4.12 Egyptian Social Classes
SWBAT: Identify and categorize occupations in ancient Egypt and compare
ancient Egyptian and modern American social classes
Warm Up (5 min): Use text evidence from your book to answer the following
 What Egyptian social class was Ranofer a part of in The Golden Goblet?
 What social class did he want to be a part of?
 What social class did he actually become a part of?
 How was it different from what he wanted?
 How did he feel about it?
Class discussion: (10 minutes)
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Class will discuss the pyramid and where the occupations belong on the
pyramid.
Teacher will allow brief discussions to take place about the occupations in
each social class.
Teacher will have a completed pyramid to show on the document camera
Guiding Questions:


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Why did you put that occupation in that class?
Could it have gone anywhere else?
Do you understand the occupation?
Compare: (10 minutes)
 What do social classes look like in the USA? Class makes list using
scenario/profession worksheet
 Student will be split into 5 pre-assigned groups in order to use a Venn
diagram to compare ancient Egyptian classes with modern American social
classes.
 Each student will also have a venn diagram for other comparisons
 Royalty class will be compared to Upper Class
 Nobles and Officers of State will be compared to Upper Middle Class
 Professionals will be compared to Middle Class
 Artisans will be compared to Lower Middle Class
 Peasants and Laborers will be compared to Lower Class
 Students will write their Venn diagram on a white board
Social classes in the United States
On this graphic organizer your table must discuss and work together to decide
which social class each of the scenarios/professions fit into in modern day United
States society. Remember to consider all of the factors we came up with as a class
(they are listed on the board). When your table has come to a conclusion about
which social class the scenario/profession fits into, put an x in the box you have
chosen. Even though the table is deciding on their answers together, each person at
the table is required to fill out his/her own graphic organizer.
Scenario/Profession Upper
Class
A family vacations in
Colorado every
Christmas.
A garbage collector
A heart surgeon
A man eats dinner at
Taco Bell three times
a week.
A middle school
teacher
A professional athlete
A woman who buys
all of her clothes at
Goodwill
A married couple
with 6 kids
An artist makes
$50,000 a year
A bus driver
A graduate of
Harvard University
The president of the
United States
A pig farmer
A police officer
A family that lives in
the mission
downtown
Upper
Middle
Class
Middle
Class
Lower
Middle
Class
Lower
Class
1. Royalty
 King
 Queen
Egyptian Society Pyramid - Key
2. Nobles, Officers of State
 Governor
 Vizier
 High Priest
 Army General
 Soldier
3. Professionals
 Architect
 Surveyor
 Overseer
 Doctor
 Engineer
 Goldsmith
 Embalmer
 Landowner
 Tax Collector
 Scribe
 Priest
4. Artisans
 Sculptor
 Carpenter
 Painter
 Musician
 Potter
 Dancer
5. Peasants and Laborers
 Servant
 Laborer
 Sailor
 Ferryman
 Goldminer
 Quarryman
 Fisherman
 Water Carrier
 Farm Worker