Thematic Unit for 6th Grade Ancient Egypt

Rachel Hartmann
Unit goals: After successfully finishing this unit students will be able to know more
about ancient Egypt using the subjects across the curriculum. Students will be able
to identify ancient Egyptian clothing, writing, lifestyle, and art through the many
activities involved in this unit.
South Dakota Standards:
6th Grade Reading Standards:
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6.RL.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is

conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text
distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
6 RL. 9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres
(e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in
terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
6 RL. 4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings;
analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

6th Grade Social Studies Standards:

-

6. W. 1.2. Students are able to explain the development of the

River Valley civilizations based on their geographic locations.
6. W. 2.2. Students are able to identify the cultural contributions of
the River Valley Civilizations.
o Examples: Hieroglyphics, mummification, architecture, and
pharaohs.

6th Grade Writing Standards:

-

6. W. 6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and

publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others;
demonstrate sufficient command of keyboard skills to type a
minimum of three pages in a single setting.
6. W. 7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question,
drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when
appropriate.

Behavioral Objectives:
Students Will:
-

Read or listen to five books from different genres. A chapter book

will be assigned and literature circles will be created to allow the
students to analyze the literature about ancient Egypt and compare
and contrast their thoughts. (Reading)

PICTURE BOOK: Picture a Country: Egypt by Henry Pluckrose

this book has many great pictures that show the lifestyle and
many facts of Egyptians.
o FANTASY BOOK: Ms. Frizzles Adventures: Ancient Egypt by
Joanna Cole and The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
this book is about a girl who finds others that are interested
in ancient Egypt who find a barren land and go back into
ancient Egypt and do things the Egyptians did.
o NON-FICTION: Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki this book
describes how the dead are mummified and the process it
takes.
o BIOGRAPHY: Whats So Great About King Tut? By Sam Rogers
this book tells the story of this famous ancient Egyptian.
o HISTORICAL FICTION: Khu: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by Jocelyn
Murray this book tells the tale of a boy who just left his
village and is taken in by the queen of Upper Egypt and also
tells about the conflict between upper and lower Egypt at the
time.
Mummify an old stuffed animal of their choice to learn and display
the mummification process. (Social Studies)
Pick a topic in ancient Egypt (pharaoh, pyramids, slaves, etc.) to
research and write a three page paper on this topic. (Writing)
Create a power point of their topic to present to the class.
(Writing/Literature)
o

Assessments:
-

The students will keep all of their research work and projects in a
portfolio to keep track of their progress in the unit.
There will be rubrics for each project to give them an idea of what I
am looking for in their work.
I will give them a pre-test before we start the unit to see what they
know and then a post-test after the unit in order to display what the
students have learned.
Students will display their projects and present them to the class to
show their talents and explain what they have learned about their
topic of research.

Extensions:
Students will:
-

Engrave their name with hieroglyphics into a handmade dough.

(Art)
Students will use units of measurement to study the Nile River and
the ancient pyramids. (Math)
Students will create an informational book about the mummification
process out of mummy shaped paper. (Writing)

Students will be able to hear music from the time period as they
come into class. (Music)
Students will create a creative rap or poem on an ancient Egyptian.
(Music/Literature)
Students will use the NOVA site
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/explore-ancient-egypt.html
to take a virtual interactive tour of the Pyramids. (Social
Studies/Technology)
Students will explore the clothing that the ancient Egyptians wore
and demonstrate them on a dress up day. (Social Studies)