History 4

LESSON PLAN PROGRAMMAZIONE DIDATTICA DELLE ATTIVITÀ

Unit The Nile’s Gift
LESSON 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Teaching procedure/
Learning objectives Timing
Activities

Behavioural objectives 15 min Starter “Just Like an Egyptian”

• To listen to the classmates Introduciamo simpaticamente la lezione
in a respectful way. con una canzone: si tratta di Just Like
• To play and work in group an Egyptian (scaricabile dal sito della casa
nicely. editrice [Link] ), che permette
• To complete the given tasks. di ripassare alcune caratteristiche della
civiltà egizia.
Prima di avviare l’audio, consegniamo ai
Language objectives bambini una copia del testo della canzone
• To learn the specific (Worksheet 8) così da leggerlo prima
language related to the e capirne il senso, anche grazie alle
topic. parole-chiave in neretto.
• To determine the meaning
of words and phrases as
they are used in a text. Main activities:
• To use the specific 30 min step 1 “Speaking about pictures”
language to explain the In quest’attività gli alunni lavoreranno a
content. coppie per descrivere un’immagine
• To present new knowledge che raffigura un’attività quotidiana
to peers, through various degli antichi Egizi. Le dodici immagini
learning styles. proposte si trovano sia sul sito della casa
editrice, in modo da poter essere proiettate
a colori con la LIM, sia alle pagine 57 e 58
Content objectives di questa Guida.
• To find out about the Dopo averle stampate dal sito e averne
people of ancient Egypt assegnata una a ciascuna coppia,
from artefacts that are left spieghiamo ai bambini il compito: dovranno
behind. osservare con attenzione l’immagine
• To identify and describe ricevuta ed elencare per iscritto sul foglio le
the reasons for the Nile’s azioni e gli elementi raffigurati; lasciamo
importance in ancient che esprimano in italiano ciò che non sanno
Egypt. esprimere in inglese.
• To find out about ancient Per tempo, avremo fotocopiato su
Egyptian people’s activities. cartoncino e ritagliato i titoli delle
immagini, che si trovano a pagina 59 e,
mentre i bambini lavorano, attacchiamo alla
parete con la gommina adesiva removibile
i cartoncini e il foglio di carta da pacchi.

48
 LESSON 3

(timing about 4 hours)

Language identification Teaching aids and

Interaction
(Lexis and structures) learning materials used

Whole class Teacher “Now, children, I’m handing • IWB or computer

out the text of a song. Let’s look at • Worksheet 8
the key words together... (page 56): Just Like an
Egyptian
Nile
Egypt
Silt
Papyrus
Hieroglyphics
Pyramids
Sphinx
What do they mean?”

Pair work Teacher “Children, pay attention • Activity 4 (pages 57,

please. You are going to work in 58 and 59): Speaking
pairs: each couple will receive a sheet about pictures
of paper and the reproduction of an • IWB or computer
Egyptian painting. • A4 white paper sheets
Look at the picture with attention • A large, white
and then write all that you see on the wrapping paper sheet
piece of paper.” • Reusable adhesive
putty

segue

49
History 4

Teaching procedure/
Learning objectives Timing
Activities

Successivamente, nel caso non conoscano

qualche termine, traduciamo con gli alunni
i titoli e sulla LIM/lavagna scriviamo alcune
strutture linguistiche che possano
aiutare i bambini nella descrizione orale
dell’immagine.

About Quando tutte le coppie avranno

5-10 min completato il proprio lavoro, sulla LIM
for each o sul computer mostriamo le immagini
pair una alla volta. Contemporaneamente,
chiediamo alla coppia che ha lavorato
sull’immagine proiettata di:
• trovare tra i cartoncini il titolo adatto
a sintetizzare l’immagine;
• abbinare l’immagine al relativo titolo sul
foglio di carta da pacchi bianca;
• “descrivere l’immagine” ai compagni,
cercando di utilizzare il maggior numero
possibile di termini inglesi.

15 min step 2 “Reading a text”

Consegniamo a ogni bambino una copia
del Worksheet 9 People of ancient Egypt.
Leggiamo insieme e lasciamo che ogni
bambino traduca una frase, infine
commentiamo e rispondiamo a eventuali
domande.
Proponiamo quindi la lettura di una
domanda alla volta e aiutiamo gli alunni
a formulare la risposta facendo cercare
le parole-chiave nel testo. Trascriviamo
alla lavagna le risposte, cosicché gli alunni
possano copiarle senza errori.

50
 LESSON 3

Language identification Teaching aids and

Interaction
(Lexis and structures) learning materials used

(Examples of possible structures:

• On this picture we can see farmers /
slaves / a man / a woman
who is / are fishing / hunting /
harvesting...
• He / she / they is / are holding
an agricultural tool / a musical
instrument / an oar...)
Pair work Teacher “The couple who described this • A glue stick
picture should find the proper title for it.
Then, use the glue stick and stick the
picture and the title on the large,
white paper sheet and describe the
picture to your friends.
I’ve written for you some structures on
the IWB. Use them.”

Whole class Teacher “Let’s read together the text • Worksheet 9

on this worksheet. (page 60): People of
Each of you will read and translate a ancient Egypt
sentence.” • Blackboard
T “Now, look at the questions.
Question 1: Why do we know lots of
things about the ancient Egyptians’ life?
Who of you wants to answer? Go
back to the text: what are the key
words that help us answer?
...Many evidences, yes, correct!
So, let’s write a complete answer.
Answer 1: We know lots of things
about ancient Egyptians because they
left us many evidences.”
(Possible answers:
• Answer 2 They grew many different
foods: wheat, barley, vegetables
and fruit.
• Answer 3 They were used for their
meat, milk, hides, and also to help
with the farming.
segue
51
History 4

Teaching procedure/
Learning objectives Timing
Activities

30 min step 3 “The Nile stepping stones

game”
Si tratta di un gioco adatto a essere
praticato individualmente, a coppie o
piccolo gruppo.
Modalità di gioco
Organizziamo la classe in gruppi di tre
bambini e consegniamo a ciascun gruppo
una copia di pagina 61 e un foglio bianco.
Assegniamo a ogni membro un compito:
scrivano, lettore o disegnatore. I ruoli
possono essere intercambiabili.
Sul foglio del gioco è illustrato un fiume:
possiamo immaginare sia il Nilo. Nelle
sue acque ci sono delle pietre, ognuna
delle quali contiene una parola con cui i
bambini dovranno cercare di comporre
una frase. Ogni pietra può essere utilizzata
una sola volta e saranno gli alunni a
dover aggiungere le parti del discorso che
mancano (articoli, aggettivi, verbi...) per
formare frasi di senso compiuto.
Specifichiamo ai bambini che dovranno
utilizzare il maggior numero di parole per
comporre il maggior numero di frasi
inerenti agli argomenti trattati.
Vince il gruppo che scrive il maggior
numero di frasi corrette nel tempo dato.

30 min step 4 “Oh mighty River Nile”

Organizziamo la classe in quattro gruppi
di bambini. Consegniamo a ciascun
gruppo un foglio in formato A3 e il
Worksheet 10, che propone un inno
dedicato al fiume Nilo e la relativa
traduzione in italiano.

52
 LESSON 3

Language identification Teaching aids and

Interaction
(Lexis and structures) learning materials used

• Answer 4 They used nets and

harpoons.
• Answer 5 No, they didn’t have
money; goods and services were
exchanged by barter.)

Small groups Teacher “Now, dear children, you’re • Activity 5 (page 61):
going to play a game. Look at this The Nile stepping
sheet... Do you see the Nile River?” stones game
Children “Yes!” • A4 white paper sheets
T “What’s in the river?” and drawing materials
C “Stones!”
T “Yes, there are many stones and
each stone has a word written on it.
You are divided in small groups and
each member has got a role.
I tell you what to do: the reader reads the
words, all of you try to create sentences
with the stones (you can use a stone only
once, but you can add articles, adjectives,
verbs if you need them), the drawer
colours the stones that you have already
used, the writer writes the sentences.
The winner will be the group with the
most correct number of sentences.
Ready, steady, go!”
(Possible solutions: The Nile floods in
Egypt. / Silt is a fertile soil. / Papyruses
are plants. / Ancient Egyptians were
farmers, fishermen, and hunters. /
Ancient Egyptians lived in Egypt. / The
floods of the Nile gave life to Egypt. /
The Nile delta is a fertile soil. / Farmers
grew plants. / Fishermen caught fish
with harpoons and nets. / The floods
left silt in the delta. / Hunters used
boomerangs to catch animals. / Ancient
Egyptians left many evidences.)

Group work Teacher “This poem is dedicated to • A3 white paper sheets

the Nile River. and drawing material
Let’s read it and translate these verses. • Worksheet 10
After that, in groups, decide which (pages 62 and 63):
verse you want to draw from the Oh mighty River Nile
assigned stanza.” with the translation of
the poem
segue
53
History 4

Teaching procedure/
Learning objectives Timing
Activities

Leggiamo insieme l’inno e la traduzione,

poi assegniamo a ogni gruppo una strofa
da illustrare. Sarà compito dei bambini
coordinarsi per stabilire le modalità di
lavoro.

15 min Conclusion
Forniamo a ciascun alunno una copia del
Worksheet 11, dove sono proposti esercizi
di verifica del lessico sotto forma di giochi
linguistici.

30 min Self-Assessment
Consegniamo ai bambini una copia del
Self-Assessment 2 presente a pagina
65. Leggiamo insieme le richieste, poi
lasciamo che completino la scheda di
autovalutazione individualmente.
Ritiriamo il foglio, che ci servirà per
prendere nota delle loro opinioni.

30 min Summative assessment

Giunti a conclusione della Unit di Storia,
proponiamo agli alunni una verifica
finale che affronta i contenuti dell’intero
modulo.
Consegniamo quindi una fotocopia del
Test 1 e spieghiamo brevemente le
tipologie degli esercizi.

54
 LESSON 3

Language identification Teaching aids and

Interaction
(Lexis and structures) learning materials used

Individual work Teacher “Have a copy of the • Worksheet 11

Worksheet 11. It’s time to test what (page 64): Words...
you have learnt about the life in along the Nile
ancient Egypt.”

Individual work Teacher “Have a copy of the • Self-Assessment 2

self-assessment. Let’s read together (page 65): The Nile’s
what we did during this lesson. Then Gift module
answer the questions and colour the
emoticon that represents your opinion
about the entire module.”

Individual work Teacher “Here there are some • Test 1 (pages 66

exercises to test what you’ve learnt and 67): Now... it’s
about ancient Egypt.” your turn!

55
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Worksheet 8

Just Like an Egyptian

1 Read the lyrics of the song.

They say that Nile gave us Egypt,

Try planting crops on the beach,
The yearly flood left the silt,
So we planted in the silt and the farms got built.
Around the Nile, we got together... to feel all right!
Growing fruits, wheat and barley... we were just fine!
Writing on papyrus in hieroglyphics...
r Walk just like an Egyptian... We built the pyramids!
Walk just like an Egyptian... We built the Sphinx!
Walk just like an Egyptian... And then we wrote it down in hieroglyphics. (2 times)
adatt. da [Link]

History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Worksheet 8

Just Like an Egyptian

1 Read the lyrics of the song.

They say that Nile gave us Egypt,

Try planting crops on the beach,
The yearly flood left the silt,
So we planted in the silt and the farms got built.
Around the Nile, we got together... to feel all right!
Growing fruits, wheat and barley... we were just fine!
Writing on papyrus in hieroglyphics...
r Walk just like an Egyptian... We built the pyramids!
Walk just like an Egyptian... We built the Sphinx!
Walk just like an Egyptian... And then we wrote it down in hieroglyphics. (2 times)
adatt. da [Link]

56
 History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Activity 4
The Nile’s Gift

Speaking about pictures

picture 1 picture 2

picture 3

picture 4

picture 5 picture 6

57
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Activity 4

picture 7 picture 8

picture 9 picture 10

picture 11 picture 12

58
 History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Activity 4
The Nile’s Gift

Fishing Harvesting Crops

Hunting Playing Instruments

Ploughing Woodworking

Livestock Breeding Irrigating

Slaves at Work Ducks Breeding

Navigation Picking Grapes

Pagina da fotocopiare con l’ingrandimento desiderato

solutions
Speaking about pictures
• picture 1 Ploughing
(Aratura)
• picture 7 Slaves at Work
(Schiavi a lavoro)
• picture 2 Playing Instruments
(Suonatori)
• picture 8 Irrigating
(Irrigazione)
• picture 3 Livestock Breeding
(Allevamento di bestiame)
• picture 9 Harvesting Crops
(Mietitura)
• picture
(Caccia)
4 Hunting • picture 10 Picking Grapes
(Raccolta dell’uva)
• picture 5 Woodworking
(Lavorazione del legno)
• picture 11 Navigation
(Navigazione)
• picture 6 Ducks Breeding
(Allevamento di oche)
• picture 12 Fishing
(Pesca)

59
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Worksheet 9

People of ancient Egypt

1 Read carefully the text and then answer the questions.

Ancient Egyptians left us many historical evidences

of their life and their activities like paintings on walls,
drawings on papyruses, and hieroglyphics. This is
why we know a lot of things about them.
Most Egyptians were farmers. They lived in towns
along the Nile River. Their homes were made of mud bricks. They ploughed and
seeded along the river. They grew many different foods: crops of wheat to
make bread, and barley to prepare beer, green vegetables and fruit.
Egyptians also grew flax plants to have linen for clothing and papyrus plants
to prepare a sort of paper, but also to make sandals, boats, baskets, and mats.
Other people were breeders: they looked after cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and
ducks; these animals were raised for their meat, milk, and hides and to help
with farming.
Some Egyptians were fishermen: they caught fish with nets and harpoons.
Others were hunters: they caught birds with boomerangs, but used spears to
hunt hippopotamuses and crocodiles.
There were also carpenters who worked palm wood and miners to find gold
and other minerals underground.
Some other Egyptians were sailors: they used boats to trade goods between
the towns along the river. They had no money, so they exchanged goods and
services by barter.

• Why do we know lots of things about the ancient Egyptians’ life? . .............................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................

• What did farmers grow along the Nile? ................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................................

• What was the use of domestic animals? ............................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................................

• What equipment did fishermen use to catch fish? .....................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................................

• Did Egyptians have and use money? .....................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................................................................................

Name ............................................................................................................................... Date ............................................

60
 The Nile stepping stones game Activity 5

caught
ancient Egyptians left fish

hunters farmers delta nets silt

Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities

plants Nile
floods harpoons

evidences life
fishermen grew

animals fertile
used Egypt
The Nile’s Gift
History 4

61
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Worksheet 10

Oh mighty River Nile

1 Read the poem.

Oh mighty River Nile,

Oh mighty River Nile,
Springing from the mountains to the south of Egypt,
Flowing among the thirsty crops to the delta,
Merging with the Great Green Sea to the north of Egypt,
Oh mighty River Nile.

Oh precious River Nile,

Flooding your banks each year in July,
Bringing rich black mud to cover our fields,
Feeding our crops so they thrive and the people have plenty,
Oh precious River Nile.

Oh beautiful River Nile,

Guiding our boats with your steady currents,
Shielding exotic birds in nests along your banks;
Looking down, the sun god, Aton, is jealous of your beauty,
Oh beautiful River Nile.

Oh sacred River Nile,

Lying along your banks is Egypt in her splendour,
Life-giving water sustains beast and man,
All life in Egypt depends now on you,
Oh sacred River Nile.
adatt. da [Link]

62
 History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Worksheet 10
The Nile’s Gift

O possente fiume Nilo

1 Read the translation of the poem.

O possente fiume Nilo,

O possente fiume Nilo,
Che scaturisci dalle montagne a sud dell’Egitto,
Che scorri tra le colture assetate fino al delta,
Che ti unisci al Grande Mare Verde a nord dell’Egitto,
O possente fiume Nilo.

O prezioso fiume Nilo,

Che inondi le tue rive ogni anno nel mese di luglio,
Che porti ricco fango nero per coprire i nostri campi,
Che nutri i nostri raccolti così che crescano e il popolo abbia di che vivere,
O prezioso fiume Nilo.

O bellissimo fiume Nilo,

Che guidi le nostre barche con le correnti costanti,
Che ospiti uccelli esotici nei nidi lungo le tue rive;
Guardando in basso, il dio del sole, Aton, è geloso della tua bellezza,
O bellissimo fiume Nilo.

O sacro fiume Nilo,

L’Egitto nel suo splendore giace lungo le tue sponde,
L’acqua che dà la vita sostiene le bestie e l’uomo,
Tutta la vita in Egitto dipende da te,
O sacro fiume Nilo.
traduzione di L.M. Fossati

63
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Worksheet 11

Words... along the Nile

1 Unscramble the words below to reveal “ancient Egyptian” words.

• Sniphx ..............................................................................

• derset ..............................................................................

• pyrmiad ..............................................................................

• hoierlphgiycs ..............................................................................

• detla ..............................................................................

• Epgyt ..............................................................................

• famerrs ..............................................................................

2 Read the clues and complete the crossword.

1
ACROSS
2 The linen plant
2
3 The king in ancient Egypt
4 An irrigation device
8 The longest river in Africa
3
5 6 DOWN
4 1 A riverbank plant
7 5 The skin of an animal
6 A very large amount of
water that covers an area
8
7 A sediment material very
rich in nutrients

Name ............................................................................................................................... Date ............................................

64
 History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Self-Assessment 2
The Nile’s Gift

The Nile’s Gift module

Self-Assessment
1 Answer the question putting an 7 in the boxes.
• What did we do in Lesson 3?
We sang “Just Like an Egyptian”.
We looked at and described ancient pictures.
We read the text “People of ancient Egypt”.
We played “The Nile stepping stones game”.
We completed a crossword.
We illustrated the poem “Oh mighty River Nile”.

2 Answer the following questions about the entire History module

“The Nile’s Gift”.
• What did I like the most? . ..............................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................
• What did I like the least? .................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................
• Did I like working in group? Why? ..........................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................................................................................

3 Now give your opinion about the module. Colour the appropriate face.

I liked the module I found the I didn’t like

very much. module difficult. the module.

Name .......................................................................................................................... Date ..................................

65
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Test 1

Now... it’s your turn!

1 Answer the questions putting an 7 in the correct box.
• Where is Egypt?
In Europe In Asia In Africa
• What body of water borders Egypt to the east and south?
The Blue Sea The Red Sea
The Green Sea
• Where did the Egyptian civilisation flourished?
Along the Po riverbanks
Along the Nile riverbanks
Along the Tigris riverbanks
• How many rivers make up the Nile?
Two, the Blue Nile and the White Nile
None
Three, the Blue Nile, the Red Nile and the White Nile
• How many farming seasons were there in ancient Egypt?
Four Two Three
........ /5

2 Is it true (T) or false (F)? Put an 7 in the correct box.

• The Nile is a very short river. T F

• The Nile River starts near the Equator. T F

• A large quantity of rocks makes the soil more fertile. T F

• The Nile River crosses the Sahara desert. T F

• Agriculture was practiced in the Sahara, far from the Nile. T F

• The Nile River has got a large delta. T F

• Ancient Egyptians left us many evidences of their civilisation. T F

........ /7

Name ............................................................................................................................... Date ............................................

66
 History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Test 1
The Nile’s Gift

3 Read carefully the text and fill in the gaps. Use the words in the Word Bank.

Word Bank
planted friend sandals fish boomerangs
riverbanks flax milk linen mud

The Nile River was the ancient Egyptians’ best _ _ _ _ _ _ . Every year, the
river flooded, leaving silt, a fertile _ _ _, along the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
After the water receded, the farmers _ _ _ _ _ _ _ new crops, such as
wheat and barley. Fishermen could catch many _ _ _ _ and hunters could
catch animals with _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
Breeders raised animals for their meat, _ _ _ _ and hides.
Two important plants grew along the riverbanks: papyrus and _ _ _ _ .
Papyrus was used to make _ _ _ _ _ _ _, boats, baskets, and paper.
Flax plant was made into _ _ _ _ _ clothes.
........ /10

4 Draw a line from the words on the left to their descriptions on the right.

Nile the three farming seasons in Egypt

shadoof a tool to measure the floods of the Nile

flood the longest river in the world

Peret, Shemu, Akhet water overflowing

nilometre an irrigation system

........ /5

5 Read and circle the odd one out in each row.

• Nile River – Mediterranean Sea – Sahara desert – Alps
• Sphinx – Colosseum – Pyramids
• Christmas tree – flax plant – papyrus plant – water lily
........ /3

Name ............................................................................................................................... Date ............................................

67
History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
The Nile’s Gift Test 1 solutions

Now... it’s your turn!

1 Answer the questions putting an 7 in the correct box.
• Where is Egypt?
In Europe In Asia In Africa
• What body of water borders Egypt to the east and south?
The Blue Sea The Red Sea
The Green Sea
• Where did the Egyptian civilisation flourished?
Along the Po riverbanks
Along the Nile riverbanks
Along the Tigris riverbanks
• How many rivers make up the Nile?
Two, the Blue Nile and the White Nile
None
Three, the Blue Nile, the Red Nile and the White Nile
• How many farming seasons were there in ancient Egypt?
Four Two Three
........ /5

2 Is it true (T) or false (F)? Put an 7 in the correct box.

• The Nile is a very short river. T F

• The Nile River starts near the Equator. T F

• A large quantity of rocks makes the soil more fertile. T F

• The Nile River crosses the Sahara desert. T F

• Agriculture was practiced in the Sahara, far from the Nile. T F

• The Nile River has got a large delta. T F

• Ancient Egyptians left us many evidences of their civilisation. T F

........ /7

Name ............................................................................................................................... Date ............................................

68
 History 4
Lesson 3 Ancient Egyptians’ Activities
Test 1 solutions
The Nile’s Gift

3 Read carefully the text and fill in the gaps. Use the words in the Word Bank.

Word Bank
planted friend sandals fish boomerangs
riverbanks flax milk linen mud

The Nile River was the ancient Egyptians’ best _ f _r _i _

e _n _d . Every year, the
river flooded, leaving silt, a fertile _
m_ u _,
d along the _r _i _v _e _r _b_a_ n_k_ s.
After the water receded, the farmers _ p_l _a _
n _t _
e _d new crops, such as
wheat and barley. Fishermen could catch many _ f _i _s_h and hunters could
catch animals with _ b_ o_ o_ m_ e_ r _
a_ n _
g_ s.
Breeders raised animals for their meat, _ m _i _l _
k and hides.
Two important plants grew along the riverbanks: papyrus and _f _l _ a_ x.
Papyrus was used to make _ s _a_ n_d_ a _l _,
s boats, baskets, and paper.
Flax plant was made into _l _ i _ n_e _
n clothes.
........ /10

4 Draw a line from the words on the left to their descriptions on the right.

Nile the three farming seasons in Egypt

shadoof a tool to measure the floods of the Nile

flood the longest river in the world

Peret, Shemu, Akhet water overflowing

nilometre an irrigation system

........ /5

5 Read and circle the odd one out in each row.

• Nile River – Mediterranean Sea – Sahara desert – Alps
• Sphinx – Colosseum – Pyramids
• Christmas tree – flax plant – papyrus plant – water lily
........ /3

Name ............................................................................................................................... Date ............................................

69