Comparing the earliest civilisations
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can compare early civilisations to explain how similar they were.
Key learning points
- All of these early civilisations left a nomadic lifestyle because they found ways of farming fertile ground near rivers.
- All of them built permanent places to live like cities, along with other buildings for the purpose of religion.
- All of these early civilisations traded with people from far away and developed their own forms of writing.
- All of these early civilisations made bronze and used this metal for tools, weapons and artwork.
- Despite all these similarities, all of these early civilisations had different styles of writing, building and art.
Keywords
Permanent - something that is permanent stays the same
Style - the special way something is made or designed to look is its style
Common misconception
Nomadic lifestyles no longer exist.
Discuss the fact that many people in different parts of the world still live a nomadic lifestyle, some through choice and others as part of a continuing and ancient tradition.
Teacher tip
Make comparative sketches of different buildings, weapons or artwork designs from different early civilisations.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The civilisation developed by the Yellow River.
Q2.Match the keywords to the definitions.
Q3.Which is the correct definition of trade?
Q4.A religious building from Sumer was called a .
Q5.Sort the first development of these civilisations from oldest to newest
Q6.Which materials did ancient artists use?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.All ancient civilisations left a lifestyle to live and settle permanently.
Q2.Why was farming successful in early civilisations?
Q3.Which sentences are true?
Q4.Cuneiform writing was first used to record of goods.
Q5.Ancient civilisations all had different styles of , writing and building.
Q6.What was bronze useful for making?
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Comparing the earliest civilisations, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Comparing the earliest civilisations, 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 Sumer and other early civilisations: what made them similar? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.