Additionally, I have decided to add "Memory Narration" to each point on the timeline. The "Memory Narration" will be a summary of the main thing I want the boys to remember about that particular Timeline point. I am calling them "Memory Narration" because the important thing to me is not that they recite it word-for-word but that they can cover the main points in their own words. I think this will be a great tool for our review work throughout the year. I will be adding "Memory Narration" to my previous posts.
Art & Music History this week we continued what we had started last week; Pieter Bruegel and Peter & the Wolf.
Weekly READ ALOUD books were:
Pyramid by David Macaulay This is a dramatization of the step-by-step process of building a pyramid. I stretched the book out over four days and each day the boys were asking for more. It is a very engaging and extremely informative book. The author also narrated this awesome 55 min. PBS special available to watch on YouTube. The video includes real footage of the pyramids interwoven with an animated story.
Usborne Time Traveler This book will be useful for a number of years. This year we are only utilizing the Egyptian and Roman sections. The boys really like the comic style of this book, similar to the "You Wouldn't want...." books. My only critisim is that it was uncessarily violent at times.
Long term READ ALOUD book we began reading "The Cat of Burbastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt" by G.A. Henty. This is the first G.A. Henty book we have read to the boys. I'm reading ahead to make sure there's nothing inappropriate for them. Although there is a very detail description of battles, it is not gruesome or glorified. I'm in awe at how it has really brought the Egyptian people to life for me and given me a better appreciation of their knowledge and society. I'm looking forward to finishing it myself. For now Chris is reading a chapter a night, while I take the two younger tykes upstairs to allow Lance and Jared to listen undisturbed. I spend this time reading and playing with Titus, which is a nice end to our day. The book is over 300+ pages long so I expect this to take an entire month to complete.
c. 2100 BC Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by Pharaoh Menes
DAY 1: The first day we spent getting acquainted with life in Ancient Egypt
- REVIEW:
- Use Mesopotamian puppets to narrate what they've learned
- Watch this video for a review of Genesis 10: 8-12 and view of artifacts
- Read "Pyramid" by David Macaulay pgs. 5-17
- Read "Usborne Time Traveler" pgs. 99-105
- MAP TREK: Map #8 (Combine Ancient Egypt w/ Old Kingdom of Egypt)
- Before you begin take moment to see how much they can identify on their own.
- Make the crown of Menes click here. We never got around to this but it looks like fun.
DAY 2:
- REVIEW: Discuss what they learned about Pyramid building and life in Egypt before each reading today.
- Read "Pyramid" by David Macaulay pgs.18-41
- Read "Usborne Time Traveler" pgs.108-111
- Have each child make a name tag or “cartouche” with Hieroglyphics http://www.kidzone.ws/cultures/egypt/hieroglyph.htm
- Explain the difference between Cuneiform of the Sumerians and Hieroglyphics is that in Cuneiforms each word was a symbol, Hieroglyphics had representations for both letters and words. This was a huge hit! Lance wants to learn the whole alphabet so he can use it as a secret code language.
- "Memory Narration"*
- In 2109 BC Menes/Narmer became the first Pharaoh to unite the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt and founder of the first Egyptian Dynasty. Dynasties are a line of kings descending from father to son. A new dynasty could begin for a number of reasons, no heir, political upheaval, war, etc. Menes is also known as Mestraim (or Egypt in the Greek translation) and is believed to be the son of Noah's son Ham. Though he had turned away from worshiping the one true God, they were still very religious. They believed strongly in an afterlife where they believed life would continue in a similar manner as it had on earth, and thus they spent a lot of time preparing for this future life.
- Mark Timeline
c.2100-1700 BC Old Kingdom in Egypt - Age of Pyramids (Dynasty 1-11)
DAY 1:
- REVIEW: Map of Egypt
- Read "Pyramid" by David Macaulay pgs. 42-59
- Read "Usborne Time Traveler" pgs. 112-117
- Have children spend time drawing/sketching pyramids of their own. It was neat that Lance took a side perspective and Jared chose a top down perspective.
DAY 2:
- REVIEW: Mesopotamia and Ziggurat design; Menes Memory Narration
- Read "Pyramid" by David Macaulay - complete the book
- Read "Usborne Time Traveler" - complete section on Egypt
- "Memory Narration"**
- Early Pharaohs were buried in mud brick tombs covered in sand called mastabas. In the third Dynasty, Imhotep, a famous architect and physician, built the first "Step Pyramid at Saqqara" for Pharaoh Zoser. It is believed Imhotep's design was greatly influenced by the Ziggurats in Mesopotamia. Seneferu was the first Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty, and the greatest pyramid builder of all time. He built the first three true pyramids; Meidum, Bent and Red. In 1900 BC his son Pharaoh Cheops/Khufu built the largest pyramid. Located at Giza it was 479 ft high, and composed of 2.3 million stones averaging 2.5 tons each. Herodotus said it took 20 years to build, which means they placed a new stone approximately every 2 minutes.
- Look at pictures of the Giza Pyramids in "Lost Civilizations: Rediscovering the Great Cultures of the Past" by F. Bourbon pgs. 96-105***
- Take some blocks and try to build a pyramid complex like that described in "Pyramid" by David Macaulay or try this pyramid origami project.
* Summarized in part from "Unwrapping the Pharaohs" by John Ashton & David Down pgs. 10-13 and Veritas Press Timeline Card
** Summarized in part form "Unwrapping the Pharaohs" by Ashton & Down Chapters 2, 4, and 5
*** This book is a gem and I will be using it all year. You can get it used on Amazon for about $5 with shipping. The pictures are fabulous!
*** This book is a gem and I will be using it all year. You can get it used on Amazon for about $5 with shipping. The pictures are fabulous! 
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