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Eyeing Ancient Egypt

The purpose of this unit is for students to explore the culture of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization and to acquire some understanding of how culture impacts perspectives.

Grade Range	Intermediate (4-6)
Concepts	Perspective
Topics	Egypt

Purpose Statement

How does culture effect our perspective?

Software

HyperStudio iMovie
Slide Show
CD...Nile:Passage to Egypt(Discovery Channel MultiMedia)
CD...Adventure Time

Hardware

Mavica Camera iMac

Internet Resources

Joslyn Art Museum
http://anthro.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/html/html
http://harcourtschool.con/cgi-bin/cartouche.pl?my_name=jim
http://www.torstar.com/rom/egypt/cartolet.cgi?
http://www.Egyptoplogy.com (Scroll down to "young students")
http://members.aol.com.egyptart/index.html
http://ncas.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/VideoTestbed/Projects/mummy/mummyhome.html
http://pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/
http://www.discoveringegypt.com
http://geocities.com/~amenhotep/
http://www.homeworkcentral.com/knowledge./vsl_fileid=131621&tg=REGION&fH=KE
http://www.kent.wednet.edu/curriculum/soc_studies/Egypt/tut.html
http://www.memst.edu/egypt/main/html

Standard Resources

Aliki.Mummies Made in Egypt. Harper and Row. New York. 1979.
Climo, Shirley. Egyptian Cinderella. Harper Collins.1989.
Ganeri, Anita. Pharoahs and Mummies. Ladybird. New York. 1996.
Guy, John. Egytian LIfe. Scholastic. New York. 1998.
Millard, Anne. Pyramids. New York. 1992.
McCauley, David. Pyramid. Houghton Mifflin. New York. 1975.
Nature Company, The. Ancient Egypt. San Francisco. 1995.
Putnam, James. Pyramid. Afred A. Knopf. New York. 1994.
Raphael, Elaine and Bolognese, Don. Drawing History Ancient Egypt. Scholastic. New York. 1998.
Rewes, Nicholas. Into the Mummies Tomb. Scholastic. Madison Press. 1992
Sandison, David. Art of Ancient Egypt.Laurel Glen Publications. san Diego. 1997.
Silverman, David. Searching for Ancient Egypt. Dallas Museum of Art. 1997.
Wilcox, Charlotte. Mummies and their Mysteries. Scholastic Inc. New York. 1993.
Zemen, Lumila. Gilgamesh the King. Tundra Books. 1992.
The Egypt Game. Zilpha Keatley Sknyder. Random House, Inc. New York. 1967.
Building the Pyramids. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1972.
Inside the Pyramids. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1972.
Time for Kids Magazine. Time, Inc. New York.Vol.3 No.8.
video: Mystery of the Pyramids, Omar Sharif
text: Mathematics Plus. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Orlando. 1992.
World Adventures in Time and Place. Macmillan/McGraw-Hill. New York. 1997.

Language Arts Teacher Objectives

The teacher will provide a variety of student references.
The teacher will demonstrate and provide a variety of technology opportunities.
The teacher will provide opportunities for student presentation.
The teacher will observe, encourage, and reinforce positive cooperative group interactions.
The teacher will provide open-ended reflections.

Language Arts Content Objectives

The learner will demonstrate attending skills.
The learner will select and present information to the class.
The learner will access and read a variety of informational material.
The learner will develop skills in the writing traits.
The learner will develop their vocabulary.
The learner will be able to read and respond to a variety of written material.
The learner will engage in class discussions.
The learner will read a novel.
The learner will demonstrate positive cooperative group skills.
The learner will evaluate and reflect on their experiences and learning.

Math Teacher Objectives

The teacher will develop lessons on collecting, analyzing, and charting data.
The teacher will develop lessons on measurement.
The teacher will develop a lesson comparing writing systems.

Math Content Objectives

The learner will collect, analyze, and chart data.
The learner will be able to use measurement skills.
The learner will be able to write large numbers in a variety of forms.

Science Teacher Objectives

The teacher will develop lessons on the mummification process.
The teacher will develop lessons and demonstrate investigative skills.

Science Content Objectives

The learner will follow multiple-step instructions.
The learner will practice measurement skills.
The learner will develop problem solving skills.
The learner will apply the science process and investigative skills of:observing, measuring, communicating, inferring, predicting, recording and interpreting data, and drawing conclusions as they experience the mummification process of the cornish game hens.

History Teacher Objectives

The teacher will develop and present information about the Ancient Egyptian Civilization.
The teacher will develop lessons on Ancient Egyptian
Civilization's impact on subsequent civilizatons.
The teacher will develop lessons on map and globe skills.
The teacher will design a rubric for cooperative group activities.
The teacher will develop a lesson about cultural symbols of Ancient Egypt.
The teacher will develop a lesson about the daily life in Ancient Egypt.

History Content Objectives

The learner will develop an understanding of the timeline, geography, artifacts, expansion and trade, daily life, and impact and legacy of Ancient Egypt.
The learner will create a relief map of the Nile River as a cooperative group activity.
The learner will demonstrate cooperative group skills.
The learner will develop an understanding of the symbols of Ancient Egypt.

Performing Arts Teacher Objectives

n/a

Performing Arts Content Objectives

n/a

Technology Teacher Objectives

The teacher will create lessons for student use of technology hardware and software.
The teacher will develop a rubric for student software projects.

Technology Content Objectives

The learner will search Netscape to look for Egyptian images.
The learner will bookmark and organize websites.
The learner will demonstrate the ability to scan materials.
The learner will access Egyptian images through Netscape and bookmarked sites.
The learner will bookmark and organize websites.
The learner will demonstrate the create a virtual
reality product by taking pictures with the Mavica camera of their canopic jar and making a slide show presentation.
The learner will demonstrate the ability to create a HyperStudio presentation.
The learner will understand the process of creating an iMovie.
The learner will demonstrate the ability to access a website and create and print a cartouche.

Visual Arts Teacher Objectives

The teacher will display exhibit pieces from the Joslyn Art Museum.

The teacher will develop lessons on the cultural symbols reflected in the AncientEgyptian canopic jars and sarcophaguses.
The teacher will provide opportunities for students to recreate artifacts of Ancient Egyptian using a variety of art media.
The teacher will provide websites about Ancient Egyptian art.
The teacher will observe and promote positive cooperative group skills.

Visual Arts Content Objectives

The learner will access Egyptian images using Netscape and bookmarked sites.
The learner will create a canopic jar in one of the four styles discussed in class.
The learner create a paper sarcophagus and using oil pastels, design it according to the symbols cited in class.
The learner will access a website, make a cartouche at the website, and replicate it on copper tooling.
The learner will demonstrate cooperative group skills.

Instructional Outline

DAY ONE
*Social Studies
Divide students into 3 to 5 member groups.
Intro with song "Walk Like an Egyptian" by Bangles
Graffitti boards...What we Know...by group.
Brainstorm...What More we Want to Know...

At this time, take those ideas from the brainstorming and try to narrow the topics. Each group will need to select a topic of interest to create a HyperStudio presentation. This is due in 12 school days. For example:
How and why were mummies made? How does a society's culture affect the way it treats the dead?
What was the Egyptian writing system and how did we find out about it?
What is the difference between taxidermy and mummification?
Who was Tutankhamen and why is he famous? How do you know?
Who was Howard Carter, or Jean-Francois Champollion, etc. and why is he famouse?
What do artifacts tell us about the way in which Ancient Egyptians lived?
Why did the Ancient Egyptians worship cats?

Share with students the URLs and reference books to use on their projects, as well as the assessment rubric.

*Language Arts
At this time students can "graze" the materials and then choose their research topic.


DAY TWO
*Social Studies
Introduce software "Adventure Time" Lesson 6...Egypt and Rivers of Life
Introduce software "Nile: Passage to Egypt"
Locate Egypt and the Nile River on the CD as well as on the world map. Establish cooperative group expectations. Have students rotate through the following activities:
1. reading of text pp.70-73
2. salt dough relief map (each group has specific job)
3. ditto/Bloom's questioning "About the Nile"
4. CD "Nile: Passage to Egypt"
5. CD "Adventure Time"

*Language Arts
Review writing trait of Organization.
Students can continue their information reading. The teacher should be guiding and answering questions concerning the organization of materials.


DAY THREE
*Social Studies
Ask students to explain the best way to get to a relative's house from school to other group members. Have them explain how to get to their house from school. Which was easier? Why? Capitalize on any map terms they may use.
Read pp.92-93 in text on map skills and discuss.
Discuss and show a model of map-making skills being used. Students will then continue to rotate through the same activities as on day two adding:
6. Along the Banks of the Nile...Ancient Egypt Map
locate and label landforms/areas in capital letters:
UPPER EGYPT LOWER EGYPT
NILE DELTA NUBIA
SAHARA DESERT NUBIAN DESERT
ASIA AFRICA

locate, label, and color the bodies of water blue:
Red Sea Dead Sea
Nile River Gulf of Suez
Mediterranean Sea

locate and label important monuments/temple with a square:
Valley of the Kings
Royal Temples at Karnak
Abu Simbel


locate and label important towns or cities with a dot:
Memphis Alexandria
Thebes

locate and label major pyramids with a triangle:
Giza

*Language Arts
Reveiw steps for creating HyperStudio stacks. Let those ready with information begin their stack. Save onto the server.


DAY FOUR:
Ask if anyone has uncovered information about the Rosetta Stone. Read from text anthology: The Rosetta Stone.
Introduce CD Adventure Time...The Secret Decoder Stone.
Finish rotation of activities.

Assign text reading...pp.76-77

Continue working on their HyperStudio stacks throughout the remainder of the unit.

*Language Arts

Introduce novel "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Have students select and respond to three of the questions on the overhead.
Introduce elements of a mystery.
Begin reading and discussing chapters 1-3. Response ditto as homework.
Throughout the reading of the novel, keep an on-going wall chart for Descriptive Words and Action Words.

*Math
"Matter of Measurement" on overhead. Establish a class standard "palm" measurement. Introduce terms: plam, cubit, short cubit, royal cubit, thumb, fathom, and setjet.
Measure Egyptian-Style and standard system.


DAY FIVE
*Social Studies
Draw sticks...tell me anything you read last night in the text.
Read and discuss Aliki's "Mummies Made in Egypt" to the class.
transparency: Mummification
Journal what they think of this process? How does it compare with other burial processes they've heard of?

*Language Arts
Discuss prior reading. Make assumptions and predictions. Complete a sociogram of characters.
Read and discuss chapter 4. Assign chapter 5-8. Complete questions and a character attribute web.

*Science
Ask who/what the Ancient Egyptians mummified. Show images from websites.
Introduce their Cornish Game Hens to be mummified. This can be done individually or in pairs. Explain the steps to follow:
1. Clean the hen inside and out. Rinse and pat dry.
2. Weigh and record weight of the hen.
the graph data.
3. Name the hen. Write the name on the plastic bag.
4. Put the hen in the bag and cover with salt.
5. Create a graph for the weight of the hen during the
mummification process. Label and record data.
Make a prediction of what you think will happen.

Visual Arts:
Introduce the purpose of and four styles of canopic jars found with Egyptian mummies. Show Josyn poster of canopic jars. Students will then mold a canopic jar that represents one of the styles discussed.


DAY SIX
*Social Studies
List pros and cons to money. Read and discuss p.77 in text.

Time for HyperStudio research and development of stack.


*Science
Mummification Process continues:
1. Remove hen from bag...toss bag.
2. Brush off excess salt and pat dry.
3. Put name on a new bag.
4. Reweigh hen...record data on graph.
5. Put hen in the bag and resalt.

*Language Arts
Share character attribute webs. Compare webs done about the same character.
Begin reading chapter 9. Discuss "signs and omens."
Assign chapters 10-12 and reflection sheet readings.


DAY SEVEN
*Social Studies
Pass around papyrus paper. Solve the mystery. What is it? Brainstorn possibilities. Read pp. 78-79 in text.
Demonstrate accessing bookmarks and sites.... Students will need to access one of the sites create their name in hieroglyphics, print it out, and replicate the cartouche on copper sheeting.
*extra: make a cartouche for Cornish Game Hen
Assign ditto: Decipher the Message
*Hieroglyphics for Fun card game...depending on productivity on HyperStudio stack.

*Language Arts
Discuss what to do to get out of a bad mood. Read chapter 13. Share ways to end the letter from April's mom. Assign chapters 14-15. Predict what those two chapters will be about. Record.

*Math
Lesson 1.1 in math text...comparing numeration systems pp. 2-5.
overhead "picture math"
assign "What? No Numbers?"


DAY EIGHT
*Social Studies
video: Mystery of the Pyramids, Omar Sharif
Jigsaw the following resources. Each group gets one source and then communicates to the class their top ten interesting/surprising finds.
resources:
1. Building the Pyramids (pamphlet)
2. Inside the Pyramids (pamphlet)
3. Pyramid (James Harper)
4. Pyramids (Anne Millard)
5. http//pbs.org.wgbh/nova/pyramids/
6. Ancient Egypt (Nature Company Discoveries)

Ask students bring to class an item for trade. It must be something that has some value to them and that others would want.

*Language Arts
Define oracle...what else could you call it? Discuss synonyms. Begin reading chapter 16. Assign chapter 17. Write a question for the oracle.

*Math
ditto "Pyramid Math"- problem solving


DAY NINE
*Social Studies
Have students present their object in a verbal advertisement. Simulate a trade of objects. Engage students in a discussion about trade and other ways of obtaining power.
Read pp. 84-86 in text. Read from text anthology
"A Queen's Promise" and "A Visit from an Ancient Pharoah" the assign the ditto.

*Language Arts
Discuss organization and word choice. Have students write a descriptive paragraph about an object they carried for security.
Read chapter 18. Complete ditto on identifying characters based on phrase descriptions. Assign chapters 19-20.

*Math
Tutakhmanmen's Tomb


DAY TEN
*Social Studies
A rough presentation should be completed. While groups work on theirs and compare it to the rubric, give input to each group.
Assign pp.90-91 and "Think About IT" p.91.

*Language Arts
How did the author add suspense to chapter 20? Find specific words that heighten the mood. Discuss what makes a hero. Read chapter 21. Story map the chapter 21.

*Visual Arts
Revisit the canopic jar website and posters. Discuss the "decoration" done on the sarcarphagus case which enclosed the mummy. How did the outside tell about the person inside? What could they use to best tell about themselves?
Students are to paint their canopic jars and lids. Then they are to work in pairs to outline each other to make a life-size sarcophagus on butcher paper. They will then decorate the sarcophagus in oil pastels. When completed, they coat the finished product with a gold wash, cut it out, and put it up for display.


DAY ELEVEN
*Social Studies
Make a class Venn diagram of city/rural life. Hand to each group a list of current occupations. Have the students cut out and rank the occupations according to importance. Have a spokesperson explain the group's rationale. Let each group share. Encourage constuctive debates.
Then parallel those occupations to those found on the Ancient Egyptian social pyramid on p.95 of text. Read pp.94-95 in text.
Brainstorm work songs...ie "Hi-ho, hi-ho...", "Working 9 to 5", "Erie Canal"...and why people would sing them? Read pp.96-97.
Repeat Venn diagram activity in group, now comparing the same lifestyles in Ancient Egypt. How do the two diagrams compare?

*Language Arts
Discuss the main characters. Who has changed the most? Read chapter 22. Assign a bio poem for one of the characters.

*Science
Repeat the salting steps from day six. Continue this activity for the next 6 to 10 weeks. (varies with the size of hen)


DAY TWELVE
*Social Studies
3 group presentations of HyperStudio stack. Group, peer and teacher assessment from rubric. Assign p. 100 #1-10.

*Language Arts
Share bio poems. Read chapter 23. Write a reflection from the starters about the book.
Introduce the culminating activities. Students need to individually select one. The product is due in four school days.


DAY THIRTEEN
*Social Studies
2 group presentations of HyperStudio stack. Group, peer and teacher assessment from rubric. Assign p. 100 - Think About It.

*Language Arts
Work on culminating product for The Egypt Game.


DAY FOURTEEN
*Social Studies
Chapter revies...EGYPT JEOPARDY. Number students off one through three. Each child rotates with each new question. Answers are written on dry erase boards. Points given to each correct response. The student that completes writing first and has the correct response, gets to choose the next question category. Categories are:
WRITE ON (hieroglyphics)
EGYPT ETC. (misc.)
TIAN-TION (unit words ending in -tian or -tion)
CLASS PICKS (social pyramid)
NAME THAT PHAROAH (pharoahs, gods, and goddesses)

*Language Arts
Work on culminating product for The Egypt Game.


DAY FIFTEEN
*Social Studies
Test over unit. Questions directly from Egypt Jeopardy along with a "Tell me what you know that wasn't asked."

*Language Arts
Continue or complete work on product for The Egypt Game. This is due the next school day.

*Visual Arts
Colette, the art teacher and classroom teacher assist students in using the mavica camera to take pictures of their finished canopic jars. The students are then instructed how to convert and add their pics into a slide show presentation. (Later this was made into an iMovie presentation.)


DAY SIXTEEN
*Social Studies
Graffitti boards...Tell what you know about Ancient Egyptian Civilization.
Compare the quantity and quality of information on the boards.
Have students select two reflection statements to write about the unit.


and the unit goes on...
Continue the drying of the hens. When they are "done" drying, students can brush off any remaining salt. The hens then can be lightly rubbed with olive (or veggie) oil and sprinkled with spices. We chose to use cinnamon and cloves. Long 1" strips of muslin were then wrapped around the hen and the mummy appeared.
At this point, they were left overnight to dry. Students then painted hen faces on the mummies and other designs to decorate the hens. After this dried, a light coat of shellac was painted over the mummy.
We were going to bury the hens, but there was a fear that someone or something would dig them up. So, the students were able to take them home.

The artifacts of the unit were shared at conferences.

Teacher Reflection

As we progressed through this unit, I was amazed and surprised at the depth of research students engaged in and the levels of understanding they reached. Students maintained continual excitement and thrived in being enveloped in this interdisciplinary curriculum. The novel and read aloud tie-ins were often "ahas" to what had been mentioned in other areas at an earlier time.

Utilizing the mavica and creating the slide show was a true motivator. The students loved the technology and kept wanting to update the slide show by changing the background color, captions, timing, etc. to make it better. Thanks to a parent, an iMovie was even created!

Frustration did occur as this was not all "quick" learning. Several of the activities (especially those game hens) took time and patience. We are used to a more immediate endings...fast food, fast learning, fast everything, so that patience was a lesson in itself.

I am most proud of the way students responded verbally and in written form to the art images they viewed. They were very open and mature in their observations and reflections. Students demonstrated awe for the stories that the art and artifacts told. When students created their Ancient Egyptian representations, they were concerned with being "authentic" in their designs and style.

Not having students develop/present a play is a regret I have about the unit. I can just envision some take-off of Steve Martin's "King Tut" somewhere down the road. Perhaps this could be an addition to the unit next year?!

Teacher Artifacts

Rubrics for HyperStudio stack, The Egypt Game culminating product, and descriptive paragraphs.
Dittos and overheads.
Open-ended reflections.

Student Reflection

We really liked the way our teacher taught us because it's boring doing it out of the book. We think every teacher should teach like that because it's really fun and a really cool unit to learn. We liked making the canopic jars and most of all we liked making and eye movie for them. EJ and TH

Making the mummified chickens was very realistic. Before we did, we were kinda in the blue on how they mummified people but now it is perfectly clear. We did it almost, actually like they did. It was an awesome experience. I will always remember this experience because it was so realistic and historic! PM

The Egyptian unit allowed us to learn in a more fun way. We learned by doing hands-on projects such as mummifying chickens and making canopic jars. Though these projects took time and patience they were fun and exciting. These projects showed a new way of learning. They taught us just what these weird Egyptian things are. SM and EH

We liked the way we decorated the room to make it feel like we were actually in Ancient Egypt. This was a great experience and we expect the same results next year. ES and LO


Hatshepsut, Ramses II, and Khufu. All Egyptian people in our awesome Egyptian unit. We did amazing paper sarcophaguses. We liked the way we made them a lot! We got to work with partners of our choice! When we were done we hung them up in the class. That was only one of our projects. Our Egyptian unit was too fun!!! AH and CU

We learned what life was like in Ancient Egyptian times. It surprised us to learn that Tutankhaman died at 19 as a pharoah, and he had so much gold in his grave room. We felt frustrated in this work because there was so much work to do. The things we can do amaze us because we can do so much with all the materials we have. CB and LM

We tied our Egypt unit with reading and read The Egypt Game. It helped a lot because we understood everything more. The relief map was a lot of fun. Now we know how life was like with the Nile River and the Pyramids. CT and PB


We felt frustration with our canopic jars because they took so long to finish. The slide show we made presenting our canopic jars using technology was awesome. We used to think that mummies were made out of toilet paper, but now we know that it was cloth wrapped around the body. JF and DM

Student Artifacts

Written work from The Egypt Game...sociograms, Venn diagrams, characterizations, word charts, reflections, etc.
Slide show (iMovie) of canopic jars.
Canopic jars, copper cartouches, paper and hen sarcophaguses.
HyperStudio stack presentation.
Pictures, digital and 35mm.
Bookmarks for sites.

Partnerships

Joslyn Art Museum-display posters
CD Staff- Colette introduced the SlideShow process
Principal-encouragement and some material cost
Parent Support-iMovie, muslin

All Unit Plans are to be considered "Works in Progress". As teachers reflected upon the challenges and successes of each unit they were encouraged to return and make modifications. Also, each teacher was at their own level in incorporating the four strands of the grant into their daily teaching. As they grew more comfortable with each area they were encouraged to revisit their Unit Plan and make modifications. These Unit Plans are a snapshot of where the teachers were when the grant ended.