Grade 6 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 7, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A Message of Ancient Days

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 7, Lesson 2: Life in Ancient Egypt (pp. 191-198)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Culture Elements of Egyptian culture included rule by a powerful king, social classes, a writing system, and belief in an afterlife.

Review the elements of Egyptian religion, especially the requirements for a successful afterlife. Identify the role of the gods and the king in the religious system.

Present the Egyptian social order and discuss the role each class played in Egyptian society. Be sure students understand that most Egyptians were farmers. Explore the training and importance of scribes and use of hieroglyphics.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have each student make a list of the different kinds of work in the Egyptian social order listed in the lesson. Ask students to briefly write in what ways each played a role, directly or indirectly, in Egyptian preparations for the afterlife.
Ask each student to express a one-sentence idea using drawings, like the Egyptians did with hieroglyphics. Encourage students to choose simple ideas. Have students trade sentences and read. Discuss what it is like to "write" with pictures instead of words.

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