Teacher guide · Curious Lab · Medium · about 32 min
🏺 Ancient Egypt
Pupils practise curiosity through "Ancient Egypt": Pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphs.
Lesson guide
1. Hook · 5 min
Show the 🏺 mission title and read the opening: "Egyptian rulers were called…". Take three quick guesses.
2. Model · 5 min
Think aloud through the first step together. Use Sniff the Beagle's line as your prompt: "Great question! Ready to dig one layer deeper? Pick your next mission below."
3. Do · 10 min
Pairs work through the 3 steps on screen or on the printed sheet. Circulate and ask "why?"
4. Discuss · 10 min
Use two or three of the discussion questions. Ask pairs to share different answers, not just correct ones.
5. Reflect · 5 min
Exit ticket: one sentence on how they used curiosity today.
Discussion questions
- What was the hardest choice in "Ancient Egypt", and why?
- Egyptian rulers were called… — explain your reasoning to a partner.
- Hieroglyphs are… — explain your reasoning to a partner.
- The river Egypt depended on was… — explain your reasoning to a partner.
- Where could you use curiosity outside school this week?
- If you did this again, what would you change?
Adapting it
Support: Read prompts aloud, pair with a confident partner, and accept spoken or drawn answers for writing steps.
Stretch: Ask pupils to create their own extra step for a partner and explain the correct answer.
Curriculum links
- National Curriculum: History: chronology, sources and significant people and events
- National Curriculum: Science: working scientifically — asking questions and observing
- National Curriculum: Geography/History: enquiry and using sources
- PSHE: Living in the wider world: media literacy and checking information
Pupil sheet
🏺 Ancient Egypt
Name: ____________________ Date: __________
1. Egyptian rulers were called…
☐ Chiefs
☐ Emperors
☐ Pharaohs
2. Hieroglyphs are…
☐ Gods
☐ Picture writing
☐ Pyramid stones
3. The river Egypt depended on was…
☐ The Amazon
☐ The Nile
☐ The Thames