Activity

Egypt Trouble

Key Learning

Students will develop their historical knowledge and understanding of ancient Egypt. Students will identify a range of questions about the past to inform historical inquiry on ancient Egypt.

The Australian Curriculum

History / Historical Knowledge and Understanding / Depth Studies / The Mediterranean world / Egypt
The physical features ofancientEgypt (such as the River Nile) and how they influenced the civilisation that developed there(ACDSEH002)

Roles of key groups inancientEgyptian society (such as the nobility, bureaucracy, women, slaves), including the influence of law and religion(ACDSEH032)

The significant beliefs, values and practices of the ancientEgyptians, with a particular emphasis on ONE of the following areas: everyday life, warfare, or death and funerary customs(ACDSEH033)
/ History / Historical Knowledge and Understanding / Depth Studies / The Mediterranean world / Egypt
Contacts and conflicts within and/or with other societies, resulting in developments such as the conquest of other lands, the expansion of trade, and peace treaties(ACDSEH034)

The role of a significant individual inancientEgyptian history such as Hatshepsut or Rameses II(ACDSEH129)

History / Historical Skills / Historical questions and research
Identify a range of questions about the past to inform ahistorical inquiry (ACHHS207)

Discussion Questions

1.  What do you know about ancient Egypt?

2.  What is ancient Egypt famous for?

3.  Where in the world is Egypt? Find using Google Maps.

a.  Asia

b.  Middle East

c.  Europe

4.  As a class discuss the current political problems happening in Egypt?

5.  How would you describe the current situation in Egypt?

6.  Why are the young people in Egypt protesting?

7.  What is a dictator?

8.  Egypt’s army is the biggest in the Middle East and the oldest in the world. True or false?

9.  Imagine what life is like for kids growing up in Egypt. How is it similar or different to growing up in Australia?

10.  The Egypt Trouble story was an example of a...

a.  Procedure

b.  Argument

c.  Report

Activities

The ancient past

Develop inquiry questions into the ancient past of Egypt

·  Ask students to look at the newspaper headline about the discovery of the oldest pharaoh rock art in Egypt. http://bit.ly/12TfNp1

·  Provide students with some time to think about and discuss the topic with a partner or in small groups.

·  Ask what they think the topic might be about and what they would like to find out.

·  Students can work in groups or pairs to brainstorm and write down key ideas, then regroup to summarise ideas as a whole class.

·  HHhhloccccagHelp students develop their own inquiry questions to structure their investigation. Refer to the AC History Units Inquiry Process for step-by-step assistance. http://achistoryunits.edu.au/verve/_resources/htaa_year_7_ancient_past_the_inquiry_process.pdf

·  Go back to these inquiry questions at the end of the learning sequence to determine what students have learned from their investigation.

The mystery of the pyramids: Research project

·  Students will pose a key question, like how were the pyramids at Giza built? Students will investigate the inquiry question and understand that there may not be a definitive answer. Students will identify related questions to inform the inquiry including: Whatevidenceis there? What theories have been developed?

Explore an ancient Egyptian pyramid using a robot.

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/maps-tools-explore-pyramid/?ar_a=1

Build your own pyramids by taking the Pyramid Challenge! Then build a 3D model of the pyramids of Giza (include other geographical features such as the river Nile).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games/pyramid_challenge/index_embed.shtml

Watch a reconstructed life story of Nakht, one of the workers who was part of building king Kufu’s great pyramid of Giza.

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/egyptian_videos/Building-Pyramid1.html

Further Investigation

Want to see your name or compose a message in hieroglyphs? Write it out in Middle Egyptian (beginning around 2100B.C.) phonetic symbols using the keyboard. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/egypt/translator.html

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an amazing and comprehensive timeline of Egypt’s ancient history. Identify the approximate beginning and end date of this ancient society and compare to other ancient societies around the world. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/index-africa.html

Visit Here is Today - a simple interactive page that explains the relative time differences between Day, Month, Year, Century, Millennium, Epoch, Period, Era, Eon and beyond! http://hereistoday.com/

8 Related Research Links

CBBC Newsround – Thousands of people gather to protest in Egypt

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/23117559

CBBC Newsround – Egypt Mohammed Morsi supporters won’t end protest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/23481133

BBC News Africa – Egypt profile

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13313370

Fascinating Egyptian Mummies – Unwrapping history with science

http://www.mcq.org/momies/

BBC – Egyptians

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/

National Geographic – Explore a Pyramid

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/maps-tools-explore-pyramid/?ar_a=1weblink

National Geographic- Brainteaser: Egypt

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzlesquizzes/brainteaseregypt/

Liverpool Museums – The Nile File

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/kids/games-quizzes/nile-file/index.aspx

Portal to the Past – Egypt

http://www.portaltothepast.com/

Behind the News – Egypt

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3127801.htm

©ABC 2013