1. After the lesson- foldable
Before the lesson- Primary source reading and video segment/ The Nile-where Egypt began. (28 
min.)
Ancient_Egypt__The_Gift_of_the_Nile_(3000_30_B.C).asf
During the lesson- Active notetaking and discussion of section one material.
After the lesson- foldable

2. Learning Target- Today we will learn about the geography and people of Ancient Egypt.
Before the lesson- Read silently the primary source on page 41- The Hymn to the Nile. How does this hymn 
show that the ancient Egyptians thought of the Nile as a 
god?

3. Active Notetaking and Discussion
I. Settling the Nile (pages 39–40)
A. The earliest Egyptians moved into the Nile River valley from less
fertile areas. They farmed and built villages along the riverbanks.
B. The Nile River is the longest river in the world, about 4,000
miles long.
C. Egyptians used the Nile River for many things. They used river water
to drink, clean, farm, and cook. They ate fish from the river.
D. The Nile Valley is a narrow, green valley in Egypt. The northern end
of the valley is a fertile area of land called a delta.
E. The Sahara, the largest desert in the world, lies west of the
Nile Valley. The Eastern Desert lies to the east of the valley.
F. Egypt has several natural borders to protect it. The deserts, the
dangerous rapids of the Nile, and marshes in the delta kept enemies
from entering Egypt.
G. The Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east
allowed trade with other peoples. Within Egypt, people traveled on
the Nile to trade with each other.

4. Unit One Resources.pdf II. The River People (pages 41–42)
A. Floods along the Nile were predictable and were not devastating.
Each spring the Nile would flood and leave a dark, fertile mud along
its banks.
B. Farmers learned about the waters of the Nile. They used the soil left
behind by the floods to grow wheat, barley, and flax seeds.
C. Farmers learned about irrigation. They dug basins to trap
floodwaters, dug canals to channel water to the fields, and built
dikes to strengthen the basin walls.
D. Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along the Nile, was used to make
baskets, sandals, and river rafts. Later, it was used to make paper.
E. The Egyptian system of writing was called hieroglyphics. This
system consisted of thousands of picture symbols.
F. Some Egyptian men learned to read and write. They attended schools
to learn to be scribes.
Unit One Resources.pdf
Page 41 hieroglyphics

5. Phraoah_Menes_Unites_Egypt.asf III. A United Egypt (pages 43–44)
A. Because the people in Egypt had surplus food, some people became
artisans instead of farmers. Artisans wove cloth, made pottery, 
carved
statues, and crafted weapons and tools.
B. Egyptians traded with each other and with others in Mesopotamia.
C. A few strong chiefs united groups of villages into kingdoms.
Eventually, the strongest kingdoms overpowered the weaker
ones. In this way, two large kingdoms emerged—Lower Egypt
and Upper Egypt.
D. Narmer united the two kingdoms. He ruled from the city of
Memphis, and his kingdom lasted long after his death. Narmer’s
descendants passed the ruling power on from father to son to
grandson, forming a dynasty.
E. Ancient Egypt was ruled by 31 dynasties that historians have
grouped into three time periods—Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom,
and New Kingdom.
Phraoah_Menes_Unites_Egypt.asf
There is conflicting historical evidence over who united
Upper and Lower Egypt. Some evidence points to a king
called Scorpion. More solid evidence points to a king
named Narmer.
The Scorpion King
In 1999 Egyptologists discovered a
series of carvings on a piece of rock
about 18 by 20 inches. The tableau
scene has symbols that may refer to
a king named Scorpion.
The rock shows a figure carrying a
staff. Near the head of the figure is a
scorpion. Another artifact, a
macehead, also shows a king with
the scorpion symbol. Both artifacts
suggest that Egyptian history may go
back to around 3250 B.C. Some
scholars believe the Scorpion is the
earliest king to begin unification of
Egypt, represented by the double 
crown.
The king of Lower Egypt wore a red crown, and the king
of Upper Egypt wore a tall white crown shaped like a bowling
pin.
Narmer created a double crown from the red and white
crowns. It symbolized a united kingdom.

6. IV. Early Egyptian Life (pages 45–46)
A. Ancient Egypt had social classes. The pharaoh was the highest
power. The upper class consisted of nobles, priests, and 
government
officials. The middle class included merchants, artisans, 
shopkeepers,
and scribes. Farmers were the largest group of people and were 
in a
lower class than the middle class. Unskilled workers were the 
lowest
class of people in ancient Egypt.
B. Although men were the heads of households, women had more
rights in Egypt than in other ancient civilizations. They could own
and pass on property, buy and sell goods, make wills, and obtain
divorces.
C. Few children went to school in ancient Egypt. Children had time to
play games and had toys.
D. Egyptian girls learned to sew, cook, and run a household. Boys
learned farming or a skilled trade.

7. After the lesson- Unit One Resources.pdf
Pages 61 and 64 section 1 vocabulary
and guided reading
Unit One Resources.pdf
* Create a 4 tab foldable to organize your notes, thoughts, ideas, and visuals for section 
one material. Tab one should state- Settling the Nile. Tab two should state- The River 
People. Tab 3 should state- A United Egypt. Tab 4 should state- Early Egyptian Life.
Include main ideas, voc., people, places, ideas and thoughts, questions, visuals throughout the foldable.
** Focus on neatness, spelling, art work.
*** Check for any inaccuracies throughout the foldable
**** Write your first and last name on the front

8. Attachments
Ancient_Egypt__The_Gift_of_the_Nile_(3000_30_B.C).asf
Unit One Resources.pdf
Phraoah_Menes_Unites_Egypt.asf