The Curse of King Tut

Will we ever have a full week of school?  I'm sure we will... eventually!  Anyway, last week was cut short, so we will continue where we left off.  We have finished our discussion of ancient Egyptian religion.  I would still like to complete the mummification lab - although time is running out.

This week, we will focus on the curse of King Tut (a popular lesson with my students) and then ancient Egyptian culture.  It is important for students to understand that we only know what we know about ancient Egypt because of research and discovery.  The fact that Tut's tomb was uncovered shed some light on what life was like in his era.  The artifacts collected spoke volumes.  Think about the work of archeologists and anthropologists this week.  The video I will show in class will be a great transition to this area of study.

My honors students will take a slightly different route this week.  There is a project due on Friday which should be complete and shared with me via Google Presentations or whichever program they decided to use.  Some class time will be allotted for tying up loose ends.  All students have been given a copy of the rubric which includes grades for both the presentation itself and delivery.  At this point, I am not changing the due date.  I expect to begin presentations early next week.

All of my classes will begin transition to studying ancient Greece within the next two weeks.  There are three more units of study this year.  The final two units will take up the fourth marking period.

The Three Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt - Model Essay (Annotated)

The history of ancient Egypt has been broken down into three periods of time.  The oldest of those periods is often referred to as the Old Kingdom.  Naturally, the following two periods are referred to as the Middle and New Kingdoms.  These kingdoms were very different from one another.

{Note:  I never wrote, “I am going to tell you about...”}

During the Old Kingdom, the central focus of the Egyptians was trade.  The Egyptians traded with the Nubians, located to their south, as well as the Europeans across the Mediterranean Sea. The most important commodity was timber.  The Egyptians used the wood to build houses, boats, and furniture.  The kingdom grew weak eventually as the governors challenged the pharaoh.  This led to their demise.

{Note:  I described the Old Kingdom without copying directly from the textbook.}

During the Middle Kingdom, the focus of the Egyptians became creating infrastructure.  They spent their wealth on creating a bigger and better Egypt; but, they  neglected to build a solid and reliable defense.  This set them up for a potential disaster.  They became a sitting duck for foreign invaders who came and defeated them.

{Note:  I used the word infrastructure instead of public works to demonstrate that I understood the meaning of the word.}

Once the Egyptians were reunited, they vowed to never make that mistake again.  Therefore, the focus of the New Kingdom became building a strong military.  The new army, dressed in armor, used metal weapons and charioteers to ward off potential challenges.  This kingdom was also famous for its ‘boy king’ Tutankhamen who died at a very young age.

{Note:  I changed my wording so as to not start this paragraph the same as the previous two - I didn’t write, “During the...”}

In conclusion, historians have divided the history of ancient Egypt into three periods of time. Those kingdoms were known as the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.  Each kingdom had a specific focus which defined it.  

{Note:  I restated the introduction, but I didn’t copy it word for word.  I didn’t want to bore the reader.  I also avoided saying, “I hope that you enjoyed reading...”}

Review- I checked my writing more than one time to make sure that I used proper capitalization and wrote in complete sentences.  I also double-checked my punctuation.  Before I was finished, I read this essay four times - I counted!

Egyptian Religion

Last week, I was unable to publish my post.  Unfortunately, I have been battling an illness.  Although I feel better than I did, I still have not recuperated completely. I hope to get this week off to a better start.

General Classes

Last week, students took a quiz on the countries of Southern Africa. Most of the students did very well demonstrating that they studied. I was especially pleased to find out that many of them have downloaded free apps which helped them prepare. My students also completed a type three writing assignment regarding the three kingdoms of ancient Egypt. On a separate post, I will provide a model essay written by myself.

This week, I will begin by reviewing the student's notes about ancient Egyptian religion. By the end of the week, we should have completed the topic. There will be a current events assignment due on Friday (periods 1, 3, 4, and 6).

Note:  Grades are up-to-date for all classes with the exception of period three.  Unfortunately, a fire alarm interrupted their quizzes - more time will be given on Monday.  To make matters worse, their essays need some work as well.  I hope to have grades updated by the middle of the week.

Honors Classes

Last week, students spent two days in the library researching various topics concerning modern Egypt. Thanks to Mrs. Diaz, students were given a mini-lesson on appropriate resources. She also worked with students as they compiled information. Students read, and recorded notes on, the story Aida. This reading will be reinforced when we travel to the high school for the musical. My students also completed a map quiz regarding the countries of Southern Africa. Most students did very well.

This week, students will continue to work in small groups. We will also discuss ancient Egyptian religion as well as the three kingdoms.  They will complete a type three writing assignment this week. I will also be checking their notes.