UKS2 Topic Overview: Earliest Civilisations: Ancient Egyptians
Learn all about the Ancient Egyptians. Investigate the men and women who studied the kingdoms and explore their discoveries. Look at some of the Pharaohs and the development of the pyramids, as well as the mythology that surrounded this early civilisation. Look at the role the Nile had in allowing this civilisation to flourish and examine daily life, comparing it to our own.
Block / Key NC Objectives / Main creative outcomesBlock A
Introduction to Ancient Egypt
(4 sessions) / History, Geography and English
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between short- and long-term timescales.
· Understand the abstract term ‘civilisation’.
· 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.
· Identify the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form.
· Use further presentational devices to structure text. Draw on reading and research where necessary.
· Retrieve, record and present information from non-fiction.
· Provide reasoned justifications for their views.
· Participate in discussions and debates.
· Consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others.
· Speak audibly and fluently. / Build your knowledge of the period when the Ancient Egyptians were powerful in the world. Compare the Ancient Egyptian civilisation with the society, climate and terrain of Britain at the time. Discover how the Ancient Egyptian civilisation came to an end and also learn about the evidence of Ancient Egypt that exists in modern Egypt today.
Block B
Egyptologists
(4 sessions) / History, English and Art
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
· Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilisation’
· Note and develop initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
· Use further presentational devices to structure text.
· Plan their writing by noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on research where necessary.
· Identifying purpose of writing and selecting appropriate form.
· Articulate and justify answers and opinions.
· Use spoken language to develop understanding.
· Participate in role play.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including painting and drawing.
· Find out about great artists in history.
· Create sketchbooks to record their observations. / Find out about intrepid Egyptologists Champollion and Howard Carter and their incredible discoveries, achievements and methods. Write a play of the events; make observational drawings of Egyptian artefacts just like a real Egyptologist; devise and record an interview with an Egyptologist and finally debate the removal of artefacts from Egypt.
Block C
Pharaohs and Pyramids
(9 sessions) / History, English, D&T, Maths, Science and Art
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilisation’.
· Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, similarity, difference and significance.
· Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between short- and long-timescales.
· Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between economic, military and social history.
· Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks.
· Select from and use a wider range of materials and components.
· Noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
· Selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary.
· Using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader.
· Participate in presentations.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques including sculpture and painting with a range of materials.
· Find out about great architects in history.
· Calculate the area of rectangles.
· Recognise when it is possible to use a formula for area.
· Identify 3-D shapes, from 2-D representations.
· Recognise, describe and build simple 3-D shapes, including making nets. / Learn about the mighty rulers of Ancient Egypt, their dynasties, battles and burials. Discover their symbols and crowns. Share knowledge and understanding of the pharaohs by staging an Ancient Egyptian exhibition.
Block D
Ancient Egyptian Tombs
(4 sessions) / History, D&T and Art
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks accurately.
· Apply their knowledge of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures.
· Generate their ideas through talking.
· Evaluate their products.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing with a range of materials. / This is a challenging but very rewarding Design and Technology project. Learn about the tombs of the Egyptians and how to draw and paint Ancient Egyptian style figures; then make and decorate your own 3D model of an Ancient Egyptian decorated rock-cut tomb.
Block E
Mythology
(5 sessions) / History, D&T, English and Art
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, similarity, difference and significance.
· Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between cultural, religious and social history.
· Increase their familiarity with a range of books, including myths from other cultures.
· Make comparisons across books.
· Summarise the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph.
· Use further organisational and presentational devices to structure text.
· Participate in role play.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing.
· Design purposeful, appealing products for themselves.
· Generate their ideas through talking and drawing.
· Select from and use a range of tools & materials.
· Evaluate their products. / Discover the myths and tales that the Ancient Egyptians told about the creation of the world and the lives of the gods and goddesses they worshipped. Take part in the recreation of an Ancient Egyptian festival procession.
Block F
Daily Life
(8 sessions) / History, D&T, English, Art and Maths
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Understand historical concepts such as similarity, difference and significance.
· Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between cultural, religious and social history.
· Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as peasantry.
· Understand the methods of historical enquiry.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting, and sculpture.
· Use a range of equipment to perform practical tasks.
· Use a range of materials.
· Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes.
· Prepare and cook a variety of dishes.
· Understand where Ancient Egyptian food came from.
· Generate their ideas using annotated sketches and pattern pieces.
· Use a range of tools to perform practical tasks.
· Select appropriate vocabulary.
· Use further presentational devices to structure text.
· Use similar writing as a model for their own.
· Note and develop initial ideas.
· Use organisational and presentational devices to structure text and guide the reader.
· Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. / Understand important aspects of the daily life of the Ancient Egyptians; including jobs, food, and games. Create your own Ancient Egyptian board game.
Block G
The Nile
(5 sessions) / History, Geography, D&T, English, Art and Science
· Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; characteristic features of past non-European societies.
· Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between cultural, economic, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.
· Understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, and significance, and use them to make connections and to create their own structured accounts.
· Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity.
· Recognise that some mechanisms allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.
· Identify the effects of water resistance.
· Understand and use mechanical systems in their products.
· Generate, develop and model their ideas through discussion and annotated sketches.
· Evaluate their products and consider how to improve them.
· Locate the world’s countries.
· Describe and understand key features of rivers.
· Use maps to locate countries and describe features.
· Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including sculpture.
· Note and develop initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
· Identify the audience for and purpose of the writing.
· Use further organisational devices to structure text.
· Gain and maintain the interest of the listener.
· Give well-structured descriptions and explanations.
· Participate in presentations. / Learn about the incredible, life-giving River Nile and its impact on civilisation in Egypt. Use the maps and models made in previous sessions to present your learning to visitors.
© Hamilton Trust 2014 This activity may be adapted for use by a teacher in his/her own class. It may not be reproduced for any other purpose.
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