The Indus Valley
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the location of the Indus River and what was found there in 1921.
Key learning points
- In 1921 an archaeological dig began at a place called Harappa on the banks of the River Indus.
- As the archaeologists excavated they began to find evidence of an ancient civilisation in the Indus Valley.
- The Indus is a powerful river that flows through India and Pakistan.
- Just like the Nile, the Euphrates and the Tigris, the Indus floods, making the land around it very fertile.
- About 8,000 years ago the people of the Indus Valley began to farm this land, and got better and better at it.
Keywords
India - India is a country in southern Asia, surrounded on three sides by the Indian Ocean
Pakistan - Pakistan is a country in southern Asia that shares a border with India
Valley - a valley is a flat area of land where a river flows between hills or mountains
Fertile - soil is fertile when it is very good for growing lots of healthy plants
Common misconception
That the civilisation in the Indus Valley began 8000 years ago.
Archaeologists believe farming in the valley began around 8000 years ago but the evidence for the cities and civilisation dates from around 5000 years ago.
Teacher tip
Let pupils use maps or an atlas to locate the places mentioned themselves and to understand the relation to the other ancient civilisations.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was known as…
Q2.Which of the following is the correct definition for ‘civilisation’?
Q3.A type of ancient invented in Sumer was called cuneiform.
Q4.The areas around the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers were bad for growing crops.
Q5.Select all the similarities between the ancient civilisations of the Egyptians, Sumerians and the Indus Valley.
Q6.The ancient civilisations of the Egyptians, Sumerians and the Indus Valley existed around years ago.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The River begins in the Himalayan mountains and ends in the Arabian Sea.
Q2.Match the word to the correct definition.
a flat area of land where a river flows between hills or mountains
soil that is very good for growing lots of healthy plants
a country in Asia, surrounded on three sides by the Indian Ocean
a country in southern Asia that shares a border with India
Q3.The first evidence from the Indus Valley civilisation was found at…
Q4.The land surrounding the River Indus is very…
Q5.In the Indus Valley around 8000 years ago, historians think that people started to….
Q6.The Indus Valley civilisation probably started around years ago.
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: The Indus Valley, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: The Indus Valley, 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 The Indus Valley civilisation: What have archaeologists found out about it? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.