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Gilgamesh

Topics Year 4/5
This unit is part of Earliest Civilisations: Ancient Sumer Literature

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Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts.

English

  • Read an increasingly wide range of fiction.
  • Increase their familiarity with a wide range of books including myths, legends and traditional stories from other cultures and traditions.
  • Participate in discussion about books they have read.
  • Infer characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives.
  • Summarise the main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph.

Lesson Planning

Explore the oldest recorded story: The Epic of Gilgamesh. Discover how fact and fantasy are often interwoven.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand that the Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded story that has been discovered.
  • Explain that the clay tablets recording the story have been fragmented over time, which makes it difficult for translators.
  • Retell the story of part of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
  • Write a letter in role to the gods explaining why either Gilgamesh or Enkidu should have died in the story.

Children will:

  • Explain that the Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded story.
  • Retell the story of Gilgamesh.
  • Understand that the story does contain factual information as well as fantasy.

You Will Need

  • Gilgamesh the Hero retold by Geraldine McCaughrean
  • Gilgamesh the King
  • The Revenge of Ishtar, and The Last Quest of Gilgamesh retold by Ludmila Zeman,
  • Oxford Reading Tree TreeTops Myths and Legends: Level 17: The Legend Of Gilgamesh by Geraldine McCaughrean

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