St Winifred’s School History Curriculum
History Scheme of Work
Subject: History
Year: Two
Timescale: Autumn and Easter terms
(taught on alternate weeks)
Unit of study: Ancient Egypt
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Knowledge
Pupils should know:
Egypt is in Africa and it’s capital is Cairo.
The River Nile runs through Egypt and it is the longest river in the world.
The pyramids were built as tombs for Egyptian kings and queens. They were square based.
Hieroglyphs were a collection of symbols that were used for communication.
The Egyptians used to trade by means of barter, which means swapping one item/s for another.
A general overview of the processes of mummification.
The Egyptians believed in an ‘afterlife’ – life continuing after death.
Tutunkhumun was a boy king and Cleopatra and Nefertiti were queens.
Skills
Concepts
Pupils should be able to:
Pupils should understand:
Place Egypt on a map of the world.
Ancient Egypt existed an extremely long time ago and the
Decode simple hieroglyphs from a key.
country was incredibly advanced for its time.
Sequence the processes involved in mummification.
There was no electricity, gas or mechanisation in Ancient
Explain the purpose of the pyramids and their contents.
Egypt and people relied on the river, animals and
Research information from books and the internet.
themselves for transportation.
Describe a variety of Egyptian housing (exterior and interior).
Food was different in Ancient Egypt due to reliance on the
Understand differing points of view.
natural surroundings.
Describe what the Egyptians would have worn.
Life in Egypt depended on farming, which was based
Compare elements from daily life in Egypt to their
around the flooding of the Nile.
comparatives from the prehistoric period.
The need for bartering in order to survive in Ancient Egypt.
Suggested Activities and Cross-Curricular Links

Timeline. Make timeline around the classroom to display the vast gap between Ancient Egypt and today.

Map work. Completion of map by colouring seas, river Nile and desert areas as well as main towns and the
capital.

Hieroglyphs. Decoding of simple 6 letter words. Pupils devise their own hieroglyphic alphabet and write
names / messages in code to be decoded by class mates.

Mummification. Sequencing of mummification. Making mummies from clay and wrapping in bandaging strips.
Place mummies in casket made from the net of a hexagonal prism (link to maths shape work / D.T.).

Pharoahs. Tell stories of Tutankhamen and Cleopatra (link to English work). Show that monarch-like
pharaohs ruled Egypt. Drama: friezes displaying elements from the lives of the pharaohs.

Pyramids. Discuss and investigate what they were for and how they were made. Make using square-based
pyramid net (link to maths shape work).

Houses. Research a variety of houses from simple to extravagant. Design their own Egyptian home (from
structured sheet).

Transport. What transport do we have that Egyptians did not? What transport did Egyptians have?
Importance of the Nile and reed boats. Make reed boats using art straws and sellotape.

Food. Research into sorts of foods the Egyptians ate. Make ‘honey-covered figs’ to try.

Farming. Show how Egyptian farming was closely tied to the flooding of the Nile. Sequence stages in the
farming calendar to create a ‘farming wheel’.

Clothing. Show examples of clothes and discuss poor clothing / rich clothing. Focus on jewellery. Children
research amulets and design their own along with neckwear and head-dresses. (Link to Art)

Bartering. Divide class into pairs. Each pair ‘owns’ an item required for sandwich e.g. bread, butter, knife etc.
The pair of children take it in turns to barter with their goods until each child has all necessary items needed
to make his sandwich. “Why was bartering / trading essential in Ancient Egypt?” follow up.

Aswan Dam. Pupils use clay and pebbles to construct a dam in a deep tray. Water is then poured onto one
side of the dam. (Link to science: fair testing and D.T.)

Compare life of people in Ancient Egypt to that of humans in prehistoric times (shelter, food, clothing and
lifestyle). Chart differences, as well as similarities. Possible display showing a character from each time,
children label differences and similarities.

Use of a variety of Egyptian stories in English. Use mythological stories, stories about specific characters
from Ancient Egypt and about modern day ‘detectives’ researching Ancient Egypt (e.g. Howard Carter).
Suggested Extension Activities

Map work. Add detail to map of Egypt: eg symbols to represent the Sphinx, pyramids & Aswan Dam (link
geography).

Mummification. Designing lid for mummies’ casket and a death mask for their mummy (link to art).

Pyramids. Make Egyptian scene by sticking different sized pyramids onto sandpaper. Add other items to
complete.

Pyramids – discuss variety of opinions as to how the pyramids were constructed (one large mile long ramp,
October 2009
Matthew
Vernon
spiral
external
ramp, recent theory of an internal ramp). Which method do the children consider to be the
most likely?

Houses. List similarities and differences between Egyptian house designed and modern day houses.

Howard Carter. Look into how the burial chamber for Tutunkhumun was uncovered by the archaeologist
St Winifred’s School History Curriculum
Resources
BBC Video series.
Various art materials.
Timeline for classroom.
Variety of non-ficton books related to topic, e.g.:
The Ancient Egyptians: Shutter, Jane
Pharaohs and Pyramids: Allan, Tony
Egyptian Life: Guy, John
I wonder why (series) Pyramids were built? Steele,
Philip
Variety of story books relating to Ancient Egypt,
e.g. Stories from Ancient Egypt: Egyptian Myths
and Legends for Children: Joyce Tyldesley.
DeAgostini Publication including artefacts
Prim-Ed History KS2 – photocopiable w/s
I.C.T. – Websites
www.ancientegypt.co.uk
www.ancientsites.com
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid
www.clpgh.org/cmnh/exhibits/egypt/index.html
www.discovery.com/guides/ancientworlds/egypt/eg
ypt.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/10805/egypt.html
Possible trip to the British museum – focus on
mummification.
Summary of Learning Outcomes
Most pupils will gain a general perception of what life was like in Ancient Egypt and be
able to describe the elements studied with some detail.
Some pupils will have progressed further and be able to describe elements of Egyptian life
citing specific evidence to justify their descriptions and opinions. They will use independent
research to further their understanding of Egyptian life.
Some pupils will have made less progress but will be able to give general descriptions for
most of the elements of Egyptian life studied.
October 2009 Matthew Vernon