Lesson plan of Ancient Egypt: Review

Objectives (5 - 10 minutes)

1. Understanding Egyptian Culture: Students will be able to describe prominent aspects of ancient Egyptian culture, including religious beliefs, architecture, arts, science and technology, economics, and society.  They should understand how these elements intertwined to shape the life in Ancient Egypt.

2. Analyzing Political and Social Organization: Students should be able to explain the political and social structure of the Ancient Egyptians, including the significance of the pharaoh, the roles of priests, and the class division. They should understand how these factors contributed to the stability of the Egyptian Empire.

3. Comprehending the Mummification Process: Students should be able to discuss the complex process of mummification and its significance in Egyptian culture. They should be able to identify the steps involved in the process and explain the purpose behind its practice for the Egyptians.

   Additional Objectives:

   • Developing Research Skills: By conducting research as part of their preparation for the lesson, students will develop research and synthesis skills.

   • Encouraging Critical Thinking: Through discussion and analysis of the topics, students will be encouraged to develop critical thinking skills, by questioning and evaluating the information presented.

Introduction (10 - 15 minutes)

1. Prior Knowledge Review: The teacher should start the lesson by reviewing any prior knowledge relevant to the topics that the students studied in previous lessons on Ancient Egypt, like its geographical location, the role of the Nile River in ancient Egyptians life, its formation from the Old, Middle and the New Kingdom. This review can involve brief brainstorming, Q&A , or with the help of visual prompts.

2. Focus Questions: The teacher may choose to continue this review using focused questions as prompts, designed to trigger curiosity and introduce the lesson's topics:

   • "How did the Egyptians manage to build such great structures, like the Pyramids, without any of the modern-day technology we're used to?"
   • "Why was the preservation of a body after death very important to the ancient Egyptians, and how was the process carried out?"

3. Historical Context: The teacher may also briefly mention the relevance of understanding this historical civilization, highlighting the contributions Ancient Egyptians made to Architecture, sciences, medicines and religions. Mentioning that the preserved bodies from mummification enabled the modern-day medical field to study ancient Egyptians' anatomy and diseases.

4. Grabbing Attention with Interesting Facts: The instructor could use interesting and curious details or stories from this civilization's history and culture. For example,

   • “Did you know that the Egyptians believed cats to be sacred animals, and killing a cat, whether accidental or malicious, was punishable by death.”
   • “Despite what we usually imagine, the great Pyramids weren't built for the Pharaohs only but they actually were status symbols for wealthy and high-class ordinary Egyptians!”

5. Introduce Today's Topic: Finally, the teacher should formally introduce the lesson's topic- the Review of Ancient Egypt- briefly explaining and outlining what's going to be discussed: Egyptian culture, their political and organizational structure, and finally mummification.

Development (20 - 25 minutes)

1. Culture and Beliefs of Egypt (5 - 7 minutes)

   • The teacher should open this part with explaining and discussing with students the Ancient Egyptians' religion and their beliefs in a pantheon of gods, led by Amun-Re, as the primary creator deity, along with deities such as Osiris, Isis, Horus, etc, and their roles.
   • The teacher may continue with discussing the importance and influence the concept of the afterlife had. Students may discuss and learn that the ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, believing it to be a further existence of a person's life, and hence, the meticulous care in the process of the deceased person's mummification and preservation.
   • The influence and importance of such beliefs may then lead to discussing the impact and reflection of the beliefs of an afterlife, on various aspects in Ancient Egyptian's culture, especially arts such as paintings inside their tombs depicting scenes and rituals related to afterlife, or the building and significance of temples to worship and please their gods, and building tombs for their pharaohs and elite members of their societies.
   • To provide examples for the students the teacher may show and discuss examples of art from the period, with an analysis that sheds light of its religious significance, for instance an image from the famous Book of the Dead.

2. Politics and Social Groups in Ancient Egypt (7 - 10 minutes)

   • The teacher may start by having the students discuss how a society is politically and socially organized in general, then shift their attention to discussing Ancient Egypt as an example.
     • The political structure included the roles of a pharaoh- who was considered the political and religious leader as a living God and the supreme sovereign of their civilization- the role of priests or priestesses, and other classes such a scribes with different roles and status.
     • The social hierarchy may include discussions around the social classes in Ancient Egypt: The ruler and the royal family, followed by the high priests and priestesses, high class, and ending with serfs and slaves with different responsibilities and lifestyles. Students should learn how this social class division was strictly followed and that social mobility was very unlikely.
   • The impact of religious beliefs may be highlighted in here, and how it affected the role of the priests and priestesses in political, social and religious spheres.
   • To help students comprehend and visualize this concept further, teachers might want to draw a diagram that shows this hierarchy and social structure in Ancient Egyptian society and discuss it.

3. Mummification: An Ancient Science (8 - 10 minutes)

   • The teacher may initiate this part of the lesson and the discussion around this advanced practice by discussing some interesting information about mummification- like the fact it could take up to 40 days to completely mummify a deceased body, or that only a select group of priests, known as Embalmers, were trained and trusted in performing it.
   • This can lead to the different techniques used, starting with the earliest known method of burying bodies in shallow pits in the desert and covering it with sand to dry and naturally mummify.
   • Later the embalming technique that was developed, which was more reliable in a variety of climates, included removing body organs like the intestines or the brains, removing moisture with certain natural salts like Natron, followed by covering them with resin, and wrapping their entire body in layers of linen.
   • The reasons why mummification was so significant to the Egyptian culture should be emphasized here: the belief that mummies were more likely to gain eternal life or the afterlife.
     • The process of mummification, along with the significance of amulets and artifacts found in or on mummies, should give a good hint about their beliefs surrounding deities such as Anubis, Thoth etc.
     • Teachers should also explain and discuss the significance of tombs for the deceased in Ancient Egypt, including the grave goods and items buried along with them to help achieve a successful passage to after life. To make learning more fun for students and to help with comprehension, images of actual mummies, sarcophagi or tombs from this period and a quick walkthrough their features could greatly assist their engagement.
   • The final burial process may be reviewed and explained, highlighting the famous Book of the Dead and discussing its contents and significance, as a guide through the Afterlife.

4. Checking for Understanding and Discussion (5 - 8 minutes)

   • After explaining each topic in a structured fashion, have students summarize the main ideas in groups of 3-4 students in their own words.
   • Teachers must ensure they're discussing the main topics and answering any arising questions from the groups. They should facilitate a class group discussion afterwards and encourage students to participate by asking them thoughtful questions that will assess the following:
     • Did any of you hear about mummies before or seen a visual presentation of an actual one? Where?
     • How were they made or do you have any prior knowledge you'd like to share?
   • Students' responses to these questions will give good indicators of prior knowledge and misconceptions, which teachers can correct or build upon.

Closure (10 - 15 minutes)

1. Concepts Review (5 - 7 minutes):

   • The teacher should invite a few of the groups to provide their summary for the major topics discussed, like Egyptian culture, their socio-political organization, and Mummification.
   • Students can use the opportunity to provide the summary using their own vocabulary, while teachers listen carefully to correct and highlight the most relevant ideas.

2. Making it Personal (3 - 5 minutes): - Ask the class questions that prompt them to relate the lesson's content to modern times, their cultures or even to themselves, some examples on that are: - Do we have anything like mummification in today's world or in other cultures you know of? Elaborate. - Do we have social stratification in today's globalized society? Why? or Why not? - Where can the effects and influence of ancient civilizations like Egypt can still be seen around us, if any?

3. Final Discussion or Reflection on the Lesson (2 - 3 minutes):

   • Have a quick review of today's session and the main idea of each concept that has been touched upon in the previous segments, to make sure all the points discussed in the previous segments and the main points of the lesson are highlighted and reviewed for better memorization.
   • Ask one last question, that prompts reflection:
     • “In your perspective, which of this lesson's topics do you think you will remember and why, and are there any questions about any particular topic?”
   • Listen and respond respectfully, to ensure students feel safe asking for more clarification.

4. Preview and Wrap-up (2 - 3 minutes):

   • Mention that in the future classes students will have a chance to learn additional topics and concepts, and briefly highlight the themes that are planned for that, to create curiosity in students, such as the Pharaohs' lives and the most famous ones like Cleopatra and Ramses II, their conquests and contributions.
   • Inform that in the upcoming lesson there will be more discussion and activities about this topic so that all students who had questions or curiosities they didn't ask about have another chance to participate, and encourage them to read and explore about the Ancient Egyptian history and their famous figures independently, as an extension for this class, in the meantime.

Conclusion (5 - 7 minutes)

1. Topic Review and Connection (2 - 3 minutes): Briefly review, recap and connect all the significant concepts covered in previous topics and connect how all of that is connected and had played a pivotal role in this civilization, from religion to their political systems, their social classes and the role of different classes, and of course the advanced technique that shows their interest and preoccupation with life, death, and after-life: The mummification of their deceased and the magnificent structural designs of pyramids and tombs, which reflect their religious views and their desire to prepare and secure eternal life.

2. Linking Class Theory to Real-World (1 - 2 minutes): Review the activities that were performed in discussing and understanding the different socio-political aspects and religious ideas of their time, such as comparing this civilization to ours, discussing the differences and the striking similarities that can still be seen between us. Relating it to our everyday life or to modern times and asking how and if the same applies, or to what extent we see these ideas, behaviors, or concepts reflected around us. This step will ensure that this class' session wasn't all theoretical or memorized, rather it left an impact that can resonate with the modern day, and that was one of the intended goals during the planning of the lesson itself.

3. Suggestions for Further Explorations/Resources (1 - 2 minutes): Provide students, especially those who seemed interested and engaged, with a list of recommended books to read on their own time to further expand their knowledge on ancient Egypt's rich history: share interesting and trustworthy websites for further reading. Mention any documentaries they can watch to learn more on this civilization, which can serve as an extra credit assignment and a form of enrichment for this class' session or even an alternative assessment. Finally, share some interesting details or fun facts that didn't fit the time in today's session to wrap everything up on a memorable note.

4. Relevance of this Topic (1 minute): Remind the student of today's major topics: the Ancient Egyptian Culture, and its political systems, and most importantly the advanced level of science, embalming techniques they had, that preserved bodies for thousands of years.