pixton.com/ancient-egypt)

**Suggested Story Starters:**

- [ Imagine You're in Ancient China ](https://story-starters.pixton.com/imagine-youre-in-ancient-china)
- [ Imagine You're in Ancient Egypt ](https://story-starters.pixton.com/imagine-youre-in-ancient-egypt)

Assign Activity

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