Our sixth grade historians are exploring Ancient Egypt. They have learned about mummification and will be making model sarcophagi to see where mummies resided. Did you know that the brains were discarded in the mummification process, but the heart was saved? Ask a sixth grader for the reason. We will be mummifying apples to see how this process worked, and students will then explore the Nile River and a burial tomb using 3D technology.
Egyptians also liked to play games including Senet, which is an ancient board game. Students had a chance to play against each in our second annual Senet classroom tournament.
Later in this unit of study, we will move on to talk about the pharaohs, the pyramids, and how papyrus reeds became paper. After writing in cuneiform in our Mesopotamia unit, we, of course, need to try our hand at hieroglyphics. It will be a very busy few weeks in sixth grade.