New
New
Year 3

The River Nile

I can describe where and when the Ancient Egyptians lived and explain why the River Nile was important for them.

New
New
Year 3

The River Nile

I can describe where and when the Ancient Egyptians lived and explain why the River Nile was important for them.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. At one time there were two Egyptian kingdoms: Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, but around 3,000 BCE they were united.
  2. The civilisation known as the Ancient Egyptians began over 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, 3,000 BC or BCE.
  3. They lived near a large river they called the Nile, in North Africa, protected from enemies by dry land to their sides.
  4. The River Nile was long, deep and filled with a dark black mud.
  5. When the Nile flooded, this mud made the land the Egyptians live on turn black, and become very fertile.

Keywords

  • Civilisation - a civilisation is a well organised group of people that has their own language and way of life

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

  • BCE - BCE is short for 'Before Common Era' and refers to the time before the year 1

  • Fertile - soil or land that can produce farm crops or other plants is fertile

Common misconception

Pupils may think that the River Nile is a river found only in Egypt.

The River Nile does flow through Egypt, but it also flows through 10 other countries in east Africa. It is Africa's longest river.

Try a craft activity relating to the River Nile. Pupils could make a 3D model from modelling clay, create a collage from waste materials or do a painting of the course of the River Nile from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is a river?
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q2.
True or false? Rivers always start and end in the same country.
True
Correct answer: False
Q3.
Where is Egypt?
Asia
Europe
Correct answer: Africa
South America
Q4.
Choose the sentences that most accurately describe bronze.
Correct answer: Bronze is a man-made substance.
Correct answer: Bronze is a metal.
Bronze is a natural substance.
Bronze is expensive.
Q5.
The Bronze Age started around 2,700 BCE in Britain. What was the time before the Bronze Age called?
The Iron Age
Correct answer: The Stone Age
The Modern Age
The Old Age
Q6.
Which of these is an agricultural activity?
keeping animals as pets
baking bread, cakes and biscuits
Correct answer: growing crops that can be used for food
trading goods with other people

6 Questions

Q1.
Which river flows through Egypt?
River Thames
Correct answer: River Nile
Amazon River
Yellow River
Q2.
Approximately when did the Ancient Egyptian civilisation begin?
1300
300 BC
Correct answer: 3000 BCE
1930
Q3.
How do we describe soil or land that can produce farm crops or other plants?
Correct Answer: fertile
Q4.
What happened when the land around the River Nile flooded?
Correct answer: it turned black and fertile
it could not be used for farming
it destroyed the plants
it turned white and fertile
Q5.
Match the words to the definitions.
Correct Answer:Sahara,a desert surrounding the River Nile

a desert surrounding the River Nile

Correct Answer:Lake Victoria,where the River Nile starts

where the River Nile starts

Correct Answer:Mediterranean Sea,where the River Nile ends

where the River Nile ends

Q6.
Put the sentences in order to describe how the River Nile was useful for farming in Ancient Egypt.
1 - The River Nile floods once a year.
2 - Water and mud wash over the land.
3 - The land turns black.
4 - The mud soaks into the soil.
5 - The soil becomes very fertile.
6 - Many crops grow in the fertile soil.