Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today?

I hope you're feeling really, really good.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your teacher for this lesson.

Hope you're feeling really pleased about that because we have got such an interesting topic ahead.

We are looking at the River Nile.

That's the title of our lesson.

I wonder if you've heard about the River Nile.

Do you know any facts about it?

Don't worry if you have or not.

We're gonna be getting right into it today.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work "Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years?

" Oh my goodness, what an interesting question.

I hope you think that too.

So if you are ready with some focus, energy, and enthusiasm, we'll begin our exploration of the River Nile now.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can describe where and when the ancient Egyptians lived and explain why the River Nile was important for them.

I hope that all sounds really interesting to you.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

I'd like us to go through them one at a time, saying them out loud.

My turn, your turn.

Civilization, BC, BCE, fertile.

Good to hear those keywords out loud.

Pause here and share with someone, have you heard of any of these words before, or do you have any idea what they mean?

Thanks for sharing.

Let's take a look at the meanings of these words.

A civilization is a well-organized group of people with their own language and way of life.

BC is short for Before Christ and refers to the time before the year 1, in which people believe Jesus was born.

BCE is short for Before Common Era and refers to the time before the year 1.

Soil or land that can produce farm crops or other plants is fertile.

So these are our keywords: civilization, BC, BCE, and fertile.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about them.

They'll all be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called "The River Nile.

" And it has two learning cycles, when and where did the ancient Egyptians live?

And the importance of the River Nile in ancient Egypt.

Let's begin by exploring when and where the ancient Egyptians lived.

Pause here and share with someone, do you have any idea when the ancient Egyptians lived?

When did their civilization begin?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Let's take a look.

The ancient Egyptians were a civilization that lived around 5,000 years ago.

At one time, there were two kingdoms: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.

When those kingdoms united in around 3,000 BC, or BCE, that was the start of the ancient Egyptian civilization.

BC and BCE are used for the years before the year 1, when people believe Jesus was born.

The first ever king of Egypt was called Menes.

He became the first ruler when the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt became one.

He was the first of many great ancient Egyptian rulers to come.

Here's Jacob with some handy info, "In ancient Egypt, kings and queens were called pharaohs.

" Pause here and share with someone, have you heard of any ancient Egyptian rulers or pharaohs?

Do you know the names of any?

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Complete the missing labels to add information about the ancient Egyptians to the timeline.

So I'd like you to add on information where we can see this question mark.

So what happened at around 3,000 BC, or BCE?

And then also, I would like you to add on where we see the second question mark the date, the year, when did people believe Jesus was born?

So pause here while you complete the missing labels to add information about the ancient Egyptians to the timeline.

So how did you get on with that?

Did you say that in 3,000 BC, or BCE, it was the start of the ancient Egyptian civilization?

And did you say that people believe Jesus was born at the year 1?

Well done if you added the information in this way.

Ancient Egypt was a large area of North Africa.

Today, the country of Egypt is still found in North Africa.

Many important landmarks from ancient Egypt, like the pyramids, still exist, and thousands of visitors see them every year.

And there we can see a photo of a pyramid.

I was very lucky to visit the pyramids many years ago, and it was a real highlight in my life.

Maybe you'll get to go one day.

Pause here and share with someone, is there somewhere in the world like the pyramids or somewhere else that you would like to visit?

Thanks for sharing.

The River Nile is found in North Africa.

At more than 4,000 miles long, it is Africa's longest river.

And there we can see a map of the River Nile.

It starts at Lake Victoria and flows into the Mediterranean Sea when it reaches the northern coast of Egypt.

The ancient Egyptian civilization grew around this mighty river.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false?

The River Nile starts in Egypt.

Pause here while you decide, is this statement true or false?

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Pause here while you choose from one of these two statements.

A, the end of the River Nile is in Egypt, where it flows into the sea.

B, the end of the River Nile is in Egypt, where it flows into Lake Victoria.

Pause here while you decide which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected statement A.

Indeed, the end of the River Nile is in Egypt, where it flows into the sea.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to choose the correct words to complete each sentence.

One, Egypt is a country in the north of Africa or Asia.

Two, the River Nile flows into the Red or the Mediterranean Sea.

Three, the ancient Egyptian civilization began when two kingdoms were split or united.

Four, the ancient Egyptian civilization began or ended around the year 3,000 BCE.

Five, in ancient Egypt, the people or rulers were called pharaohs.

So pause here while you read through each sentence carefully, and then choose the correct word to complete each sentence.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did he get on with that task?

Let's go through each sentence, choosing the correct word to complete each sentence.

Let's go through them one at a time.

One, Egypt is a country in the north of Africa.

Two, the River Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Three, the ancient Egyptian civilization began when two kingdoms were united.

Four, the ancient Egyptian civilization began around the year 3,000 BCE.

And five, in ancient Egypt, the rulers were called pharaohs.

Well done if you chose these words to complete each sentence.

Well done for having a go at this task.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, the importance of the River Nile in ancient Egypt.

Pause here and share with someone, do you have any ideas why do think the River Nile was important in ancient Egypt?

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

The River Nile was important for the ancient Egyptians because it provided fertile soil for farming.

Pause here and share with someone, can you remember what the word fertile means?

It's one of our keywords.

Thanks for sharing.

Fertile means soil or land that can produce crops or other plants.

When the river flooded, mud from the riverbed was washed over the land and turned it black.

The mud soaked into the soil and made it very fertile.

So crops grew easily there because of all the nutrients in the soil that came from the thick, black mud of the River Nile.

Here's an interesting fact from Izzy, "The River Nile floods regularly at the same time every year!

" Let's have a check for understanding.

What happened each year which turned the land surrounding the River Nile black?

Choose from this selection.

A, fires, B, floods, C, frost.

Pause here while you decide what happened each year which turned the land surrounding the River Nile black.

Well done if you selected floods.

These happened every year at around the same time, and they turned the land surrounding the River Nile black.

Thanks to the fertile soil around the River Nile, the ancient Egyptian civilization made a lot of money from farming.

They grew crops like cereals and farmed animals such as cattle and goats.

They used handmade tools and animals to help with plowing and harvesting.

They transported produce along the River Nile in boats to the places where it was sold.

And here we can see a sculpture of a scene of ancient Egyptian cattle farming.

The people of ancient Egypt lived in villages around the River Nile because they could easily get crops and money from the fertile soil.

It was also a safe place for them to live because of the vast Sahara Desert surrounding them, which helped keep enemies away.

The people of ancient Egypt had the perfect location to live, survive, and expand their civilization.

And here we can see a photo of the Sahara Desert.

So vast, so dry, so beautiful.

Pause here and share with someone, what are your impressions of the Sahara Desert that we can see from this photo?

Thanks for sharing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false?

The land around the River Nile was a great location for ancient Egyptian villages to develop.

Pause here while you decide, is this statement true or false?

Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer by choosing from one of these two statements.

A, the River Nile was very pretty, and there was lots of wildlife in the Sahara Desert.

B, the River Nile provided fertile soil, and the Sahara Desert provided protection from enemies.

So pause here while you decide which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected statement B.

Indeed, the River Nile provided fertile soil, and the Sahara Desert provided protection from enemies.

This statement justifies your earlier answer.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to answer the following questions.

You could discuss your answers with your partner or your teacher first.

One, why was the River Nile so important to the ancient Egyptians?

Two, why did the River Nile flooding help the ancient Egyptians?

Three, why were the banks of the River Nile a safe place for the ancient Egyptians to live?

So pause here while you consider all you've learned about the River Nile and the ancient Egyptians, and have a go at answering these questions.

Discuss your answers with your partner or a teacher first, if you like.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with that task, answering those questions?

Your answers to the questions could include, one, why was the River Nile so important to the ancient Egyptians?

The River Nile was important for the ancient Egyptians because it provided fertile soil for farming.

And two, why did the River Nile flooding help the ancient Egyptians?

When the river flooded, mud from the riverbed was washed over the land and turned it black.

The mud soaked into the soil and made it very fertile.

Three, why were the banks of the River Nile a safe place for the ancient Egyptians to live?

The banks of the River Nile were a safe place for the ancient Egyptians to live because of the vast Sahara Desert surrounding them, which helped keep enemies away.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this task.

Perhaps you had answers like these.

Hopefully you've learned a lot about the River Nile and the ancient Egyptian civilization and why the River Nile was so important for them.

In our lesson, "The River Nile," we've covered the following.

The ancient Egyptian civilization began around 3,000 BC, or BCE, when the two kingdoms of Egypt, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, were united.

Ancient Egyptian settlements grew around the River Nile, the longest river in Africa.

Ancient Egyptians successfully farmed the fertile land around the River Nile.

The fertile land was caused by the regular floods that covered the land with thick, black mud.

The fertile land around the River Nile and protection provided by the Sahara Desert helped the civilization grow.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson about the River Nile.

It was so great to explore how and when the civilization began and what a part the River Nile had in the success of the civilization, providing them with the land to grow food and the protection from the neighboring Sahara Desert.

I think this is such an interesting topic, and I'm really excited to continue teaching and learning more about the ancient Egyptian civilization.

I hope you're interested in that too.

I've really enjoyed teaching you.

I hope you've enjoyed the lesson, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Bye for now.