Inquiry Unit Plan Incorporating the use of the Visual Ranking Tool
Unit Title
Unravel the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
Unit Summary
“Unravel the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt” is an integrated unit incorporating S&E, English and Higher
Order Thinking Skills. The unit is skills based and provides students with a range of learning tasks
to develop skills across the curriculum.
Students will explore Learning Objects, practise their skills in skimming, scanning, note taking and
summarising, demonstrate an understanding of Ancient Egyptian beliefs and rituals by completing
procedure and information report texts and an oral presentation.
They will demonstrate an ability to use Notebook Software effectively to create a presentation to
share with the class and work collaboratively to prepare a debate and use the Visual Ranking Tool.
The unit will provide students with an opportunity to understand the importance of archaeological
finds in providing an insight into ancient civilisations.
Teaching and Learning Taxonomy – focusing on Higher-Order Thinking Skills
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Learning Tasks based on Bloom’s Taxonomy .. analysing, evaluating, creating (HOTS)
Tony Ryan’s Thinker’s Keys
Explore Learning Objects
Curriculum- Framing Questions
Curriculum Framing Questions
Essential Question:
What makes the recent discovery of tombs in Egypt the most important archaeological find of
the 20th century?
Unit Question :
How does the discovery of tombs in recent times help us uncover the lives of the Ancient
Egyptians?
What can we learn from modern day Egyptologists?
Content Questions:
How did the River Nile impact on the lives of the Ancient Egyptians? (Compare this to modern
times)
Why were Pyramids built in ancient times?
Why is Tutankhamun so famous today?
What did the Ancient Egyptians believe about the Afterlife?
Accommodation for Diverse Needs
Students with
Special Needs:
Students with special needs will have specific tasks modified for them (e.g.
expecting less work in terms of content for their Notebook presentation), along
with additional SSO support and scaffolding throughout the unit. Activities
with multiple entry and exit points to enable all children to achieve success.
Gifted Student:
Students may have opportunities conduct more in-depth research. They may
also choose to undertake additional research relating to the topic.
Students’ Prior Knowledge
Think pair share to provide students with an opportunity to share what they know about Ancient
Egypt.
Students will have the opportunity to share their understanding about the beliefs of this Ancient
Civilisation with regards to an Afterlife.
Prerequisite Skills
Students will:
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understand and be able to use the scaffold/language features for Information Report and
Procedure Texts
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have the skills to debate a topic eg prepare an argument as well as the ability to rebut
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be able to use Notebook Software competently to produce a presentation eg camera tool
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be able to use search engines efficiently to locate information
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have the skills to skim, scan, note take and summarise
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understand how to use the Visual Ranking Tool and be able to add comments
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understand how to use the Alphabet Key to brainstorm a topic
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be able to use a Desktop programme eg Publisher to create a Newspaper front page
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be familiar with Blooms Taxonomy (analyzing, evaluating, creating)

have a clear understanding of what is expected in the Assessment Rubric to ensure the task
criteria is met
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be able to attach a file and email it
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understand the importance of creating a Wordwall in developing topic related vocabulary
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ability to work collaboratively to achieve a common goal
Learning Environment
Students will work individually and collaboratively in pairs to complete the learning activities.
Students can work individually or in pairs when undertaking research tasks using the Internet to
share the workload.
Notebook presentations may be done individually or collaboratively with a partner. Each student is
expected to create their own Newspaper front page.
Students will work in teams of 3 to debate
Standards/Syllabus Outcomes
SACSA – English
3.2 - Produces a range of spoken texts about topics and events of personal and community
interest for school and wider community contexts and audiences
3.4 - Composes a range of texts that include ideas and information about familiar and some
unfamiliar topics and applies an understanding of audience, purpose and context.
3.8 – Selects and uses a variety of language aspects when planning and composing a range of well
structured fiction, factual and media texts about familiar, new and possible experiences
3.11 – Selects and uses a variety of strategies for locating and recording information and for
reading, viewing and critically interpreting a range of written and visual texts.
3.12 - Selects and uses a variety of strategies for planning, composing and reviewing own
written texts and for consistently spelling most common words accurately.
SACSA – Society & Environment
3.2 – Researches and discusses the importance of understanding events and ways of life of some
past periods using primary and secondary resources
SACSA - Skills for Inquiry Learning
Defining & Planning the Inquiry – Identifies key questions/frames questions/identifies key
words associated with topics/Finds out what is known and what needs to be researched
Locating to extend and test findings – Participates in online learning, accesses a wide range of
sources and locates information, uses online key word search strategies
Selecting to extend and test findings – skims and scans for relevant information. Distinguishes
between fact and opinion, understands copyright and plagiarism, extracts key words and ideas
from complex material, uses note taking skills to record information
Organising and analyzing findings – sequences ideas, prepares drafts from notes and arranges
information logically, creates multi modal presentations
Actioning based on findings of Inquiry – uses a variety of media and formats to present relevant
information eg Photostory/Notebook/Powerpoint. Demonstrates an ability to speak from
prepared notes. Presents information using a range of techniques eg oral, written, audio visual
Evaluating learning achieved through the process – self, peer and teacher assessment
Year Level
Year 6/7
Teaching and Learning Activities
Introductory Activities:
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Use the interactive map to locate Egypt
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/history/egyptians/index.htm
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Using Tony Ryan’s Thinkers Keys (Alphabet Key) students record what they currently know
about Ancient Egypt. Share with the class. Create a wordwall recording initial
understanding
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“For centuries the mysteries of Ancient Egypt have fascinated generations of people”
Using the A-Z brainstorm as a guide, students formulate a series of questions they’d like to
investigate during the unit, to help uncover Egypt’s past. Record in Draft Book.
Class responses are recorded in a Notebook for future reference.
Learning Activities:
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Focus on the impact of the River Nile on the lives of the Egyptians
http://www.thenileandegypt.com/nilemap.html
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Working collaboratively, use the Visual Ranking Tool to rank the “Who’s who in Egypt’s
Social Structure” from most to least important
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Analyse the system of communication, hieroglyphics, used by the Egyptians. Record what
you find out about this ancient way of communicating.
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/home.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/hieroglyph/
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Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt had their names inscribed in hieroglyphics in a cartouche.
Investigate this. Using the Hieroglyphic Name Generator, translate your name and make
your own cartouche using Black card and gold foil.
http://guardians.net/egypt/hieroglyphs/hiero-translator.htm
http://www.artyfactory.com/egyptian_art/egyptian_hieroglyphs/egyptian_hieroglyphs_A.htm
 Explore some of the well known Gods and Goddesses and learn about the powers they were
thought to have had over Man and Earth. Record the name of the God, what they represent
and their role according to Ancient Egyptian beliefs.
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/home.html
http://www.ancientnile.co.uk/gods.php
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Ancient Egyptians believed that mummifying a person’s after death was essential to ensure
a safe passage to the Afterlife. Using this interactive Learning Object, students will enter
the Embalmer’s Workshop and assist in the preparation of the body of an officer to the
King, for burial.
http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/tutenstein/mummymaker/mummymaker.html
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After assisting with the mummification process, students are required to demonstrate
their understanding by creating a Notebook presentation to share with the class. The
Notebook will follow the Procedure Text framework and will explain mummification step by
step, using appropriate pictures and clear labels.
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Find out what an Egyptologist does and how finding artifacts can help us understand more
about Ancient Egypt. Students record findings in Draft Books
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The Ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for their Pharaohs. Students explore the
links and uncover the reasons foe the construction of these “Houses of Eternity”
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html
http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/toolsforadventure/games/pyramid.html?fs=www9.nationalgeog
raphic.com
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“You can’t take it with you … or can you?” Students are required to investigate the
burial process for the dead person. Once the body had been embalmed what happened
to it before it finally came to rest?
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Explore the trip across the Nile, the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony and the
Opening of the Mouth Ceremony. Students need to be prepared to explain their
understanding of these ceremonies.
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Students are to find out what was buried with the dead body and to find out why some
of the items were buried
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Find out what the Ancient Egyptians believed. (EXTENSION: How does this compare to
what we believe today?)
Using a desktop program such as Publisher, you need to create a front page for an
Egyptian newspaper in 1922 when Howard Carter uncovered the untouched tomb of
Tutankhamun. The key question you need to research is why this discovery was seen to
be so crucial to our understanding of life in Ancient Egypt.
Your front page should contain: a name for the newspaper, photos of the discovery, a main
Information Report following the writing framework/scaffold, which outlines the events leading
up to as well as the discovery of the tomb, a number of minor articles/ads that may have been
found on the page
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/tutankhamun_gallery.shtml
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Work with a team of 3 and investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of King
Tut. Using the information that you've found, your team will prepare a debate. The topic
will be "King Tut was murdered"
The class will be divided into teams for and against. You will need to research the King's death
and collaborate with your team to build a case and provide evidence to support your argument.
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http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/wash/webquest/
Assessment Timeline
Before Learning Activities
Begin
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Locate Egypt on
Interactive Map
A-Z Thinkers Keys to
show what partners know
about Ancient Egypt
What students want to
find out during the unit
While Students Work on
Learning Activities
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Questioning/Sharing
Peer/Teacher feedback
on Notebook progress
Progress checklist
After Learning Activities
End
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Teacher Feedbaack
(written)
Peer Feedback (oral)
Product – Procedure Writing
Mummification
Notebook
Front Page Newspaper
(Recount)
Debate
Thinking Tools Projects – VISUAL RANKING TOOL
Visual Ranking Project Name (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
The Who’s Who in Egypt’s Social Structure
Project Description (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
In this activity students will look at the social structure which existed in Ancient Egypt. They will work
collaboratively to rank where they believe each group sits on the "social pyramid" and be able to justify
their choices.
Prompt (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Rank the list in order of importance from most to least important. Using the comment box, you will need to
justify your top two and bottom two selections. Be prepared to share your thoughts with the class.
Sorting List (For the Visual Ranking workspace)
Practice Ranking (For your future quick reference)
Teacher ID: willyo6
Password: willy
Practice Team 1 ID: Horus
Password: Horus
Approximate Time Needed
This unit of work will run for approximately 10 weeks, with 4 lessons per week (45 minute
lessons)
Professional Learning
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Exploring Learning Objects
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Research various aspects of Ancient Egypt
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Setting up the Visual Ranking Tool
Technology - Hardware
Internet connection
Printer
Computer/Wireless Netbooks
Datashow Projector
Technology - Software
Internet Web Browser
Email software
Notebook Software
Interactive Whiteboard
Desktop Publishing
Programme
(Publisher/Word)
Digital Learning Objects
Printed Materials: textbooks, reference materials etc.
Unit Author
Dianne Williams
Brighton Primary School
Adelaide, South Australia 5048
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want your name displayed at the author? Yes