Famous Places

The Great Pyramids

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. When do you think the pyramids of Egypt were built?

2. Do you know why they were built?

3. What kind of things do you imagine

were placed inside the pyramids?

4. What is an archaeologist?

5. How many men do you think

were needed to build a pyramid?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words on the left with the correct meanings on the right.

1. tomb a)  with agreement, without being forced

2. palace b)  to pile, to put things on top of
3. chamber c)  a place to bury a dead body
4. utensils d)  stealing, taking away goods illegally
5. local e)  very large, huge
6. willingly f)  a room
7. prosperous g)  a slope used to move from one level to another (instead of stairs)
8. evolve h)  a king or queen’s very large, beautiful house
9. stack i)  very valuable
10. massive j)  instruments or tools for eating or cooking
11. ramp k)  to change slowly, to develop gradually over time
12. looting l)  in the area
13. precious m)  successful, rich

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 1
 The Great Pyramids
Famous Places

Reading
1. The pyramids are tombs that were built over
5,000 years ago for the kings of ancient Egypt.
For over 3,800 years,
the Pyramid of Giza
2. Ancient Egyptians believed that after their kings died, they became
gods in another world. A pyramid was to be the dead king’s palace in
was the tallest man-
the afterlife where he would rule as a god. As well as a burial chamber, made structure
the complex included rooms to hold things the king would need in the in the world.
afterlife, such as furniture, jewelry, and cooking utensils. Servants or
wives who died later were buried close by in much smaller tombs.

3. Archaeologists believe that local farmers and villagers willingly

worked on the pyramids during the flood season, when the land could
not be worked. The workers thought it would ensure their own afterlife
and make Egypt prosperous.

4. The structure of the pyramids evolved slowly. They went from

platforms stacked on an underground tomb, to larger step-style
structures, to the massive smooth-sided pyramids found at Giza.

5. Of the 80 known pyramids, the biggest and finest is the Great Pyramid
of Khufu at Giza. The base of this pyramid covers over 13 acres (about
5 hectares). It was 481 feet (about 147 meters) high but, over the years,
it has lost 30 feet (about 9 meters) off its top. Two million blocks of
stone, each weighing over 2 tons (about 1,814 kilograms), were used to
build it. Workers likely moved these huge stones into position by using
ropes to pull them up ramps. As many as 20,000 to 30,000 men may
have worked on this pyramid, which took 20 years to finish.

6. Smaller pyramids of this type were built for another 1,000 years.
When robbers started looting the precious goods stored inside
them, kings were buried in hidden tombs. Tombs of later kings
were discovered in a valley near Luxor, which is now called the
Valley of the Kings.

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 2
 The Great Pyramids
Famous Places

Comprehension
A. True or False?

Read the statements below.

If the statement is true, write T beside the sentence.
If it is false, write F and correct the information.

1. The pyramids were built for the afterlife of the ancient Egyptian kings.

2. Local farmers were forced to work on the pyramids.

3. The pyramids held many things besides the kings’ bodies.

4. The structure of the pyramids changed gradually over time.

5. It took 200 years to finish the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

B. Ask and Answer

Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner.
Then write your answers in complete sentences in your notebook.

1. Why were the pyramids built?

2. What kinds of things were placed in the pyramids?

3. According to archaeologists, why did local farmers

and villagers work on the pyramids willingly?

4. How did the structure of the pyramids change over time?

5. Describe the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

6. How did workers likely move the massive stones into place?

7. Why were kings eventually buried in hidden tombs?

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 3
 The Great Pyramids
Famous Places

Vocabulary Review
Complete the sentences using vocabulary from page 1.
You may need to change the word forms.

1. Please don’t            your books on the floor. Put them on the shelves.

2. Eating            are different in different countries.

Some people use chopsticks while others use knives and forks.

3. His business is becoming very            , and he is making a lot of money now.

4. Now that she is using a wheelchair, they are going to build a           
to the front door of their house because she can’t use the stairs.

5. I’m happy there is a university in our            area. Our children will not have to go away to study.

6. There was a violent demonstration in the city, and a lot of store windows were broken.
There was also a lot of            before the police arrived.

7. Many people were killed in the            earthquake last year.

8. Buckingham            , where Queen Elizabeth lives, is a very popular British tourist destination.

9. Her grandmother left her a beautiful gold ring with three            stones.

10. Maria is an excellent music student. She            practices

the piano for over an hour every day. Her mother never has to ask her to do it.

Discussion
1. Besides the ancient Egyptians, what other cultures
built pyramids? Where can we see pyramids nowadays?
Have you ever visited any of them?

2. How have burial customs changed throughout history,

and how do they differ from culture to culture?

3. Do you believe that local villagers worked willingly on the pyramids,

or do you think that forced labor was involved? Explain your answer.

4. Would you like to be an archaeologist? Why or why not?

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 4
 The Great Pyramids
Famous Places

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int

In this lesson, students learn some history about TIME: 1.5 – 2 hours
the ancient Egyptian pyramids. They also learn
TAGS:   pyramids, Egypt, ancient, archaeology,
and practice new vocabulary and discuss forced labor.
culture, the Great Pyramids, Giza

Pre-Reading 4. They started as platforms stacked on an underground

tomb and then changed to larger step-style structures.

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS Eventually, they became smooth-sided pyramids.

5. It is the biggest and finest pyramid and has a base covering
Answers will vary. 13 acres and a height of over 400 feet. Two million blocks

4. A n archaeologist is a person who studies past of stone, each weighing over two tons, were used in it.

human life and remains left by ancient peoples. 6. Workers probably used ropes to pull the stones up ramps.
7. The kings were eventually buried in hidden

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW tombs because robbers had started to steal

the valuable things inside the pyramids.
1. c 3. f 5. l 7. m 9. b 11. g 13. i
2. h 4. j 6. a 8. k 10. e 12. d
Vocabulary Review
Comprehension 1. stack 5. local 9. precious
2. utensils 6. looting 10. willingly
A. TRUE OR FALSE?
3. prosperous 7. massive

1. T 4. ramp 8. Palace

2. F – Local farmers willingly worked on the pyramids.

3. T Discussion
4. T
5. F – It took 20 years to finish the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Answers will vary.

B. ASK AND ANSWER

SPELLING NOTES:

1. The pyramids were built to be the palaces for the

This lesson shows the American spelling of the words Jewelry,
kings after they died and became gods in the afterlife.
Meters, Labor, and Practice. Most other English-speaking countries
2. The pyramids contained the bodies of the dead
spell these words this way: Jewellery, Metres, Labour, and Practise
kings as well as furniture, jewelry, cooking utensils
(when used as a verb, Practice when used as a noun). Make it
and other things they might need in the afterlife.
a challenge for your students to find these words in the lesson
3. Local farmers and villagers worked on the pyramids willingly
and see if they know the alternate spellings.
because they thought that it would ensure their own afterlife
and make Egypt prosperous. Also, they worked during the
flood season when they could not work on the land.

Copyright 2016, Red River Press Inc. For use by members of ESL Library in accordance with membership terms. 5