Ancient Egypt Web Quest

You have just completed the book Tut, Tut by Jon Scieszka. Mr. Scieszka based this story on true events from Egyptian history. Just like the characters in the book, you will be taking a trip through time! You and the other two members of your group will be journeying to ancient Egypt. Each of you will conduct research into one aspect of ancient Egypt. As you explore the following web sites about ancient Egypt, be sure to take notes. You will be required to complete three preliminary activities as part of your unit of study on ancient Egypt. After you have gathered your information, your group will then plan and make a presentation to your class using the information you have gathered.

(As you work through all these activities, be sure to click on the back button to return to this screen.)

Activities

Part 1

1. Click on this link to print out your note-taking page. Egyptian Worksheet. You will need to fill this out to complete one of the requirements for this unit.

2. There are three areas of study: pharaohs, pyramids, and hieroglyphs. Decide which team member will investigate which topic.

3. If you are researching pharaohs: You need to read to be informed about King Tut and his wife/sister Ankhesenamun. Click on the following link to read some of the known facts about them. Profile of King Tut As you read, fill in the section of your sheet about King Tut. You also need to read about the only female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut. Click on the following link to read some of the known facts about her. Queen Hatshepsut As you read, fill in the section of your sheet about Queen Hatshepsut. Now that you have completed the Pharaoh’s of Egypt page, complete a Venn diagram of the similarities and differences about the pharaohs. Your group will need this information later.

4. If you are researching the pyramids: Many pharaohs were buried in pyramids. Click on the following link to learn about some of the most frequently asked questions about pyramids: Ask Dr. Dig - FAQ. Find out why pyramids were used as tombs. Take a virtual tour of an Egyptian pyramid. Read about how the Egyptians constructed the different types of pyramids. Take a virtual tour of King Tut’s tomb. Explore the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

5. If you are researching hieroglyphs: Every pharaoh had a cartouche that represented him or her. The cartouche was his/her name spelled out in hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs represent letter sounds, just as our letters do. You will create your own team cartouche based on the letter sounds represented by these hieroglyphs. Click on this link to see a chart listing all the different glyph sounds. Write Your Name in Hieroglyphs Read through the site so that you will be able to explain hieroglyphs to your teammates. Your group will be choosing a name and designing a cartouche based on this group name. Also, check out Hieroglyphs and read what this author has to say about Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Part 2

1. Now that each of you has become an expert in your particular area of research, it is now time to put all the pieces together. Share with your teammate the information you have gathered. What did you learn about the pharaohs?

How were pyramids made? What do hieroglyphs mean?

2. Your group has to present this information to the rest of the class. You will do this in the form of a report about either King Tutankhamen or Queen Hatshepsut. Your group must write a report or at least one page using the information about the pharaoh you choose. After you have written the report, your group is going to make a display, showing four different aspects of the pharaoh’s life. This will be done in the form of trioramas. Your group is to make four trioramas, grouping them together to form a pyramid.

Evaluation

Your group’s written project should be at least four paragraphs long, each paragraph 4 – 5 well-written sentences. The report is to be neatly written or done using word processing. The paragraphs are to have no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors.

The triorama pyramid should represent each of the topics of the four paragraphs in the report. While artistic ability is not being graded, how well the trioramas match the report is the basis for grading. Each triorama should be done neatly. Be sure to include details in the representations.

Once the two pieces of the group project have been completed, the group will present their report and project to the teacher. Students will be graded individually on their knowledge of their particular area of research and how well they conveyed the information gathered to the other members of their group.

Conclusion

You have researched one aspect of ancient Egypt. You are now familiar with some of the facts relating to two pharaohs. You have learned a smattering of hieroglyphs and the construction of pyramids. Think back to the original story, Tut,Tut. Did the author change any of the historical facts to suit his writing purpose? If so, which facts do you now know to be not true? Think about why an author would do this. Next time you read a piece of historical fiction, think about what facts might be true and which fact the author may have changed to make the story more interesting.