Where and when Judaism began, and what its followers believe and practice

Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Early Israel in three voices (cards A to C; summaries in our words). Card A, the Hebrew Bible, the tradition's own account: followers believe God made a covenant with Abraham, and the Torah tells that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Card B, the Merneptah Stele, about 1207 BCE: a stone inscription made for Egypt's king Merneptah to celebrate his victories. It lists peoples in Canaan that he says he defeated, and one of them is named Israel. It is the earliest known written mention of Israel. Card C, the Tel Dan inscription, 800s BCE: found in northern Israel in 1993 and written in Aramaic for a king of Aram, a neighbor of Israel. It names Israel and the House of David among that king's enemies.

2. 1.

   Card B is a king's boast of victory. How should that shape the way historians use it, Bo asks?

   • They use it to date the Torah, because Israel's laws are listed on the stone
   • They accept its claims as fact, because a king would not carve a false victory in stone
   • They set the stone aside, because a king's boast cannot tell them anything real
   • They doubt the boast of winning but still learn that Egypt knew a people called Israel
3. 2.

   A student claims: "Card B proves Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?

   • Weak: card B names Israel but says nothing about Moses or leaving Egypt
   • Weak: Egyptian sources cannot be used, since Egypt was an enemy of Israel
   • Strong: an Egyptian king would list a people like Israel if it had once lived in Egypt
   • Strong: cards A and B both mention Israel, so together they confirm one story
4. 3.

   Cards B and C come from different centuries and different kings. What do both support, Jun asks?

   • Both name King David, so David's rule is proved by two sources
   • Both confirm that Moses and David lived in the places they mention
   • Both were written by Israelites to praise their own victories over rival kings
   • Outsiders named a people called Israel, so its neighbors knew of it
5. 4.

   Card B dates to about 1207 BCE and card C to the 800s BCE. About how far apart are they, Kira asks?

   • About 3,200 years, the time from the date on card B up to the present day
   • Exactly 407 years, found by taking 800 away from 1207
   • Roughly 300 to 400 years, because the 800s BCE ran from 899 to 800 BCE
   • About 2,000 years, found by adding 1207 and 800 because both numbers are years
6. 5.

   A king of Aram had a boast carved naming his enemies. What did that choice later give historians, Luz asks?

   • A written mention of Israel and David's family from outside, in the 800s BCE
   • The year Israel's first king began to rule, as the carving states it
   • A modern summary listing everything historians know about King David and his family today
   • An Israelite record of a victory over the king of Aram, found at Tel Dan
7. 6.

   Which sentence puts card A the way a history class words a belief, Milo asks?

   • According to the Bible, followers believe God made a covenant with Abraham
   • Egyptian and Aramean sources confirm the covenant with Abraham in detail
   • Card A is untrue, because outside sources do not mention Abraham or a covenant
   • God made a covenant with Abraham, and the Bible confirms that it happened
8. 7.

   Comparing card B with card C, what new detail appears centuries later, Noah asks?

   • Card C is older than card B, since 800 BCE comes before 1207 BCE on a timeline
   • Card C adds the Torah, which tells the story of Moses
   • Card C names just a people, while card B names a royal family
   • Card C names a ruling family, the House of David, besides the name Israel
9. 8.

   Cards A and B both mention Israel. How do their viewpoints differ, Ren asks?

   • Both give a neutral view, so either one can settle what happened
   • Card A is a confirmed record of events, while card B is merely a boast
   • Card A is the tradition's own account; card B is an Egyptian king's claim about Israel
   • Card A is an outsider's account of Israel; card B is Israel's own view of itself and its kings
10. 9.

    A student says card C was written by Israelites praising David. What in the card shows this is wrong, Tala asks?

    • It was found in Egypt, far from the land of Israel, so Egypt's king must have written it
    • It was written for a king of Aram, who lists Israel and David's house as enemies
    • It is in Aramaic, so it cannot say anything about Israel
    • It dates to the 800s BCE, before David's family could have been named
11. 10.

    Which is the better source for what Egypt's king wanted people to believe about 1207 BCE, Zee asks?

    • Card B itself, made for the king at the time
    • Card A, because the Torah was written by Egypt's court
    • A textbook from 2020 that summarizes card B for students
    • Card C, made by a neighbor of Israel centuries later