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11 Sept 2026
Image credit: Phil Wright/Getty Images
How Ancient Egyptians Built the Great Pyramids Using River Power
Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Ancient workers used huge rivers to move heavy rocks.
b) Aliens built the pyramids with laser beams.
c) The pyramids were built under the sea.
Ask:
(1) Have you ever seen a picture of a pyramid?
(2) How do you move very heavy things at home or school?
VOCABULARY
pyramid (/ˈpɪr.ə.mɪd/, noun)
Meaning: A giant stone building with triangle sides built in ancient Egypt.
Example: The pyramid is very big and very old.
river (/ˈrɪv.ər/, noun)
Meaning: A long line of water that moves across the land.
Example: Boats travel on the wide river.
heavy (/ˈhev.i/, adjective)
Meaning: Something that weighs a lot and is hard to lift.
Example: The large stone is too heavy to lift.
stone (/stəʊn/, noun)
Meaning: A hard piece of rock from the ground.
Example: Workers use big stone blocks to build walls.
boat (/bəʊt/, noun)
Meaning: A small vehicle that travels on top of water.
Example: The boat carries people across the water.
desert (/ˈdez.ət/, noun)
Meaning: A hot, dry land with lots of sand and little water.
Example: It is very hot and dry in the desert.
The Great Pyramids of Egypt are very old and big. Long ago, ancient workers built them in the dry desert. Scientists wondered about these giant buildings for a long time. How did workers move so many heavy stone blocks without modern machines?
Now, clever scientists have found an exciting answer. A long time ago, a deep river flowed near the pyramids. Workers used boats on this river to carry big stone blocks easily. The moving water carried the heavy rocks close to the building site.
Today, that old river branch is completely dry and covered in sand. Scientists used space satellites and radar images to find the hidden riverbed under the ground. This discovery shows that ancient people were very smart engineers. They used natural water power to construct amazing monuments that still stand today.
Four-ramp parallel IER configuration (3D render). Image credit: npj Heritage Science (npj Herit. Sci.)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(1) Would you like to visit the pyramids in Egypt?
(2) Why is water helpful when carrying heavy things?
(3) What tools do we use today to move heavy rocks?
(4) How do you feel when you discover a hidden secret?
(5) Which ancient building do you think is the coolest?
FILL IN THE GAPS
FILL THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: boat, desert, heavy, stone
The Great Pyramids of Egypt are very old and big. Long ago, ancient workers built them in the dry _______(1). Scientists wondered about these giant buildings for a long time. How did workers move so many _______(2) stone blocks without modern machines?
Now, clever scientists have found an exciting answer. A long time ago, a deep river flowed near the pyramids. Workers used a _______(3) on this river to carry big _______(4) blocks easily. The moving water carried the heavy rocks close to the building site.
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this text?
a) Scientists built a new pyramid in Egypt using big boats.
b) Ancient workers used a lost river to move heavy stones for pyramids.
c) The desert in Egypt has no sand today.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
(1) The pyramids were built in a dry desert long ago. T/F
(2) Workers used modern trucks to carry giant stones. T/F
(3) Scientists found a lost river under the dry sand. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Number the sentences from 1 to 3 to show the order of events:
( ) The old river branch dried up and was covered by sand.
( ) Ancient workers used a river to sail heavy stone blocks to the site.
( ) Scientists found the hidden riverbed using modern space satellites.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
(1) pyramid
(2) river
(3) heavy
(4) desert
(5) stone
a) A hot, dry place filled with sand.
b) A giant triangular building in Egypt.
c) A hard piece of rock from the ground.
d) Moving water that flows across land.
e) Weighing a lot; difficult to lift.
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
(1) Ancient workers used a _______ to move stone blocks on the river.
a) boat
b) bicycle
(2) The pyramids stand in a hot and dry _______.
a) forest
b) desert
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
(1) Unscramble these parts to form a full sentence:
A) in the desert / B) Ancient workers / C) built giant / D) pyramids / E) long ago
(2) Unscramble these parts to form a full sentence:
A) carried heavy / B) The water / C) close to / D) stone blocks / E) the site
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up Think Ahead Answer: a) Ancient workers used huge rivers to move heavy rocks.
Section 1: (1) desert, (2) heavy, (3) boat, (4) stone
Section 2: b
Section 3: (1) True, (2) False, (3) True
Section 4: 2, 1, 3
Section 5: (1)-b, (2)-d, (3)-e, (4)-a, (5)-c
Section 6: (1) a, (2) b
Section 7: (1) B-C-D-A-E (Ancient workers built giant pyramids in the desert long ago.), (2) B-A-D-C-E (The water carried heavy stone blocks close to the site.)
Section 8: Open discussion; teacher checks student oral responses.
Thank you for your feedback!