Secret Code
Art project
Essential Question
How do ancient Egyptians tell their stories through art?
Enduring Understanding:
Egyptian art (images & hieroglyphs) tells stories about life, customs and believes of
ancient Egyptian civilization.
Content
This lesson integrates two forms of Egyptian art: the ancient Egyptian writinghieroglyphics and Egyptian portraits of royals. These art forms played significant role in
communicating stories about life an ancient Egypt.
Materials
Worksheet (figure 6), color markers, transfer-paper, string or yarn.
Part1
Students learn about the written form of hieroglyphics through viewing and discussing
images of the writings (figure 1, 2, 7).
What do you see?
What are some of the images that are recognizable?
Where do you think it comes from?
How is it different from English writing?
What is it written on?
….
Note:
• Teacher introduces vocabulary: hieroglyphics, papyrus, Egypt, ancient, pyramid
• Teacher will provide general background information about culture of ancient
Egypt focusing on hieroglyphics. (app 1)
Project:
Using the worksheet (figure 6) students create their own secret code using images. They
assign a unique image (not a symbol) to each letter (do not use the image that starts with
the corresponding letter in English alphabet ex. apple for letter A). Students will use
color markers (multiple colors should be use for each image). In the part 2 of the lesson
students will use their secret code to write a message.
Part 2.
Students learn about Egyptian portraits by discussing the images (figure 3, 4) and
comparing it to contemporary portrait (figure 5).
What do you see?
Who do you think it is?
What can you tell about this person and what prompt you to think that?
How is the portrait in figure 4 and 5 different from the portrait in figure 6?
…….
Note:
• Teacher introduces vocabulary: pharaoh, deities, portrait, self-portrait, profileview versus frontal-view (in portraits).
Project:
On a piece of transfer paper using color markers, students draw a self-portrait inspired by
ancient Egyptian style (head in profile and body in frontal pose). Along with the image
they also include a message about themselves written in their secret code. The writing
should imitate Egyptian writing-top to bottom orientation. Students’ self-portraits should
reflect their messages. The final piece will be rolled up like a scroll and secured with a
string or yarn.
Part 3.
Students will show their final piece of artwork to the class and discuss how it best
portrays them.
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Learning Objectives
Students will be able to define the following vocabulary: hieroglyphics, papyrus,
Egypt, ancient, pyramid, pharaoh, deities, portrait, self-portrait, profile-view
versus frontal-view (in portraits).
Students will be able to identify ancient Egyptian writing and portraits of Pharos
and deities as a form of ancient Egyptian art.
Students will be able to apply their knowledge of Egyptian art to create their own
art and to create their image code that they use to communicate specific message.
Students will be able to tell their story through their own imagery.
Standards
Production:
Develop an ability to utilize formal art elements in a self-expressive manner and create
personal iconography
History:
• Know that the visual arts have both a history and specific relationship to various
cultures.
• Identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times and places.
Criticism
Describe how people’s experience influences the development of specific artworks.
App 1)
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Ancient Egyptian civilization began 5000 years ago as a country along the Nile
River on the northeastern coast of Africa.
Egyptian Artwork can be found in tombs in the form of carvings, paintings,
murals, and statues to provide guidance and help to the dead in the after-life and
to portray pharaohs and deities.
Hieroglyphics were carved on temple walls and pyramids to protect the dead and
the living from evil.
Papyrus (figure 7) is a thin paper-like material made from the stems of the
papyrus plant.
Pyramid is a structure with a burial chamber inside build by ancient Egyptians to
bury the kings. The most famous pyramid is the Great Pyramid at Giza (figure 6),
1 of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, build in 2570BC. Egyptian
Mummy is a dead body that has been preserved. Ancient Egyptians believed in
after-life and that the dead needed their bodies in the next life. It took 70 days to
preserve a body (brain and organs were removed, embalmed and stored in
canopic jars).
Pharaoh is a ruler in ancient Egypt.
Deity is a god or goddess.
Figure 1.
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
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Figure 7
Figure 8