Upper Key Stage 2 Earliest Civilisations: Ancient Egyptians
Egyptologists

Find out about intrepid Egyptologists Champollion and Howard Carter and their incredible discoveries, achievements and methods. Write a play of events from their lives. Make observational drawings of Egyptian artefacts just like a real Egyptologist. Devise and record an interview with an Egyptologist and debate the removal of artefacts from Egypt.

Session 1 Champollion

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed.
  • Gain and deploy a historically grounded understanding of abstract terms such as ‘empire’ and ‘civilisation’.

English

  • Note and develop initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
  • Use further presentational devices to structure text.

Lesson Planning

You will learn that the Ancient Egyptians wrote using different scripts from ours and discover how the Rosetta Stone enabled hieroglyphs to be translated. Discover how an Egyptologist called Champollion was able to break the hieroglyph code and write a biography or fact file about Champollion.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • Understand that the Ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs and simplified versions such as demotic & hieratic scripts.
  • Appreciate that once hieroglyphs were translated Egyptologists were able to find out a lot more about the Ancient Egyptians.
  • Understand that hieroglyphs represent the sounds that make up words.
  • Research and make notes on the life of Jean François Champollion.
  • Write a biography or fact file about Champollion.

Children will:

  • Understand that the Ancient Egyptians wrote using different scripts from ours.
  • Explain that the Rosetta Stone enabled hieroglyphs to be translated.
  • Describe how Champollion was able to break the hieroglyph code.
  • Write a biography or fact file about Champollion.

You Will Need

  • Access to internet
  • Horribly Famous: Tutankhamun and his Tombful of Treasure by Michael Cox

Session 2 Howard Carter

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry.

English

  • Plan their writing by noting and developing initial ideas, drawing on research where necessary.
  • Identifying purpose of writing and selecting appropriate form.
  • Use a range of devices to structure text.

Lesson Planning

Learn why Howard Carter is described as a ‘good archaeologist’. Describe the finding of Tutankhamun’s tomb and write a diary or radio play script about the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To study the finding of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter & Lord Carnarvon.
  • To write a diary as Howard Carter, Lord Carnarvon or Lady Evelyn Herbert about the events of November 1922.

Children will:

  • Explain why Howard Carter is described as a good archaeologist.
  • Describe the finding of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
  • Write a diary or radio play script about the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Provided Resources

  • Items found in the tomb
  • Funerary mask images
  • Carter’s methods
  • Events and notes of the discovery
  • Lord Carnarvon and Evelyn images

You Will Need

  • Horribly Famous: Tutankhamun and his Tombful of Treasure by Michael Cox
  • Access to internet

Session 3 Those who helped Carter

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims.

Art

  • Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including painting and drawing.
  • Create sketchbooks to record their observations.

Lesson Planning

Explain that many Egyptologists were involved in the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb; understand that detailed record cards, drawings and photographs were made of the contents of the tomb; make an observational drawing or painting of an Ancient Egyptian artefact.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand that a team of people worked on the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb and know some of the techniques they used.
  • To understand that Howard Carter made careful sketches & drawings to record details of artefacts found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.
  • To make an observational drawing of an Ancient Egyptian artefact.

Children will:

  • Explain that many Egyptologists were involved in the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
  • Understand that detailed record cards, drawings and photographs were made of the contents of the tomb.
  • Make an observational drawing of an Ancient Egyptian artefact.

Provided Resources

  • The Tutankhamun excavation team
  • Record cards of painted box
  • The painted box images
  • Leopard Skin Cloak images
  • Sketches by Carter
  • Sectioned box images
  • Chariot images
  • Jewellery images
  • Funerary mask

You Will Need

  • Horribly Famous: Tutankhamun and his Tombful of Treasure by Michael Cox
  • Paints, Fine brushes and Sketching pencils
  • Watercolour pencils
  • Drawing paper
  • Visit to a museum displaying Egyptian artefacts (optional)

Session 4 Other Egyptologists

Objectives

History

  • Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations.
  • Characteristic features of past non-European societies.
  • Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims.

English

  • Note and develop initial ideas, drawing on reading and research where necessary.
  • Ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge.
  • Articulate and justify answers and opinions.
  • Use spoken language to develop understanding.
  • Participate in role play.

Lesson Planning

Explain where some of the most important Ancient Egypt sites can be found; understand that many Egyptologists have worked at the Ancient Egypt sites; devise television interviews of Egyptologists. You will debate the controversy of the removal of Ancient Egyptian artefacts from Egypt.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To identify and name some of the more important Ancient Egypt sites in Egypt and learn that many Egyptologists have worked at these sites.
  • To prepare questions to ask a well-known Egyptologist (and the appropriate answers).

Children will:

  • Explain where some of the most important Ancient Egypt sites can be found.
  • Understand that many Egyptologists have worked at the Ancient Egypt sites.
  • Discuss the controversy of the removal of Ancient Egyptian artefacts from Egypt .

Provided Resources

  • Merneptah Stele image
  • Akhenaton and Nefertiti images
  • Maps of Ancient Egyptian sites

You Will Need

  • Access to internet
  • Video camera