Lesson Plan - The Last Pharaoh

Build Background Knowledge

Please note that this article contains instances of suicide. It may be a sensitive topic for students, and you might remind them about local and national support resources. Before reading the article, have students take the five-question Prereading Quiz at junior.scholastic.com. The interactive quiz is self-scoring and will provide an explanation as students answer each question.

Preview Vocabulary

Use the online Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms assassinate, city-state, civil war, civilization, dynasty, exile, inevitable, pharaoh, province, and subject. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to underline or highlight examples of Cleopatra’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• Who was Cleopatra? (Central Ideas)
Cleopatra was a young queen who ruled in ancient Egypt for more than 20 years, until 30 B.C. She was born in 69 B.C. and descended from Ptolemy I, who took control of Egypt after Alexander the Great conquered it in 332 B.C. She and her brother Ptolemy XIII became co-rulers when their father died in 51 B.C. Her brother died in a battle with Roman soldiers, and Julius Caesar left Cleopatra as pharaoh.

• What evidence supports the idea that Cleopatra was a “wily, resourceful young queen”? (Text Evidence)
The article describes how Cleopatra outsmarted her brother when Caesar sent for the siblings. She sailed south on a branch of the Nile River before returning on a different branch and hid in a sack that was carried into the royal palace. Growing up, Cleopatra received the best education available, learned multiple languages, and “possessed great charm.” As queen, she oversaw a complex farming system and embraced Egypt’s cultural history.

• What were some of the accomplishments of ancient Egypt’s civilization? (Key Details)
Beginning around 3000 B.C., one of the world’s first great civilizations began to thrive in the Nile River Valley. Ancient Egyptians made many discoveries in math, astronomy, and medicine. They invented a 360-day calendar, black ink, and a type of toothpaste. Egyptians also used the plow and irrigation to grow grain that helped the kingdom flourish. They built massive pyramids, and experts still don’t know how the buildings were constructed.

• How did the assassination of Julius Caesar affect Rome and Egypt? (Cause and Effect)
It shook up a state of peace in the Mediterranean world and removed Cleopatra’s chief ally in Rome. After a group of rebels killed Caesar in 44. B.C., a civil war went on for two years until Octavian and Marc Antony defeated the rebels. They became co-rulers and oversaw different Roman territories. From a camp in Tarsus (Asia Minor), Antony summoned Cleopatra to visit in 41 B.C. and they began a relationship that resulted in children. Their alliance led to a time of calm in Egypt, which ended when Octavian declared war on Cleopatra in 32 B.C.

• What happened after Cleopatra’s death in 30 B.C.? (Analyzing Events)
After Cleopatra’s death, Octavian had her son Caesarion killed and made Egypt a province of Rome. This marked the end of the Egyptian kingdom, which was a major transition in history. Octavian took the name Augustus Caesar and became the first Roman emperor. The Roman empire nearly doubled in size during his reign and went on to last for hundreds of years. Still, Cleopatra’s legacy lived on and has inspired many works of art, books, plays, and movies.

• How does the map “Cleopatra’s World” support the article? (Text Features)
The map shows how much territory Rome ruled around the Mediterranean Sea in 44 B.C. Roman territories included Hispania, Gaul, Italy, Macedonia, Greece, Cyprus, Syria, and parts of Asia Minor and northern Africa. Egypt was a Roman ally, with its capital of Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile Delta, and Cleopatra tried to keep it independent. The map also shows where Antony and Cleopatra’s navy was defeated in the Ionian Sea in 31 B.C.

Read a Map

Have students complete the map activity on page 29 independently or in pairs. Review answers as a class. You can also assign the Skill Builder Map Reading: Cleopatra’s World to have students answer 10 other map-reading questions.

Analyze a Primary Source

Use the Skill Builder Primary Source: A Famous Encounter to have students read an adaptation of the Greek historian Plutarch’s account of Cleopatra’s meeting and relationship with Marc Antony. Guide students to answer the questions and discuss responses.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.