Key Stage 2 ‘Hurrah for Ra!’
Ages 8-9
Art, design and history come together in this ‘Thank you’ card-making project dedicated
to the Egyptian sun god, Ra. Children will learn about paper-making, the origins of
writing and about Ancient Egyptian culture, expressed through the art and artefacts
discovered in King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
There are two structured input phases to this project: Lesson 1 (1hr) and Lesson 2 (1hr). In between the two lessons, you may wish to set
aside 45 mins or so for a paper-making activity, ideally following on immediately from Lesson 1.
The Art and Design curriculum requires sketchbook evidence and exploration. The project lends itself very well to independent research and
design preparation to meet both the A&D and History criteria for Lower Key Stage 2. These elements are suggested in orange below.
Learning objectives: by the end of the project -
National Curriculum Reference
All will have considered the value of saying thank you, particularly for the gifts of the natural world.
Most will be able to locate Egypt on a map, identify the Sahara Desert and the River Nile.
All will be able to name the sun god, Ra, and explain his importance to the Ancient Egyptians.
All will have the opportunity to explore/identify artefacts excavated from King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Some will be able to formulate an historical timeline of events.
Non-statutory Citizenship and PSHE
All will be able to describe the importance and the many uses of papyrus.
All will be able to link the plant to the invention and etymology of ‘paper’.
Most will be able to sequence and explain the stages in the Ancient Egyptian paper-making process.
All will have approximated the process in their own paper-making craft activity.
All will have discussed the importance and multiple reasons for writing.
All will have identified and reproduced examples of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Most will be able to name key events in the history and development of writing.
DT2/1.3c
All will have designed and produced a card using Ancient Egyptian drawing techniques.
Ge2/1.1
Hi2/2.3c
DT1/1.3
Hi2/2.3c
Ma2/4.1
DT2/1.3c
En2/3.4a
Ar2/1.2
DT2/1.3c
Hi2/2.3c
DT2/1.3c
Hi2/2.3c
Ar2/1.2
DT2/1.2a;b
Some will have explored Ancient Egyptian design motifs and techniques in greater depth.
Some will have made comparisons between 3D and 2D representation.
Ar2/1.1;1.2
Some will have independently researched sun god mythology in greater detail and depth.
All should be given the opportunity to evaluate their own and others’ work.
Hi2/2.3c
Ar2/1.1;1.2
Ma2/3.2d
DT2/1.3b
Teacher notes
Recommended lesson time 3 x 1 hour.
The learning should be conducted in two phases:
Lesson 1 – art, devotion and paper-making in Ancient Egypt (1 hour). This will set up the historical context and the craft project.
Paper-making phase that will require an additional 30-60 minutes, depending on which option you choose. ‘Papyrus’ cards (Option 1 below) will
take a day to dry. Options 2, 3 and 4 are much quicker alternatives – option 4 takes no time and minimal preparation.
Lesson 2 – Egyptian hieroglyphs and card project completion (1 hour).
Research and sketchbook activity is optional, but an excellent opportunity to meet both the Art and Design and History criteria for Key Stage 2.
This can take the form of in-class and/or independent, out- of- class activity, occurring between lessons 1 and 2.
Preparation:
Learning and extension materials and resources are included, as is the background information you may need on the subject. The project should
fit with the timetabled teaching of Ancient Egyptian history. The craft element requires minimal preparation, using easily accessible materials.
There is ample (optional) scope to meet Art and Design criteria through independent and/or guided sketch-book work that may include a focus
on Ancient Egyptian materials and techniques, comparisons with modern (3D) and ancient (2D) representation, further historical research and
project evaluation. Consider whether and how you build this in before the final card-making activity.
Resources:
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Powerpoint presentation to structure the input for lessons 1 and 2 (included).
Video clip: ‘A Brief History of Writing’ (link provided on powerpoint slide 27).
Resource 1: ‘old paper’ printable template
Resource 2a: sequencing activity – steps in the paper-making process (with sequencers)
Resource 2b: sequencing activity – steps in the paper-making process (extension, without sequencers)
Resource 3: question sheets to work with video clip ‘A brief history of writing’.
Resource 4:hieroglyphic symbols chart
Resource 5: Egyptian design inspiration prompts
For the paper making activity:
Option 1: Easy Papyrus
 Brown paper, cut into strips
 Wax paper, 1 sheet per child
 Glue mix – 1 part water to 1 part glue
See http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Paper-Look-Old for even easier options that take less time:
Option 2: Paper aging with tea/coffee
Option 3: Paper aging with a candle
Option 4: ‘Old paper’ – printable template included in this pack- no prep
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Coloured pens, pencils, black and red felt tips and fine liners, gold and white pens if available.
Guillotine/ scissors.
Embedded English
Useful vocabulary:
 Using sequence markers (Firstly, then, next etc.) to
Silt, annual, inundation, irrigation, mummy, sarcophagus, versatile
describe steps in a process.
(plant/material), to discover, to invent
 Listening for comprehension
Embedded Maths
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Historical timelines – BC/AD
2D (flat, representational) v 3D (photographic) images
Repetition and patterning
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PSHE
Geography
Subject links:
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Art and design
History
Background information (input notes are included in the lesson plan and on the slide notes for convenience):
The Ancient Egyptians used art in their worship of the two most important things in their lives:
1. The rising and setting of the sun every day.
2. The flooding of the River Nile every year, once a year.
Of all their many gods (about 2000), the sun god Ra was the most important. Ra was responsible for the regular miracles of nature that brought
them fish, crops, wildlife (food!), and for the predictable pattern of life that enabled the Ancient Egyptians to establish a stable and confident
society.
Along the banks of the River Nile grew a tall (up to 5m) and versatile plant called papyrus. The roots, stem and leaves of the plant were used to
make everything! Baskets, rope, sandals, mattresses, medicine, perfume, food, clothes, tables, chairs, boats - and, of course, paper.
The Ancient Egyptians invented paper in 3500 BC. Around the same time, they developed a system of writing called hieroglyphics. These ‘sound
signs’ or pictographs were used to keep records, as well as to give thanks to the gods.
From the remnants of ancient papyrus scrolls, and from the writing and decorations on walls and ceilings of the pyramid tombs, we know a lot
about Ancient Egyptian attitudes to life – and death. Or, rather, to the Afterlife.
Further information on the art of the Ancient Egyptians can be found on Dr. Amy Calvert’s
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/beginners-guide-egypt/a/egyptian-art
website,
here:
The key features are:
 That it was stylized, 2D and representational e.g. bigger = more important; nearer objects might be drawn at the bottom of a stack and
those further away placed at the top – so, lizard, then river, then a mountain on top of the stacked images to suggest distance; a jug and
bowl would be placed on top of one another rather than the jug being drawn inside the bowl ‘as seen’ etc.
 It used repetitive motifs – scarabs, papyrus, lotus, lily, garland and palmette, for example.
 Drawing was more important than colour and doubled up to tell a story. An Egyptian scribe was both an artist and a clerk, and used an
outlining technique -usually red or black ink on a yellow or white background. Shapes were filled in with alternating blocks of colour,
often blue or green.
 Paper was made from strips of papyrus reeds which they dampened, made into a criss-cross pattern and pressed into sheets. Our very
word paper comes from "papyrus".
 Brushes were the chewed ends of the Juncus rush plant.
 Pigments were made out of ground minerals e.g. chalk, iron-oxides, copper compounds and ochre.
 Colour use was sometimes symbolic:
Green – vegetation, new life
Red – life, victory, anger, fire
White – power and purity
Black – night, death, fertility, life
Yellow – eternity, sacredness
Blue – sky, water, life, re-birth
It is worth investing in the British Museum Pattern Book: Ancient Egyptian Designs by Eva Wilson for design ideas and inspiration. Otherwise,
Resource 5 offers some initial prompts.
To explore commercial ideas for Egyptian greeting cards designs, see:
http://www.cafepress.com/+egyptian+greeting_cards
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-102681779/stock-vector-greeting-card-design-featuring-ancient-egyptian-hieroglyphics.html
http://www.zazzle.co.uk/egypt+greeting+cards
Timing
Stage/ purpose
10
mins
Reflection and
set-up: what are
we thankful for?
To whom? And
how do we say
thank you when
we mean it?
10
mins
Setting the
scene: the
Ancient Egyptian
context
LESSON ONE
Activity
Children take 3 minutes to describe to their partners what they are
thankful for, followed by short, nominated feed back to the class.
Discuss who they would say thank-you to, and how.
Elicit, among other things (e.g. a hug, an utterance, a gift, a return
favour, a prayer), the value of a ‘Thank-you’ card to show
appreciation for someone’s help or generosity. Tell children they are
going to create the first ‘Thank- you’ card ever, at a time when paper
had just been invented.
 Slide 2: Imagine they are living 5000 years ago, in the Sahara
desert in Egypt, northeast Africa. There are no machines, cars,
computers, no factories, shops or supermarkets. Everything
they need, they have to make or grow themselves. What do
they need most? Elicit food (plants and animals) and,
therefore, water and sun.
 Slides 3 and 4: They are very lucky to live on the banks of an
important river – the River Nile. Every year, the river floods
and the river sand, or silt, that is washed up onto the banks is
very fertile. The annual inundation means an abundance of
Resources
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Paired or group speaking activity;
whole-class feedback.
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Powerpoint slides 2-5,
information notes here are
repeated on slide notes.
Teacher-led, with interactive Q&A

20
mins
The story of King
Tut and an
objects guessing
game:
plant and animal life. Because of the sun - rising and setting
every day - and because the river floods regularly once a year,
their families can irrigate their land, grow food for themselves
and for their animals to ensure survival for the rest of the
year.
 Slide 5: The Ancient Egyptians believed that the gods were
the cause of their good luck. And the sun god, Ra, was the
most important god, to whom they owed their lives, and to
whom they regularly said ‘Thank you!’ Ra was usually shown
with a human body and a hawk’s head, balancing a golden
orb or sun on his head. Ancient Egyptian art was a celebration
of the power of the natural world. Through the decorations in
their everyday buildings, their temples and their tombs, we
know a lot about their religion - in particular, their worship of
the sun and their belief in an Afterlife.
After 30 years of searching for a tomb that people said didn’t exist, an
English archaeologist named Howard Carter discovered the tomb of
King Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. It contained the
mummified body of the young Pharaoh, and a treasure trove of
objects that can help us to understand the Ancient Egyptian way of
life.
 Slides 6-10: Images for the Valley of the Kings and
Tutankhamun’s tomb.
 Slide 11: Set-up for the guessing/ observation game
 Slides 12-22 (reduce number if necessary): Ask children to
identify the objects depicted on the slides – to really look,
consider their use and purpose and what they say about the
life they were living as Ancient Egyptians 5000 years ago …..

Slide 5 includes modern (3D) and
ancient (2D) representations of
Ra for comparison.
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Powerpoint slides 6-22
‘Guessing’ slides reveal the
answers
Teacher-led, with interactive Q&A

5 mins
Show final guessing slide 23. Elicit what valuable item may
have been kept in the box – answer: papyrus.
Ask whether anyone knows what papyrus is and elicit what
they know.
Slide 24: Papyrus was a very tall (5m), strong and versatile
plant that grew along the banks of the river. It was used to
make baskets, rope, sandals, mattresses, medicine, perfume,
food, clothes, tables, chairs, boats - and, of course, paper. The
Ancient Egyptians first invented paper in 3500 BC; before
that, people made marks on clay or stone.

Powerpoint slides 23-24
Steps in the
paper-making
process in
Ancient Egypt: a
card ordering
activity with
language
extension
options.
Provide pairs with process strip cards for ordering, with or without
sequence markers depending on ability.
Extension activity: add suitable sequence markers Firstly, Then, Next
and Finally – paying attention to punctuation: capital letters and
commas.
 Check answers against slide 25: Steps in paper production in
Ancient Egypt.
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Resource 2a : process steps 1-4
cut into strips for ordering
activity.
Resource 2b: process steps 1-4
(without sequence markers) cut
into strips for ordering and gapfill activity (optional).
Powerpoint slide 25.
Plenary and
recap.
Slide 26 provides a timeline for review. This will be referred to again
at the start of Lesson 2. Ask the children:
 Can they remember when the Ancient Egyptians invented
paper? Click to reveal 3500 BC
 Do they know what BC stands for? Before Christ
 What year was Jesus Christ born in? Click to reveal 0 AD
 So in Britain, everything before the birth of Jesus Christ is BC,
and everything afterwards is AD.
 So what year do we live in? Click to reveal 2015 AD.
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Powerpoint slide 26.
The invention of
paper: lead-in to
card craft
project.
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10
mins
5 mins

End of Lesson 1 input. If you are going to set up bridging activity and independent research, now is the time to do that.
And/ or you may move on to the paper-making activity. Whether you choose options 1,2,3 or 4, children need to have a
card to work with in Lesson 2.
Interim sketch-book
research project and design
ideas.
Ideas for independent and/or guided research may include Ancient Egyptian representations of animals and
plants; further study of the sun god, Ra; sun mythology (Nut giving birth, scarab/ dung-beetle rolling the sun
across the sky etc); a preparatory look at repetitive patterning, use of outlining techniques, colour blocks and
alternation; comparisons between 3D realism and 2D representation (slide 5 is a springboard), for example.
Resource 5 also provides some basic motifs to practise and experiment with prior to final card production.
Practical paper, cardmaking:
Timing will differ depending on the option you choose. See the resources guidance at the start of the plan for
further direction.
Option 1: Easy Egyptian Papyrus Making – 1hr, plus drying time.
Option 2: Paper aging with tea/ coffee – 20- 30 mins, plus drying time.
Option 3: Paper aging with a candle – 30 mins.
Option 4: Print the ‘old paper’ template – minimal preparation.
Timing
LESSON TWO
Activity
Stage/ purpose
5 mins
Recap
15
mins
The development
of writing: lead- in
to the final phase
of the card-craft
project.

Briefly elicit and board the key points that children remember from the
previous lesson. Remind them that they are living in Ancient Egypt, and
that they are designing the very first Thank-you card to the sun god Ra on
paper that has just been invented. Today, they will learn how to write
their names in writing that is 5000 years old.
 Slide 27 links to the previous lesson and will jog children’s memories.
Children are going to watch a video clip on the history of writing. Writing didn’t
always exist – it had to be invented.
 Before they watch, ask children to suggest reasons why we write, why
writing is important.
 Distribute Resource 3: questions related to the video clip. See if they can
answer any of the questions before watching.
 The video is embedded into slide 27: ‘A brief history of writing’
Resources
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Teacher-led Q&A
Powerpoint slide 27
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Powerpoint slide 27
Resource 3,
question sheet.
‘A Brief History of
Writing’ video clip
Pair-checking,
followed by wholeclass feedback and
correction
Slide 27 summary
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
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/young_explorers/discover/videos/a_brief_history_of_writin
g.aspx
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While they watch, ask the class to answer the following questions:
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10
mins
Preparation for
writing:
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30
mins
Card design and
completion:
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1. The earliest examples of writing are 5000 years old, called cuneiform
and from an area now known as Iraq. Paper hadn’t been invented yet,
so what did people use to write on? Clay tablets, stone
2. What is Egyptian writing called? Hieroglyphs
3. What did the Ancient Egyptians write on? Papyrus
4. What is unusual about Arabic? It reads from right to left
5. Which is the oldest type of writing still in use today? Chinese
After watching, check answers with each other and then with you. Click
on slide 27 to reveal summary.
Distribute the hieroglyphic chart: resource 4
Ask children for their reactions to the Egyptian version of the alphabet
Slide 28: Ask children to work in pairs to decipher the hieroglyph –
answer: ‘Thanks’
Now they should use the chart to construct and practice writing their own
names. Where no hieroglyph exists, use the Roman alternative.
They are ready to write and decorate their cards.
Slide 29: The text frame is simply:
Dear Ra,
Thank you for …… (draw on the natural world)
Love,
(name in hieroglyphs)
Spend the remainder of the time on the final design of the card in
Egyptian style: outlining the image in red or black and filling in with blocks
of colour. See background notes for further information. Resource 5 has
some ideas and prompts for image choices.
reveals.
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Resource 4:
hieroglyphic chart
Powerpoint slide 28
Black and red felttip and/ or fine liner
pens
An assortment of
coloured pens and
pencils
White and gold
pens would be a
lovely addition
Resource 5.
At the end of the project, cards could be displayed (on bandaged/ mummified /or gold-painted board? In a circular or sun shape?) or stored in a
special ‘Papyrus box’ that can be dipped into at the start of the day as a rolling ‘Thank you’ to nature and a fun deciphering game as children try
to work out the names of each ‘sender’ .
Extension activity/ follow-up: surprise someone with a Thank You card for something for which you are grateful.
Created by the GCA. Find more resources at: http://www.greetingcardassociation.org.uk/resources/for-schools
Resource 1: ‘old paper’ template for printing
Resource 2a: process ordering strips with sequencers
Firstly, the outside layer of the stem was removed.
Then the inner layer of the plant was sliced into long strips
and placed side by side with a second layer on top at a right
angle (criss-crossed for strength).
Next, the whole thing was soaked in water and pressed
under a heavy rock for 21 days. The juice of the plant acted
like glue and bonded the strips together.
Finally, the sheet was hammered flat and dried in the sun.
Resource 2b: process ordering strips without sequencers
XXX, the outside layer of the stem was removed.
XXX the inner layer of the plant was sliced into long strips
and placed side by side with a second layer on top at a right
angle (criss-crossed for strength).
XXX, the whole thing was soaked in water and pressed
under a heavy rock for 21 days. The juice of the plant acted
like glue and bonded the strips together.
XXX, the sheet was hammered flat and dried in the sun.
Resource 3: question sheet for the video clip ‘A brief history of writing’.
1. The earliest examples of writing, called cuneiform, are from an area now
known as Iraq. Paper hadn’t been invented yet, so what did people use to
write on?
2. What is Egyptian writing called?
3. What did the Ancient Egyptians write on?
4. What is unusual about Arabic?
5. Which is the oldest type of writing still in use today?
1. The earliest examples of writing, called cuneiform, are from an area now
known as Iraq. Paper hadn’t been invented yet, so what did people use to
write on?
2. What is Egyptian writing called?
3. What did the Ancient Egyptians write on?
4. What is unusual about Arabic?
5. Which is the oldest type of writing still in use today?
Resource 4: Hieroglyphic Chart:
Adapted from: http://www.mummies2pyramids.info/hieroglyphics/hieroglyphics-alphabet.htm
Hieroglyph
Letter
Facts about the
Hieroglyphics Alphabet
A
There are two hieroglyphs for the letter "A"
representing the different sounds of the letter.
Picture: Vulture
a
Picture: Arm
B
Picture: Foot / Lower Leg
D
Picture: Hand
F
G
Picture: Horned Viper
Picture: Jar
Pronunciation: "auh"
H
There are two hieroglyphs for the letter "H"
representing the different sounds of the letter.
Picture: Wick
h
Picture: Courtyard
J
Picture: Reed
K
Picture: Basket with handle
M
Picture: Owl
N
Picture: Water
P
Picture: Stool
Q
Picture: Hill
R
Picture: Mouth
S
Picture: Pool
s
Picture: Folded Linen
T
There are two hieroglyphs for the letter "T"
representing the different sounds of the letter.
Picture: Loaf of Bread
Th
Picture: Tethering Rope
W
Picture: Quail / Chick
X
There are two hieroglyphs for the letter "X"
representing the different sounds of the letter.
Picture: Sieve
X
Picture: Abdomen
Y
Picture: Reed Leaf
Z
Picture: Door bolt
Resource 5: Egyptian design inspiration: