Ancient Egypt
The Ancient World
By Megan Foster
The purpose of this unit plan is to introduce students to the civilization of ancient Egypt. This will include the geography and how it effects human settlement, government and how leaders are remembered for their achievements, and the society of ancient Egypt and how each social class played a role in the society. Students will be introduced to the content through a variety of interactive activities. They will then show what they know through writing assignments and group performances. At the conclusion of the unit, students will create an informative travel site to incite travel to Egypt.
It is assumed heading into this unit that students will be knowledgeable about emerging ancient civilizations. This unit is designed to provide students with the framework for understanding the most essential aspects of ancient Egypt.
Stage 1 Desired Results
ESTABLISHED GOAL:
History Frameworks:
7.12 – Locate the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea, the Nile River and Delta, and the areas of ancient Nubia and Egypt on a historical map. Explain what the terms Upper and Lower Egypt mean. Identify the modern countries of Egypt and Sudan on a modern map. (G)
7.14 – Describe the role of the pharaoh as god/king, the concept of dynasties, the importance of at least one Egyptian ruler, the relationship of pharaohs to peasants, and the role of slaves in ancient Egypt. (H,C)
7.15 – Describe the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt with respect to beliefs about death, the afterlife, mummification, and the roles of different deities. (H)
7.16 – Summarize the important achievements of Egyptian civilization. (H)
· the agricultural system
· the invention of a calendar
· monumental architecture and art such as the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza
· hieroglyphic writing
· the invention of papyrus
ELA & Literacy Frameworks:
W. 1. Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
SL. 4. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye conduct, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
RL. 1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. / Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning to…
· Understand how physical and human geography can inform responsible interactions with environment.
· Apply knowledge of political and social systems to participate actively as an informed citizen of a democracy.
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that…
U1...environmental factors (water, topography, and vegetation) affected where people settled.
U2... great leaders will be commemorated in monuments and statues and honored for their achievements
U3... each social class has different responsibilities to a society’s culture and success.
U4...a social pyramid represents a group’s status, power and population size. / ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
E1. What environmental factors would you consider when choosing a place to settle?
E2. Which Egyptian pharaoh had the most significant achievements and why? How do the actions of a leader effect how he is remembered?
E3. Why does the group with the least power (the peasants) have the highest population? How does one pharaoh keep power over an entire civilization? Do social classes exist today? Are they as rigid as the Egyptian social pyramid?
Acquisition
Students will know…
K1. Key Terms: delta, fertilization, papyrus, pharaohs, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, pyramids social pyramid, artisan, peasant, vizier, alliance, embalm, sarcophagus, hieroglyph, census, famine
K2. Ancient Egypt was a successful civilization because of its environment. The Nile River provided water, rich soil, and vegetation; the deserts acted as natural barriers from invaders, and the seas allowed for trading and fishing.
K3. Egyptian pharaohs had absolute power. They were kings, generals and religious leaders. Pharaohs ruled Egypt during three periods: the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom. Important and successful pharaohs had temples, monuments and statues built in their honor.
K4. The Egyptian social pyramid outlined the role and status of different groups in ancient Egypt, as well as the number of people in each group. Government officials were powerful and wealthy. Priests were important because of their role in preparing for the afterlife, including mummification. Scribes recorded information for government & religious leaders after years of studying hieroglyphics. Artisans were carpenters, painters, sculptors, and stone carvers. Peasants were poor and did laborious jobs like farming. / Students will be skilled at…
S1. Map Skill: locate the Nile, the Arabian Desert, the Libyan Desert, the Red Sea, the Nubian Desert and the Mediterranean Sea on a map of ancient Egypt.
S2. Writing Skill: explain how water, topography and vegetation affected settlement locations in Egypt.
S3.Timeline Skill: identify the three major periods of ancient Egyptian history in a timeline
S4. Reading Skill: describe the role the pharaoh played in ancient Egyptian society
S5. Visual Analysis: analyze the Egyptian social pyramid and make inferences about its meaning.
S6. Presentation Skill: produce and perform skits demonstrating the daily life of each ancient Egyptian social class.
S7. Writing & Presentation Skills: persuade tourists to visit to ancient Egyptian sites in a travel website
S8. Vocabulary: use content based vocabulary in order to communicate understanding of key concepts.
Stage 2 – Evidence
Evaluative Criteria / Assessment Evidence
- Historically Accurate
-Well Crafted
-Revealing and informative
-Good Detail
-Mechanically sound / TRANSFER TASK(S):
You are a travel agent whose goal is to encourage travel to ancient Egypt. Your clients are tourists from other civilizations in the ancient world interested in learning about the geography and climate of the area, important locations to visit, and the people they will meet while there. You must convince tourists that a trip to Egypt is exciting and worthwhile, and help them to prepare for travel. Your travel agency needs you to create a travel website that will persuade someone to travel to ancient Egypt and be accurate and informative to someone with little knowledge of ancient Egypt, include pictures, maps, and tips for traveling.
- Historically Accurate
-Well Crafted
-Revealing and informative
-Good Detail
-Mechanically sound / OTHER EVIDENCE:
Multiple Choice Quizzes/ Exam
Create a map illustrating the physical features and topography
Write postcards to friends after visiting ancient Egyptian monuments
Perform in act it outs on the daily life on Egyptian social classes
Other classwork and homework
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction
Lesson 1: Introduction and Preview to ancient Egypt- In this lesson, students will preview the geography of Egypt and the major themes of the unit.
· Map: History Alive! Geography Challenge: Interactive Notebook pg 50-51
· Vocabulary Preview: Egypt Wordle
Lesson 2: Geography & Topography of Egypt- In this lesson students will be introduced to the environmental factors that effected settlement in ancient Egypt.
· Vocabulary: Frayer Model- Topography, vegetation and water (Chapter 7, Section 2)
· Experimental Exercise: Different areas of the classroom will represent different physical features of Egypt (the Nile River, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Desert, Libyan Desert, and Nubian Desert). Students will need to “move” to the location they believe will be best for human settlement, based on topography, vegetation and water. Students will need to defend their decisions.
Lesson 3: Human Settlement in ancient Egypt- In this lesson, students will discover where humans settled in ancient Egypt and what environmental benefits came with the region.
· Content/Response Notes: Settlement of Egypt-physical features, cause and effect ( Chapter 7, Section 3)
· Map: Label map of Egypt with physical features and human settlements
· Writing: In well-developed paragraph answer “Why were human settlements located in the places you selected?”
Lesson 4: Egyptian Pharaoh- In this lesson, students will create a timeline of Egyptian history and identify the roles of the pharaoh in ancient Egypt on a graphic organizer.
· Timeline: three periods of Egyptian history (Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom). Label each period and list important events and other facts about this period below. (Chapter 8, Sections 1 & 2)
· Graphic Organizer: identify the jobs a pharaoh has (king, general, and religious leaders) and give examples. (Chapter 8, Sections 1 & 2)
Lesson 5: Famous Pharaohs- In this two day lesson, students will experience traveling through Egypt to visit famous, ancient Egyptian monuments.
· Experimental Exercise: (TCI) Students will visit four sites (Kufu’s Great Pyramid, Sensuret I’s White Chapel, Hatshepsut’s temple at Dayr al-Bahri, and Ramses II temple at Abu Simbel). At each site is an activity asking students to think critically or complete a small task.
· Content/Response Notes: Pharaoh’s Achievement- pharaohs, main ideas & details (Chapter 8, Sections 3, 4, 5 & 6)
· Writing: Write postcards to friends about pharaohs and monuments. (Interactive Notebook pg. 60-64)
Lesson 6: Egypt’s Social Pyramid- In this lesson, students will be able to identify the parts of the social pyramid and explain its purpose.
· Visual Analysis: Egyptian Social Class pyramid ( Chapter 9, Sections 1 & 2)
Lesson 7: Egypt’s Social Classes- In this three day lesson, students will be assigned to a social class, which they will have to research and produce a skit about.
· Graphic Organizer: details on each social class (Interactive Notebook pg. 70-71) ( Chapter 9, Section 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7)
· Group Work: assign student groups with skit script outlines & student preparation
· Presentation: Egyptian social class skits
Lesson 8: Unit Project- Students will create a mock travel website to bring tourists to ancient Egypt.
The Ancient World
