The three kingdoms of Egypt
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how the kingdoms of Egypt changed over time.
Key learning points
- The ruler of Ancient Egypt was called the pharaoh; they owned all the land, made all the laws and taxed their subjects.
- The pharaohs, whose subjects believed to be both gods and humans, ruled in the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms.
- During the Old Kingdom the Ancient Egyptians built pyramids to bury their pharaohs in, the most famous at Giza.
- In the Middle Kingdom Egypt grew rich and strong, stopped using pyramids and buried pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings.
- In the New Kingdom Egypt grew stronger, using their chariots and strong bronze weapons to take over more land.
Keywords
Laws - laws are a set of rules that people must follow
Taxes - taxes are amounts of money that people must pay to their rulers
Subjects - subjects are the people controlled by a ruler
Pyramid - the pyramids were large stone buildings that the Ancient Egyptians buried their pharaohs in during the Old Kingdom
Chariot - a chariot is a wheeled vehicle pulled by horses, often used in war
Common misconception
Pupils may think that the kingdoms are places in Egypt.
Kingdoms are are periods of time in Egyptian history; the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom.
Teacher tip
Combine History with Mathematics by looking at the pyramid as a 3D shape; count the edges, faces and vertices or construct and decorate a pyramid from a net made of card.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What happened along the River Nile in Ancient Egypt?
Q2.What were the two kingdoms called that were united in around 3000 BCE?
Q3.True or false? The River Nile ends in Egypt.
Q4.The Ancient Egyptian civilisation began in around 3000 BCE. What does BCE mean?
Q5.Match the words to the definitions.
a ruler in Ancient Egypt
a large area of dry land in north Africa
when river water washes over land
growing crops or keeping animals
Q6.Which continent is Egypt in?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Put the three kingdoms of Ancient Egypt in order from first to last.
Q2.Where were pharaohs buried in the Old Kingdom?
Q3.These people lived in Ancient Egypt. Who was whom?
subject
ruler
Q4.What type of vehicle did Egyptians use for battle in the New Kingdom?
Q5.What were Egyptian weapons made from in the New Kingdom?
Q6.Complete the sentence. The Great Pyramid at Giza was built in the Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: The three kingdoms of Egypt, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: The three kingdoms of Egypt, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Ancient Egypt: what stayed the same across 3,000 years? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.