Where and when Judaism began, and what its followers believe and practice
Grade 6 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence
Circle the best answer.
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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.
Card B is a king's boast of victory. How should that shape the way historians use it, Bo asks?
- 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
- They use it to date the Torah, because Israel's laws are listed on the stone
A student claims: "Card B proves Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt." How strong is that claim, Esme asks?
- Strong: cards A and B both mention Israel, so together they confirm one story
- Strong: an Egyptian king would list a people like Israel if it had once lived in Egypt
- 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
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
- Outsiders named a people called Israel, so its neighbors knew of it
- 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
Card B dates to about 1207 BCE and card C to the 800s BCE. About how far apart are they, Kira asks?
- Roughly 300 to 400 years, because the 800s BCE ran from 899 to 800 BCE
- Exactly 407 years, found by taking 800 away from 1207
- About 3,200 years, the time from the date on card B up to the present day
- About 2,000 years, found by adding 1207 and 800 because both numbers are years
A king of Aram had a boast carved naming his enemies. What did that choice later give historians, Luz asks?
- A modern summary listing everything historians know about King David and his family today
- The year Israel's first king began to rule, as the carving states it
- A written mention of Israel and David's family from outside, in the 800s BCE
- An Israelite record of a victory over the king of Aram, found at Tel Dan
Which sentence puts card A the way a history class words a belief, Milo asks?
- Card A is untrue, because outside sources do not mention Abraham or a covenant
- According to the Bible, followers believe God made a covenant with Abraham
- God made a covenant with Abraham, and the Bible confirms that it happened
- Egyptian and Aramean sources confirm the covenant with Abraham in detail
Comparing card B with card C, what new detail appears centuries later, Noah asks?
- Card C names just a people, while card B names a royal family
- Card C adds the Torah, which tells the story of Moses
- Card C is older than card B, since 800 BCE comes before 1207 BCE on a timeline
- Card C names a ruling family, the House of David, besides the name Israel
Why would a king have a victory boast cut in stone and put on display, Pia asks?
- To show his strength to rivals and to his own people
- To record a peace agreement signed with Israel
- To tell the story of the war fairly from both sides
- To leave neutral records for historians to study in the future
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
A student says card C was written by Israelites praising David. What in the card shows this is wrong, Tala asks?
- It dates to the 800s BCE, before David's family could have been named
- It was found in Egypt, far from the land of Israel, so Egypt's king must have written it
- It is in Aramaic, so it cannot say anything about Israel
- It was written for a king of Aram, who lists Israel and David's house as enemies