Download Session 1: Session title

UKS2 Topic: Earliest Civilisations: Ancient Egyptians Block A: Introduction to Ancient Egypt
Session 2 Snapshot
History: Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘civilisation’.
National
Curriculum
Teaching
Objectives
National
Curriculum
Teaching
Objectives
Resources
Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations;
characteristic features of past non-European societies.
To appreciate where the Ancient Egyptian civilisation was located and how it was composed.
Geography: Locate the world’s countries, using maps and focussing on their environmental regions and
key physical characteristics; Use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and
describe features; Describe and understand key aspects of physical and human geography.
Label a map of Ancient Egypt and its surroundings. Locate the Fertile Crescent and identify the countries in
that area today. Describe the physical and human geography of Ancient Egypt.
Weblinks
Access to internet; Globe;
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/home.html - The geography of Ancient Egypt.
World map; Various maps of
Ancient Egypt.
Whole class: Doctor Who is offering another trip in the Tardis – this time back to Ancient Egypt around 3,000 BCE (BC). The
first thing to establish is where Ancient Egypt was. Using a globe &/or a world map, establish where Egypt is today (or use
world map in Session 1 resources). Egypt is about 3,500 kilometres from Britain in North Africa. The Ancient Egyptians
controlled a similar area with their civilisation based along the Nile. The Ancient Egyptian civilisation (once the two kingdoms
of Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt were united by King Narmer, who had been king of Upper Egypt alone) is divided by historians
into three main periods (when the greatest achievements occurred): Old Kingdom (about 2686-2181 BCE), Middle Kingdom
(about 2055-1650 BCE) & New Kingdom (about 1550-1069 BCE) – when the area controlled by Egypt was at its largest (see
map in session resources). Ancient Egypt was part of the so-called ‘Fertile Crescent’, which also includes the area where the
Ancient Sumer civilisation was located (Mesopotamia) – map in session resources. Note the important rivers that provided the
water for this fertile region – the Rivers Nile, Tigris & Euphrates. The region was/is surrounded by arid & semi-arid (very dry)
land. Show children a map of the same region today (session resources) to see that the Fertile Crescent encompasses modern
Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Kuwait & Jordan (plus small parts of Turkey & Iran). Sometimes Cyprus is included too.
This region is also sometimes referred to as ‘the cradle of civilisation’ because some of the earliest civilisations developed
there & amazing achievements were made including inventions such as writing, glass, the wheel & irrigation techniques (not
necessarily first nor uniquely).
Look at a physical geographic map of Egypt (session resources) & establish that most of Egypt is desert of sand & rock. Visit the
British Museum Ancient Egypt website to find out more – explore the ‘Terrain’ & ‘Geographical features’ maps after reading
the introductory page. Then read the ‘Story’ which describes the landscape, natural resources & transportation. The
importance of the River Nile will be studied in a separate block in this Topic.
Easy/ Medium/ Hard
Easy/ Medium/ Hard
Give children a blank map of Ancient Egypt (session resources) & its
Ask children to decide where they would like the
surroundings & ask them to locate, mark (when appropriate) & label the Tardis to land in Ancient Egypt – they should mark
following: Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea, River Nile (plus White it on the map of the world (Session 1 resource).
Nile & Blue Nile), Jordan River, Euphrates River, Tigris River, Alexandria, They imagine asking Doctor Who to take them
Giza, Memphis, Thebes, Aswan High Dam, Khartoum, Palestine, Syria,
there in the year 3000 BCE. Close their eyes until
Sumer civilisation, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, Western Desert & Syrian
the Tardis has landed & imagine what they can see
Desert. Explain that we will talk about many of these places in more
when they open the Tardis door. Remind children
detail later in the Topic. Children can use atlases, online maps &
that farmers lived along the banks of the Nile in
information books (& maps in session resources) to help with
both Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt, but that none of
identification. They should include a key (in the box), e.g. colour the
the major buildings had been constructed by this
seas blue & include a blue square in the key to show water. Children
time, e.g. there were small shrines instead of large
should also mark Ancient Egypt on their world map with Britain already
temples, built of mudbricks, wood & reeds rather
highlighted (begun in Session 1).
than stone.
Plenary Compare what children discovered about Britain & Ancient Egypt in about 3000 BCE. What similarities &/or
differences did they find? Together add significant dates to class and individual timelines.
Outcomes
Children will
 Explain where Ancient Egypt was located
 Label a map of Ancient Egypt and its surroundings
 Describe Ancient Egypt as being part of the Fertile Crescent (Cradle of Civilisation)
 Describe what society was like at the start of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation
 Describe the terrain and climate of Egypt
© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the block overview, about links to other websites.