A Look at Ancient Egypt Via The British Museum:)

With Howard Carter's 138th birthday in the news, why not take a look at the wonders of ancient Egypt?  Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb was a major event of the 20th century.  It opened a window to the past of how the ancient Egyptians lived.  Thanks to the British Museum, students can actually explore many facets of life then through this site. 

Some of the topics addressed are geography, writing, gods and goddesses, mummification, daily life, and much, much more.  Each topic covered appears as a hieroglyph.  Click on one and you will be transported to a new link with photos and easy to read details on the item you selected.  I went to the one on writing and found a picture of the Rosetta Stone along with details on the writing system.  I then dug a bit deeper and found a story on the routine of scribes.  Students of all ages would be fascinated here since it covers a highly respected "job" at the time.  Next,  I explored the section on where writing was used.  Apparently, if you could write, you were in high demand in the society!  Last, but not least, is a challenge on completing a message using the ancient writing system.  This type of activity would be a fun approach to see how much your students understood from your lesson and the site.



ANCIENT EGYPT

HOWARD CARTER'S DISCOVERY OF KING TUT'S TOMB
This site is a mixture of real silent film footage and event re-enactments.  It provides a very well-rounded view of the event. 

KING TUT'S TOMB TOUR
What did the tomb look like?  This is a virtual tour.  Here you will find pictures of artifacts along with short descriptions of the tomb's contents.


Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Bring World Myths and Legends In Art Into Your Classes:)

Validation of the many cultures that ELLs represent is a must in any classroom and especially mainstream ones. This can be done with ease through mythology and art and the Minneapolis Institute of Art's website does an incredible job of addressing both.

"Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. Sometimes these works of art are the only surviving record of what particular cultures believed and valued. But even where written records or oral traditions exist, art adds to our understanding of myths and legends." (Minneapolis Institute of Arts).

In a mainstream class, students have the opportunity to learn about each other through myths and art. For ELLs, this is a moment to have the spotlight on them as their culture is explored as a part of the unit on myths. One feature of the site is that the myths are recorded so the entire class can listen if the teacher uses speakers or they can listen at their individual computers with ear buds.

To build writing skills, teachers could have students contrast/compare myths after listening to them. ELLs would most benefit from this activity if it is done with a partner. Working with others and using a note-taking graphic organizer would provide the necessary support for the ELL to do well. ELLs then could retell the story with a partner and then do a short recap of their favorite part or their favorite character in it.

Another fun activity is having students, in cooperative groups, creating their own original myths. Students could act them out, create cartoon strips, or write the story (differentiation of instruction).

Teachers could also weave in some short videos on popular myths if there is time. It might be considered a reward for a job well done:)


WORLD MYTHS AND LEGENDS IN ART

Hope you like the site!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

See Ancient Civilizations Through the British Museum!

If you are a world history, geography, or social studies teacher, you will like this site. It is from the British Museum and is quite slick in format. The interactive site traces the birth of civilization around the world. Students can not only trace the evolution of religion, writing, technology, cities, architecture, and trade, but within each category, click and read short descriptions of related items.

Click on "OTHER RELATED SITES" and you will find several websites devoted to each of the ancient cultures. ELLs and others will find enough supports through visuals and short readings to follow the content with relative ease (I would still provide them with a graphic organizer to take notes as they read).

BRITISH MUSEUM

Enjoy:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS