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Discovering Egypt

A complete A2 country lesson with reading, vocabulary, listening, speaking, Something New and writing.

A250–60 minutesCountries & culturePrintable
Teacher lesson: Look at the picture and title. What do you already know about this country? Discuss with a partner and write two ideas. Work through the nine panels in order, or choose the sections that suit your class. Teacher answers and the listening script are stored separately.
Teacher Answers
1 Lesson Goals
The Great Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre at Giza, Egypt

By the end of this lesson, I will be able to:

  • understand the main ideas and key details in Discovering Egypt.
  • learn and use important vocabulary from the lesson.
  • use the lesson language in speaking or writing.
Start here: What do you already know about this topic? Tell a partner one idea.
2 Reading
Before you read:

Look at the picture and title. What do you already know about this country? Discuss with a partner and write two ideas.

Egypt is a country in north-east Africa. Its capital is Cairo, a huge city beside the Nile River. Most of Egypt is desert, so the Nile has been extremely important for farming, travel and settlement for thousands of years. Egypt is famous for its ancient history. The pyramids at Giza, the Great Sphinx and temples along the Nile attract visitors from around the world. Modern Egypt is also home to busy cities, universities, markets and coastal resorts. Arabic is the main language. Egypt connects Africa with the Middle East and has a culture shaped by both its ancient past and modern life.
3 Vocabulary
Words: desert · settlement · ancient · temple · connect

Write a short meaning or example for each word.

desert –

settlement –

ancient –

temple –

connect –

4 Check Your Understanding

1. Where is Egypt?

2. What is the capital city?

3. Why has the Nile been important?

4. Name one ancient site from the reading.

5. What two parts of Egyptian life does the reading connect?

5 Language Focus

Complete the present simple sentences.

1. Egypt (be) in north-east Africa.

2. The Nile (flow) through Egypt.

3. Many tourists (visit) Giza.

4. Cairo (have) millions of residents.

6 Listen & Speak

Listen

Listen to your teacher. You will hear the text twice. Answer the questions.

1. Where is Egypt?

2. What is the capital?

3. Name one important feature from the listening.

4. Name one other detail you heard.

Speak

Discuss with a partner.

• Which ancient Egyptian place would you most like to visit?
• Why are rivers important to cities and farming?
• What makes ancient places interesting to modern travellers?

Discovering Egypt — Continued
7 Use Your English

Something New

Imagine you are travelling along the Nile. Choose three stops: one city, one ancient place and one place to relax. Explain your route to a partner.

Write

Write 80–100 words introducing Egypt to a traveller who has never been there.

8 Puzzle or Game
Vocabulary Detective

Choose four words from the Vocabulary panel. Write a short clue for each word without writing the word itself. Swap with a partner and see how many you can guess.

Bonus: Use one of the words in a new sentence.

9 Success Criteria ✓

Tick each statement when you can do it.

  • I can explain the main idea of the lesson.
  • I can use at least three new words correctly.
  • I can complete the language task.
  • I can share an idea in spoken or written English.

One thing I am proud of today:

10 Show What You Can Do
My final challenge: Discovering Egypt

Plan: Write 5 useful words or ideas from the lesson, or make a quick labelled sketch.

Write: Write 5–7 sentences that show what you learned. Try to use at least 3 words from the Vocabulary panel.

Share: Explain your work to a partner for about 30 seconds.