Comparing the earliest civilisations
I can compare early civilisations to explain how similar they were.
Comparing the earliest civilisations
I can compare early civilisations to explain how similar they were.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- All of these early civilisations left a nomadic lifestyle because they found ways of farming fertile ground near rivers.
- All of them built permanent places to live like cities, along with other buildings for the purpose of religion.
- All of these early civilisations traded with people from far away and developed their own forms of writing.
- All of these early civilisations made bronze and used this metal for tools, weapons and artwork.
- Despite all these similarities, all of these early civilisations had different styles of writing, building and art.
Keywords
Permanent - something that is permanent stays the same
Style - the special way something is made or designed to look is its style
Common misconception
Nomadic lifestyles no longer exist.
Discuss the fact that many people in different parts of the world still live a nomadic lifestyle, some through choice and others as part of a continuing and ancient tradition.
To help you plan your year 3 history lesson on: Comparing the earliest civilisations, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 3 history lesson on: Comparing the earliest civilisations, 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 secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Starter quiz
6 Questions
Writing invented in Sumer
Writing invented in Ancient Egypt