Warm Up – Creative Writing Prompt:

On a sheet of notebook paper, answer the following prompt in complete sentences:

How does where you’re from shape who you are? In other words, how has your location/geography affected your culture?

Give at least one specific example.

Hymn to the Nile :“Hail to you, O Nile, that issues from the earth and comes to keep Egypt alive! He that waters the meadows which he created, in order to keep every kid alive. He that makes to drink the desert and the place distant from the eater: that is his dew coming from the heaven. The lord of fishes, he who makes the marsh birds to go upstream. He who makes barley and brings emmer into being, that he may make the temples festive. If he is sluggish, then nostrils are stopped up, and everybody is poor. When he rises, then the land is in jubilation, then every belly is in joy, every backbone takes on laughter, and every tooth is exposed. The bringer of food, rich in provisions, creator of all good, lord of majesty, sweet fragrance.”

- from Hymn to the Nile

What does this verse tell you about the importance of the Nile River?

What are the benefits of the Nile River? List a few examples from the verse.

After reviewing this verse, why do you think that Ancient Egypt was called the “Gift of the Nile?”

• Natural protective barriers from outside influences

• Allowed it to evolve in its own unique way.

• Bordered by:

• Eastern and Western Deserts

• The Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

• The most important geographic feature of Ancient Egypt is the Nile River.

Geography of Ancient Egypt:

•The longest river in the world.

• Egypt is known as the “Gift of the Nile.”

• Without the Nile, Egypt may not have existed.

• Flows north from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea.

• Its flood plain was a magnet for life – human, plant and animal.

• Humans were drawn there because they could grow crops and settle into permanent villages.

The Nile River:

• For centuries, the Nile River flooded the valley, enriching the land with a thick layer of alluvial soil (black soil).

• Flooding began from July to September.

• The river attained its highest level in October, then began to recede to its lowest point sometime between April and June.

• This soil was extremely fertile and helped lead to an agricultural surplus.

• The river also was a constant water supply for irrigation – moving water from the source to other locations

The Flooding of the Nile River:

• The Nile River was the highway that joined the country together through irrigated canals.

• Up until the nineteenth century, travel by land was virtually unknown.

• The Egyptians used the Nile to trade with the Nubians, a civilization located directly south of Egypt.

• Egyptians would sail down the Nile and stop at the cataracts – mini waterfalls, rapids

• Food, papyrus, and fabric made out of flax – soft, silky

Transportation and Trade:

Exit Ticket – Creative Writing Prompt:

On the same sheet of notebook paper from the beginning of class, answer the following prompt in complete sentences:

Think of another group in history, literature, pop culture, or any others that you may be familiar with, whose culture has been affected by their location/geography. Be

sure to include at least one specific example.

(PLEASE NOTE: YOU MAY NOT USE EGYPT OR THE HUNGER GAMES. THINK OF ANOTHER EXAMPLE.)