BITE OF AFRICA - A CLASSROOM VISIT TO ANCIENT EGYPT USING MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand. [Chinese Proverb]

A colleague invited me to check out Lowell Elementary School’s Egyptian extravaganza last Thursday night. It was put on by the third graders in that school and was a seemingly accurate portrayal of life in ancient Egypt. The event took place in the multi purpose room with long tables set up to hold dozens of displays depicting everything from life on the Nile to a replica of the grand pyramid designed so that one could see inside. Some exhibits were more lavish than others, probably with some parental assistance. A simple display that I particularly liked showed two dinner tables. One was for wealthy Egyptian families, loaded with every kind of food supposedly available in those days. The other showed what might be available for a poor family. One could see at a glance a stark contrast between rich and poor when it came to eating.

Proud students milled about to show their parents and guests what they had learned. Proud teachers, no doubt relieved that everything was going well, stood by to field questions and enjoy accolades. Proud parents spent time checking out what their children and others had accomplished, probably also making some inner comparisons. All of us had to be impressed with the level of learning that obviously had taken place for those involved. The celebration included a complete dining experience of foods which might have been available in that time and location. A myriad of tasty dishes and beverages added authenticity to this “bite of Egypt.” It was quite a night!

My friend knew that I would be particularly interested in seeing what the Lowell third graders had accomplished because I too had twice taught a unit on Ancient Egypt at Martin Luther King Elementary School before I retired. However my focus and presentation was far different. While at first I felt a little envious at the intricacy and complexity of some of the projects presented at Lowell, I remembered all the learning that took place in my own room and school in 2006.

Taking a trip to Egypt in 1998 was the motivation to teach what I had learned to my first grade students. Believing in the merits of multiple intelligences I kicked off my unit by having the children make passports for their trip abroad. Over the next few weeks we “visited” Egypt – a country in Africa. We learned what it was like to boat on the Nile River, felt some real sand from the Sahara Desert, viewed the pyramids, went on an archeological dig, made Scarab jewelry and jeweled collars, learned about the mummy process, made mummies using gauze and clothespins, placed them in sarcophaguses, converted our names into hieroglyphics and also made cartouche replicas. We even learned about making perfume and rugs. Authentic Egyptian music played softly in the background, satisfying the musical intelligence. After weeks of exciting learning experiences we were ready to share information with others. Students chose their favorite activities, learning centers were formed, and all K-2 students in the school were invited to go on a trip to Africa in Room 103. The new junior archeologists taught what they had learned to their elementary school peers. It was truly an amazing day!

Who came to witness our learning? Though well attended by students, only a handful of parents were able to participate because it was during the school day. However, the air of excitement and sense of pride was just as apparent as that felt by the Lowell students and adults. Both experiences taught children about another culture and another time. I like to think that we carried our learning one step further. Like the opening quotation states: Tell me and I'll forget; show we and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand. Let's add this: Teach someone else and you'll never forget!

A more complete lesson plan follows:

LESSON PLAN: Taking An Ancient Egyptian Holiday

Objective: The students will learn about an ancient culture through “hands on” experiences relating to that culture. These experiences will expose the learners to a deep understanding of the concepts taught and a rich vocabulary pertaining to the concepts.

Method used: Teaching and Learning Through Multiple Intelligences, Room 103 first graders (junior archeologists) will pass on their own learning and understanding of an ancient Egyptian culture to MLK kindergarten through second graders (junior archeologists-in-training) via classroom centers. Egyptian music will be played. Student teachers (junior archeologists) will be wearing appropriate costumes.

Vocabulary: Africa, Egypt, Nile River, Nile River Delta, Sahara Desert, archeologist, a dig, map, Pharaoh, pyramid, tomb, cartouche, papyrus, picture writing, hieroglyphics, scarab, mummy, sarcophagus, burial jar, sun god, tomb, Tutankhamen, Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Kings, Cairo, Memphis, Luxor, Aswan, alabaster, mosque, camels, donkeys

When finished with their learning the MLK first graders will take all of the school’s K-2 children on a holiday to Egypt by arranging for each classroom (K-2) to visit our room and experience what it was like to live in ancient Egypt. There will be centers covering every one of Howard Gardner’s seven intelligences, with each child picking the center they want to man for the day. They will wear name tags stating who they are and that they are junior archeologists. At the end of the day visitors, who also will wear badges proclaiming their status as junior archeologists-in-training, will receive certificates of completion.

CENTERS

1. Archeological Dig (kinesthetic) Find artifacts, such as jewels (available at craft stores) and broken dishes or pottery, buried in boxes of sand placed on a tarp. Understand their importance, and attempt to reconstruct them.

2. Map Work and Pyramid Making (logical-mathematical) Find Egypt on a map of Africa. Locate and trace the Nile River. Build a paper pyramid to place on the map.

3. Make a cartouche with hieroglyphics (Verbal-Linguistic, Visual Spatial, and Intrapersonal) out of paper or clay. If clay is used, let the kids fashion a ball of clay into a tablet shape and etch their hieroglyphic name onto it. Students will learn how to make their own names in hieroglyphics and find out how to check for accuracy on a special computer site. (www.touregypt.net/ename/ or http://www.hieroglyphs.net/.

4. Make a Scarab Necklace (visual-spatial) Learn what a scarab is and its significance. Be able to make a necklace with a scarab bead and several other beads to show artistic balance. Also make beautiful jeweled collars. Craft store beads can be used. For the collar students can also dab different colors of paint on the collar and sprinke glitter on them or add glitter glue.

5. Learn about the ancient belief that for a pharaoh to pass to his next life he wants the same body and his belongings. Learn the importance of the mummy process. Learn about the ornate coffin called a sarcophacus. (Interpersonal) Learn about burial jars. Small wooden boxes, purchased at a craft store, can be painted and decorated. Stickers can be added. Old fashioned wooden clothespins, also available at craft stores, can be wrapped in gauze.

6. Authentic Egyptian music (Musical) will play in the background.

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BOOK NOOK

One interesting book, Mummy Math, by Cindy Neuschwander and illustrated by Bryan Langdo, is a geometry based adventure inside a pyramid.

Egyptology, by Salima Ikram gives a complete guide to how Egyptology began, how sites are found, what goes on in a dig, and how items end up in museums.

Type in Egypt for children, and you will find great numbers of exciting sites from which to take information.

Mummies Made in Egypt, by Aliki is a wonderful resource about the who, what, where and why of Mummies. The text is easy to understand as is the step-by-step process of mummy making.