As a High School History or Economics or Agricultural Sciences teacher, you can use this set of computer-based tools to teach about the rise of agriculture and the concomitant rise of agrarian societies/civilizations. This lesson plan will show how Egyptian Civilization thrived with agriculture, the latter being important for present day Egyptian economy also and is now threatened by climate change.
This lesson plan teaches about how agricultural practices evolved across the globe and in Egypt specifically. It will show how Egyptian civilization rose around the Nile Basin and has always been dependent on agriculture for food security, livelihoods and for its economy. However, recent climate disturbances causing frequent flooding and drought in the Nile Basin has adversely affected agriculture and thus pose a threat to Egyptian society. This lesson plan includes a resource for students to understand the link between climatic factors and crop yield in Egypt and/or other parts of the world.
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
A teacher-contributed lesson plan by Dr. Moemen Hanafy, Dr. Zakaria Fawzy, Dr. Mai Allam, Dr. Magda Mohamed, and Dr. Hanaa Abdelbaky (National Research Centre); Dr. Ahmed Fawzy Elkot and Dr. Heba Essam (Agricultural Research Centre); and Dr. Alsayed Mashaheet (Damanhour University); Egypt.
Want to know more about how to contribute? Contact us.
| Grade Level | High School |
| Discipline | History, Economics, Agricultural Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Agrarian Society, Agriculture and Civilizations, Ancient Civilizations, Egyptian Civilization, Nile Basin, Agricultural Economy, Food Security |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Anthroposphere, Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | Global, Egypt |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online / Offline |
| Approximate Time Required | 45-50 mins |
| Share |
|
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Teaching Module (15 min)
Use the reading ‘What Is An Agrarian Society?’ by WorldAtlas.com to define and describe agrarian societies. Use the text to describe various aspects of agrarian societies such as how they came about, what are their main characteristics, their modes of production, their socio- economic role, and present-day agrarian communities. Discuss the challenges faced by them including the threats of failed crops due to climatic factors.
Infographic (5-10 min)
Use the infographic,, ‘Agriculture & Civilization by Khan Academy to explain the rise and establishment of a several ancient civilizations across the globe, based on agricultural practices. Discuss the particularities of these different societies such as their geographical locations, local weather conditions, and the crops grown. Use the examples in the infographic to emphasize on the importance of having fertile soils and an abundance of fresh water supply for the establishment of a successful civilization. Thus, explain that these civilizations were generally found in fertile river valleys like the Nile Basin for the Egyptians.
Reading (15 min)
Use the reading,, ‘Ancient Egyptian Agriculture’by Joshua J.Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia to discuss how ancient Egyptian civilization thrived in the Nile Basin. Use the text to explain how the Nile was instrumental in establishing the Egyptian agrarian society and was also important for trade and commerce. Explain how it became a part of Egyptian culture while several engineering innovations were developed to utilize the river’s water to the optimum for crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Use the text to describe the importance of agriculture for the rulers of Egypt for garnering wealth through barter and collection of taxes in the form of grains. Discuss how latter-day Egypt served as the ‘breadbasket’ for the Roman Empire and the subsequent Arab invasion. Finally, discuss how despite technological advances in major commercial ventures, traditional farming practices continue among the small Egyptian farmers and agriculture remains an important part of the country’s economy.
Infographic (5 min)
Use this video report provided by Democracy Now to briefly talk about the possible impact of climate change on the projected agricultural yields leading up to the year 2050 in Egypt and several other countries.
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (15 min)
Use the infographic, ‘Agriculture’ by Open Geography Education, to enable your students to explore the role of climatic factors on crop yield in present day Egypt and/or other regions of the world. Use the tab, ‘Agricultural Patterns Assignment’ to follow a step-by step guide to explore the visualization tool (ArcGIS Online Map), ‘Agricultural Patterns’ to answer questions such as ‘What factors affect crop yield?’, ‘Does crop yield always depend on rainfall?’, ‘What role does temperature play in crop yields’, and ‘How does agriculture affect population?’. Use the Online Map to visualize the effect of various climatic parameters such as annual terrestrial surface temperature and annual precipitation on crop yields in Egypt and/or any selected region. Correlate these observations with non-climatic parameters such as population density and soil fertility constraints, to highlight the significance of altered crop yield due to climatic factors for the chosen region. Finally, use the observations to enable a classroom discussion on the possible impact of climate change on the agricultural productivity of a region.
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Reading | A reading, ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ (CSA) by FAO to know about CSA practices as a climate adaptation strategy by agricultural economies such
as Egypt.
This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Teaching Module | A teaching module, ‘Agriculture & Civilization’ by Khan Academy to teach the topic in detail..
This can be accessed here . |
| 1 | Reading; ‘What Is An Agrarian Society?’ | By WorldAtlas.com |
| 2 | Infographic; ‘Agriculture & Civilization’ | By Khan Academy |
| 3 | Reading; ‘Ancient Egyptian Agriculture’ | Written by Joshua J. Mark. Published by Ancient History Encyclopedia |
| 4 | Video “Greenpeace: As Egypt Hosts COP27, Country’s Agricultural Sector Ravaged by Impact of Climate Crisis” | Report By Democracy Now |
| 5 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity; ‘Agriculture’ | By By Open Geography Education |
| 6 | Additional Resources | Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Khan Academy |
| Grade Level | High School |
| Discipline | History, Economics, Agriculture |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Agrarian Society, Agriculture and Civilizations, Ancient Civilizations, Egyptian Civilization, Nile Basin, Agricultural Economy, Food Security |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Anthroposphere, Climate and the Biosphere |
| Location | Global,Egypt |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online / Offline |
| Approximate Time Required | 45-50 mins |
| Share |
|
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Teaching Module (15 min)
Use the reading ‘What Is An Agrarian Society?’ by WorldAtlas.com to define and describe agrarian societies. Use the text to describe various aspects of agrarian societies such as how they came about, what are their main characteristics, their modes of production, their socio- economic role, and present-day agrarian communities. Discuss the challenges faced by them including the threats of failed crops due to climatic factors.
Infographic (5-10 min)
Use the infographic,, ‘Agriculture & Civilization by Khan Academy to explain the rise and establishment of a several ancient civilizations across the globe, based on agricultural practices. Discuss the particularities of these different societies such as their geographical locations, local weather conditions, and the crops grown. Use the examples in the infographic to emphasize on the importance of having fertile soils and an abundance of fresh water supply for the establishment of a successful civilization. Thus, explain that these civilizations were generally found in fertile river valleys like the Nile Basin for the Egyptians.
Reading (15 min)
Use the reading,, ‘Ancient Egyptian Agriculture’by Joshua J.Mark, Ancient History Encyclopedia to discuss how ancient Egyptian civilization thrived in the Nile Basin. Use the text to explain how the Nile was instrumental in establishing the Egyptian agrarian society and was also important for trade and commerce. Explain how it became a part of Egyptian culture while several engineering innovations were developed to utilize the river’s water to the optimum for crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Use the text to describe the importance of agriculture for the rulers of Egypt for garnering wealth through barter and collection of taxes in the form of grains. Discuss how latter-day Egypt served as the ‘breadbasket’ for the Roman Empire and the subsequent Arab invasion. Finally, discuss how despite technological advances in major commercial ventures, traditional farming practices continue among the small Egyptian farmers and agriculture remains an important part of the country’s economy.
Infographic (5 min)
Use the infographic,, Climate & Agricultural Yields’ by World Bank to briefly talk about the possible impact of climate change on the projected agricultural yields leading up to the year 2050 in Egypt and several other countries. Use the tool for an enquiry-based discussion on what climatic factors could possibly affect the Egyptian agricultural economy.
Classroom/Laboratory Activity (15 min)
Use the infographic,,‘Agriculture’ by Open Geography Education, to enable your students to explore the role of climatic factors on crop yield in present day Egypt and/or other regions of the world. Use the tab, ‘Agricultural Patterns Assignment’ to follow a step-by step guide to explore the visualization tool (ArcGIS Online Map), ‘Agricultural Patterns’ to answer questions such as ‘What factors affect crop yield?’, ‘Does crop yield always depend on rainfall?’, ‘What role does temperature play in crop yields’, and ‘How does agriculture affect population?’. Use the Online Map to visualize the effect of various climatic parameters such as annual terrestrial surface temperature and annual precipitation on crop yields in Egypt and/or any selected region. Correlate these observations with non-climatic parameters such as population density and soil fertility constraints, to highlight the significance of altered crop yield due to climatic factors for the chosen region. Finally, use the observations to enable a classroom discussion on the possible impact of climate change on the agricultural productivity of a region.
Suggested questions/assignments for learning evaluation
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Reading | A reading, ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ (CSA) by FAO to know about CSA practices as a climate adaptation strategy by agricultural economies such as Egypt. This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Teaching Module | A teaching module, ‘Agriculture & Civilization’ by Khan Academy to teach the topic in detail.. This can be accessed here . |
| 1 | Reading; ‘What Is An Agrarian Society?’ | By , WorldAtlas.com.. |
| 2 | Infographic; ‘Agriculture & Civilization’ | By , Khan Academy. |
| 3 | Reading; ‘Ancient Egyptian Agriculture’ | Written by Joshua J. Mark. Published by Ancient History Encyclopedia |
| 4 | Infographic; ‘Climate Change & Agricultural Yields’ | Developed by Gro Intelligence Source World Bank. |
| 5 | Classroom/Laboratory Activity; ‘Agriculture’ | By By Open Geography Education., |
| 6 | Additional Resources |
