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King Tut On the Move

Subjects

Subject(s)

  • Arts & Humanities
    --Art History
    --Language Arts
    --Visual Arts
  • Social Studies
    --History
    ----World History

Grades

Grades 2-up

News Content

Ancient artifacts of King Tut are traveling around the U.S.

Anticipation Guide

Before reading, ask students to agree or disagree with each of the statements below.

  • King Tut was a king in ancient Egypt.
  • King Tut became king when he was 10 years old.
  • The mummy of King Tut was found in a tomb about 80 years ago.
  • High-tech scans of the mummy of King Tut reveal that he probably died from a broken leg.

    News Words

    Introduce these words before students read the article:

  • high-tech scans -- images (scans) produced by machines that scan the body; often used by doctors to learn the causes of sickness or other health problems
  • mummy -- a dead body that has been preserved and wrapped in cloths to make it last for a very long time
  • pharaoh -- a king in the days of ancient Egypt
  • artifacts -- objects, usually made by humans, from which historians can learn about times past

    Read the News

    Click for a printable version of this week's news story King Tut On the Move.


    Reading the News

    You might use a variety of approaches to reading the news:

  • Read aloud the news story to students as they follow along.
  • Students might first read the news story to themselves; then call on individual students to read the news aloud for the class.
  • Arrange students into small groups. Each student in the group will read a paragraph of the story. As that student reads, others might underline important information or write a note in the margin of the story. After each student finishes reading, others in the group might say something -- a comment, a question, a clarification -- about the text.

  • More Facts to Share

    You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this week's news story.

  • Tut is short the full name (Tutankhamun) of a famous pharaoh of ancient Egypt.
  • "Since the discovery of his tomb in 1922, Tutankhamun has captured the hearts of people around the world." said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and director of the Giza and Saqqara Pyramids. "Buried with him were treasures beyond the imagination, giving us a glittering glimpse into the past."
  • Among the artifacts included in the traveling exhibit are the golden, jeweled container that holds Tut's mummified organs and a crown studded with semiprecious stones that was found on the head of King Tutankhamun's mummified body and was probably worn by the pharaoh in life.
  • The last time treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb were displayed in the U.S. was during a seven-city tour from 1976 to 1979. About 8 million people saw that exhibit.
  • You can visit the Web site of the current traveling exhibition at www.kingtut.org.

    Comprehension Check

    Revisit the Anticipation Guide at the top of this lesson; ask students to respond again to the statements in it. All the statements in this lesson's Anticipation Guide happen to be true.

    You might follow-up that activity with some of these questions:

    Recalling Detail

  • For how long did King Tut rule Egypt? (He became King [pharaoh] at age 10 and died at about age 19, so he ruled for about nine years.)
  • To how many U.S. cities will the King Tut exhibit travel? (four cities)
  • Why were mummies often buried with objects? (People believed those objects would be needed in the next life.)
  • How many objects are in the exhibit? (130 objects)
  • How have high-tech scans of King Tut helped scientists learn about him? (Scientists have a better idea of what King Tut looked like and how he died.)

    Think About the News

  • If you could interview King Tut today, what would ask him?
  • If you were to be mummified and buried with objects that had special meaning in your life, what objects would scientists find when they discover your tomb in 1,000 years?

    Follow-Up Activities

    Language Arts. Historians have learned about the life of King Tut from ancient writings that were left behind. They have learned to translate those writings, which are sometimes referred to as hieroglyphics. The Education World lesson, Hieroglyphics: It's Not Greek to Me! (It's Egyptian!) will engage students as they write their names using hieroglyphic symbols.

    Art. Use this Education World lesson plan to challenge your students to Draw Like an Egyptian.

    History. Invite students to tell what they know about mummies. (What is a mummy? Where are mummies found? Why did people create mummies?) Capitalize on students' interest in mummies by using the Making Mummies lesson plan on the Discovery School Web site or exploring the steps in mummy creation at You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy. (You will want to review the latter Web site to be sure it is appropriate for your students.)

    More Art. Use the Mummies lesson plan from the Detroit Institute of Art to engage students in creating a mummy case and a mummy.

    Mummy Fun. Most of your students will be familiar with the animated TV cartoon, Tutenstein. The Tutenstein Web site is a fun Web site that students might explore in their spare time.

    Assessment

    Use the Comprehension Check (above) as an assessment. Or have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Think About the News questions on the news story page or in the Comprehension Check section.

    Lesson Plan Source

    Education World

    National Standards

    National Standards

    FINE ARTS: Visual Arts
    GRADES K - 4
    NA-VA.K-4.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
    NA-VA.K-4.4 Understanding the Visual Arts In Relation to History and Cultures
    NA-VA.K-4.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
    GRADES 5 - 8
    NA-VA.5-8.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
    NA-VA.5-8.4 Understanding the Visual Arts In Relation to History and Cultures
    NA-VA.5-8.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines
    GRADES 9 - 12
    NA-VA.9-12.2 Using Knowledge of Structures and Functions
    NA-VA.9-12.4 Understanding the Visual Arts In Relation to History and Cultures
    NA-VA.9-12.6 Making Connections Between Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

    LANGUAGE ARTS: English
    GRADES K - 12
    NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation Strategies
    NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
    NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: World History
    GRADES 5 - 12
    NSS-WH.5-12.2 Early Civilizations and the Rise of Pastoral Peoples

    See more recent news stories in Education World's New Story of the Week Archive.

    Article by Gary Hopkins
    Education World®
    Copyright © 2005 Education World



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