The Nile River

Introduction

The Nile River has huge significance in regards to Ancient Egypt. Most of Ancient Egypt’s historical sites are located along the banks of the Nile River. In this webquest, you will explore the Nile River and will answer the question: Why did 95% of the Ancient Egyptian population live along the banks of the Nile River?

Task

Big idea question: Why did 95% of the Egyptian population live along the banks of the Nile River?

Use the guided questions to help you answer the above inquiry.

1. Where is the Nile River?

2.  What makes the Nile River different from other rivers?

3. The Egyptians knew the time of the year that the Nile River would flood. Why was this important to them?

4. What was the most important thing the Nile provided to the Ancient Egyptians?

5. What were the three most important crops grown along the Nile river?

6. Using your answer to question 5, why were each of these crops important?

7. Besides the fertile soil the Nile gave to grow crops, what was another gift it gave?

8. Besides the answer to number 7 and the fertile soil the Nile gave to grow crops, what was another gift it gave?

9. What was the "black land"?

10 What was the "red land"?

11. Did most people live in the black or red land? Why? 

Process

Objective: Students will research using the internet to help them understand the significance of the Nile river to the Ancient and to help them answer the question, "Why did 95% of the Ancient Egyptian people live on the banks of the Nile?" in essay form.

http://www.historyforkids.net/river-nile.html

http://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egypt/geography_nile_river.php

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/home.html

1. Where is the Nile River?

2.  What makes the Nile River different from other rivers?

3. The Egyptians knew the time of the year that the Nile River would flood. Why was this important to them?

4. What was the most important thing the Nile provided to the Ancient Egyptians?

5. What were the three most important crops grown along the Nile river?

6. Using your answer to question 5, why were each of these crops important?

7. Besides the fertile soil the Nile gave to grow crops, what was another gift it gave?

8. Besides the answer to number 7 and the fertile soil the Nile gave to grow crops, what was another gift it gave?

9. What was the "black land"?

10 What was the "red land"?

11. Did most people live in the black land or the red land? Why? 

Evaluation

                                     

 

Writing to Inform Rubric

 

Assignment: Nile River

 

4

3

2

1

Lead

First paragraph

has an extraordinary "attention grabber" or catchy beginning.

First paragraph

has an "attention grabber".

A catchy

beginning was attempted but was weak or confusing rather than catchy.

No attempt was

made to catch the reader's attention in the first paragraph.

Development

My paper is well

developed and I have more than enough information to inform the reader about the topic. The information is clearly presented with lots of elaboration.

My paper is

fairly well developed and I have enough information to inform the reader about the topic. The information is clearly presented with some elaboration.

My paper has

little development and a minimum amount of information. The information does not clearly explain the topic and some of it might even interfere with my explanation.

I saw the prompt

and tried to write a response. I wrote very little and what I wrote is confusing or inaccurate.

Inclusion of

Details

There are plenty

of specific details that more than adequately explain the topic.

There are some

specific details that adequately explain the topic but some of the details may not really help explain.

I used details but

they may be the wrong details or they may not help to explain the topic.

If I have details

they are not enough to explain the topic.

Organization

I have a clear

organization and I don’t stray from it.

I have an

organization and I try to stick to it.

I have an

organization but I stray from it at times.

If I do have an

organization it is not clear or I stray far from it.

Voice

I frequently use

language choices to maintain a style or a tone.

I use language

choices to maintain a style or a tone.

I did not really

make any language choices to help with style or tone.

I did not use any

language choices to help with style or tone.

Spelling and

Grammar

I have no spelling

or grammar errors.

I have 1-3

spelling or grammar errors.

I have 4-5

spelling or grammar errors.

I have more than

5 spelling or grammar errors.

                              21-24pts            18-20pts               15-17pts                         <15pts

Overall Grade:                                  Comments