Other 'cradles of civilisation'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the ancient 'cradles of civilisation' and explain the similarities between them.
Key learning points
- Mesopotamia and the Nile were not the only places where people stopped moving around and settled down to farm.
- In Asia, other civilisations developed in the Indus River Valley and the Yellow River Valley.
- Historians and archaeologists sometimes use the phrase 'cradles of civilisation' to describe these places.
- As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the people of the Indus and the Yellow River Valleys channeled water for farming.
- As in Egypt and Mesopotamia, the people of the Indus and the Yellow River Valleys created cities and art.
Keywords
Nomadic - nomadic people do not settle to live in one place but move from place to place
Cradle - a cradle is a small bed or cot that helps keep babies safe and warm when they sleep
Similarity - a similarity is when something is like something else, but is not exactly the same
Common misconception
Egypt and Mesopotamia are the only places to have had early civilisations.
Look at a map of the world and point out the locations of the Indus Valley and Shang civilisations.
Teacher tip
You could experiment with different ways of channeling water - through tubes or guttering and of different thicknesses. You could try channeling water in sand trays or in trays filled with earth too.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When did the Sumer and Ancient Egyptian civilisations exist?
Q2.Match keywords to the definitions.
Q3.Where did the Sumer civilisation develop?
Q4.Which two rivers were important to the Sumer civilisation?
Q5.Having a surplus means you have food than you need.
Q6.Which of these are true about both Ancient Egypt and Ancient Sumer?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A ' of civilisation' is a place where a civilisation first grew and developed.
Q2.Match the keywords to their definitions.
Q3.Which ancient 'cradle of civilisation' was located in modern-day India?
Q4.Match the ancient civilisation to the river it was close to.
Q5.Order the ancient civilisations starting with the earliest.
Q6.What were similarities of all 'cradles of civilisation'?
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Other 'cradles of civilisation', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Other 'cradles of civilisation', 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.