Upper Key Stage 2 Earliest Civilisations: Indus Valley
Everyday Life

What was it like to be an ordinary person living in the Indus Valley 2,000 BCE? Learn about daily life, fashion, clothing, hairstyles, food, toys and more! Make your own board game using Indus Valley game pieces.

Session 1 Cooking

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry.

Art

  • Create sketch books to record their observations.
  • Improve their mastery of art and design techniques.

Lesson Planning

Learn about the foods that were eaten by the Indus Valley people; explore the types of evidence found that show the diet of the Indus Valley people; eat some of the foods you learnabout.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To list the foods that the Indus Valley people ate and understand how archaeologists discovered which foods were eaten.
  • To create a design for an Indus Valley pot and make an observational drawing of a cereal crop that was eaten by the Indus Valley people.

Children will:

  • Describe the foods that were eaten by the Indus Valley people and appreciate that they ate well and were healthy.
  • Understand the types of evidence found that show the diet of the Indus Valley people.
  • Improve their mastery of art and design techniques.

You Will Need

  • Drawing paper
  • Pastels
  • Sketching pencils
  • Samples of wheat, barley and/or millet if possible
  • Samples of foods that chn may not have tasted previously, e.g. figs, dates, apricots, lentils, chickpeas (some may need cooking first!)

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 2 Clothing and hairstyles

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand historical concepts such as similarity and difference.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry.

Art

  • Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including sculpture.

Lesson Planning

Find out about the clothing and hairstyles of the Indus Valley people; create a clay or Plasticine figure in the style of the Indus Valley terracotta figurines.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand how historians know about the clothing and hairstyles of the Indus valley people and describe the clothing worn by Indus Valley people and the way in which they arranged their hair.
  • To create at least two clay or Plasticine figures in the style of the Indus Valley terracotta figurines.

Children will:

  • Describe the clothing and hairstyles of the Indus Valley people.
  • Create a clay or Plasticine figure in the style of the Indus Valley terracotta figurines
  • Understand the evidence that historians have used to describe the clothing worn by and the hairstyles of the Indus Valley people

You Will Need

  • Air-dried clay or Plasticine
  • Sticks, pebbles, etc
  • Clay tools if available

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 3 Toys

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand historical concepts such as similarity, difference and significance.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry.

Design and Technology

  • Generate and communicate their ideas through discussion and annotated sketches.
  • Select from and use a range of tools and equipment.
  • Select from and use a wider range of materials and components.
  • Understand and use mechanical systems in their products, e.g. levers and linkages.

Lesson Planning

Describe some of the artefacts that were probably used as toys during the Indus valley civilisation; make an animal toy with a moving head.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To describe and appreciate the Indus Valley artefacts that have been found which are probably toys.
  • Make an animal with a moving head. Give and receive positive but critical feedback.

Children will:

  • Describe some of the artefacts that were probably used as toys during the Indus valley civilisation.
  • Understand that many of the toys found in the Indus Valley are similar to those played with today.
  • Make an animal with a moving head.
  • Give positive, but critical feedback to their peers .

Provided Resources

  • Indus Valley artefacts that were probably used as toys

You Will Need

  • Ocarinas
  • Air-dried clay
  • Dowelling
  • Object to make holes in clay, e.g. pencil, awl, matchstick
  • Thick thread or string
  • Thin card
  • Split pin brass fasteners
  • Hole punch
  • Scissors

Weblinks

There are no weblinks needed for this session.

Session 4 Board game

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand historical concepts such as similarity, difference and significance.

Design and Technology

  • Investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
  • Select from and use a wider range of materials.
  • Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks.

English

  • Identify the audience for and purpose of the writing, using other similar writing as models for their own.
  • Select appropriate vocabulary and grammar.
  • Use further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader.

Lesson Planning

Investigate the board games that have been discovered in Indus Valley excavations; make up a game based on the board and pieces found.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand that the Indus Valley people played board games, but that historians do not know how the games were played.
  • To create a board game based on the Indus Valley artefacts.
  • To write rules for the board game.

Children will:

  • Describe the board games that have been discovered in Indus Valley excavations.
  • Understand that no-one knows how the games were played.
  • Make up a game based on the board and pieces found.
  • Write clear rules for playing the game.

You Will Need

  • Modern chess set
  • Card for playing boards
  • Rulers and pencils
  • Air-dried clay or Plasticine
  • Clay tools if available
  • Examples of board game rules (optional)