"The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure" Book Study
In this three-week course, students will learn about the culture of ancient Mesopotamia while reading about a brother and sister's struggle to survive and stay together in the city of Ur.
Abby Fleming
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(1)
What's included
3 live meetings
3 in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will be asked to read 103 pages of "The Golden Bull" before the second class, and the remaining 97 pages before the third class. Discussion questions will be posted for the second and third classes so that students can take notes as they read and be prepared for the discussion.Class Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
During the first class session, we will focus on the setting of "The Golden Bull," which is ancient Mesopotamia. We will use a timeline, maps, and images of artifacts to learn about the location of the city of Ur, how the first farmers developed agriculture, and the religious beliefs and social structure of the Mesopotamians. For homework, learners will be asked to read the first half of "The Golden Bull." During the second class section, we will focus on the two main protagonists, Jomar and Zefa, as well as the antagonist, Malak. Students will learn the definition of the terms protagonist, antagonist, narration, point of view, and character arc and will relate them to "The Golden Bull." Students will be asked to describe the causes of the various conflicts between Jomar and Zefa, and predict how those conflicts might be resolved. We will also look at some specific examples of foreshadowing from the first part of the book and use them to predict what might happen in the second part of the book. During the third class session, we will talk about the secondary/supporting characters, including Sidar, Qat-nu, Nari, Bittatti and Gamil. Students will use examples from the text to describe the relationship each one of these characters has with the main characters, and how the relationship changes in the second half of the book. We will also look at how the both the major conflicts and the secondary conflicts in the story are resolved by the end of the book. Last of all, students will be asked to name a few new things they learned about Mesopotamia over the course of the class.
Learning Goals
Students will learn about ancient Mesopotamian culture, including its social structure, economy, religious beliefs, food, and art. Students will also learn how an author uses obstacles and conflict to develop characters in a story. Students will become familiar with literary terminology such as protagonist, antagonist, narration, point of view, character arc, and foreshadowing.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Jomar and Zefa's family is broken up due to drought; Jomar and Zefa are captured and threatened with slavery; the couple Jomar and Zefa stay with in Ur are mourning their son's death; the siblings are forced to deal with many difficult and stressful circumstances to stay together.
Supply List
Each learner should have their own copy of "The Golden Bull" by Marjorie Cowley. The book is available for $7.98 online.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
"The Golden Bull" by Marjorie Cowley
Joined September, 2023
5.0
1reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree from Mount Holyoke College
Anthropology degree from Mount Holyoke College
Two years teaching reading and literature at the high school level at a private school in Micronesia
Three years teaching social studies at the eighth grade level at a public school in Connecticut
Thirteen years homeschooling my four children
Seven years teaching literature in person to small groups of homeschoolers, grades 7-12
Four years teaching literature on Zoom to small groups of homeschoolers, grades 4-12 Reviews
Live Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week, 3 weeks
60 min
Completed by 2 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-12
1-6 learners per class
