The First Israelites

Mr. Roe6th Grade

Social Studies

We have studied the lands of Mesopotamia (the land between two rivers) and learned about the rise of civilization.

We then studied one of the most powerful (and in my opinion, very interesting) civilizations, Ancient Egypt.

Up until now, all of these civilizations have centered around polytheism. Now, we will look at the first monotheistic people known to man.

Review

Begin by filling out the “K” section of your K-W-L chart for this chapter.

K-W-L Chart

The Israelites believed in one god, who set down moral laws for his people to follow. These people recorded their history in the Bible.

The Israelites fought the Canaanites so that they could return to their “promised land”

BIG IDEA (s)

Discuss the religious beliefs of the Israelites Explain how and why the Israelites had to

fight the Canaanites to return to their promised land

Explain the significance of Abraham and Moses in the development of the Jewish religion

After This Section, You Will Be Able To:

K-W-L Chart Reading Notes (Cornell or Class Led) Map of Exodus Biography worksheet of Abraham, Joshua,

Moses, and Deborah

By the end of this section, you will submit:

Discuss with your partner how important you think religion may have been to these early societies.

Is it still important today?

Do cultures and societies depend on religion, or does religion depend on cultures and societies. Can you have one without the other?

Partner Check

Promised Land

Monotheism Tribe Torah Covenant Alphabet

Content Vocabulary

On a piece of blank paper Draw this description:

The Israelites talk about the promised land, and their return to the promise land. What

do you think this promised land looked like?

This is worth 80 Roebucks!! You must include your name, and it must be obvious that you

put time and effort into your work!

This Week’s Challenge

*Around 1,000 B.C., a people called the Israelites built a kingdom in Canaan

I.The Early Israelites

1. People who focused on one god, Yahweh (monotheistic)

2. This religion became Judaism (Jews)3. Spoke Hebrew 4. Christianity and Islam would both be

heavily influenced by Judaism5. Recorded their history in the Hebrew Bible (also called the Old Testament)

A.Who Were the Israelites?

Have You Ever Seen These Symbols?

6. Came from Mesopotamia, and settled in Cannan

7. Descendants of Abraham8. Divided into 12 tribes of Israel (based upon

the 12 sons of Jacob; we will talk about Jacob)

9. Lived in Canaan for 100 yrs, but the land dried up, and the Jews traveled to Egypt to try to survive.

Note: Judaism Would Influence Religion in Europe and Asia

You likely know much more about this topic then you think. The influence of religions and cultures still have impacts on our society today. After this brief introduction to the Israelites, does anything seem familiar? Were you reminded of anything?

Prediction: How do you think the Jews will do in Egypt?

Partner Check: Connect

1.Egyptian Pharaoh enslaved the Israelites2.Ordered all baby boys born to the Jews to

be thrown into the Nile River (why?)3.Moses, a Jewish baby, was put into a basket

in the river, and was found by the Pharaohs’ daughter

4.Moses would grow up Egyptian, in the palace, but would lead his people out of Egypt

B. From Slavery to Freedom

5. Yahweh sent 10 plagues to Egypt, and the Pharaoh let the Egyptians go

10 Plaques of Egypt

6. Exodus a. Pharaoh changes mind, and sends

army after the Israelites b. God parted Red Sea, and Israelites passed, while Egyptians drowned

Note: This is why the holiday called PASSOVER

is celebrated (the last plague passed the Israelites’ houses in Egypt).

Parting of the Red Sea

Route out of Egypt

1. Moses received God’s laws atop Mt. Sinai2. Ten Commandments=Torah3. This is aka the covenant, or agreement a. God promised to return Israelites to

Canaan if they followed these laws.

C. Ten Commandments

Why was the covenant so important? What does this tell you about the influence of religion on how people live? Are our laws today similar to these? What does this tell you?

Partner Check

a. The Israelites had to fight the Canaanites to return to their promised land.

b. Took 40 years to reach Canaanc. Moses died before they reached Canaand. Joshua took over leadershipe. They seized the land, and divided it among

12 tribes

Question: What qualities do you think a good leader should have?

II. The Promised Land

1. Judges took over leadership after Joshua died

2. Deborah was a female judge a. she would conquer more Canaan land

A. Who were the Judges?

1. Phoenicians were skilled sailors and tradersa. spread ideas through trade routes

2. Alphabeta. a group of letters that stood for sound

b. made writing simpler, helped record things c. passed to Greeks, to Romans, and ultimately, to us!

B. The Phoenecian Alphabet

What do you noticeabout thesealphabets?

Ancient Alphabets

Led by Abraham, the Israelites settled in Canaan. They later moved to Egypt and were enslaved, but then escaped. The Israelites used the Ten Commandments as rules to live by.

Joshua and the judges, including Deborah, won back territory in central Canaan for the Israelites.

Summary

P. 205 questions #1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Individual Work