Art in the Indus Valley Civilisation
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what archaeologists have learnt from studying some of the art of the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Key learning points
- The people of the Indus Valley civilisation produced lots of highly decorated objects and art.
- The seals that they produced had beautiful pictures of different animals including oxen and even imaginary animals!
- These seals often had holes on the back of them and archaeologists think this could have been to hang them on a string.
- These people made beautiful jewellery out of carnelian, gold and other precious materials.
- Some of this jewellery has been found in Mesopotamia, showing that the Indus people must have traded there.
Keywords
Art - art is the creation of things to be beautiful, using lots of skill
Skill - being able to do something very well from training or practice is called skill
Precious - when something is of great worth or value it is said to be precious
Carnelian - carnelian is a brownish-red mineral that is often used to make jewellery
Common misconception
Art from the Indus Valley civilisation has only been found in the Indus Valley.
Art from the Indus Valley civilisation has been found in places like Mesopotamia, showing us that the Indus Valley people probably travelled there and traded with the Ancient Mesopotamians.
Teacher tip
Pupils could use beads similar to carnelian, gold and other precious stones to make their own jewellery similar to the Indus Valley examples.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When did the people of the Indus Valley start farming?
Q2.Someone who buys and sells things is called a...
Q3.The streets in the cities were wide enough for two to pass each other.
Q4.What did the people of the Indus Valley build to get fresh water into their cities?
Q5.What did the people of the Indus Valley build to take away dirty water?
Q6.Select the two materials that the Indus Valley people used to make clay bricks.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which items did the people of the Indus Valley decorate?
Q2.Some of the animals carved onto clay seals were imaginary.
Q3.Being able to do something very well from training or practice is called...
Q4.Select all the items made from gold that have been found in the Indus Valley.
Q5.Carnelian beads from the Indus Valley were found near…
Q6.The Indus Valley people made jewellery from precious metals and precious…
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Art in the Indus Valley Civilisation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 history lesson on: Art in the Indus Valley Civilisation, 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 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.