LESSON PLAN
CSL 570
SUMMER, 2013
NAME: Nicole Santisi
LESSON TOPIC: Religion in Ancient Egypt
NEED(S) ADDRESSED: In conjunction with the Ancient Egypt unit, students will identify the
customs and cultures of Ancient Egypt. Based upon formal testing and informal observations
during the previous unit, India, and student use of nonfiction texts, students require assistance
with Reading Comprehension, extracting key facts from a text, and synthesizing information
from multiple texts. Finally, based upon a poetry assignment from a previous writing unit, there
is a need for additional written practice. Students will draw from previously taught guidelines for
writing poetry to create their own piece of ‘found poetry’.
NEW YORK STATE COMMON CORE STANDARDS ADDRESSED:
Reading- Informational Texts-Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or
issue.
History- Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary
source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
RATIONALE: Students have just learned about the customs and geography of Ancient Egypt.
This information will be applied to researching significant gods that shaped the religion of the
Ancient Egyptians.
OBJECTIVE: Students will research, identify, and describe significant Egyptian gods and
goddesses that shaped Egyptian culture.
MOTIVATION OR ANTICIPATORY SET: In order to develop student interest in the topic,
the teacher will begin the lesson by creating an “Ancient Egypt Trading Card” using
readwritethink.org’s Trading Card Generator. The teacher will display the card on the Smart
Board, and will include information such as the definition of polytheism and the names of some
significant gods.
BRIEF PROCEDURE: Using the iPad and various non-fiction texts, students will research
polytheism and significant gods and goddesses in the Ancient Egyptian culture. Using a graphic
organizer, each student will list interesting facts and important information about four of the
gods or goddesses included in the iPad app. The teacher will assign the four gods/goddesses to
each group. Each student in the group will then decide upon the god or goddess they would most
like to focus on for the writing activity. After filling out the graphic organizer independently,
students will come together in their three groups of four. Using their own prior knowledge and
details from the provided sources, each student will use the Found Poetry Strategy to express
his/her knowledge of the god that they chose. Found poetry is a combination of text-derived
information and personal thoughts. Students choose key facts from several texts, and make their
writing more lively by including their own opinions in the poem. Students will brainstorm ideas
with their groups, and will then create a poem independently, based upon their prior knowledge
and the information that they obtained from the provided sources. Upon completing the
assignment, students will switch papers with one another, and will read a classmates’ poem to
the rest of the class. This will allow the class to have access to information about a multitude of
Egyptian gods, but it will also keep the author anonymous, which will be important when
students present an oral report on the god/goddess that they chose.
MATERIALS USED:
iPad
Gods of Egypt iPad application
Ancient Egypt Graphic Organizer
Websites:
The British Museum (1999). Gods and goddesses. Retrieved from
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
Devillier Donegan Enterprises (2006). Egypt’s golden empire Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/newkingdom/religion.html
ReadWriteThink (2012). Trading card generator. Retrieved from
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/trading-card-creator30056.html
Videos:
(2008). Gods & goddesses of ancient egypt. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yblUAKoSNcg
2013. National geographic: Tombs of ancient egypt. Retrieved from
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/places/countries-places/egypt/tombs-of-ancient-egypt/
Books:
Hart, G. (2004). Eyewitness: Ancient egypt. New York: DK Publishing Inc.
Williams, M. (2011). Ancient egypt tales of gods and pharaohs. Somerville: Candlewick Press.
ADAPTATIONS: To accommodate students who require additional assistance, useful
information in the textbook will be highlighted prior to introducing the poetry assignment, so
that all students will have the information necessary to complete the writing activity. Videos are
also included as resources, so that students who require additional assistance will be able to
effectively extract important information. Leveled books will also be provided, so that students
can choose the text that is best suited to their needs.
ASSESSMENT:
Short Term- To assess understanding of the lesson, the students will create their own trading
cards for the Egyptian god that they were assigned to study. Students will use
ReadWriteThink.org’s Trading Card Generator to describe the god that they studied, including
important facts and interesting information.
Long Term- To assess long term understanding of the lesson’s content, each student will
develop a report on the god or goddess that he or she researched. The student will specify the
god/goddesses’ name, what they were known for, their backstory, and any significant ideas or
details associated with the god or goddess. The students will be asked to come into class within a
week of the assignment dressed up as the person that they chose. The rest of the class will use
their notes in order to guess which god or goddess their classmate is\portraying.
Fulfillment of NYS Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.-- This will be evidenced by each student’s
ability to draw information from the text and apply it to the writing of found poetry.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or
issue.--This will be evidenced by student research groups that involve multimedia resources.
Students will demonstrate their abilities to combine and utilize the information found in these
resources.
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary
source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.-- This will
be evidenced by the creation of the found poetry assignment and the students’ ability to synthesize
information.