Ancient Egypt is more than mummies,

Teacher s Guide Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt Dear Educator, Ancient Egypt is more than mummies, pharaohs, and pyramids! Explore the Egyptians achievements in architecture, engineering, writing, and more with DISCOV- ER. While reading Ancient Egypt, students will learn about the topics at right. This Teacher s Guide is filled with activity ideas and blackline masters to help your students enjoy and learn more from Ancient Egypt. Select or adapt the activities that suit your students needs best. Thank you for making a part of your classroom. Sincerely, P.S. We would love to hear from you! E-mail your comments and ideas to teachers@kidsdiscover.com Meeting the Standards World History: Era 2 Early Civilizations and the Emergence of Pastoral Peoples, 4000-1000 BCE National Standards for History WHAT S IN ANCIENT EGYPT PAGES 2 3 The Gift of the Nile A time line, map, and illustrations of the ancient Egyptian civilizations 4 5 Mighty Pharaoh Kings and pharaohs of Egyptian dynasties 6 7 Daily Life What was life like for the royal family and the poor? Plus, the social pyramid! 8 9 Gods, Priests, and Temples Worshipping the many Egyptian gods and goddesses 10 11 Cliff Carvings A bold photo of Ramses II s Great Temple 12 13 Leaving their Mark Hieroglyphs, papyrus, the Rosetta Stone, and other achievements of the ancient Egyptians 14 15 Pyramid Builders How did the Egyptians build the pyramids? 16 17 Mummy Makers and the Afterlife Preserving bodies for life after death 18 19 Student Activities Make four recipes with barley, plus an acrostic, matching, and resources IN THIS TEACHER S GUIDE 2 Prereading Activities 3 Get Set to Read (Anticipation Guide) 4 Discussion and Writing Questions 5 6 It s in the Reading (Reading Comprehension) Visit www.kidsdiscover.com/standards to find out more about how meets state and national standards. 7 Everything Visual (Graphic Skills) 8 Cross-Curricular Extensions 9 12 Answer Keys to Blackline Masters... www.kidsdiscover.com... 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 ANCIENT EGYPT 1

B Discussion To get students thinking about how this topic relates to their interests and lives, ask: Why do you think people are fascinated by ancient Egypt? What do you want to learn about ancient Egypt? Concept map PREREADING ACTIVITIES efore distributing Ancient Egypt, students prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading activate with these activities. Explain to students that they will be reading Ancient Egypt. Ask: What are some words that are related to Ancient Egypt? List students responses on the board. (See box below for some terms they may suggest.) After creating a list, ask students to group the words into categories, such as People or Places. Create a concept map by writing Ancient Egypt on the board and circling it. Write the categories around the circle and draw lines between the ideas to show connections. Then write the words from the list around the appropriate categories. Encourage students to add more words to the concept map as they read Ancient Egypt. Tutankhamen Queen Hatshepsut Ramses II Cleopatra pharaoh hieroglyphs KEY TERMS papyrus pyramid Nile Rosetta Stone Giza mummy Get Set to Read (Anticipation Guide) Copy and distribute the Get Set to Read blackline master (page 3 of this Teacher s Guide). Explain to students that this Anticipation Guide will help them find out what they know and what misconceptions they have about the topic. Get Set to Read is a list of statements some true, some false. Ask students to write whether they think each statement is true or false in the Before Reading column. Be sure to tell students that it is not a test and they will not be graded on their answers. The activity can be completed in a variety of ways for differentiated instruction: Have students work on their own or in small groups to complete the entire page. Assign pairs of students to focus on two statements and to become experts on these topics. Ask students to complete the Before Reading column on their own, and then tabulate the class s answers on the chalkboard, on an overhead transparency, or on your classroom computer. Review the statements orally with the entire class. If you predict that students will need assistance finding the answers, complete the Page Number column before copying Get Set to Read. Preview Ancient Egypt Distribute Ancient Egypt and model how to preview it. Examine titles, headings, words in boldface type, pictures, charts, and captions. Then have students add new information to the Concept Map. If students will only be reading a few pages at one sitting, preview only the selected pages. BE WORD WISE WITH POWER VOCABULARY! You have exclusive access to additional resources including Power Vocabulary blackline masters for every available title! These activities introduce students to 15 specialized and general-use vocabulary words from each KiDS title. Working with both types of words helps students develop vocabulary, improve comprehension, and read fluently. Follow the links from your Teacher s Toolbox CD-ROM and find your title to access these valuable resources: Vocabulary cards Crossword puzzle Word find Matching Cloze sentences Dictionary list... www.kidsdiscover.com... 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 ANCIENT EGYPT 2

Ancient Egypt Name Date Get Set to Read Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. What do you know about ancient Egypt? In Before Reading, write true if you think the statement is true. Write false if you think the statement is not true. Then read Ancient Egypt. Check back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct answer and the page number where you found it. CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true. Before Reading After Reading Page Number 1. The Egyptian civilization began on the banks of the Euphrates River. 2. Pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt. 3. Rice was the main food in the ancient Egyptian diet. 4. All ancient Egyptians worshiped inside the temple. 5. A pharaoh ordered carvings in the sandstone cliffs of Abu Simbel. 6. No one has been able to decode the Egyptian hieroglyphs. 7. Workers built the pyramids as tombs for the pharoahs. 8. Egyptians in every class were made into mummies after death. ANCIENT EGYPT 3

DISCUSSION & WRITING QUESTIONS se the following questions as oral discussion starters or for Ujournaling. For additional in-class discussion and writing questions, adapt the questions on the reading comprehension blackline masters on pages 5 and 6. Ancient Egypt Cover Do you know to whom or to what each blurb on the cover refers? Which blurb do you think is most interesting? Why? All pages Have you ever been to Egypt? If so, what did you see there? What towns and cities did you visit? In what ways is life there different from life where you live? Pages 2 3 People in ancient Egypt lived near the Nile River. Ask: What are the advantages and disadvantages of living on the banks of a river? Would you like to live near a river? What kinds of things would the river enable you to do? Pages 4 5 An ancient Egyptian pharaoh named Akhenaten required all Egyptians to worship only one god. Ask: Do you think a leader should decide who or what people can worship? Explain. Pages 4 5 In ancient Egypt, there were many dynasties. A dynasty is a series of rulers all from the same family. Ask: Do you think it s a good idea to have successive rulers of a country come from the same family? What advantages and disadvantages do you see in this kind of arrangement? Pages 6 7 The Egyptian social pyramid is shown on page 6. Ask: Do you think there is a social pyramid in America? If so, how does the Egyptian social pyramid differ from the American social pyramid? Pages 6 7 Several foods and drinks are mentioned on page 7. Ask: Which of these foods have you eaten? Do you like these foods? Pages 8 9 Several Egyptian gods are shown and described on pages 8-9. Some of these gods had more that one form and several jobs. Ask: Do any of the various combinations of forms or jobs of the gods surprise you? Which ones? If you are familiar with any of the ancient Greek gods, what are some similarities between the Egyptian and Greek gods? What are some differences? Pages 10 11 If someone were to carve four different versions of you, what would you want these different versions to look like? Pages 12 13 Which of the inventions mentioned on pages 12 13 do you think is most amazing? Why? Pages 14 15 How is the building of the pyramids different from how they would be built today using modern technology and tools? Has your view of the pyramids changed now that you understand the labor that was involved in building them? If so, how has it changed? Pages 16 17 In your opinion, what is the most interesting part of the mummification process or preparing the dead? Did any of the steps surprise you? Which ones? All pages After students read the issue, ask: Add issues and a class set of blackline masters to your substitute teacher folder for when you are absent. Would you like to have lived in ancient Egypt? Why or why not? What is the most fascinating thing you learned about ancient Egypt? Why is it fascinating to you?... www.kidsdiscover.com... 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 ANCIENT EGYPT 4

Ancient Egypt Name Date It s in the Reading After reading Ancient Egypt, choose the best answer for each question. Fill in the circle. Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question. 1. How did the yearly flooding of the Nile help farmers? A. by watering crops B. by leaving behind rich soil C. by drowning pests D. by spreading seeds 2. How did ordinary ancient Egyptians change their view of their rulers? A. They began thinking of the rulers as links between gods and the people rather than as gods themselves. B. They began worshiping the rulers as the major god of the world. C. They stopped believing that the rulers had any connection to the gods. D. They began thinking that the rulers were signs that the gods did not approve of the Egyptian way of life. 3. How does the average life span of ancient Egyptians compare to that of present-day Americans? A. The life spans of present-day Americans and ancient Egyptians are about equal. B. The average life span of ancient Egyptians was much longer than that of modern Americans C. The average life span of modern Americans is much longer than that of ancient Egyptians. D. The average life span of modern Americans is much shorter than that of ancient Egyptians. 4. What can you conclude by knowing that Egyptians slept on headrests to prevent snakes and scorpions from crawling on their heads? A. Egyptians did not care if snakes and scorpions crawled on the rest of their bodies. B. Egyptians slept outside. C. Snakes and scorpions could get into Egyptian homes. D. Egyptian homes did not have doors and windows that could be closed. 5. Why did ordinary Egyptians only see the statues of the gods during religious festivals? A. Statues were destroyed after each religious festival. B. Ordinary people had to cover their eyes when they passed the statues at other times. C. The statues were kept in the homes of priests and priestesses where ordinary people could not visit. D. Ordinary people were not allowed in the temples where the statues were kept. 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 7 8 9 ANCIENT EGYPT 5

It s in the Reading (continued) 6. Which god or goddess would an ancient Egyptian farmer be most likely to ask for favors? A. Horus B. Osiris C. Amun-Re D. Troth 8 9 7. About how old is the facade of the Great Temple? A. about 850 years old B. about 1,250 years old C. about 2,000 years old D. about 3,200 years old 10 11 8. Without being able to read hieroglyphs, how would a person be able to tell whether a hieroglyph referred to a member of the royal family? A. The hieroglyph would include crowns. B. Some hieroglyphs would be encircled by a frame. C. The hieroglyphs would be stamped by the royal seal. D. The hieroglyph would be written on gold. 12 13 9. Which of these simple tools was not used to build the pyramids? A. lever B. wedge C. wheel D. ramp, or inclined plane 14 15 10. Why did embalmers leave the heart in a mummy? A. The heart was needed to get into the next life. B. Removing the heart would require cutting into the mummy. C. The embalmer did not know where the heart was. D. The heart was considered the least important organ. 16 17 11. What do you think was the greatest accomplishment of the ancient Egyptians? Explain. ANCIENT EGYPT 6

Ancient Egypt Name Date Everything Visual What happened first? This is a question a time line can answer. A time line places events in the order that they happen. Dates, pictures, and words on them help outline history. Look at the time line on pages 2 7. Then answer the questions. 1. Many dates on the time line are preceded by the abbreviation c. The abbreviation stands for circa, which means about or approximately. Why is the abbreviation used with the dates? 2. The black line of the time line names different periods of ancient Egyptian history. How many periods are identified over the pages? What was the last period? 3. Why does the time line show events that did not take place in ancient Egypt? 4. What happened between c. 2130 and 1980 B.C.? 5. Why are so many events from Greece shown during the Third Intermediate and Late periods? 6. What North American culture is shown on the time line? ANCIENT EGYPT 7

H CROSS-CURRICULAR EXTENSIONS ave students try these activities to expand their knowledge and interest in ancient Egypt. Math, History In the time line that runs along the bottom of pages 2 7, students learn about Egyptian events from 4500 B.C. to 31 B.C. Have students make up math problems using the dates in the time line. For example: How many years are there between when the first semi-permanent villages appeared in Egypt and when the Assyrians conquered Egypt? How many years ago did Alexander the Great conquer Egypt? Then, draw students attention to a few dates on the time line that do not directly deal with Egypt, such as the year the first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 B.C. Ask students to locate these places on a world map. Then students can do some research about other events that occurred in world history from 4500 B.C. to 31 B.C. They can add these events to the time line by writing the events and dates on sticky notes and sticking them on the approximate places along the time line in the issue. Language Arts Have students write a short story in which a mummy is one of the characters. The story can take place in the present, or it can take place in ancient Egypt. Students can decide to tell the story in the first person, from the mummy s point of view, or with an omniscient narrator. Ancient Egypt Art, Language Arts On pages 8 and 9, students see various ancient Egyptian gods in some of their many forms. Have students design images to represent the god or goddess of beauty, the moon, the sun, love, the sky, or another part of life. Students should draw two different versions of the god or goddess one in ancient Egyptian form and dress, and the other as a modern representation of the god or goddess. Students should write a brief description of what the god or goddess protected or represents, why they chose to represent it in the form that they did, and how their ancient and modern versions are alike and different. Display the artwork and writings on a bulletin board. Give students opportunities to earn extra credit by reading and summarizing a issue. Geography, Math The Nile River is the longest river in the world. Have students do some research and find the next four longest rivers in the world. Create a chart on the board with the names of the rivers along the side. Along the top, write questions that students have about the rivers, such as In what country or state does the river begin? What is the end point of the river? and How long is the river? Ask students questions that require them to use the chart, such as How much longer is the Nile River than the Amazon River?... www.kidsdiscover.com... 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 ANCIENT EGYPT 8

Ancient Egypt ANSWER KEY Name Date Get Set to Read Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization. What do you know about ancient Egypt? In Before Reading, write true if you think the statement is true. Write false if you think the statement is not true. Then read Ancient Egypt. Check back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct answer and the page number and where you found it. CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true. Before Reading After Reading Page Number 1. The Egyptian civilization began on the banks of the Euphrates Nile River. 2. Pharaohs, or kings, ruled ancient Egypt. 3. Rice Bread made from barley was the main food in the ancient Egyptian diet. 4. All ancient Egyptians worshiped Almost no one other than the pharaoh and high priests and priestesses were allowed to worship inside the temple. 5. Ramses II ordered carvings in the sandstone cliffs of Abu Simbel. 6. No one has Because of the Rosetta Stone, people have been able to decode the Egyptian hieroglyphs. 7. Workers built the pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs. 8. Egyptians in every class Usually only pharaohs and people in the highest social classes were made into mummies after death. False True False False True False True False p. 2 p. 4 p. 6 p. 8 p. 10 p. 12 p. 14 p. 16 ANCIENT EGYPT 9

Ancient Egypt ANSWER KEY Name Date It s in the Reading After reading Ancient Egypt, choose the best answer for each question. Fill in the circle. Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question. 1. How did the yearly flooding of the Nile help farmers? A. by watering crops B. by leaving behind rich soil (inference) C. by drowning pests D. by spreading seeds 2. How did ordinary ancient Egyptians change their view of their rulers? A. They began thinking of the rulers as links between gods and the people rather than as gods themselves. (main idea and details) B. They began worshiping the rulers as the major god of the world. C. They stopped believing that the rulers had any connection to the gods. D. They began thinking that the rulers were signs that the gods did not approve of the Egyptian way of life. 3. How does the average life span of ancient Egyptians compare to that of present-day Americans? A. The life spans of present-day Americans and ancient Egyptians are about equal. B. The average life span of ancient Egyptians was much longer than that of modern Americans C. The average life span of modern Americans is much longer than that of ancient Egyptians. (comparison and contrast) D. The average life span of modern Americans is much shorter than that of ancient Egyptians. 4. What can you conclude by knowing that Egyptians slept on headrests to prevent snakes and scorpions from crawling on their heads? A. Egyptians did not care if snakes and scorpions crawled on the rest of their bodies. B. Egyptians slept outside. C. Snakes and scorpions could get into Egyptian homes. (draw conclusions) D. Egyptian homes did not have doors and windows that could be closed. 5. Why did ordinary Egyptians only see the statues of the gods during religious festivals? A. Statues were destroyed after each religious festival. B. Ordinary people had to cover their eyes when they passed the statues at other times. C. The statues were kept in the homes of priests and priestesses where ordinary people could not visit. D. Ordinary people were not allowed in the temples where the statues were kept. (cause and effect) 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 7 8 9 ANCIENT EGYPT 10

It s in the Reading (continued) 6. Which god or goddess would an ancient Egyptian farmer be most likely to ask for favors? A. Horus B. Osiris (draw conclusions) C. Amun-Re D. Troth 8 9 7. About how old is the facade of the Great Temple? A. about 850 years old B. about 1,250 years old C. about 2,000 years old D. about 3,200 years old (synthesis) 10 11 8. Without being able to read hieroglyphs, how would a person be able to tell whether a hieroglyph referred to a member of the royal family? A. The hieroglyph would include crowns. B. Some hieroglyphs would be encircled by a frame. (main idea and details) C. The hieroglyphs would be stamped by the royal seal. D. The hieroglyph would be written on gold. 12 13 9. Which of these simple tools was not used to build the pyramids? A. lever B. wedge C. wheel (details) D. ramp, or inclined plane 14 15 10. Why did embalmers leave the heart in a mummy? A. The heart was needed to get into the next life. (cause and effect) B. Removing the heart would require cutting into the mummy. C. The embalmer did not know where the heart was. D. The heart was considered the least important organ. 16 17 11. What do you think was the greatest accomplishment of the ancient Egyptians? Explain. Answers will vary, but students should provide reasons for their opinion. ANCIENT EGYPT 11

Ancient Egypt ANSWER KEY Name Date Everything Visual What happened first? This is a question a time line can answer. A time line places events in the order that they happen. Dates, pictures, and words on them help outline history. Look at the time line on pages 2 7. Then answer the questions. 1. Many dates on the time line are preceded by the abbreviation c. The abbreviation stands for circa, which means about or approximately. Why is the abbreviation used with the dates? The actual dates are not known. The dates given are estimates of when the events took place. 2. The black line of the time line names different periods of ancient Egyptian history. How many periods are identified over the pages? What was the last period? Eight periods are shown. The last one is the Late Period. 3. Why does the time line show events that did not take place in ancient Egypt? By providing events that took place in other parts of the world, the time line helps place Egyptian events in context of the larger world. 4. What happened between c. 2130 and 1980 B.C.? The Egyptian central government collapsed. 5. Why are so many events from Greece shown during the Third Intermediate and Late periods? The Greek civilization was advancing rapidly and during the Late Period Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and made it part of the Greek empire. 6. What North American culture is shown on the time line? The Olmec civilization of Mexico is shown on the time line. ANCIENT EGYPT 12