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Egypt Lesson Plan 8: The Science and Technology of Ancient Egypt

Introduction:

In this lesson, students will learn about many of the key scientific and technological

contributions made by the ancient Egyptians. Individuals and/or pairs will research

topics related to these contributions and create three to five minute presentations about

what they have learned along. They will also prepare three trivial questions that will be

used as part of a class game related to the content presented by each group.

Subject Areas:

World History, Social Studies, Science, and Communication Arts students

Grade Level: 6-12

Lesson Objectives:

Students will:

1. Use their prior knowledge of ancient Egypt to identify what a group of items has in

common.

2. Participate in a class discussion about the significance of ancient Egyptian

inventions such as the scarabs and the use of papyrus in recording a library of

knowledge.

3. Conduct research about a specific ancient Egyptian scientific or technological

contribution and create a project that can be used to teach others about this

invention and its impact on the ancient Egyptians and modern societies.

4. Prepare three quiz questions to be used as part of a challenge game to test student

comprehension and retention of what they have learned about various ancient

Egyptian inventions.

5. Compete against one another in teams using their recall skills to answer questions

about significant ancient Egyptian inventions.

6. Compose a written response to a question asking them to compare and contrast the

lifespan and usefulness of ancient Egyptian inventions versus today’s modern ones.

Relevant National Standards:

McRel Compendium of K-12 Standards Addressed:

World History

Standard 3: Understands the major characteristics of civilization and the development

of civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley.

Standard 5: Understands the political, social, and cultural consequences of population

movements and militarization in Eurasia in the second millennium BCE.

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Historical Understanding

Standard 1: Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and

patterns.

Standard 2: Understands the historical perspective.

Science

Standard 13: Understands the scientific enterprise.

Language Arts

Writing

Standard 1: Uses general skills and strategies of the writing process.

Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes.

Reading

Standard 5: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.

Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of

informational texts.

Listening and Speaking

Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.

Working with Others

Standard 1: Contributes to the overall effort of a group.

Standard 4: Displays effective interpersonal communication skills.

Estimated Time:

This should take three 90-minute class periods or five 50-minute class periods, plus

additional time for extension activities.

Materials Needed:

• Video clips necessary to complete the lesson plan are available on the Egypt’s

Golden Empire Web site [http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/index.html]. If you wish

to purchase a copy of the program, visit the PBS Shop for Teachers

[http://teacher.shop.pbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=1406375].

• Honey, glassware, paper, a calendar, a newspaper, cosmetics, and a bottle labeled

“medicine” for teacher use: table display.

• Internet access for completing research activities.

• Science and Technology Project Guide [Download PDF here (96k)], part of this

lesson plan.

• Assorted art, craft, and drawing supplies.

• Three index cards for each person/pair.

• Ancient Egyptian Trivia Game Score Sheet [Download PDF here (80k)], part of this

lesson plan.

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Procedures:

1. To get students interested in learning more about some of the scientific and

technological contributions made by the ancient Egyptians, place the following items

on a desk or table top in the front of the classroom: honey, glassware, paper, a

calendar, a newspaper, cosmetics, and a bottle labeled “medicine”. Ask students a

question such as:

• What do all of these items have in common?

Allow students one to two minutes to hypothesize and discuss what all of the items

have in common. If no one is able to identify that all of the items on the table were

things that were invented or discovered by the ancient Egyptians, tell the students

that is what the items have in common.

2. To further peak student interest in the scientific and technological contributions of the

ancient Egyptians, have them view the video clips Episode 3: Ramesses Records

History [insert pbs video link] and Episode 2: Amenhotep’s Newspaper [insert pbs

video link]. Take time to discuss why production of the first newspaper and the

creation of a library of knowledge were such significant inventions/contributions for

the ancient Egyptians.

3. Explain to students that they will study a specific topic related to ancient Egypt. They

will use content from the Egypt’s Golden Empire Web site

[http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/index.html] along with the Related Resources

[#Resources] in this lesson plan.

4. Using the topics from the list provided below, or additional ideas of your own, write

each of the topics on a separate slip of paper and place these papers into a

container. Ask students or pairs of students to randomly select one.

Suggested Topics: scarabs (newspapers), papyrus (paper), mummification,

astronomy (calendars), medication for treating disease, surgical procedures,

dentistry, glass-making, cement, sails, irrigation systems, canals, locks, ink, metal

piping/plumbing, cosmetics and personal grooming products, plows, air cooling

systems, oil lamps, postal system, writing/alphabet, number system/counting,

beekeeping, surveying, other (teacher generated).

5. After all students/pairs have drawn a topic, distribute the Science and Technology

Project Guide [Download PDF here (96k)] in this lesson plan to each student.

Review the requirements for successful completion of the project and allow students

class time to research and construct their project.

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6. When projects have been completed, provide each student/pair with the opportunity

to present their project to the class. Each student/pair should have three to five

minutes to make their presentation.

7. As each student/ pair completes his/her presentation, they should submit their

Ancient Egyptian Trivia Game questions to the teacher.

8. When all presentations have been completed, students should be placed in groups

of four to compete in the Ancient Egyptian Trivia Game. Playing the game will test

student recall of factual information related to each presentation. It will also give

students the opportunity to work in small groups to discuss what they have learned

so they can answer questions correctly.

9. Distribute the Ancient Egyptian Trivia Game Score Sheet [Download PDF here (80k)]

in this lesson plan to each group of students. Have them record their names on the

score sheet. Once this is done, follow the procedures outlined in the directions and

play the game as a class.

10. After the game has been played, collect the score sheets from each group and

reward the group who has earned the most points (optional).

11. As a follow-up on what has been learned, ask students to write a one to two

paragraph response to the following question:

• Many of the scientific and technological contributions made by the ancient

Egyptians are still in use today. While they have been perfected and improved,

the basic idea behind their use remains the same as it was over 3,000 years

ago. Think about the newest inventions of today, and discuss what, if any of

these, will still be in use 3,000 years from now. Be sure to discuss why some

contributions have a longer lifespan and are more useful than others.

Assessment Suggestions:

1. Assign participation grades for class discussion activities.

2. Accuracy grades could be given for the creation of the Science and Technology

Project and a scoring guide or point check list could be used for this.

3. A completion grade could be given for presenting the Science and Technology

Project.

4. A participation, completion, accuracy grade, or a prize could be awarded to each

team for its work on the Ancient Egyptian Trivia Game.

5. Students could receive a letter or percentage grade on the written response

activity.

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Extension Activities:

1. Take a field trip to a local museum that exhibits ancient Egyptian artifacts. Examine

examples of various tools, artwork, glass, writing, numbers, and other science and

technology related to the ancient Egyptians. Compare what you see to the research

you conducted and look for additional inventions that you didn’t know about

previously.

Related Resources:

The About.com Web site has an Ancient History page

[http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=ancienthistory&zu

=http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/rhatch/HIS-SCI-STUDY-

GUIDE/0011_egyptianContrib2Astron.html], which discusses the creation of a 24-hour

day and a constant calendar of 365 days.

About.com also has a section on Egyptian Math

[http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=ancienthistory&zu

=http://www.eyelid.co.uk/numbers.htm], which has information and drawings about the

Egyptian number system.

The Minnesota State University Web site has a section on Ancient Egyptian Medicine

[http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/medicine2.htm], which

provides information about the types of medicine practiced in ancient Egypt. There is

also a list of remedies used to treat specific conditions.

There is also a section on Egyptian Astronomy

[http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/astronomy.html], which looks

at the creation of calendars and the study of time. Information about the pyramids is

also included.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News Web site has a report which

explores the discovery of a glass-making site in ancient Egypt

[http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/06/17/glass-Egypt050617.html]. It also

examines the methods used for producing the glass.

Geocities.com has a section on the Discoveries and Inventions of Ancient Egypt

[http://www.geocities.com/wally_mo/inventions.html], which provides a list of scientific

and technological contributions made by the ancient Egyptians.

The Museum of Science has a section on its Web site, Ancient Egypt: Science and

Technology [http://www.mos.org/quest]. This has detailed information about the

mummification process used in ancient Egypt.

Eternal Egypt

[http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_actio

n_key=action.display.topics&language_id=1] has links and information related to

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science and technology in all areas including arts and crafts, science, agriculture,

commerce and trade, government, and society and culture.