Upper Key Stage 2 Earliest Civilisations: Indus Valley

Cities

Learn about the most significant sites of the Indus Valley civilisation and mark them onto a map; find out about the archaeologists who did initial work on the sites of these discoveries that led to the realisation that this ancient civilisation had existed.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To understand that it is only relatively recently that historians and archaeologists have been aware of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation.
• To use maps to locate the key cities of the Indus Valley civilisation.

Children will:

• Name the most significant sites of the Indus Valley civilisation.
• Research information about the archaeologists who did initial work on the sites.
• Show awareness of the significance of the discoveries that led to the realisation that this ancient civilisation had existed and the archaeologists who discovered them.

• Images of ruins
• Maps

• Blank maps from Block A, session 2 (optional)
• Access to internet
• Information books about the Indus Valley civilisation
• Black wool

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Discover how the people of the Indus Valley were good mathematicians; construct a typical Indus Valley brick shape from a card net; learn about the use of rulers for measuring during the Indus Valley civilisation period.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To understand that the Indus Valley people were good mathematicians.
• To make a cuboid brick in the ratio that the Indus Valley people used and understand that the Indus Valley people used rulers for accurate measurements.

• Mud Brick table
• Examples of city grid system
• Plans of cities
• Ruler and dice images
• Brick image

• Thin card (white and brown)
• Brown paint and brushes if necessary
• Rulers
• Scissors

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Learn about the features of a typical Indus Valley house and other buildings that have been excavated; build your own model Indus Valley house.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To describe a typical house of the Indus Valley people.
• To make a model Indus Valley house.

Children will:

• Describe the features of a typical Indus Valley house.
• Describe other buildings that have been excavated.
• Build a model Indus Valley house.

• Indus Valley house images
• House plans

• Card, cereal boxes, etc.
• Scissors
• Glue
• Air-dried clay
• Brown paints and brushes

A sketched plan of an Indus Valley house from harappa.com
Click on Home Life and then Professor Indus game at the bottom of the page from bbc.co.uk

Learn how cleanliness was important to the Indus Valley people and how they created a complex sanitation system; construct drains, reservoirs and wells for the class model Indus Valley city.

Teaching Outcomes:

• To describe the complex sanitation system of the Indus Valley people.
• To add signs of the sanitation system to their model Indus Valley houses and combine the houses to create an Indus Valley city.

Children will:

• Explain that cleanliness was important to the Indus Valley people.
• Describe the complex sanitation system of the Indus Valley people.
• Construct drains, reservoirs and wells for a model Indus Valley city.

• Sanitation images

• Card
• kitchen towel inner cardboard tubes or similar
• cereal boxes
• Scissors
• Glue
• Air-dried clay
• Paints and brushes

Click on Home Life and then Professor Indus game at the bottom of the page from bbc.co.uk