Download Date: Course: Global Literacy Cohort

Scholar: _________________________
Course: Global Literacy
Date: __________________________
Cohort: ________________________
Egypt Day 4 – The Importance of the Nile
AIM: SWBAT explain how the flooding of the Nile River was
necessary for farming in ancient Egypt.
Do Now
1. What is NOT true about a civilization?
a. A civilization has organization and technology.
b. All civilizations must use irrigation.
c. They include one or more religions.
d. Civilizations have organized government and leaders.
1. What were the three reasons we learned yesterday about why civilizations are often found near rivers?
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2. Which of the five aspects of societies do you think is connected to farming and tools? Support your answer with
details.
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Scholar: _________________________
Course: Global Literacy
Date: __________________________
Cohort: ________________________
A Mighty River
Although Egypt was warm and sunny, the land received little rainfall. For water, the
Egyptians had to rely on the Nile River. They drank from it, bathed in it, and used it
for farming, cooking, and cleaning. The river provided fish and supported plants and
animals. To the Egyptians, the Nile was a precious gift. They praised it in a song: “Hail
O Nile, who comes from the earth, who comes to give life to the people of Egypt.”
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List the five different uses the Egyptians had for the Nile River:
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Question for discussion: Why would the Egyptians make songs for a river?
Even today, the Nile inspires awe. It is the world’s longest river, flowing north from mountains in the heart of
Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. This is a distance of some 4,000 miles (6,437 km). Traveling the length of the Nile
would be like going from Georgia to California, and then back again.
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Underline the sentence that tells how long the Nile River is.
Stop and Jot: Why does the author mention Georgia and California?
The Nile begins as two separate rivers. One river, the Blue Nile, has its source in the
mountains of eastern Africa. The other, the White Nile, starts in marshes in central
Africa. The two rivers meet and form the Nile just south of Egypt. There, narrow cliffs
and boulders in the Nile form wild rapids called cataracts. Because of the cataracts,
large ships can use the Nile only for its last 650 miles (1,046 km), where it flows
through Egypt.
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Stop and Jot: By paraphrasing (using your own words), explain why large ships
can’t travel on all of the Nile.
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cataracts – wild rapids in a
river
delta – an area of rich, fertile
soil at the mouth of a river
(near the ocean)
silt – special soil that is mudlike and is excellent for
growing crops in
Scholar: _________________________
Course: Global Literacy
Date: __________________________
Cohort: ________________________
In Egypt, the Nile runs through a narrow, green valley. On a map, you can see that the Nile looks like the long stem
of a flower. Shortly before the Nile reaches the Mediterranean Sea, it divides into different branches that look like
the flower’s blossom. These branches fan out over an area of fertile soil called a delta. A delta is an area where a
river empties into the ocean, and the land there is often good for farming.
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Look at the map at the top of the page. Can you see the flower? Describe what the delta looks like.
Another way that the Nile as very important to the people of Egypt was it flooded every year. We often think of
flooding as being very bad and dangerous, but when the Nile flooded, it covered the land with rich silt. This was a
kind of soil that was full of nutrients and excellent for growing crops in. So when the Nile flooded, it helped the land
by leaving behind what was needed to farm, in an area where farming was normally very difficult due to it being
mostly desert. No wonder the Egyptians thought the Nile was so special!
• Flooding is normally very negative and problematic. Explain why
flooding of the Nile was a wonderful event for ancient Egyptians.
Write – Pair – Share
Take five minutes now to list and explain four main ideas that you identified while reading.
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Scholar: _________________________
Course: Global Literacy
Date: __________________________
Cohort: ________________________
Egypt Day 4 Homework
As you read the following article, underline the sentence in each paragraph that tells the
most important idea. Just underline one!
While ancient Egypt is usually thought of in terms of pharaohs, mummies, and pyramids, a great number of
ancient Egyptian inventions are used in our everyday lives. Our lives today would not be as comfortable as they
are without these inventions.
Some of the inventions of ancient Egypt are very well-known, while others are hardly known at all or thought to
have been invented by other people.
List of Inventions/New Ideas in Ancient Egypt
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Black Ink
First Ox-Drawn Plows
365 Day Calendar and Leap Year
Paper (Papyrus)
First Triangular Shaped Pyramids (*there are pyramids in other places and times, but with different
shapes)
Hieroglyphics
Sails
One of the inventions in Egypt was surprisingly black ink. The Egyptian people were very talented at
creating not only black ink, but many multi-colored types of ink and dye. The special way ink was made
in Egypt was so marvelous that these brilliant hued colors can still be seen today, thousands of years
later.
Another important technology from ancient Egypt was the ox-drawn plow. Instead of digging up the ground
for planting by using people, animals could be used. This made the work much easier! Metal-making skills
would have been needed to make a plow, as well as knowledge about animals. Why did the Egyptians even
want plows, when most of the country was desert? While
there is a lot of desert land in Egypt, the nation is also the
home of excellent black soil along the Nile River. This
soil is great for growing crops such as wheat, in addition
to many different vegetables. Ancient Egyptian
inventions, such as the ox-drawn plow, would have made
farming much easier and would have made farmers more
money.
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Scholar: _________________________
Course: Global Literacy
Date: __________________________
Cohort: ________________________
The ancient Egyptians also invented the modern 365 day calendar. Before then, people had all different
kinds of calendars based on how often the moon went around Earth. They could be very confusing. The 365
day calendar we use today is based on the sun – it takes the sun 365 days (one year) to travel all the way
around the sun once.
One of the many ancient Egyptian inventions was an early system of writing,
now recognized around the world, known as hieroglyphics. Not only did the
ancient Egyptians invent a system of writing, but they also invented the paper
on which to place it. Taken from the fibers of the papyrus plant, Egyptian
paper was the first of its kind.
Egyptian inventions also include sails. Living so
close to the Nile River, it would have been important
for the Egyptians to think of smart ways to travel by
water.
Inventions of Ancient Egypt were very important, for
they have either lasted until the present day or were the
first versions of inventions that other people improved on
later.
Homework: Choose four Egyptian inventions and describe what each is and how we use it today.
Invention
What it is
How we use it today
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Scholar: _________________________
Course: Global Literacy
Date: __________________________
Cohort: ________________________
Exit Ticket
1. Which of the following was NOT something that the reading said the Nile River was used for in ancient times?
a. drinking water
b. games and contests
c. bathing
d. cleaning
2. Describe what silt is.
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3. Why was flooding of the Nile River a positive thing?
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Grade:
6