Located in the marshy south along the Pripyat River . It was a major religious and cultural center, often competing with Kyiv.

You will likely have to mark the .

The powerhouse. When you shade this area, remember it was the heart of Belarusian statehood. Locate the Western Dvina —that was their "highway" to the Baltic Sea.

While part of it is in modern Russia, in the 6th-grade context, it was a vital neighbor and part of the early Slavic tribal unions (the Krivichi). 2. The "Road to Everywhere"

Before the big borders were drawn, the land was a patchwork of tribes. When labeling your map, remember their "addresses": The north (Polotsk).

Working with a for 6th-grade Belarusian history is like being a historical detective. Instead of just looking at a finished picture, you are the one drawing the borders of the first principalities and tracing the paths of ancient migrations.

Never turn in a map without a legend (the box explaining what your symbols mean). Use different colors for different centuries.