Alexander's achievements
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe some of Alexander's greatest achievements.
Key learning points
- Defeating the Persian Empire and expanding Greek control into Egypt and India were not Alexander's only achievements.
- He sliced the famous Gordian knot in two and conquered Babylon, a city the Greeks could scarcely imagine.
- He founded the great city of Alexandria in Egypt, which came to be ruled by one of his generals, Ptolemy.
- Ptolemy and his son tried to turn Alexandria into the greatest of all Greek cities, building an incredible library.
- Alexandria became a centre of learning which attracted brilliant minds like Euclid and Galen.
Keywords
Conquer - to gain something, such as land, by force is to conquer it
Library - a library is a place that has many books and other learning resources
Attract - to be appealing in some way to others is to attract people
Common misconception
Alexandria is a city in Greece.
Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt, not on the mainland or any island of Ancient Greece. There is still a city called Alexandria on the original site in Egypt today; some ruins of the ancient city can be visited by tourists.
Teacher tip
Euclid is called the father of geometry. This is a fantastic opportunity to link History and Maths by working on some geometry objectives, especially those about shapes and angles, remembering that it was Euclid in the great city of Alexandria that first figured out the relationships between them.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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.True or false? Alexander became known for the cruelty he showed to the Persian people he conquered.
Q2.Which of the below statements are historically accurate about the battle at Issus?
Q3.Choose the correct word to complete the sentence. Egypt had been under control since 525 BCE when King Cambyses II had conquered it.
Q4.What was the main reason that the Ancient Egyptians crowned Alexander as the new pharaoh in 332 BCE?
Q5.Which of these statements about Alexander's conquering of Persia are historically accurate?
Q6.What did Alexander become known as?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the sentence. To gain something, such as land, by force is to it.
Q2.What nationality was Alexander?
Q3.What was the legend about that Alexander fulfilled in Phrygia?
Q4.What was the city that Alexander ordered to be built in the north of Egypt called?
Q5.Which statements about Alexandria are correct?
Q6.Match the scholars who used the library in Alexandria to their descriptions.
a mathematician who studied geometry
a scientist, a doctor and a surgeon
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Alexander's achievements, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 history lesson on: Alexander's achievements, 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.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Ancient Greek civilisation: why is Alexander called 'The Great'? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.